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  • 4. What Does Scripture Say About the Trinity?

    4. What Does Scripture Say About the Trinity?

    Probably the most unnecessary favourite debate within Christian circles is the question of the Trinity.
    This debate merely reflects one’s personal interpretation of biblical exegesis.
    If we understand Holy Scripture through theological interpretation, we accept the doctrine of the Trinity as a foundation.
    But if we understand Scripture from within Scripture itself, then such a way of thinking does not arise.

    Even the beginnings of the so-called Christian doctrine of the Trinity emerged in the 4th century A.D.
    Once again, it was a politically motivated decision of the church.
    Sadly, it is impossible to establish a Trinity from the Bible; rather, there are quite a few verses that clearly speak against it.

    Before we look at biblical passages, let us first see what the experts say about the creation of the Trinity:
    (Source: https://www.trinitaet.com/hauptartikel/alle-ha/232-zitate, accessed 2023-03-16 at 11:29 a.m.)

    “The Bible does not know the doctrine of the Trinity of God. The language of this doctrine is that of the early church, which adopted these terms from the language of classical Greek philosophy.”
    — Shirley C. Guthrie Jr., Christian Doctrine, pp. 76–77

    The academic world makes no secret of the matter—which thus becomes fact:
    Theologies are shaped by Greek philosophy.

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    To fully grasp this fact, we must be aware of what philosophy means:

    “The pursuit of knowledge concerning the meaning of life, the nature of the world, and the role of mankind in the world; a teaching or science about the meaning of life, the world, and mankind’s place in it.”
    (Source: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Philosophie, accessed 2023-03-16 at 12:40 p.m.)

    Philosophy is about finding answers to life. But its basis is the exclusion of God from the outset.
    If we want to understand the Bible from a philosophical perspective, it’s not only a fundamental contradiction—it is the exact opposite of biblical teaching.

    Jesus said very clearly:

    “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
    (John 14:6, Luther 1545)

    Jesus teaches us plainly: He is the way, the truth, and the life.
    So, if we want to follow Him, there is no place for any philosophy among us.

    “Harnack states that the Christian community adopted much from Greek philosophy. It was these foreign elements that caused the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation and similar ideas to develop—and not Jesus.”
    — Millard Erickson on Adolf Harnack in God in Three Persons, p. 102

    Again, it is shown: Theologies created the Trinity.
    It was not a teaching of Jesus.
    Teachings and views outside of Holy Scripture brought us the doctrine of the Trinity.

    “The Trinitarian idea triumphed in the creeds of the churches not by the power of reason but through the words of Athanasius; it grew in the blood of thousands upon thousands of martyrs.”
    — Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States

    Jefferson passes on to us: the Trinity is the foundation for many murders committed in the name of the Church.
    It is a very simple doctrine that was not spread by the teachings of Jesus.

    “Our opponents sometimes claim that a belief should not be proclaimed as doctrine if it is not clearly stated in Scripture […] but the Protestant churches have accepted such dogmas as the Trinity, for which there is exactly no such scriptural proof.”
    — Catholic theologian Graham Greene defending the dogma of Mary’s Assumption

    The Catholic theologian bluntly clarifies this for Protestants (“our opponents”):
    Protestant churches have accepted the dogma of the Trinity without any biblical evidence.
    They have thus forgotten their own foundation: Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone!

    “Today’s scholars generally agree that there is no doctrine of the Trinity as such in the Old or New Testament. […] It would go far beyond the intentions and thinking of the Old Testament to assume that a Christian doctrine of the late 4th or 13th century could be found there. Likewise, the New Testament contains no doctrine of a Triune God.”
    — The HarperCollins Encyclopaedia of Catholicism, 1995, pp. 564–565

    The academic world is completely unanimous: there is no foundation for the Trinity—nowhere.
    Not even if we view Scripture culturally (its “intentions and ways of thinking”).

    If the Bible truly supported the Trinity, our brethren from the southern kingdom—from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin—would surely hold a similar view or doctrine.
    But they do not know anything like a Trinity.

    So where does such an unbiblical doctrine come from?
    Simply from theological teachings that were developed at the end of the 4th century.

    “We find no clear, explicit statement about the Trinity of God in the New Testament […] The doctrine of the Trinity is not clearly contained in the Bible if we require proof texts. There is no proof text in the sense of a verse or passage that clearly teaches that there is one God in three persons.”
    — Charles C. Ryrie (Trinitarian biblical scholar) in Understanding the Bible, p. 108

    When I first read this quote, I thought:
    “Wait a moment—didn’t John write something like that?”

    At the time, I searched for a while and then found the passage in question:

    “For there are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one.”
    (1 John 5:7–8 – incorrect Luther 1545, reprint from Lutherische Buchhandlung SILOAH e.V., 2021. Until a few years ago, this wording was found in all common Bible translations.)

    As I continued to study this verse, I learned:

    • a) This passage has long been a matter of dispute and is known as the “Comma Johanneum”
    • b) This translation was introduced into our Bibles only between 1550 and 1600
    • c) Anyone using the Textus Receptus as a basis has no way to translate it in this way

    When I consulted the original Luther 1545, I found Luther’s actual wording:

    “For there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one.”
    (1 John 5:7–8, Luther 1545)

    So, we have no biblical foundation for a doctrine of the Trinity.

    Even on modern websites (e.g. bibleserver.com or die-bibel.de) and in recent print editions, we now find the so-called Trinity verse only in the footnotes.
    The current wording is:

    “There are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”
    (1 John 5:7–8, Einheitsübersetzung, https://www.die-bibel.de/bibeln/online-bibeln/lesen/EUE/1JN.5/1-Johannes-5, accessed 2023-03-16 14:18)

    So we see very unambiguously:
    There is no foundation for the doctrine of a Trinity.

    Even Wikipedia states:

    “Both Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians today generally agree—barring a few exceptions—that the Comma Johanneum does not belong to the original text of 1 John and at best represents an interpretation, dating from the 4th century onward, of the undoubtedly authentic passage about the ‘three earthly witnesses’ […] In most Bible translations available today, including Roman Catholic ones, the Comma Johanneum is either omitted entirely or relegated to the footnotes as a later addition.”
    (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma_Johanneum, accessed 2023-03-16 at 14:23)

    Anyone who wants to base their Trinitarian belief on the Bible must reckon with this verse:

    “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
    (John 5:30, Luther 1545)

    So if our Redeemer can do nothing of Himself, how can He be almighty?
    And if He is not almighty, is He then God?

    That is something you must consider for yourself.

  • What Does Scripture Say About the Trinity? – A Biblical Investigation

    What Does Scripture Say About the Trinity? – A Biblical Investigation

    Introduction

    Few debates in the Christian world have stirred as much division as the doctrine of the Trinity. While many believers accept the idea of God being three persons in one essence, we must ask: does the Bible truly teach this? Or has the doctrine emerged from later theological and philosophical developments?

    In this article, we will explore what the Scriptures themselves say—and don’t say—about the Trinity.

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    Historical Roots of the Trinity Doctrine

    The concept of a Trinitarian God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one being—was officially developed in the 4th century A.D., primarily through the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) and the Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.). These formulations were deeply influenced by Greek philosophical terms such as ousia (essence) and hypostaseis (persons).

    It’s important to note: the early Christian communities, including the Apostles themselves, never used such terminology. Their understanding of God was grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures and the direct teachings of Christ—not in Hellenistic philosophy.

    Is the Trinity Taught in the Bible?

    One of the most frequently cited Bible passages in defense of the Trinity is 1 John 5:7-8:

    “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”
    (1 John 5:7-8, KJV 1611)

    However, this passage—known as the Comma Johanneum—does not appear in the earliest Greek manuscripts. Scholars widely agree that it was added during the 16th century, likely due to pressure on Erasmus during the publication of his third edition of the Greek New Testament in 1522.

    Modern translations either omit this passage entirely or relegate it to footnotes with a clear remark that it is not part of the original text.

    What Scholars Say

    Numerous scholars and theologians—both modern and historic—acknowledge that the Trinity doctrine lacks a firm biblical foundation:

    • Shirley C. Guthrie Jr., in Christian Doctrine:

    “The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. The language of this doctrine is the language of the early church, which borrowed these terms from classical Greek philosophy.”

    • Graham Greene, Roman Catholic theologian:

    “Our opponents sometimes claim that no belief should be held dogmatically which is not explicitly stated in Scripture… but the Protestant Churches have themselves accepted such dogmas as the Trinity, for which there is no such precise authority in the Gospels.”

    • Charles C. Ryrie, in Basic Theology:

    “The New Testament does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity. There is no single verse that clearly teaches one God in three persons.”

    Even The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (1995) affirms:

    “Contemporary scholars generally agree that the doctrine of the Trinity is not present in either the Old or New Testament.”

    Jesus’ Own Words

    If Jesus were truly co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, we would expect Him to make such claims. Instead, we read:

    “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
    (John 5:30, KJV 1611)

    This verse poses a serious question: If Jesus can do nothing of Himself, how can He be all-powerful? And if He is not all-powerful, can He be God in the same sense as the Father?

    Final Thoughts

    The doctrine of the Trinity, as cherished and deeply rooted as it may be in Christian tradition, finds no clear or direct support in Scripture itself. Rather, it arose from post-biblical debates and philosophical interpretations of divine nature. As Bible-believing followers of Jesus, we must return to the Scriptures alone—Sola Scriptura—and not rely on creeds and councils that emerged centuries after the last apostle died.

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