NO trinity

Having spent many years hearing about the manmade concept of the trinity, it never sat well with me. That said, I spent many years studying the topic as well. I've heard every argument that tried to support this and I studied each of them intensely along the way. In the end, I have come up with this study which covers just about anything a typical trinitarian can throw out there and completely dispels all of it. This is for certain a long read - However, I would encourage you to read it through to the end. I also hope this study blesses you and gives you a better understanding about who God really is and who His son truly is as well. 

Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” This is validated by Yeshua himself in Mark 12:29. Therefore, hear O Christians, the Lord our God is not a "Trinity." The Lord our God is one. Yeshua berated the Pharisees for teaching man-made ideas as commandments from God in Matthew 15:9. Many churches have fallen into the same error with teaching the Trinity fallacy. In John 1:18, John says: “No man has seen God at any time.” But men have seen Yeshua . Therefore, the expression “God” refers exclusively to God the Father. Yeshua NEVER refers to himself as God; he reserves that terminology solely for the Father. In Matthew 19:17, when someone called him “Good Teacher,” Yeshua replied: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Yeshua never says God is a Trinity. Yeshua said to God: “I will declare your name to my brothers.” (Psalm 22: 22). Yeshua is: “the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29). Believers are the brothers of Yeshua. But we are not the brothers of God. God is our Father. In John 3:18, Yeshua only claims to be “the only begotten Son of God.” He drew a clear distinction between God and himself. He said to God: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Yeshua the Messiah whom You have sent.” (John 17:3). When they accused him of blasphemy saying: “You, being a man, make yourself God,” Yeshua replied: “I said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (John 10:36). When Peter said to Yeshua: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Yeshua confirmed this was a God-given revelation. He replied: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-17). This divine affirmation was repeated during Yeshua’s baptism (Matthew 3:17) and on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:5). There can be no higher validation than these. John says: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.” (1 John 5:9). Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yeshua existed “before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24). Then he became a man. (John 1:14). But God does NOT change. (Malachi 3:6). Yeshua is a man. (John 8:40). But God is NOT a man (Numbers 23:19). Yeshua died. But God CAN NOT die. Yeshua died but God raised him from the dead. Yeshua calls himself “the beginning of the creation of God.” (Revelation 3:14). God confirms this, declaring to Yeshua: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” (Psalm 2:7). But the Father himself is not begotten. He has no beginning but is from everlasting. The psalmist declares: “Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2). Yeshua has a Father. But God has NO Father. Yeshua has a God. But there is NO other God but God. Yeshua says to Mary: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” (John 20:17). To summarize, God is not Father, Son and Holy Ghost. There is only ONE God and it is the Father. There is only one Lord and it is Yeshua. As a man cannot be differentiated from his spirit, so God cannot be differentiated from his spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The word “Christ” is not Yeshua’s surname. It means “the Anointed One.” But the anointed must be subordinate to the anointer. Nowhere in the scriptures is it ever said or implied that God is anointed. However, Luke says: “God anointed Yeshua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” (Acts 10: 38). The Jews accused Yeshua of making himself equal with God. (John 5:18). But Yeshua never makes such claims. Instead, he says: “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). Yeshua submitted totally to God. At Gethsemane, he said to him: “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).

Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,: nor the Son, but the Father only. God and Christ do NOT have a shared consciousness. Yeshua is of God. He is His only begotten Son. No one and nothing in our universe is like Him. He is of God. Created by and from God. He is our incredible and beloved Messiah sent by God, by His own words and God's, but by my understanding based on thorough and reverent reading of the scripture, they are one in the sense that He is of God and so imbued with God’s very being, as any father to a son has that oneness as our children are of us, but they are separate. Christ is precious. Our lives have joy, peace and purpose because of the sacrifice He and His Father made. Think of the cross. Think of Christ's scourging. Any parents here? Imagine that was your child. The sacrifice made on that cross was one of a Father and one of a Son laying down everything they had to save their family. Many miss that dynamic due to the oneness theory.

Some Trinity supporters say, Yeshua said, “Unless you believe that I am (ego eimi, the divine name in Exodus 3), you will die in your sins. I understand this. However, only ten verses after Yeshua said, egō eimi (“I am”) in John 8:58, the man who had been born blind identified himself by saying exactly what Yeshua said; egō eimi (“I am” John 9:9). Yet, translators translated the exact same phrase two different ways. If this was assumed to be a one time anomaly, I would then say, Paul also used the exact same phrase of himself when he said that he wished all men were as “I am” (egō eimi) (Acts 26:29). You and I would both certainly agree saying “I am” did not make Paul, or the man born blind God. Using the exact same logic, these words do not automatically make Yeshua God.

“I am” is seen several other times in the NT and is used as an identifying phrase. Yeshua taught that others would come in his name, saying egō eimi (“I am he”) and will deceive many (Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8 same egō eimi) - Yeshua meant that many false Messiahs would come claiming to be the true Messiah.
For the Trinity view to be true, that Yeshua's “I am” statement in John 8:58 makes him God, his statement must be the same as God’s “I am” statement in Exodus 3:14. We can compare the Greek Septuagint and the Greek New Testament:

Exodus 3:14: And God said to Moses: “I am (εγω ειμι) the one who is (ο ων).” ‘You are to tell the children of Israel this: “The one who is (ο ων) has sent me to you.’”

John 8:58: Before Abraham was, I am (εγω ειμι, “egō eimi”)

Some people read that Yeshua's phrase “egō eimi” and conclude that he is claiming the same name that God gives for himself in Exodus 3:14. However, this is faulty logic for a couple of reasons. First, Yeshua does not quote the full title. Yeshua does not say, “Before Abraham was, I am who I am.” He only says part of it. Also, he says the wrong part of the phrase if this was his goal. If you notice above, God shortens his divine name in the second half of Exodus 3:14 and says to tell them: “The one who is (ο ων) has sent me to you.’” In John 8:58, Yeshia does not use the complete divine title in Exodus 3:14a, or the partial divine title in Exodus 3:14b. He only uses “egō eimi” which was a common expression in Greek to identify oneself as the person being talked about. For example. “I am he” or “I am the one.”

There are a number of extremely well qualified and well respected Biblical scholars who share this same view:

Robert Young (Young's Analytical Concordance to the Holy Bible) in explaining John 8:58 informs us that Christ was proclaiming Himself by the words (ego eimi) to be “the promised Messiah.” — (Young's Concise Critical Bible Commentary, p. 61, 1977 ed., Baker Book House)

Jason BeDuhn, Ph.D. an historian of religion and culture, and a Professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University wrote, “It is Yeshua's claim to be superior to Abraham, and to have a superhuman longevity, not a claim to a divine self-designation, that enrages his audience. Yeshua's argument in 8:58 is that he has seniority over Abraham, and so by the standards of Jewish society, he has greater authority than the patriarch. No one listening to Yeshua, and no one reading John in his own time would have picked up on a divine self-identification in the mere expression “I am,” which, if you think about it, is just about the most common pronoun-verb combination in any language.” — (Jason BeDuhn, Truth in Translation, p. 11)

Most Trinity supporters will immediately ask “well, what about what it says in John 1:14.” To truly understand this phrase, “The Word was Made Flesh,” (John 1:14) we need to first become familiar with the grammatical structure of the original language from which this passage was translated (Greek) and the various figures of speech contained throughout the Bible. First we need to get to the correct interpretation of the Scripture. We also need to prevent serious misinterpretations of Scripture which come from: We should never call something figurative that is literal. We should also never call something literal that is figurative.

You can’t begin to understand the (John 1:14) passage correctly until you fully understand the preceding passage (John 1:1) and the flexibility of both the Hebrew and Greek language. A single Greek word can have multiple meanings and yet be correctly transliterated into many different English words. However, choosing the correct or best English word to transliterate into scripture is ALWAYS the challenge for linguistics and translators. When an incorrect English word choice is applied it presents the incorrect intent (message) of that passage and usually many other scriptures then appear to also contradict or conflict with one another.

In this particular passage, we are dealing with the Greek word “logos.” This particular Greek word “Logos” – can also be correctly translated as, or interpreted as, being the thought of God (what God was thinking or planning).

Just for the purpose of clarity, if we associate this Greek word “logos” as the “thought” or “plan” of God, it becomes much clearer and easier to understand and harmonizes much better with other scriptures that relate to God’s Word (His thought, purpose, will, plan, etc.), which was made known (manifest, revealed) to mankind through His Son Yeshua, “the Word (plan of God) made flesh.”

For example, the above passage could also be correctly worded in English as follows:

In the beginning was the plan (thought) of God, and the plan was with God, and the plan was God’s.
The same plan was in the beginning with God.

All things we’re done according to it, and without it nothing was done, that was done.
In this plan was life, and that life was the light to mankind.

What is important to understand about the phrase “the Word was made flesh” is that it is spoken FIGURATIVELY not literally (It is a metaphor).

In other words, God’s Word (or message) was spoken through a man (Yeshua) that God made (Galatians 4:4). Since we know that we cannot see God literally, God’s Spirit (God’s will) can indwell any vessel (human) and did so in the body of our Messiah Yeshua, who was the man God used.
(John 5:37) “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen.” NOTE: (Yeshua is talking here, not God, otherwise you would have God telling a lie).

(John 3:33-35) “Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.”

(John 14: 24) “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

Yeshua indicates that the word or message he spoke did not originate with him but his Father. The verses below confirms that Yeshua spoke as one who personified God)

The Word being made flesh is more accurately compared to the word of God being spoken through Yeshua’s voice, behavior, and actions. Yeshua personified the word of God. (John 3:34, John 14: 10)
Throughout the Bible, God communicated with man through various means. One way God communicated with man is that God sent angels to deliver messages for him. However, God also used and sent forth many human messengers (flesh) to deliver messages from God. Some were called prophets, (i.e, Moses, etc.) but one man was called “the Christ”.

In order to prove the context of what this phrase means (The Word was made flesh) let’s compare the same sentence structure with any other variable (“the Word was “made mechanical“).

Let’s say God (who is called “the Word”) manifested himself on earth as a written message, video recorded message or audio recorded message (various mechanical means).

All of these methods would be able to manifest (make known) the will of God (“The Word”).

In the first scenario God’s words were made flesh when they were spoken through the body of a human individual (i.e., Yeshua); in the second scenario, God’s words were made mechanical by means of a device. Both methods are able to reflect the will and authority of God. What remains constant is “the Word” never changed the essence of God, God remained a Spirit (John 4:24). What did change was “the means of delivery”, God (“The Word”) was made known (manifest) through the body of a man (flesh) named Yeshua. However, neither the flesh messenger (Yeshua, who was human) nor the mechanical messenger method (the recording devices) could ever be the literal essence of the sender (God) because God is a Spirit (John 4:24; Luke 24:39) he is not a physical man literally.

Yeshua is correctly personified as “the Word” (John 3:34, 5:19, 8:28, 38, 12:49, 17:8). Yeshua never claimed to be God in person literally and you would make a great many scriptures false (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18, 6:46; 1 John 4:12) if you claimed otherwise. We must always remember that God’s Spirit was “IN” Christ; Christ was a man (John 8:40) anointed by God (Acts 10:38; Hebrews 1:9) whom the Spirit of God indwelt (John 14:10).

When ministers read scriptures out loud, they too are delivering “the Word” however the receiver is not literally looking at God or hearing God. Yeshua was the messenger of “the Word”; when Yeshua was on earth men saw God reflected in his life, they did not literally see God, touch God or nail God on the cross, let alone kill God. (Clearly, they killed a man, although not his human spirit, nor God’s spirit.)

In 312 CE, Roman emperor Constantine I (r. 306-337 CE) converted to Christianity and simultaneously became head of the Christian Church. He promoted the unity of belief throughout the empire. The concept of the Trinity could have remained an intellectual endeavor only, but a controversy emerged in the city of Alexandria that spilled over into other cities (318-321 CE). Arius, a presbyter in Alexandria taught that if one believed that God created everything, then at one time, he must have created Christ. Indeed, the very terms the Father and the Son indicated that Christ was subordinate to God. The bishop of Alexandria excommunicated Arius, but other church leaders took his side. Riots broke out among the various factions in different cities.

In 325 CE, Constantine called for an empire-wide council to resolve the matter. The challenge was to articulate the way in which the oneness of God was also found in his transcendence (through the power of the Spirit) and his incarnate nature (taking on flesh in the Son). The meeting was held in Nicaea, near the new capital of Constantinople that was still in progress. Roughly 217 bishops attended along with their entourages. Constantine PAID everyone’s travel expenses and room and board. In the discussions at the Council of Nicaea, various views were debated:

Monarchianism - God as king who delegated his powers to the Son and Holy Spirit

Subordinationism or Arianism - the Son was a creature, and subordinate to the Father

Sabellianism - a perfect union between the Father and Son, and thus the Father was crucified in the Son. This concept was eventually declared heretical.

Again, note that Constantine PAID everyone’s travel expenses and room and board. Not to mention he was the all-powerful emperor. So, it was in ALL their best interest to of course agree with him.

The debates on the Trinity were quite esoteric and included philosophical ideas of the universe. Was Christ homo-ousios, a being like the Father, or was he homoi-ousios, of the identical essence of the Father? Note that the difference is in an iota, a subtle difference in the Greek. The Council opted for the second choice in that God and Christ were identical in essence and that Christ was a manifestation of God himself on earth. Beyond the esoteric theology, however, the practical implication for the choice of Christ being identical to the essence of God was that it theoretically kept the monotheism of traditional Judaism intact. Having Christ identical to God, confirmed the view that Christ was pre-existent and helped to create the universe.

The choice bolstered the status of the Christian emperor. Over time, the imminent kingdom of God had faded. The kingdom was still to come but in the interim, the Christian emperor was to stand in for Christ on earth. The emperor should therefore have the identical power of God on earth as he rules. It is after the Council of Nicaea that Christian emperors started to be portrayed with a halo and the trappings of divine worship.

The concept of a creed (from the Latin credo, "I believe") was a Christian innovation. With multiple native cults, there was no central authority that dictated what all should believe. The Nicene Creed formalized one system of belief that was promoted through the power of the emperor (and his legions). As such, any dissent from the Creed was now treason.

With the emperor chairing the Council, most of the bishops agreed to the Creed, but two refused: Eusebius, Constantine’s court bishop, and of course, Arius who had been brought in chains from Alexandria. Both were sent into exile. However, after some of the bishops returned home, they contested it, which is why further Councils had to be called to achieve conformity. Those who sided with Arius, made their way east and north of the Black Sea area (the Balkans and Russia), converting people. These Arians were quite successful. Two priests, Cyril and Methodius, created an alphabet, Cyrillic, which is still used in Eastern and Russian Orthodox Churches. Many of the later invaders of the Roman Empire (Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, Huns) were Arian Christians. Later in life, Constantine apparently had a change of heart; he recalled both Bishop Eusebius and Arius from exile and brought them to Constantinople. He chose Bishop Eusebius to baptize him on his deathbed.

The point in all of this being... This entire discussion of the "Trinity" which has caused so much divisiveness among Christians is something that was birthed from an emperor that essentially coerced church leadership at that time to put this concept in place. This is quite unfortunate.
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