Can we see them together?
- If God is Triune by his default and eternal nature, then we may expect to see all the three members together
- The scripture presents them existing independently with their own identities and interacting with one another
- The only mystery that bothers us much is that their existence doesn’t lead to tritheism
- We cannot be certain by any of our finite imagination about it until and unless we shall see them in our future
- We are already living with them together
Is trinity pagan?
Trinity: There is One God, who is 3 co-existing eternal persons and each persons is fully God
A conspiracy theorist from JW, Robert King brings up the case of Nimrod and Semiramis: After Nimrod died, she miraculously gave him birth as a son, hence making Nimrod both Father and Son! First, there are two separate beings and Nimrod is not even 3 co-existing persons. In this funny legend, Father becomes son later. It is more like a Heresy of Modalism. Meanwhile, there is no evidence to show they were married. Indeed, Semiramis has no connection with Nimrod at all. She indeed married Ninus, king of Assyria. If she existed ever, she could probably be a queen from around 800 BC while Nimrod could have lived 1200 years before that!
But all the connection between Nimrod and Semiramis comes from a book ‘The Two Babylons’ by Alexander Hislop. Even Thomas Hwang has written a book ‘The Origin of Religions’ pulling down the evolution of every gods and goddesses right away from three characters: Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz! He used the same book as one of his resources of his work! Meanwhile, scholarly analysis suggests the work of Hislop as a fable!
Next, Hindu Trimurti i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh doesn’t come closer to anything like our doctrine.
The Trimurti was not even a core doctrine of early Hinduism. But a later development at least 300 years after Christ!
This could also be closer to heresy of Modalism
Brahman does not interact in human lives. The Brahman is simply there, forever, the pure spirit of the universe, and the goal of Hinduism is to reach back to that Brahman. At its apex is Trimurti. While these gods and their functions appear distinct, Hindus believe that they constantly exchange these roles as situations demand. [Source: Hinduism for Dummies by Amrutur Srinivasa, P. 90]
Hindu texts do indeed speak of the triad of Brahmā as creator, Viṣṇu as preserver, and Śiva as destroyer, fulfilling the functions of the One God, but all those texts belong to one of the traditions in which the Supreme is identical with one of those names and the three separate names are but different aspects of the same being. [Source: A survey of Hinduism, Klaus K. Klostermaier, P. 108]
While observing to other numerous pagan triads of Gods, most often triggering argument is from number 3!
Meanwhile, none of those grouping of ancient deities come even closer to Biblical Trinity except for the Heresies!
How three persons become one God?
If there are all good, all love, all omniscience entities then they must be one, must fuse together, there is no option otherwise.
Is trinity logical?
Law of identity: one thing has to be the same always; none of members are losing identity
Law of Non-Contradiction: Person vs Being; Being: existence with all higher attributes. God is not three person and one person in same time and same context.
Law of Excluded Middle: no person becomes other person or anything in between with mixed characters. All persons remain the same in one Godhead.
Empirical adequacy:
- Trinity needs a different testing as it is metaphysical
- The universe is vast, complex and amazing. For universe to originate from nothing, an absolute God is necessary as prior source of energy, an uncaused cause
- But there are lots of evil in this world. That God can’t tolerate imperfection and evil unless he is absolute Love
- He can be eternal love only if he has been loving eternally
- For eternally loving, there has to be plurality in God as love exists only in relationship
Love exists only in plurality:
Battery, Bult and wires connected results in current flow
If God started loving only after he created something, then it concludes creation was necessary for him to enjoy love i.e. he is not self-sufficient being. He is a progressing God! This God has to depend on other things to complete himself! Creation was not necessity or obligation for him.
Jesus’ crucifixion was possible only because of Triune God
Experiential relevance
- We can experience the nuclear fusion ongoing in the Sun because of light and heat
- Love and justice should both be fulfilled without any violation of either cases in redeeming man – a conscious sin committed against an eternal God deserving man an eternal punishment
- Remedy: God himself suffered the punishment i.e. incarnation
- Punishment suffered by him was eternal
- A unipersonal God’s dying act would have collapsed the universe
Why trinity matters to our church community?
It is the ground both for our unity and diversity within the church community.
Our Trinitarian thinking and experience lead us to affirm the diversity and pursue our unity within the church
Page. 45-46
Trinity is not doctrine of mere words but of revealed action
The Father, loving His people and sending the Son. The Son, loving us and giving himself in our place. The Spirit, entering into our lives and conforming us to the image of Christ. Here is the revelation of the Trinity, in the work of Christ and the Spirit.
This is why we don’t find any passage that lays out this doctrine in a creedal form!
Page. 153 (pdf)
What about 1 John 5:7?
These words are missing from all of the ancient manuscripts of First John. The manuscripts of First John which have this particular verse are few and they are very late. Indeed, the earliest is from the fourteen century. Even this manuscript does not read the same as the text that we find in the King James Version. The earliest manuscript that reads exactly the same as we find it in the King James Bible comes from the sixteenth century. In other words, there is no real evidence that these words were part of the text of First John. In addition, only nine Greek manuscripts of First John contain this verse. Furthermore, only five of them have it in the text while the other four have it written in the margin.
These words are also lacking in all of the ancient translations of the New Testament. The only exception to this is Latin. However, the oldest Latin manuscripts do not contain this passage. In the manuscripts which do have them we find that the wording is different.
If this verse was actually part of First John, it is inconceivable that it would not have been used in the Trinitarian debates of the fourth century. However, it is never cited, by either side, as reference to the Trinity.
Some have suggested that water and blood refer to the Father and Son to make the case that all three Persons of the Trinity are involved in the testimony. While possible, this is unlikely since John is providing testimony that Jesus is God's Son. He would not use Jesus as testimony since He would be testifying for Himself (John 5:31). This would explain why John uses the concepts of water and blood as the two others who testify that Jesus is God's Son.
A likely explanation is that the passage was harmonized for use in liturgy. Over time, this harmonization found its way into manuscript copies. Once included in the Latin Vulgate, it became widespread.
The best answer seems to be that they were placed as a marginal note in some early Latin manuscripts. Later, certain Latin copyists then placed them into the text of First John. Eventually, in the sixteenth century, they came to be viewed as part of the original text by some in the church.
Did Jesus’ disciples understand trinity?
James White notes that they were indeed ‘experiential Trinitarians’ who walked with the Son, heard the Father speak from glory, and were indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Page. 154 (pdf)
Why does trinity even matter?
In my own view, we are literally dealing with God’s identity and nature. Relationship with God gets right only when we know him enough and we can approach to him accordingly.
This is exactly what James White conveys! Our poor knowledge produces poor worship and even worship of false gods! Yes, knowledge doesn’t save but true worship doesn’t exist without knowledge. We don’t bow down to Isha of the Qur’an, nor we appreciate Yeshu who came to India and learned from Hindu gurus! Those are blasphemous views of Jesus!
Page. 178 (pdf)
We can come to the Father, if we’re united to the Son by the power of Holy Spirit!
James White correctly notes:
“Almost every single imbalance in worship is due to a corresponding imbalance in our view of God. Some people become so enamored with the Spirit, for example, and their experience of Him that the Father and the Son are lost in the haze of emotions. Others are so focused upon the Father that they lose sight of the love of the Son and the joy and empowerment of the Spirit. One thing the doctrine of the Trinity does is always call us back to the balanced center point. We are never allowed to elevate one person to the expense of the others, since the fullness of deity dwells in each one completely.”
Page. 178 (pdf)
Sources:
1. https://youtu.be/xAcDV270D_0?si=JqVS0VQdj1C4416a
2. https://youtu.be/xAcDV270D_0?si=JqVS0VQdj1C4416a and https://youtu.be/I3v0fLxA-iw?si=G_4d0Ow6D8P-5Sb6
3. https://youtu.be/K7xk_-dQB_w?si=bOCcFurh2eLSDPk1 and https://youtu.be/9cq65qj4pQY?si=PrWQLBsYAQumbcGE
4. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/the-trinity/16-does-1-john-5-7-teach-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity.cfm
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