Here is a good article.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and THESE THREE ARE ONE." —1st John 5:7
The Bible, God’s Word, proclaims that there is ONE God (Deuteronomy 6:4), Who has revealed Himself to mankind in three distinct Persons; namely, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Although the term “Trinity” is not found in the Scriptures, the word “Godhead” most certainly is — in 3 places!
Romans 1:19, 20 states…
“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and GODHEAD; so that they are without excuse.”
Some people (such as Muslims) foolishly claim that belief in a Godhead (aka, Trinity) means worship of three gods (polytheism). This simply reflects their woeful ignorance of the Word of God. The LORD our God is ONE Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4); but He does exist in three Persons, i.e., a Trinity.
Acts 17:29 states…
“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the GODHEAD is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.”
Colossians 2:9…
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the GODHEAD bodily.”
1st John 5:7 is in the Original Greek. If there were no other verse of the King James Bible testifying of the Godhead, 1st John 5:7 would be enough for any Bible-believer to know that God exists in three Persons — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and THESE THREE ARE ONE.” —1st John 5:7
Now if you have a modern corrupt bible, then you won’t find 1st John 5:7 correctly rendered. I went out and bought a literal translation of the Bible in Greek and Hebrew, based on the “Textus Receptus” (or Received Text). It contains 1st John 5:7 just as the King James Bible faithfully renders. The translators of the King James Bible rejected certain manuscripts as heretical. The manuscripts which they did accept became know as the “Received Text.”
How Can One God Exist in Three Persons?
Some people feel like they have to provide an answer for every question. Well, that’s not true. Doctors are still perplexed as to what causes the human body to sneeze; but it’s an obvious fact. Mankind’s brightest secular scientists cannot with any certainty tell us how life began, nor can they tell us how big the universe is, nor can they create even the simplest of life forms in a laboratory. It makes infinite more sense to accept the Bible’s claim that God spoke the universe into existence by the Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). Ironically, the same people who refuse to believe the Bible without proof; readily believe the bogus tales of unsaved scientists, even without as much as a single shred of credible evidence to support their claims. This clearly evidences the wickedness of man’s heart against his divine Creator.
Colossians 2:2, 9 acknowledges the Godhead as a “mystery” …
“…to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ… For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Colossians 2:9 plainly teaches that the Godhead became incarnate in the fleshly body of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1st Timothy 3:16 declare the same truth…
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…”
Someone has said that "BIBLE" in acronym forms means:
B = Basic
I = Instructions
B = Before
L = Leaving
E = Earth
I like that. Too many people refuse to accept God at His Word and continually put God on trial in their mind. Can anyone really explain how ONE individual can exist in three Persons? I don’t see how. Some Bible-teachers like to use the fact that humans are composed of body, soul and spirit; but we are still one person; not three. This is not a good example of the Godhead. I can’t give you a good example, and won’t try. God is God and we don’t have to figure out how to describe Him to an unsaved world of Christ-rejecters. To those who believe, no explanation is necessary; to those who believe not, no explanation is possible. Let us just accept God as the Bible portrays Him.
The Scriptures identify each Person of the Godhead as “God.” The word "Godhead" is a Bible word (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9).
The Father is called God.
Romans 15:6, “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is called God.
“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.” 1st Timothy 3:16
Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he [God] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
Colossians 2:9, “For in him [Jesus] dwelleth ALL the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
The Holy Ghost is called God.
Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? ...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”
1st Timothy 3:16, “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.”
The Godhead and Our Salvation
God the Father sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16).
John 5:36, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.”
The Son was sent to be the propitiation (to appease the wrath of God) for our sins.
1st John 4:10, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The Holy Spirit reproves us, teaches us, guides us and testifies of Jesus Christ.
John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.”
More Scriptures Testifying of the Godhead
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." —Matthew 28:19,20
"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him [Jesus], and a voice came from heaven [God the Father], which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." —Luke 3:22
Each Person of the Godhead SPEAKS AUDIBLY in the Bible.
God the Father SAID of Jesus in Matthew 3:17... "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Jesus SAID in John 10:30, "I and my Father are one."
The Holy Ghost SAID in Acts 13:2... "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."
Each Person of the Godhead was Operative in the Old Testament.
The Father — Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
Jesus — 1st Corinthians 10:1-4, 9, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.”
The Holy Ghost — Hebrews 3:7-11, “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved ME, and saw MY WORKS forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.)”
From the very first chapter in the Bible, God makes it known that He consists of more than one Person--
Genesis 1:26-27, “And God said, LET US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God [not angels. the "us" can only refer to God.] created he him.”
Genesis 3:22, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil...”
When Isaiah had a vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, the Lord asked him a question…
Isaiah 6:8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for US? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
In the Old Testament, we find that God has a Son (Proverbs 30:4, Psalm 2:7-12) and a Spirit (Isaiah 40:13, 2nd Samuel 23:2, Judges 3:10, et cetera). We also find that the LORD [Jesus] said that the LORD [God the Father] would send Him to the earth (Zechariah 2:10,11).
Didn’t the Trinity Teaching Originate in Pagan Religion?
Some false teachers today are claiming that the Biblical doctrine of the Godhead (Trinity) has it’s origin in pagan religion. This is not true at all. The fact of the matter is that Christianity predates ALL known religions. We read in Genesis 15:6 that Abram (Abraham) “believed in the LORD; and he [Jesus] counted it to him for righteousness.” Abraham lived around 2,000 B.C. It was the heathens who tried to imitate and corrupt genuine Christianity. This has always been Satan’s dirty game.
John 8:44 and John 10:10 tell us that the Devil is a big liar who comes only to kill, steal and destroy lives. Only a woefully ignorant person would dare claim that Christianity didn’t exist before the time Christ was born into the world. History and archaeology document that Old Testament Israel very much awaited and centered their religious beliefs around the coming Messiah. It was because of earlier prophecies that the 3-wise men journeyed from the east (likely from Babylon) to witness the birth of the Savior, Jesus, in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Is the Trinity "Pagan?"
Conclusion
The modern Bible perversions take out the word, "Godhead" and they attack the deity of Jesus Christ. One man told me that it was difficult for him to understand the deity of Jesus Christ while he read the New International Version (NIV). Once he changed over to the King James Bible, it was abundantly clear. This is no surprise to me.
To no surprise, the NIV oftentimes agrees with the Jehovah's (false) Witness’ New World Translation (NWT) in the verses it deletes. In fact, EVERY complete verse that the NIV deletes is deleted in the NWT. It also deletes many of the same words and phrases including 1st John 5:7.
The precious and trustworthy King James Bible teaches that there is ONE God, Who exists as a Godhead. It may not make good math; but it makes good Bible. We don’t need to comprehend or even partially understand the mystery of the Godhead to be saved, we simply need to come as a guilty sinner to the cross of Calvary and trust upon the blessed Son of God to wash away our sins with His redeeming blood (1st Peter 1:18,19).
IS THE TRINITY PAGAN ?
Many have adopted this accusation as the main complaint of hindrance to believing in evangelical Christianity. There is no other concept of God attacked more than this subject. There are many things about God that are not understood immediately, I've heard the same for predestination. I’ve heard it said "people don’t join the Evangelical church because they can’t understand the teaching on the Trinity". This is just one of many straw man arguments. People do not come to Christ because they don’t understand the numerous doctrines. They refuse to because they cannot admit they are sinful and are in need of help outside themselves. Turning over their control to God is an act of faith. Instead faith is substituted with the carnal mind wanting to understand something from strictly a human perspective. If I can't fully understand it I will not believe, but this is only an excuse. As Jesus stated in Jn.3:19-21" Men love darkness rather than light, they don't come to Christ because their deeds will be exposed". Both Jews and Muslim's emphatically deny that God has a Son, if one is going to find a doctrine offensive to them, I think this would be it. No one preaches the Trinity in salvation but what is preached is that Jesus is the Son of God, he is Lord. We learn about the nature of God and other basic doctrines as we grow in the faith, not before. The simple reason is we need the Holy Spirit to be our teacher in the deeper things of God.
Is the Trinity pagan? The pagan religions had what we call trinities however on closer examination they are not the same in concept or substance. In the same way we would not agree with all the other religions that have a strict monotheistic view of God to be embraced as the same God of the Bible. (Islam, Bahai) The pagan concept was encapsulated with a Father, Mother, giving birth to a Son. They were three major Gods with many minor god's as well. Their trinity was comprised of three Gods not one. The Greek triad of Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva the Egyptian triad of Isis, Horus, and Sub bear no resemblance to the Biblical Trinity. They were all separate not united as the one God and almost unanimously had a mother involved as in a heavenly family. This was really tritheism, which has more in common with Mormonism than a triune God. Anti Trinitarians make usage of the statues with three heads and saying that is our pagan God. If one is going to discount the Trinity because of some similarities in name only and not in substance. Then maybe they should be looking at their own pagan similarities. One can still be in idolatry, if their one God is not the God of the Bible.
Anti Trinitarians make usage of the statues with three heads and saying that is our pagan God. If one is going to discount the Trinity because of some similarities in name only and not in substance. Then maybe they should be looking at their own pagan similarities. One can still be in idolatry, if their one God is not the God of the Bible.
Where did the pagans get a concept of three ? Why not two or four ? Where did they get the idea of a God in heaven anyway? What about their belief in a virgin and a son, where did that originate from ? Rom.1:20-25 tells us that man from the beginning knew God."... 'and their foolish hearts were darkened" vs.25 "they exchanged the truth for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator." When mankind fell into darkness of sin, they still retained some elements of the truth but distorted its meaning and it became lost.
As Walter Martin wrote "In order to find out if the doctrine of the Trinity is true, we do not look to see if it resembles paganism, but to the bible, to see if God teaches it in his word. Pagans also believe in the concept of God. does this mean that God must not be true? Pagans sleep. Does that mean sleeping is wrong ? We must not dismiss an idea merely because it is held in common with those whom we may not approve." (the New Cults p.49) Lets not try to find all kinds of perversions from the outside that have nothing to do with the Biblical record, lets go to the Scripture to prove our major points.
Alexander Hislop, in his book, "the two Babylon's", traces the history of the practices and traditions of the Roman Catholic church. He writes on pg. 18, "All these forms have existed from ancient times, while overcome with idolatry, the recognition of the Trinity was universal, proving how deep rooted in the human race was the doctrine on the subject , which comes out so distinctly in Genesis" Robert watts in New Apologetic says "The Pagan triads are "residuary fragments of their lost knowledge of God, not different stages in a process of evolution. But evidence of a moral and spiritual degradation" (Augustus H. Strongs systematic Theology p.352)
While their are Pagan Trinities which can be traced back to Babylon, instead of supporting anti Trinitarian views such as the Watchtower literature promotes, it is evidence for the tri-une God. Lets not try to find all kinds of perversions from the outside that have nothing to do with the Biblical record, lets go to the Scripture to prove our major points
Hislop writes that many pagan religions held to one infinite God the creator. Strict monotheism is found in Islam and a few other religions. Are we now to accept their view because God is called one (singular).
If we are to reject the concept of the triune God, a unified one, because of the pagan distortions, then we must reject much more than this. The pagan cultures also had a virgin birth and some even had a resurrection, Tammuz died and raised 40 days later. The pagan religions had a priesthood and sacrifices, this too became distorted with human sacrifices for Gods blessings. Some Pagans believed that certain gods became men. They had Biblical symbology such as a dove, the lamb, altars, their are many religions that have distortions of the Bibles account of the flood. Are we now to reject Genesis because of their misrepresentations. They also practiced tongues- ecstatic babble. All of these are counterfeits and distortions of truth, yet we are told since they have a counterfeit Trinity, we are to reject the Biblical Trinity on the same grounds. If you are going to do that, then you must reject all of it on the basis of it being found in some form in ancient paganism. You then annihilate the doctrine of Christ as the God/man, virgin birth, his sacrifice etc. All these are the proof of what Paul explained of what happened in history in Romans one, that mankind had a true knowledge but refused to worship him and sank into idolatry.
The God of the Bible is unique. He is tri-une, which is neither polytheistic nor is it tri-theistic. God is one in nature and is composed of three distinct eternal persons. They are one in substance with a difference in position. What makes all three the one God is that they share the same nature. This is the simple description of the God of the Bible. There is one choice from the Bibles revelation, if one denies the tri-une God, they are either left with atheism or polytheism.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
—The Lord Jesus Christ
Matthew 28:19
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