WHAT IS THE TRINITY?  From Where Did This Doctrine Originate?

The Trinity Doctrine is the belief that the three Divine Persons mentioned in the Bible — the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit— are one God. They are distinct in their Personhoods, yet they maintain unity of substance as the one true God. The best definition of the Trinity can be found in the Athanasian Creed that was codified by the Church in the fourth century.

THE CREED OF ATHANASIUS (Excerpts): 

“…we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. …The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

So the Father is  God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden …to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man. God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ…”

• DYNAMIC MONARCHIANISM: God existed in Jesus in a powerful way, but Jesus was not God Himself.
  • Denies John 1:1: “…the Word was God.”

• MODALISM (Sabellianism): Father, Son, Holy Spirit are modes of ONE Person, not three distinct Persons.
  • Denies Matthew 3:16-17 – Baptism of Jesus = 3 Persons Existing at Once
  • Denies John 17 – Jesus prayed to the Father = Distinct Wills

• TRITHEISM (Arianism / Polytheism): The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are THREE separate Gods.
  • Denies the Hebrew Shema: Deut. 6:4: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

ISAIAH 46:9: “…I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.” 1.

ISAIAH 43:10-11: “…understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.”

ISAIAH 44:6, 8: “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me… And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’ ”

ISAIAH 45:21-22: “…Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.”

1 TIMOTHY 1:17: “Now to the King eternal… the only God.”

1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-6: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.”

MATTHEW 28:19: “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

THE TRINITY SCRIPTURE CHART – DIVINE ATTRIBUTES

THE TRINITY SCRIPTURE CHART – DIVINE ACTS

================

1. All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible