We keep hearing the same old false argument ad infinitium ad nauseum, over and over that the Trinity is bad because the Roman Catholic Church was the first to adopt it. So the idea being peddled goes like this: if the RCC believes something it must be false. Any thinking people can see the absurdity of that argument. For example, since the RCC accepts the New Testament, does that mean we must reject the New Testament???? I’ve tried refuting this silly argument by pointing out historical evidence indicating the Trinity was believed by early Christianity long before the RCC was even thought of. But to no avail. So here’s a more comprehensive article that should remove all doubt.
There are cult groups (Jehovah's Witnesses, The Way International, Christadelphians, etc.) who deny the Trinity and state that the doctrine was not mentioned until the 4th Century until after the time of the Council of Nicea (325). This council "was called by Emperor Constantine to deal with the error of Arianism [see page 45] which was threatening the unity of the Christian Church."
The following quotes show that the doctrine of the Trinity was indeed alive-and-well before the Council of Nicea:
Polycarp (70-155/160). Bishop of Smyrna. Disciple of John the Apostle.
"O Lord God almighty . . . I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the Holy Spirit, both now and forever" (n. 14, ed. Funk; PG 5.1040).
Justin Martyr (100?-165?). He was a Christian apologist and martyr.
"For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water" (First Apol., LXI).
Ignatius of Antioch (died 98/117). Bishop of Antioch. He wrote much in defense of Christianity.
"In Christ Jesus our Lord, by whom and with whom be glory and power to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever" (n. 7; PG 5.988).
"We have also as a Physician the Lord our God Jesus the Christ the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For ‘the Word was made flesh.' Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible, He was in a passable body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption, and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with ungodliness and wicked lusts." (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 1, p. 52, Ephesians 7.)
Irenaeus (115-190). As a boy he listened to Polycarp, the disciple of John. He became Bishop of Lyons.
"The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: . . . one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father ‘to gather all things in one,' and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, ‘every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess; to him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all . . . '" (Against Heresies X.l)
Tertullian (160-215). African apologist and theologian. He wrote much in defense of Christianity.
"We define that there are two, the Father and the Son, and three with the Holy Spirit, and this number is made by the pattern of salvation . . . [which] brings about unity in trinity, interrelating the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are three, not in dignity, but in degree, not in substance but in form, not in power but in kind. They are of one substance and power, because there is one God from whom these degrees, forms and kinds devolve in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Adv. Prax. 23; PL 2.156-7).
Origen (185-254). Alexandrian theologian. Defended Christianity and wrote much about Christianity.
"If anyone would say that the Word of God or the Wisdom of God had a beginning, let him beware lest he direct his impiety rather against the unbegotten Father, since he denies that he was always Father, and that he has always begotten the Word, and that he always had wisdom in all previous times or ages or whatever can be imagined in priority . . . There can be no more ancient title of almighty God than that of Father, and it is through the Son that he is Father" (De Princ. 1.2.; PG 11.132).
"For if [the Holy Spirit were not eternally as He is, and had received knowledge at some time and then became the Holy Spirit] this were the case, the Holy Spirit would never be reckoned in the unity of the Trinity, i.e., along with the unchangeable Father and His Son, unless He had always been the Holy Spirit." (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 4, p. 253, de Principiis, 1.111.4)
"Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all things which are worthy of sanctification . . . " (Roberts and Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4, p. 255, de Principii., I. iii. 7).
Conclusion
If, as the anti-Trinitarians maintain, the Trinity is not a biblical doctrine and was never taught until the council of Nicea in 325, then why do these quotes exist? The answer is simple: the Trinity is a biblical doctrine, and it was taught before the council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
Part of the reason that the Trinity doctrine was not "officially" taught until the time of the Council of Nicea is that Christianity was illegal until shortly before the council. It wasn't really possible for official Christian groups to meet and discuss doctrine. For the most part, they were fearful of making public pronouncements concerning their faith.
Additionally, if a group had attacked the person of Adam, the early church would have responded with an official doctrine of who Adam was. As it was, the person of Christ was attacked. When the Church defended the deity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity was further defined.
The early church believed in the Trinity as is evidenced by the quotes above, and it wasn't necessary to really make them official. It wasn't until errors started to creep in that councils began to meet to discuss the Trinity as well as other doctrines that came under fire.
The Roman Catholic Church was the first denomination
to adopt the doctrine of the trinity in AD 325 which stated that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and the holy spirit are **ONE**, **CO-EQUAL**{???} and each is **GOD**??? Do you agree with the Roman Catholic Church??
Unfortunately many other churches have adopted this **EQUAL** definition of the Trinity.
LUTHERAN CHURCH: We teach that the one true God. is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, but of one and the same divine essence, **EQUAL** in power,{???} **EQUAL** in eternity,{???} **EQUAL** in majesty,{???} because each person possesses the one divine essence. -- Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod)
**EQUAL IN ETERNITY**{???} Why are there only **2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem for Jesus and the Father???
Question: Is Jesus **CO-EQUAL** with the Father?
**WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY**??
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I**!"
John 10:27-30: Jesus says, "My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is **GREATER THAN ALL**;
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
John 17:17: Jesus says to His Father, "Sanctify them by the truth **YOUR WORD** is Truth!!"
Deuteronomy 18:17-20: The Lord said to Moses, "I will raise up for them a Prophet from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put My words in His mouth. He will tell them everything I command Him. I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name!"
John 14:23-24: Jesus says, "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and **WE** will come to them and make **OUR HOME** with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me!"
Matthew 28:16-20:: Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to **ME**. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age!"
Jesus is the **HEAD** of God's Kingdom in the NT era until His 2nd Coming and **THEN** He will hand over His Kingdom to God the Father!
I Corinthians 15:23-24: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the Firstfruits, then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. **THEN** He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father!
There are 7 passages in the New Testament which state that we should **ONLY PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER**!!
Revelation 1:1: The Revelation from Jesus Christ, which **GOD GAVE HIM**!
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I!"
Question: Is the holy spirit **CO-EQUAL** to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ**??
Colossians 1:15-20: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the **HEAD** of the body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
John 16:12-15: Jesus says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when hem the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. **HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN**; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is **FROM ME** that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the spirit will **RECEIVE FROM ME**what he will make known to you!"
God the Father told Jesus what to say in the 4 Gospels while Jesus told the holy spirit what to inspire the writers to write in the other books in the New Covenant!
Ephesians 4:7; 11-16: To each one of us grace has been given **AS CHRIST APPORTIONED IT**.... It is He who gives some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ!.... Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the **HEAD**, that is Christ. **FROM HIM** the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work!
Jesus is called **GOD** 7 times in God's Word and is called **LORD** over 200 times in the New Testament, and is **WORSHIPED** 12 times in the New Testament, and God's Word tells us to only **WORSHIP GOD** in Revelation 22:8,9 below!! While the holy spirit is never called **GOD** or **LORD** in God's Word and is **NEVER WORSHIPED** in God's Word!!
Revelation 22:8,9: I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "**DON'T DO THAT** A am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who **KEEP THE WORDS** of this scroll. **WORSHIP GOD**!!
Revelation 5:11-14: Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and 10 thousand times 10 thousand. In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the **LAMB**, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, saying: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the **LAMB** be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The 4 living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and **WORSHIPED**! {Why was not the holy spirit worshiped here along with the Father and Jesus??}
The **WORSHIP** of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can also be found in Matthew 2:2,8,11; 14:33; 28:9,17 Luke 24:52 and John 9:38!! {Any worship of the holy spirit can not be found in God's Word!!}
And in Hebrews 1:1-3,6,8; Paul is inspired to write: "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word... God says, "Let all God's angels **WORSHIP HIM**!!" and about His Son God says, "Your throne, **O GOD** will last for ever and ever!!"
John 1:18: No one has ever seen God, **BUT THE ONE AND ONLY SON**!! who is **HIMSELF GOD** and in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known!!
Titus 2:13-14: We wait for the **BLESSED HOPE**--the glorious appearing of our great **GOD AND SAVIOR**, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to glorify Himself a people that are **HIS VERY OWN**, eager to do what is good!
Luke 3:16: John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water. But One who is more powerful than I will baptize you with the holy spirit and fire!!"
And so **JESUS BAPTIZES** with the holy spirit and fire all whom God the Father have chosen!
Note: Jesus Christ is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation and the holy spirit is called the **7 SPIRITS** 4 times in Revelation:
Revelation 1:4: Grace and peace to you from the Father and the **7 SPIRITS** **BEFORE HIS THRONE** and from Jesus Christ!
Revelation 3:1: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS** the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**!" {See John 16:12-15 below!}
Revelation 4:5: In front of the {Father's} **THRONE** 7 lamps were blazing. These are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**. {See Revelation 1:4 above}
Revelation 5:6: The **LAMB** had 7 horns and 7 eyes which are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD** sent out into all the earth! {See John 16:12-15 below}
And so Jesus **HOLDS** the 7 spirits of God in His right hand which **HE SENDS** out into all the earth.
Revelation 3:1,14;19-21: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS THE 7 SPIRITS OF GOD**... These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of God's creation... Those whom I love I discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I {MY SPIRIT} will come in and eat with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on **MY THRONE**, just as I overcame and sat down with **MY FATHER ON HIS THRONE**!! These are the **ONLY 2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem as per Revelation 22:3 below!!!
Revelation 22:3:: The **THRONE OF GOD** and of the **LAMB**will be in the City {In our Eternal Home in the New Jerusalem}
Revelation 21:22-23: I did not see a temple in the City, because the Lord God Almighty and the **LAMB** are its temple. The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the **LAMB** is its Lamp!!
It is interesting to note that the holy spirit or 7 spirits are not even mentioned once in the description of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27 and Revelation 22::1-5, and that there will be only **2 THRONES** for the Father and Jesus the **LAMB** in the eternal New Jerusalem!!
In a lot of the Scripture that little David quotes that he claims refer to the holy spirit are actually the **SPIRIT OF THE FATHER** and the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST** and not to the holy spirit!! SUCH AS:
Romans 8:9: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, he does not belong to Him.”
Galatians 4:6: Because you are sons, God has sent forth the **SPIRIT OF HIS SON** into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!
In God's Word we must distinguish between the **SPIRIT OF THE FATHER**, the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST** and the holy spirit!!!
John 4:23,24: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will **WORSHIP THE FATHER** *IN THE SPIRIT** and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the **FATHER** seeks. **GOD IS SPIRIT**, and **HIS {The Father's}WORSHIPERS** must worship the Spirit and in truth!
Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, he does not belong to Him.”
Galatians 4:6: Because you are sons, God has sent forth the *SPIRIT OF HIS SON**INTO OUR HEARTS**, crying, “Abba! Father!”
2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that **CHRIST JESUS IS IN YOU**--unless, of course you fail the test?
Romans 8:9-11: If anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, they do not belong to Christ. But if **CHRIST IS IN YOU**, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the **SPIRIT OF HIM {THE FATHER} who raised Jesus from the dead is **LIVING IN YOU**{The Father}will also give life to your mortal bodies because of **HIS {The FATHER'S} SPIRIT** who lives in you!
}John 14::19,20,23: Jesus says, "Before long the world will not see me any more but you will see Me. Because I live you will also live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and **YOU ARE IN ME**, and **I AM IN YOU**!!... Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and **WE** will come to them and **MAKE OUR HOME WITH THEM!!" {THEIR SPIRIT!!}
Ephesians 3:17-19: I pray that **CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS* through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all of God's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the **LOVE OF CHRIST**, and to know this love which surpasses knowledge--that you may filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!
Revelation 3:19,20: Jesus says, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. so be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door , **I WILL COME IN**!"{CHRIST'S SPIRIT}
Galatians 4:6: Because you are His sons, God sent the **SPIRIT OF HIS SON** INTO OUR HEARTS**, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father"!
**ONLY JESUS **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** TO ALL THE FATHER HAS CHOSEN WHILE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD IS PREACHED OR READ**!!
Mark 1:7-8: John the Baptist said, "After me comes the One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down an untie. I baptize with water but **HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"
John 1:32-34: Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the spirit come down and remain is the One who will **BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**.' I have seen and testify that this is God's Chosen One."
John 7:38-39: Jesus says, "Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow within them!" By this He meant the spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus would not be glorified until he died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Only then would he be glorified and only then would he "**BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**. Peter's words on Pentecost support this.
John 16:12-15: Jesus says, "I have much more to say to, more than you can now bear. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. **HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN**, he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is **FROM ME** that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the spirit will **RECEIVE **FROM ME** WHAT HE WILL MAKE KNOWN TO YOU**!!"
Note: Jesus Christ is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation and the holy spirit is called the **7 SPIRITS** 4 times in Revelation:
Revelation 3:1: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS** the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**!" {See John 16:12-15 below!}
Revelation 4:5: In front of the {Father's} **THRONE** 7 lamps were blazing. These are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**.
Revelation 5:6: The **LAMB** had 7 horns and 7 eyes which are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD** sent out into all the earth! {See John 16:12-15 above}
And so Jesus **HOLDS** the 7 spirits of God or holy spirit which **HE SENDS** out into all the earth when He **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIY OR 7 SPIRITS OF GOD** all the new converts whom the Father has chosen!
Revelation 3:1,14;19-21: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who holds the 7 spirits of God... These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of God's creation... Those whom I love I discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I {MY SPIRIT} will come in and eat with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on **MY THRONE**, just as I overcame and sat down with **MY FATHER ON HIS THRONE**!! These are the **ONLY 2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem as per Revelation 22:3 below!!!
Revelation 22:3:: The **THRONE OF GOD** and of the **LAMB**will be in the City {In our Eternal Home in the New Jerusalem}
Revelation 21:22-23: I did not see a temple in the City, because the Lord God Almighty and the **LAMB** are its temple. The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the **LAMB** is its Lamp!!
It is interesting to note that the holy spirit or 7 spirits are not even mentioned once in the description of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27 and Revelation 22::1-5, and that there will be only **2 THRONES** for the Father and Jesus the **LAMB** in the eternal New Jerusalem!!
Acts 1:4,5,8: Jesus said to 120 saints, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the **GIFT** My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be **BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"... You will receive **POWER** when the holy spirit comes on you; and you will be **MY WITNESSES**, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!"
Acts 2:1-3: When the Day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the holy spirit! These 120 saints as per Acts 1:13, were already **BORN AGAIN**!
Acts 10:44-46: While Peter was speaking these words {The Word of God in Acts 10:34-43} the holy spirit came on all who heard the message The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the **GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT** had been poured out on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 11:15-16: Peter said as I was speaking the word of God, the holy spirit came on them as he had come on us. Then I remembered what the Lord Jesus had said {In Acts 1:5} "John baptized with water but you will be **BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"
I Peter 1:23; For you have been **BORN AGAIN**, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, **THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD**!
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
So John the Baptist baptized with water but only **JESUS BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** as per Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33!!
**SO ONLY JESUS **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** TO ALL THE FATHER HAS CHOSEN WHILE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD IS PREACHED AND READ**
After you are **BORN AGAIN** when **JESUS BAPTIZES OR IMMERSES YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** the you will want to obey all of God's approximately 400 New covenant commands. One of these commands is to be immersed or baptized with water to show that you have been **BAPTIZED AN IMMERSED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT BY JESUS**! When we go down into the waters of baptism and then emerge from the water, it is symbolic of our being IMMERSED WITH CHRIST**, and then rising to new life.
So here you have on display in the last 2 posts, foolish anti-trinitarian false arguments.
The anti-trinitarian arguments, as you can see, completely ignore the facts of history.
As you can likewise see, the anti-trinitarian arguments ignore Scripture truth so clearly taught in the Bible
All you have left is a mosaic of out of context pretexts supported only by bad logic.
***CULT GROUPS*** like the Jehovah's Witnesses, The Way International, Christadelphians, Armstrongism and others including the religion of Islam teach against the Trinity
The Roman Catholic Church was the first denomination
to adopt the doctrine of the trinity in AD 325 which stated that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and the holy spirit are **ONE**, **CO-EQUAL**{???} and each is **GOD**??? Do you agree with the Roman Catholic Church??
Unfortunately many other churches have adopted this **EQUAL** definition of the Trinity.
LUTHERAN CHURCH: We teach that the one true God. is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, but of one and the same divine essence, **EQUAL** in power,{???} **EQUAL** in eternity,{???} **EQUAL** in majesty,{???} because each person possesses the one divine essence. -- Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod)
**EQUAL IN ETERNITY**{???} Why are there only **2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem for Jesus and the Father???
Question: Is Jesus **CO-EQUAL** with the Father?
**WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY**??
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I**!"
John 10:27-30: Jesus says, "My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is **GREATER THAN ALL**;
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
John 17:17: Jesus says to His Father, "Sanctify them by the truth **YOUR WORD** is Truth!!"
Deuteronomy 18:17-20: The Lord said to Moses, "I will raise up for them a Prophet from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put My words in His mouth. He will tell them everything I command Him. I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name!"
John 14:23-24: Jesus says, "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and **WE** will come to them and make **OUR HOME** with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me!"
Matthew 28:16-20:: Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to **ME**. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age!"
Jesus is the **HEAD** of God's Kingdom in the NT era until His 2nd Coming and **THEN** He will hand over His Kingdom to God the Father!
I Corinthians 15:23-24: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the Firstfruits, then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. **THEN** He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father!
There are 7 passages in the New Testament which state that we should **ONLY PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER**!!
Revelation 1:1: The Revelation from Jesus Christ, which **GOD GAVE HIM**!
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I!"
Question: Is the holy spirit **CO-EQUAL** to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ**??
Colossians 1:15-20: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the **HEAD** of the body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.
John 16:12-15: Jesus says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when hem the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. **HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN**; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is **FROM ME** that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the spirit will **RECEIVE FROM ME**what he will make known to you!"
God the Father told Jesus what to say in the 4 Gospels while Jesus told the holy spirit what to inspire the writers to write in the other books in the New Covenant!
Ephesians 4:7; 11-16: To each one of us grace has been given **AS CHRIST APPORTIONED IT**.... It is He who gives some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ!.... Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the **HEAD**, that is Christ. **FROM HIM** the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work!
Jesus is called **GOD** 7 times in God's Word and is called **LORD** over 200 times in the New Testament, and is **WORSHIPED** 12 times in the New Testament, and God's Word tells us to only **WORSHIP GOD** in Revelation 22:8,9 below!! While the holy spirit is never called **GOD** or **LORD** in God's Word and is **NEVER WORSHIPED** in God's Word!!
Revelation 22:8,9: I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "**DON'T DO THAT** A am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who **KEEP THE WORDS** of this scroll. **WORSHIP GOD**!!
Revelation 5:11-14: Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and 10 thousand times 10 thousand. In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the **LAMB**, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, saying: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the **LAMB** be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The 4 living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and **WORSHIPED**! {Why was not the holy spirit worshiped here along with the Father and Jesus??}
The **WORSHIP** of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can also be found in Matthew 2:2,8,11; 14:33; 28:9,17 Luke 24:52 and John 9:38!! {Any worship of the holy spirit can not be found in God's Word!!}
And in Hebrews 1:1-3,6,8; Paul is inspired to write: "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word... God says, "Let all God's angels **WORSHIP HIM**!!" and about His Son God says, "Your throne, **O GOD** will last for ever and ever!!"
John 1:18: No one has ever seen God, **BUT THE ONE AND ONLY SON**!! who is **HIMSELF GOD** and in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known!!
Titus 2:13-14: We wait for the **BLESSED HOPE**--the glorious appearing of our great **GOD AND SAVIOR**, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to glorify Himself a people that are **HIS VERY OWN**, eager to do what is good!
Luke 3:16: John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water. But One who is more powerful than I will baptize you with the holy spirit and fire!!"
And so **JESUS BAPTIZES** with the holy spirit and fire all whom God the Father have chosen!
Note: Jesus Christ is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation and the holy spirit is called the **7 SPIRITS** 4 times in Revelation:
Revelation 1:4: Grace and peace to you from the Father and the **7 SPIRITS** **BEFORE HIS THRONE** and from Jesus Christ!
Revelation 3:1: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS** the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**!" {See John 16:12-15 below!}
Revelation 4:5: In front of the {Father's} **THRONE** 7 lamps were blazing. These are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**. {See Revelation 1:4 above}
Revelation 5:6: The **LAMB** had 7 horns and 7 eyes which are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD** sent out into all the earth! {See John 16:12-15 below}
And so Jesus **HOLDS** the 7 spirits of God in His right hand which **HE SENDS** out into all the earth.
Revelation 3:1,14;19-21: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS THE 7 SPIRITS OF GOD**... These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of God's creation... Those whom I love I discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I {MY SPIRIT} will come in and eat with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on **MY THRONE**, just as I overcame and sat down with **MY FATHER ON HIS THRONE**!! These are the **ONLY 2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem as per Revelation 22:3 below!!!
Revelation 22:3:: The **THRONE OF GOD** and of the **LAMB**will be in the City {In our Eternal Home in the New Jerusalem}
Revelation 21:22-23: I did not see a temple in the City, because the Lord God Almighty and the **LAMB** are its temple. The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the **LAMB** is its Lamp!!
It is interesting to note that the holy spirit or 7 spirits are not even mentioned once in the description of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27 and Revelation 22::1-5, and that there will be only **2 THRONES** for the Father and Jesus the **LAMB** in the eternal New Jerusalem!!
In a lot of the Scripture that little David quotes that he claims refer to the holy spirit are actually the **SPIRIT OF THE FATHER** and the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST** and not to the holy spirit!! SUCH AS:
Romans 8:9: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, he does not belong to Him.”
Galatians 4:6: Because you are sons, God has sent forth the **SPIRIT OF HIS SON** into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!
In God's Word we must distinguish between the **SPIRIT OF THE FATHER**, the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST** and the holy spirit!!!
John 4:23,24: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will **WORSHIP THE FATHER** *IN THE SPIRIT** and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the **FATHER** seeks. **GOD IS SPIRIT**, and **HIS {The Father's}WORSHIPERS** must worship the Spirit and in truth!
Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, he does not belong to Him.”
Galatians 4:6: Because you are sons, God has sent forth the *SPIRIT OF HIS SON**INTO OUR HEARTS**, crying, “Abba! Father!”
2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that **CHRIST JESUS IS IN YOU**--unless, of course you fail the test?
Romans 8:9-11: If anyone does not have the **SPIRIT OF CHRIST**, they do not belong to Christ. But if **CHRIST IS IN YOU**, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the **SPIRIT OF HIM {THE FATHER} who raised Jesus from the dead is **LIVING IN YOU**{The Father}will also give life to your mortal bodies because of **HIS {The FATHER'S} SPIRIT** who lives in you!
}John 14::19,20,23: Jesus says, "Before long the world will not see me any more but you will see Me. Because I live you will also live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and **YOU ARE IN ME**, and **I AM IN YOU**!!... Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and **WE** will come to them and **MAKE OUR HOME WITH THEM!!" {THEIR SPIRIT!!}
Ephesians 3:17-19: I pray that **CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS* through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all of God's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the **LOVE OF CHRIST**, and to know this love which surpasses knowledge--that you may filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!
Revelation 3:19,20: Jesus says, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. so be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door , **I WILL COME IN**!"{CHRIST'S SPIRIT}
Galatians 4:6: Because you are His sons, God sent the **SPIRIT OF HIS SON** INTO OUR HEARTS**, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father"!
**ONLY JESUS **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** TO ALL THE FATHER HAS CHOSEN WHILE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD IS PREACHED OR READ**!!
Mark 1:7-8: John the Baptist said, "After me comes the One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down an untie. I baptize with water but **HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"
John 1:32-34: Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the spirit come down and remain is the One who will **BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**.' I have seen and testify that this is God's Chosen One."
John 7:38-39: Jesus says, "Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow within them!" By this He meant the spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus would not be glorified until he died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Only then would he be glorified and only then would he "**BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**. Peter's words on Pentecost support this.
John 16:12-15: Jesus says, "I have much more to say to, more than you can now bear. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. **HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN**, he will only speak what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is **FROM ME** that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the spirit will **RECEIVE **FROM ME** WHAT HE WILL MAKE KNOWN TO YOU**!!"
Note: Jesus Christ is called the **LAMB** 30 times in the book of Revelation and the holy spirit is called the **7 SPIRITS** 4 times in Revelation:
Revelation 3:1: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who **HOLDS** the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**!" {See John 16:12-15 below!}
Revelation 4:5: In front of the {Father's} **THRONE** 7 lamps were blazing. These are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD**.
Revelation 5:6: The **LAMB** had 7 horns and 7 eyes which are the **7 SPIRITS OF GOD** sent out into all the earth! {See John 16:12-15 above}
And so Jesus **HOLDS** the 7 spirits of God or holy spirit which **HE SENDS** out into all the earth when He **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIY OR 7 SPIRITS OF GOD** all the new converts whom the Father has chosen!
Revelation 3:1,14;19-21: Jesus says, "These are the words of Him who holds the 7 spirits of God... These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of God's creation... Those whom I love I discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I {MY SPIRIT} will come in and eat with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on **MY THRONE**, just as I overcame and sat down with **MY FATHER ON HIS THRONE**!! These are the **ONLY 2 THRONES** in the eternal New Jerusalem as per Revelation 22:3 below!!!
Revelation 22:3:: The **THRONE OF GOD** and of the **LAMB**will be in the City {In our Eternal Home in the New Jerusalem}
Revelation 21:22-23: I did not see a temple in the City, because the Lord God Almighty and the **LAMB** are its temple. The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the **LAMB** is its Lamp!!
It is interesting to note that the holy spirit or 7 spirits are not even mentioned once in the description of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27 and Revelation 22::1-5, and that there will be only **2 THRONES** for the Father and Jesus the **LAMB** in the eternal New Jerusalem!!
Acts 1:4,5,8: Jesus said to 120 saints, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the **GIFT** My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be **BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"... You will receive **POWER** when the holy spirit comes on you; and you will be **MY WITNESSES**, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!"
Acts 2:1-3: When the Day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the holy spirit! These 120 saints as per Acts 1:13, were already **BORN AGAIN**!
Acts 10:44-46: While Peter was speaking these words {The Word of God in Acts 10:34-43} the holy spirit came on all who heard the message The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the **GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT** had been poured out on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 11:15-16: Peter said as I was speaking the word of God, the holy spirit came on them as he had come on us. Then I remembered what the Lord Jesus had said {In Acts 1:5} "John baptized with water but you will be **BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT**!"
I Peter 1:23; For you have been **BORN AGAIN**, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, **THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD**!
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
So John the Baptist baptized with water but only **JESUS BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** as per Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33!!
**SO ONLY JESUS **BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** TO ALL THE FATHER HAS CHOSEN WHILE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD IS PREACHED AND READ**
After you are **BORN AGAIN** when **JESUS BAPTIZES OR IMMERSES YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT** the you will want to obey all of God's approximately 400 New covenant commands. One of these commands is to be immersed or baptized with water to show that you have been **BAPTIZED AN IMMERSED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT BY JESUS**! When we go down into the waters of baptism and then emerge from the water, it is symbolic of our being IMMERSED WITH CHRIST**, and then rising to new life.
The Roman Catholic Church was the first denomination to declare the God the Father and His Son Jesus are completely **CO-EQUAL** Little David agrees with the Roman Catholic Church and also claims the God the Father and His Son Jesus are completely **CO-EQUAL**!
Jesus is called **GOD** 7 times in God's Word and is called **LORD** over 200 times in the New Testament, and is **WORSHIPED** 12 times in the New Testament, and God's Word tells us to only **WORSHIP GOD** in Revelation 22:8,9 below!! While the holy spirit is never called **GOD** or **LORD** in God's Word and is **NEVER WORSHIPED** in God's Word!!
Question: Is Jesus who is God **CO-EQUAL** with God the Father??
**WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY**??
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I**!"
John 10:27-30: Jesus says, "My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand. **MY FATHER** WHO HAS GIVEN THEM TO ME, is **GREATER THAN ALL**!!
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
John 17:17: Jesus says to His Father, "Sanctify them by the truth **YOUR WORD** is Truth!!"
Deuteronomy 18:17-20: The Lord said to Moses, "I will raise up for them a Prophet from among their fellow Israelites, and **I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH**. He will tell them everything I command Him. I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to **MY WORDS** that the Prophet speaks in My Name!"
John 14:23-24: Jesus says, "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and **WE** will come to them and make **OUR HOME** with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; **THEY BELONG TO THE FATHER **WHO SENT ME**!"
Revelation 1:1: The Revelation from Jesus Christ, which ** GOD GAVE HIM**!
Jesus is the **HEAD** of God's Kingdom in the NT era until His 2nd Coming and **THEN** He will hand over His Kingdom to God the Father!
I Corinthians 15:23-24: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the Firstfruits, then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. **THEN** He will hand over the {**ETERNAL**}Kingdom to God the Father!
There are 7 passages in the New Testament which state that we should **ONLY PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER**!! Such as:
Matthew 6:6-10: Jesus says, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and **PRAY TO YOUR FATHER**, who is unseen. Then **YOUR FATHER**, who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them for your **FATHER KNOWS** what you need before you ask Him! This then, is how you should pray: 'Our **FATHER** in heaven hallowed be your name, **YOUR {**ETERNAL**}KINGDOM** come, **YOUR WILL** be done, on earth as it is in heaven!'" Luke 11:4: adds; "**FORGIVE US OUR SINS**, for we forgive everyone who sins against us!"
John 14:28: Jesus says, "If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the **FATHER IS GREATER THAN I!"
