Skip to main content

The Trinity/Binity, Part 9: Failures of the Trinity/Binity Claims

The following headings present the definitive failures of the Trinity claim. If there are other scriptures disproving the Trinity or so-called Trinity "proof" texts not included below that you would like to see included, please post them in a comment below.

Terms Used to Support the Trinity/Binity

TERMS APPLIED TO THE TRINITY/BINITY NOT IN THE BIBLE

"Binity"
"Trinity"
"Co-equal"
"Co-eternal"
"God incarnate"
"God is Jesus"
"God made flesh"
"God proclaimed" (Referring to Jesus)
"God the Son"
"Jesus is God"
"presence of God"
"Wholly God and wholly man" or "Fully God and fully human"
"God gave himself up for us"
"God the Father, God the Son, and God the holy spirit."
Jesus the holy spirit

TERMS NOT APPLIED TO THE FATHER IN THE BIBLE

Father of God
God’s Father
Mighty God

TERMS NOT APPLIED TO JESUS IN THE BIBLE

Almighty God
Glorious God
God of eternity
Sovereign Lord
Supreme One
The only God
The only true God
The Son who is God
God the Son
God the Christ
God Jesus
Jesus our God
Christ our God
Good [in the absolute sense]

ONLY AMBIGUOUS PHRASING IS USED TO SUPPORT THE TRINITY/ BINITY

Verses used to support the Trinity because they are ambiguous or mistranslated are soundly addressed in part 12. It should be noted that there is not a single standardized phrase that is used to support the Trinity. The next heading is full of standardized phrasing that never calls Jesus God, but shows him to be separate from God, nor calls him the holy spirit, and shows holy spirit to be an impersonal possession of God.

Terms That Prove the Trinity/Binity False

GOD IS ONLY THE FATHER

". . . God your Father . . ." —Mt 6:6 [pa|in]
". . . Calling God his own Father . . ." —Joh 5:18 [pa|in]
". . . We have one Father, God." —Joh 8:41 [pa|in]
"It is my Father that glorifies me, he who you say is your God." —Joh 8:54 [pa|in]
"I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God." —Joh 20:17 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —Ro 1:7 [pa|in]
". . . The God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ." —Ro 15:6 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." — 1Co 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." — 1Co 8:4 [pa|in]
". . . [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to his God and Father." — 1Co 15:24 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —2Co 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." —2Co 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . The God and Father of the Lord Jesus." —2Co 11:31 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus Christ and God the Father." —Ga 1:1 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —Ga 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . our God and Father . . ." —Ga 1:4 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father. . ." —Eph 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." —Eph 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . One God and Father of all." —Eph 4:6 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father." —Eph 5:20 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —Eph 6-23 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —Php 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father." —Php 2:11 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father . . ." —Php 4:20 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —Col 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —Col 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —Col 3:17 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —1Th 1:1 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father . . ." —1Th 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father . . ." —1Th 3:11 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father . . ." —1Th 3:13 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —2Th 1:1 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —2Th 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —2Th 2:16 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —1Ti 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —2Ti 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —Tit 1:4 [pa|in]
". . . God our Father . . ." —Php 3 [pa|in]
". . . Our God and Father . . ." —Jas 1:27 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —1Pe 1:2 [pa|in]
". . . The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." —1Pe 1:3 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —2Pe 1:17 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —2Jo 3 [pa|in]
". . . God the Father . . ." —Jude 1 [pa|in]
". . . His God and Father . . ." —Re 1:6 [pa|in]

GOD IS NOT THE SON

". . . a Son of God . . ." —Mt 4:3 [pa|in]
". . . a Son of God . . ." —Mt 4:6 [pa|in]
". . . Son of God." —Mt 8:29 [pa|in]
". . . God’s Son . . ." —Mt 14:33 [pa|in]
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." —Mt 16:13 [pa|in]
". . . You are the Christ, the Son of God." —Mt 26:63 [pa|in]
". . . You are a son of God . . ." —Mt 27:40 [pa|in]
". . . I am God’s Son . . ." —Mt 27:43 [pa|in]
"Certainly this was God’s Son." —Mt 27:54 [pa|in]
"You are the Son of God." —Mr 3:11 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus, Son of the Most High God." —Mr 5:7 [pa|in]
". . . Certainly this man was God’s Son . . ." —Mr 15:39 [pa|in]
". . . God’s Son . . ." —Lu 1:35 [pa|in]
". . . a Son of God . . ." —Lu 4:3 [pa|in]
". . . a Son of God . . ." —Lu 4:9 [pa|in]
"You are the Son of God." —Lu 4:41 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus, Son of the Most High God." —Lu 8:28 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God." —Lu 22:70 [pa|in]
". . . You are the Son of God . . ." —Joh 1:49 [pa|in]
". . . God . . . his only-begotten Son . . ." —Joh 3:16 [pa|in]
". . . The only-begotten Son of God." —Joh 3:18 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Joh 5:25 [pa|in]
"I am God’s Son." —Joh 10:36 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Joh 11:4 [pa|in]
"Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God." —Joh 11:27 [pa|in]
"Father, . . . Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you." —Joh 17:1 [pa|in]
". . . God’s Son." —Joh 19:7 [pa|in]
". . . That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God . . ." —Joh 20:31 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God." —Ac 9:20 [pa|in]
". . . God’s Son . . ." —Ro 1:4 [pa|in]
". . . God did by sending his own Son . . ." —Ro 8:3 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God, Jesus Christ . . ." —2Co 1:10 [pa|in]
". . . I live by faith in the Son of God . . ." —Ga 2:20 [pa|in]
". . . God sent his Son . . ." —Ga 4:4 [pa|in]
". . . God has sent the spirit of his Son . . ." —Ga 4:6 [pa|in]
". . . The accurate knowledge of the Son of God." —Eph 4:13 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus the Son of God . . ." —Heb 4:14 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Heb 6:6 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Heb 7:3 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Heb 10:29 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —1Jo 3:8 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus is God’s Son . . ." —1Jo 4:15 [pa|in]
". . . Jesus is the Son of God?" —1Jo 5:5 [pa|in]
". . . the Son of God . . ." —1Jo 5:10 [pa|in]
". . . God concerning his Son. . . ." —1Jo 5:10 [pa|in]
". . . God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in his Son. . . ." —1Jo 5:11 [pa|in]
". . . the Son of God . . . the Son of God." —1Jo 5:13 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —1Jo 5:20 [pa|in]
". . . The Son of God . . ." —Re 2:18 [pa|in]

HOLY SPIRIT IS A NAMELESS POSSESSION OF GOD

". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Genesis 1:2 [par|int] (NIV)
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —Ge 41:38 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God." —Ex 31:3 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —Ex 35:31 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —Nu 24:2 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Jg 3:10 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —1Sa 10:6 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —1Sa 10:10 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —1Sa 11:6 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —1Sa 16:13 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —1Sa 16:14 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —1Sa 19:20 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —1Sa 19:23 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —2Sa 23:2 [par|int]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —1Ki 16:12 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —1Ki 22:24 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —2Ki 2:16 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —2Ch 15:1 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —2Ch 18:23 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —2Ch 20:14 [pa|in]
"God’s spirit . . ." —2 Chronicles 24:20 [par|int]
". . . your [God’s] holy spirit . . ." —Ps 5:11 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Isa 11:2 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Isa 40:13 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Isa 59:19 [pa|in]
"The spirit of the sovereign Lord Jehovah . . ." —Isa 61:1 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Isa 63:14 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Eze 11:5 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —Eze 11:24 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Mic 2:7 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Mic 3:8 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Zec 6:8 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Mt 3:16 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Mt 12:28 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —Ac 5:9 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Ro 8:9 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Ro 8:14 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Ro 15:19 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God." — 1Co 2:11 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." — 1Co 2:14 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." — 1Co 3:16 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit." — 1Co 7:40 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." — 1Co 12:3 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of Jehovah . . ." —2Co 3:17 [pa|in]
". . . God’s holy spirit . . ." —Eph 4:30 [pa|in]
". . . God’s spirit . . ." —Php 3:3 [pa|in]
". . . the spirit of God . . ." —1Pe 4:14 [pa|in]

The Testimony of Trinity Scholars

“The modern popular doctrine of the Trinity . . . derives no support from the language of Justin [Martyr]: and this observation may be extended to all the ante-Nicene Fathers; that is, to all Christian writers for three centuries after the birth of Christ. It is true, they speak of the Father, Son, and . . . holy Spirit, but not as co-equal, not as one numerical essence, not as Three in One, in any sense now admitted by Trinitarians. The very reverse is the fact.” —The Church of the First Three Centuries, by Alvan Lamson

“Theologians today are in agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine of the Trinity. . . . Theologians agree that the New Testament also does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity.” —The Encyclopedia of Religion.

“The Bible lacks the express declaration that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of equal essence.” —Karl Barth.

“The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is not taught in the O[ld] T[estament]. . . . Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.” —The New Catholic Encyclopedia.

“Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament.” —The New Encyclopedia Britannica.

“Primitive Christianity did not have an explicit doctrine of the Trinity such as was subsequently elaborated in the creeds.”—The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology.

“To Jesus and Paul the doctrine of the trinity was apparently unknown; . . . they say nothing about it.” —Origin and Evolution of Religion, by E. Washburn Hopkins of Yale University.

“As far as the New Testament is concerned, one does not find in it an actual doctrine of the Trinity.” —A Short History of Christian Doctrine, by Bernhard Lohse.

“There is no evidence that any sacred writer even suspected the existence of a [Trinity] within the Godhead.” —The Triune God, by Edmund Fortman.


Return to the beginning of the Salvation vs. the Trinity/Binity series

Go back to Part 8: Evidence That Jesus is the Archangel

Go to Part 10: Is There Proof That God is a Trinity/Binity?

Comments

Popular Posts

The Trinity/Binity, Part 15: Definitive Proof That Holy Spirit Is Not a Distinct Personage

Missing Where It Would Be Expected The holy spirit lacks any significant mention in relationship with Jesus' and the Father. At  Matthew 24:36   [ pa | in ]  Jesus said, "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." Where is the mention of the holy spirit here? Nobody else knows the day and hour, but "only the Father", and it mentions the Son, but why did Jesus not specify the holy spirit? Does it know or does it not? Well, nobody knows but the Father. Thus, only the Father is God. Holy spirit does not appear as a personage on or near the throne of God along with the lamb in heaven in the Revelation. ( Revelation 5:6 , 13   [ pa | in ] ; 6:16   [ pa | in ] ; 7:9, 10   [ pa | in ] , 17   [ pa | in ] ; 22:1   [ pa | in ] ) In fact, at Acts 7:55-56   [ pa | in ] , Stephen also observed Jesus at God's right hand, but again, no third figure. All he saw was Jesus sitting at the right hand of

The Trinity/Binity, Supplemental: Trinitarians Desperate to Plug Mark 10:18

Trinitarians and Binitarians are so desperate to explain away Mark 10:17-18 that they scrounge for any excuse that has nothing to do with the Biblical text, but the explanations are so weak that they can't even come to agreement about it. A False Translation Some Trinity-biased commentaries claim that the best rendering of Mark 10:18 is "Why do you ask me concerning that which is good?" But in verse 17 the young ruler said, "Good teacher!" (Gk, "didaskale agathe", an exclamatory statement), but even if you translate it as "Teacher!, what good! should I do to gain eternal life?" his question would remain to be about a verb "doing good", not a noun "what is good". After all, he can't "do" God, but he can do good works, which is what he was asking about. Also, the grammar in the verse is very clearly Jesus saying, as every translation in the world puts it, "Why do you call me good?" Then, after hi

The Trinity/Binity, Part 2: A Brief History of the Trinity and Binity

The first one to ever propose a polytheistic doctrine was none other than Satan himself in the garden of Eden. There, after Eve recited God's command prohibiting eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, Satan countered the woman, saying that by eating it, "you will be like God, knowing good and bad." ( Ge 3:1-4 [ pa | in ] ) Since then, polytheism has abounded, including triune gods and their humanoid avatars, incarnations and bodily appearances, even declaring humans to be equal to God or ascending to become part of God or godlike in "theosis". The teaching on triune Gods comes out of the nations, and originates with the Babylonian trinity of Astarte (Ashtoreth/Ishtar; Mother of God), Dagon (Chemosh; The All Father), and Tammuz (Milcom; The Sun God), whose symbol happened to be the cross. (It is also interesting to note that the Greek sun god, Adonis, whom Constantine worshiped, was also part of his own triune set of gods, and even h