ONENESS OR TRINITY: WHICH IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN BELIEF? By Winnie Ibe

Oneness or Trinity: Which is the true Christian belief?

Is the doctrine of the Trinity the true Christian Faith? Yes and it could be demonstrated historically and is supported by the Bible. Please Allow me to help you understand.

Here is how the Catholic Church defines the doctrine:

Catechism paragraph 253 “The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the “consubstantial Trinity”. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: “The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God.” In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), “Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature.”

Let us concede that the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery, hence we cannot fully grasp or understand it. It’s not contrary to reason yet cannot be explained with reason alone. Christ revealed to us that there are three persons in ONE GOD.

Let us read

Matthew 28:19 NASB
[19] “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

The Church as the teacher of all nations further defined the Trinity in the council of Nicea.

We believe (I believe) in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets….”

It is equally true that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not the Father. The Catholic Church rejects the idea that the Father and the Holy Spirit is also the Son as the Oneness claim.

There are verses our friends in Oneness use and argue that their faith is true. Does the Bible support the doctrine of Oneness? Sorry but it’s actually rooted from gross misunderstanding of the word of God and from their private interpretation of scriptures.

Here is WHY, let us read:

John 1:1-2 NASB
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God.”

St. John introduced the Word or the Logos as FROM the beginning. He CLEARLY pointed however that the LOGOS is NOT alone, rather he WAS WITH SOMEONE he called ” THE GOD or ” ho theos” in Greek. The word “WITH” in Greek infers that there are two separate persons facing each other. St. John described the Logos as DIVINE to sa that he has the same nature as THE FATHER, yet he is NOT the Father.

The following verse also clear that it was the Word that became flesh AND NOT THE FATHER. St. John called the incarnate Word “only Begotten Son”, hence there is RELATIONSHIP not as Oneness describe in their theory.

Please read:

John 1:14 NASB
[14] And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only BEGOTTEN from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Father is greater than the Son in their relationship but equals as their nature is of the same essence or substance.

John 10:29-30 NASB
[29] My d Father, who has given them to Me, is GREATER than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. [30] I and the Father are one.”

When the Son said,” the Father and I ARE ONE” he did not say that they are one person BUT TWO PERSONS as ONE. Other wise he could have said,” The Father and I “is” ONE”. Moreover, Christ said that the Father is “greater” than him. This truth defines for us CLEARLY that the Father and the Son ( and the Holy Spirit) are not ONE PERSON. We should however clarify that the Son is lesser than the Father in view of the incarnation ( Philippians 2:5-8)and in their relationship. (Father to his Son).

Another verses that our Oneness friend misuse and misunderstood:

John 14:8-10 NASB
[8] Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [10] Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. …”

Why did Jesus said this? We know that the Father is pure spirit and did not became flesh. Jesus on the other hand is the incarnate one, hence he is visible. He is the PERFECT IMAGE of his Father, yet he is The Father.

Please read:

Colossians 1:15 NASB
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, ……..”

The Father CANNOT BE THE SON, nor both the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Here is why:

John 14:24-26 NASB
[24] He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. [25] “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. [26] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

John 15:26 NASB
[26] “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,”

My comment:

If the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, then He cannot be the same person. If he is one person the Holy Spirit need not to be said that he proceeded from the Father.

Matthew 28:18-19 NASB
[18] And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father in Christ’s name. For Christ to say this while he IS THE SAME PERSON of this Father and the Holy Spirit would be tantamount to deception. To believe that God employed such trickery is contrary to his very nature. God is the ultimate Truth, and he cannot lie.

Titus 1:2 NASB
[2]” in the hope of eternal life, which God, WHO CANNOT LIE, promised long ages ago,”

Hebrews 6:18 NASB
[18] “so that by two unchangeable things in which it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to LIE, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

Finally, no early Christian documents gives us a good reason that ONENESS belief concerning God is true. We find no hint from history that this was believe by anyone until the 20th century. This help us conclude that it’s just a NEW IDEA as a result of individual/s private interpretation of the Bible.

Here is a warning from. St. Peter:

2 Peter 1:20 NASB
[20] But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,”

St. Peter tells us:

2 Peter 3:16 NASB
[16] as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

Why should trust the Trinity as the true Christian doctrine?

It’s because it’s FROM the very Church that Christ gave his authority to teach ALL NATIONS while He remains with her.( Matthew 28:18-20). It’s the same church that St. Paul called, ” The foundation and Pillar of Truth( 1Tim 3:15). It is the same Church that teach us WHICH WRITINGS to be included in the New Testament canon. This means that she defined for us the doctrine of the Trinity EVEN earlier than the Church teaching us what made up the Bible.