One of the most important doctrines in mainstream Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity.  The Catholic Church goes so far as to state that the doctrine of the Trinity is the central doctrine of Christianity.

The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion. (Catholic Encyclopedia. “The Blessed Trinity.” Catholic Online.)

The Catholic Church’s daughter churches, the Western (Protestants) and Eastern Churches that separated from Rome, are all in agreement with this.  But are they correct in their belief that God is a Trinity?

To answer that we need to know exactly what the doctrine of the Trinity is. 

(A) DEFINITION OF THE TRINITY

The best place to find a definition of the Trinity is the Catholic Church.

(A.1) Catholic Church Statements of Belief regarding the Trinity

Here are some quotes from the Catholic Catechisms regarding the Trinity doctrine.

We firmly believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God, … the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; three persons indeed, but one essence, substance or nature entirely simple. (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Paragraph 253.) (This is actually a quote from the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215. DS 804.)

The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons. (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Paragraph 253.)

And here are some quotes from the Catholic Online Encyclopaedia regarding the Trinity doctrine.

In the words of the Athanasian Creed : “the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.” (Catholic Encyclopaedia. “The Blessed Trinity.” Catholic Online.)

The Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. (Catholic Encyclopaedia. “The Blessed Trinity.” Catholic Online.)

“Co-equal” means having the same rank or importance.

The Athanasian Creed, an ancient creed (statement of belief) dating back to the AD 400’s, states:

The Father [is] eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. (Athanasian Creed. Lines 15–18.)

This is saying there is one God, but three persons.

So according to the Catholic Church, the Trinity doctrine is the belief that:

• The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; three persons yet not three Gods but one God.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all uncreated, co-eternal and all co-equal.

What do some of the other churches have to say about the Trinity?

(A.2) Western Churches Statements of Belief regarding the Trinity

The following is a Statement of Faith from the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches of Australia.

We believe and maintain the reality of one true and eternal God who has always existed as three distinct Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and yet not three Gods, but one God. These three persons in the Trinity are distinguished, but not divided; three Substances but one Essence. There has always existed a divine co-equality of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit and each of these three are fully and eternally God. (Fellowship of Evangelical Churches of Australia. Statement of Faith. Section: “The Trinity.”)

And this statement is from the Seventh Day Adventists.

There is one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons. (General Conference of Seventh‑day Adventists. Fundamental Beliefs, Belief 2, “The Trinity.”)

So, the Protestants believe the same doctrine of the Trinity as the Catholics.  But how important is it to them?

(A.3) The Importance the Doctrine of the Trinity

The Athanasian Creed, which the Catholic Online Encyclopaedia quotes from, states:

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, …  (Athanasian Creed. Lines 1–3.)

Thus, according to the Athanasian Creed, a belief in the Trinity is required for salvation.  So clearly, the doctrine of the Trinity is extremely important to Catholics and Protestants.

(A.4) The Origin of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Where does the doctrine of the Trinity come from?  As we shall see later, it doesn’t come from the Bible.  The Catholic Church readily admits that the word “Trinity” does not appear anywhere in the Bible.  According to the Catholic Church, the first use of the Latin word trinitas (Trinity) is ascribed to Tertullian around A.D. 213. (Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Encyclopedia Press, 1913. “The Blessed Trinity.”)

(B) WHERE THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY GOES WRONG

Remember the Trinity doctrine is the belief that:

• The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; three persons yet not three Gods but one God.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all uncreated, co-eternal and all co-equal.

The Trinity doctrine incorrectly states the following.

1. The Holy Spirit is a person.
2. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal.

We look at why these two statements are incorrect below.

(B.1) Incorrect statement 1:  The Holy Spirit is a person

There are a number of Scriptures which clearly show that the Holy Spirit is not a person.

The Holy Spirit came upon Mary

There is one particular Scripture which logically disproves the idea that the Holy Spirit is a person and it’s found in the passage where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Luk 1:30  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

Luk 1:34  Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
Luk 1:35  And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

The agent that caused Mary to conceive was the Holy Spirit.  That means if the Holy Spirit is a person, then the Holy Spirit is the real Father of Jesus Christ, not God the Father.  Yet Jesus called God the Father His father.  He never referred to the Holy Spirit as His father.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit cannot be a person.  The Holy Spirit was the means or the power by which God the Father caused Mary’s miraculous conception.

The absence of the Holy Spirit being mentioned in key places

There is a noticeable absence of the Holy Spirit being mentioned in key places.  Here are some of the key places

1) God’s throne

The Holy Spirit is noticeably absent in descriptions of God’s throne.  Daniel 7:9-14 describes the Ancient of Days sitting on His throne and one like the Son of Man.  There is no mention of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts 7:55-56, Stephen as he was being martyred, described Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  Yet he did not mention of the Holy Spirit.

2) Descriptions of God

The Holy Spirit is noticeably absent in descriptions of God.  Here are some examples.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

1Co 8:6  yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

Col 2:2  that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,

There is no mention of the Holy Spirit in any of them.

3) Openings of the epistles

In all of Paul’s epistles his opening greeting is along the lines of, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Paul did not mention the Holy Spirit.  If the Holy Spirit were a third person of the Godhead, then these omissions are remarkable, if not bordering on blasphemous.

The Scriptures we have covered in this section clearly show that the Holy Spirit is not a person.  See “What is the Holy Spirit?” for more information.

(B.2) Incorrect statement 2:  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal

There are a number of Scriptures which clearly state that the Father is greater than the Son and thus they are not “co-equal” (have the same rank or importance).  Let’s look at some of them.

In speaking to the Jews about Himself, Jesus stated.

Joh 10:29  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

If the Father is greater than all, then He must be greater than the Son.  Indeed Jesus specifically said so when talking to His disciples after the Passover, but before His crucifixion.

Joh 14:28  You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

If the Father is greater than Christ then they are not co-equal, they do not have the same rank.  Some might think that statement was true only when Jesus was in the flesh as a human.  But there are other Scriptures which make it clear even today, right now, that the Father is greater than the Son. 

The apostle Paul stated that God (the Father) is the head of Christ.  As the head of Christ, God the Father must be greater than the Christ, and thus they are not co-equal.

1Co 11:3  But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

The apostle Paul also wrote that at the end, the Son will be subject to the Father.  Thus the Father is greater than the Son.

1Co 15:27  For “HE [the Father] HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS [Jesus Christ’s] FEET.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
1Co 15:28  Now when all things are made subject to Him [Jesus Christ], then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Paul also stated that God the Father is above all – including the one Lord (Jesus Christ).

Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Eph 4:6  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

These verses clearly show that the Father is greater the Son.  Thus that second point of the Trinity doctrine we looked at, which says that that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-equal, is wrong.

(C) SUMMARY SO FAR

Remember the Trinity doctrine is the belief that:

• The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; three persons yet not three Gods but one God.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all uncreated, co-eternal and all co-equal.

But in the two sections above we have just seen that:

1. The Holy Spirit is not a person, thus invalidating the doctrinal statement of the Trinity that the Holy Spirit is God and that God is three persons.
2. The Father is greater the Son, thus invalidating the doctrinal statement of the Trinity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal.

(D) SCRIPTURES COMMONLY USERD TO SUPPORT THE TRINITY

In this final section we will look at some of the Scriptures which are commonly used to support the doctrine of the Trinity and see that in fact they do not.

1) 1 John 5:7-8

1Jn 5:7  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8  And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

It sounds like it could be describing the Trinity.  The phrase in bold text “in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth” is not found in many modern Bible translations.  This phrase is not found in any Greek manuscript before about A.D. 300.  In fact, there are only two Greek manuscripts which have it.  The phrase is generally accepted to have been added to the original text.  1 John 5:7-8 should just read:

1Jn 5:7  For there are three that bear witness:
1Jn 5:8  the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Without the added phrase, there is nothing to support the doctrine of the Trinity.

2) Mat 28:19 -20

Mat 28:19  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

These verses say nothing about the nature of God.  Rather, they mention the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together in the context of making disciples.

3) Scriptures which sound like the Holy Spirit is a person

Here are some examples of Scriptures which make it appear that the Holy Spirit is a person.

Luk 12:12  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Eph 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Act 5:3  … why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit … ?

Act 13:2  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Firstly, it should be recognised that Scriptures which make it appear that the Holy Spirit is a person are not proof of this, as it might be figurative language, as is common in Scripture.  Here are some examples.

• Genesis 4:10 states that the voice of Abel’s blood cried out from the ground to God.
• Psalm 65:13 describes valleys shouting for joy.
• Psalm 98:9 describes rivers clapping their hands.
• Isaiah 44:23 speaks of mountains, forests and trees singing.
• Romans 10:6 describes righteousness speaking.

Secondly and contrarily, there are Scriptures which make it appear that the Holy Spirit is not a person.

1Th 5:19  Do not quench the Spirit.

Act 2:17  ‘AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, SAYS GOD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS.

Joh 7:37  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
Joh 7:38  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Joh 7:39  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Luk 1:15  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Luk 1:67  Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

You wouldn’t say of a person, that you are going to “quench them”, “pour them out”, “drink them”, or be “filled with them”.  These descriptions of the Holy Spirit don’t make sense if the Holy Spirit is a person.

Citing Scriptures which sound like the Holy Spirit is a person does not prove the Trinity, because other Scriptures sound like the Holy Spirit is not a person.  The converse is also true: Scriptures which sound like the Holy Spirit is not a person do not disprove the Trinity, because other Scriptures sound like the Holy Spirit is a person.

4) Scriptures which refer to the Holy Spirit as “He”

Depending on the translation, the Holy Spirit is often referred to as “He”.  Here are a couple of examples.

Joh 16:13  However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.

Joh 14:26  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 things that I said to you.

The argument is that since the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He” rather than “It”, the Holy Spirit must be a person.  However, this is just showing the bias of the translators.  To appreciate this we need to understand that Greek assigns a gender, masculine, feminine, or neuter, to every noun.

The Greek word for spirit is pneuma.  The gender of pneuma is neuter, and so in Greek spirit is referred to as “it”.  The Greek word for helper is parakletos.  The gender of parakletos is masculine and so in Greek helper is referred to as “he”.  This is true regardless of the biological gender of the “spirit” or the “helper”.

Strictly maintaining the Greek grammatical gender when translating pronouns into English runs into problems.  For example, “he pinax – haute ethrausen” (the plate – it broke) becomes “the plate – she broke”, which doesn’t make sense in English.  In English, the pronoun “it” is used except where the noun is a person, in which case “he” or “she” is used according to the biological gender. (The exception to this rule in English is that sometimes ships and countries are referred to as “she”.)  This means, when it comes to the Holy Spirit, translators use “He” or “It” depending on whether they believe the Holy Spirit is a person or not.

Thus, when you see the Holy Spirit being referred to as “He” in your Bible, it doesn’t prove that the Holy Spirit is a person, rather it shows that the translators believe the Holy Spirit is a person.

(E) CONCLUSION

In this paper we have seen that:

1. The Holy Spirit is not a person, thus invalidating the doctrinal statement of the Trinity that the Holy Spirit is God and that God is three persons.
2. The Father is greater the Son, thus invalidating the doctrinal statement of the Trinity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal.
3. The common arguments in favour of the Trinity fall short and have no substance.

When examined carefully, the Scriptures show the doctrine of the Trinity to be false.