Looking at the title of this article, you may already be turned off and ready to leave this webpage. But I pray that you will at least explore what the Bible has to say regarding a doctrine that many believe is essential to salvation, but is not supported in the scriptures. The question that this article will address is whether God is simply one or He is made up of three separate persons.

First of all, those of you who believe in a Trinity, I still consider you to be my brothers and sisters in the faith because more than likely you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to experience the forgiveness of sins, that God is one God and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are God. But unfortunately there are some differences between the foundations of the Trinity doctrine and what the Bible actually says. And they are significant differences that none of us would ever catch if we aren’t willing to investigate this topic ourselves.

As we continue, understand that I grew up as a believer in the Trinity but it is through my investigation of the scriptures that I have come to see otherwise. There is a problem when a doctrine is taught and it is widely accepted when the Bible does not ever mention the word “Trinity” or the phrases “three persons”, “God the Son”, “God the Holy Spirit “ or “Eternal Son” in relation to God. My hope is that this article will allow you to see the truth regarding God’s nature and what the Bible really has to say.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
(Deuteronomy 6:4 – ESV)

The fact that the Lord is one is one of the most important truths in the entire Bible. It is referred to as the “Shema” by Jews. Note that this isn’t the only place in the Bible that emphasizes that God is one. It is layered throughout the whole Bible. But there are scriptures that would seem to indicate a plurality when it comes to God. But does this mean God is a Trinity?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(John 1:1-3 – ESV)

So in the beginning was God and the Word (logos). Not God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible points out that God and the Word were in the beginning. And the Word was simply God. Not an “Eternal Son.”

But what about the Holy Spirit? Well the Spirit of God was indeed was present in the beginning if we read Genesis 1:2. So that would mean that we would have the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) in Genesis, right? No. According to the scriptures, we have “God”, “the Word” and the “Spirit of God.” And  we are going to see this does not mean God in three persons.

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
(John 4:24- ESV)

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
(Acts 5:3-4 – ESV)

God is spirit. And the Holy Spirit actually refers to God Himself, not the third person of a Trinity. Now under the Trinity doctrine, we have the Father as the head honcho, the Son as the right hand man and the Holy Spirit taking third. But this is not biblical. What if we were to see in the Bible that the Father and the Holy Spirit are actually one in the same? For does God have one Spirit or multiple Spirits? The Gospel of Matthew provides us with some interesting evidence:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 1:18 – ESV)

Notice that the Bible says “from the Holy Spirit” and not “from the Father.” So if we were to take the Trinity doctrine and fit it into this scripture, then actually the third person of the Trinity (Holy Spirit) would become the first person of the Trinity (Father) because it is the Holy Spirit who caused the conception. We know that as human beings that the man who causes conception in the woman is the father of that child and this also applies to the birth of Jesus. We have seen from scripture that God is spirit, that God and Holy Spirit can be used interchangeably and that God possesses one Spirit.

So if we understand that God is spirit and the Holy Spirit (emphasizing His holiness and also God in action) caused Mary to be with child, then we should have no trouble dealing with the Genesis account of God’s creation that also includes His Spirit in action. They are one in the same. But what about the Word?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
(John 1:1)

Indeed the Word was present in the beginning. And it is this same Word that took on flesh (John 1:14) and became Jesus Christ. Now while many interpretations have touched on the Word being the thought and plan of God, Strong’s provides a definition known as “divine expression.” Indeed, does not a word express or explain something?  

It’s no secret that God has manifested Himself in many different ways throughout the Bible. Before becoming Jesus Christ, He appeared to man as a man (Genesis 18, Daniel 3), The Angel of the Lord (Exodus 3, Judges 13), a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21), commander of the Lord’s army (Joshua 5) etc. To manifest and express Himself in a way that we as mankind could comprehend has been something He has done from the beginning. And Jesus Christ is God’s greatest manifestation in that He provided salvation for our sins by becoming a human being.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
(1 Timothy 3:16 – KJV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
(Colossians 1:15 – ESV)

One area that the Trinity makes a crucial mistake is by thinking that the words “Son” and “Word” are interchangeable. They are not. “Word” actually denotes the expression of God while “Son” literally points to Jesus’ humanity. Jesus Christ is not the “Eternal Son” taking on flesh, He is the Word that has taken on flesh thereby becoming the Son of God. God’s expression went from temporary manifestations in the Old Testament to a permanent manifestation as a human being in the New Testament.

Now who is Jesus? In the article JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY, I noted that Jesus is God as a human being. So He is fully God but He is also fully human. He has 100% of both natures. And throughout the Gospels, both of those natures were emphasized. There were times when He allowed His divinity to show (miracles, “I AM” statements, accepting worship) and then there were times when His humanity was emphasized (praying to God, being hungry and tired, being able to die). When it comes to Jesus, we’re not talking about an eternal Son, we’re actually talking about the Everlasting Father and Almighty God (Isaiah 9:6). In Revelation, In Matthew, He is referred to as “Immanuel” which means “God with us.” If He isn’t fully God, but the second person of a Trinity, then the name Immanuel would be a lie.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
(Revelation 22:13 – ESV)

Many times we refer to the final book of the Bible as “Revelation” or “Revelations” but do we understand the implications of the full name of the book? The full title is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” And what is one of the purposes of this very book? To show one last time beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is the one true God. If Jesus wasn’t the one true God, then for Him to say that He is “Alpha and the Omega” would make Him guilty of the biggest blasphemy known to man.

So the understanding we receive from the Bible should point to the fact that the one true God is not divided up into three persons but has chosen different means to manifest Himself to mankind throughout history with the most important manifestation being Jesus Christ. God Himself took on human flesh and sacrificed Himself on the cross for us as Jesus. That’s a far cry from God just choosing a human to make suffer for our sins.

CLICK TO READ PT. II