I know that there are many Christian groups that don't believe in the Trinity, but exactly what doctrinal position DO they hold when it comes to the the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
KL
Favorite Answer
I hope it's okay that I copy and paste --- it's something I rarely do other than scripture, but I'm just going to copy and paste the well known heresies that people hold when they don't hold Trinitarian views. One of the most common in our day is Modalism:
Apollinarianism
(named for Apollinarius) Belief that Christ had no soul, but rather was filled with logos, or the Word, and was neither fully human nor fully divine.
Arianism
(named for Arius) Belief that the Father existed before the Son, the Son was created by the Father, and there was a time when the Son did not exist.
Docetism
(from the Greek word dokesis, which means to seem) Belief that Christ was wholly God, and his humanity and suffering only seemed to be real.
Dynamic Monarchianism
Claimed Jesus Christ was simply a man, whom God filled with an impersonal power, either at his conception, baptism, or resurrection. This denies Christ taking any personality from God, and teaches that Christ “became” God.
Ebionitism
Belief that Jesus was nothing more that a prophet: a man, but not divin. Named after the
Ebionites, a first-century Jewish-Christian sect who emphasized Jewish law and rejected Paul’s teachings.
Eutychianism
(name after Eutyches of Constantinople) belief that Christ had only a divine nature, not a human one.
Monophysitism
This heresy denies the humanity of Christ. It removes the value of Christ’s redemptive work, because it denies that Christ suffered as a man. It declares that Christ had a single (mono), divine, nature. This doctrine is still taught by the Oriental Orthodox churches: Coptic Church of Egypt; Ethiopian Orthodox; Syrian Orthodox; Armenian Orthodox; and Malankara (Indian) Orthodox.
Monothelitism
Belief that Jesus posessed one divine-human energia, not two cooperating (divine and human) wills. Still held by the Maronite Church in Syria.
Nestorianism
(named for Netstorius) Belief that God was not in Christ and that Mary gave birth only to the human Jesus. Nestorianism teaches that Jesus was filled with the logos, that only the human part of Jesus suffered and died, and that man simply needs an infilling of logos for salvation.
Macedonianism
(named for Macedonius) Denied the diety of the Holy Spirit, asserting it was a servent, similar to the angels.
Monarchianism
The denial of three seperate beings in the Trinity. A famous Monarchianist, Sabellian, claimed the three persons of God are three facets of one personality, in the way that the sun is simultaneously hot, round, and bright. He became so associated with Monarchianism, that in the early church, heresy of any kind was called Sabellianism.
Modalist Monarchianism
Held that God was a single being, and that Father / Son / Spirit were simply three modes of the same being, only one being possible at a time. Taken to its logical extreme, it would have been impossible for the Spirit to descend as a dove and God’s voice to be heard during Christ’s baptism.
Subordinationism
Any doctrine that subordinates one being of the Trinity to another.
Anonymous
Although lacking any Scriptural proof to validate such a theory, denying the trinity is nonetheless considered heresy of the highest magnitude.
"God is a TRINITY" we have been told by the world’s leading theologians. That is, "God" is composed of THREE PERSONS. They are:
1. God the Father
2. The Holy Ghost [Spirit]
3. Christ Jesus the Son of God.
First of all, nowhere in the Scriptures is God referred to or called a "trinity."
Second, the word "three" is never used in reference to Who or What God is.
Third, since Christ is the Son, He cannot also be the Father or be coequal with His Father. Christ plainly said: "My Father is GREATER than I" (John 14:28).
God is never referred to as consisting of three, and Christ is the Son of the Father, YET this mysterious doctrine is believed by millions. Why?
God is never referred to as substance in the Scriptures. Not "one substance" or any other "substance." Even the most casual reader of the Scriptures knows that God is not composed of some kind of substance. The Scriptures are plain: "God is SPIRIT, and those who are worshiping Him must be worshiping in spirit and truth" (John 4:24) Spirit has nothing to do with "substance." In the original Greek, God is called "spirit," not "a spirit."
The existence of a trinity is admittedly not demonstrable by logic or scriptural proof, however, it is called a "necessary hypothesis." Being the inquisitive person that I am, I would inquire as to just why is it a "necessary hypothesis"? Why hypothesize at all, seeing that the Scriptures give us plain, factual, actual information without having to theorize or hypothesize? Let’s get a definition of that word "hypothesis:"
Webster’s Dictionary, hypothesis:
A system or theory imagined or assumed to account for what is not understood. An unproved theory. theory, a speculative plan... a formulation of underlying principles of certain observed phenomena which has been verified to some degree... a conjecture; guess.
Do you not think it strange that the most spiritual and fundamental doctrine of all Christianity does not even qualify for the status of theory let alone doctrinal truth? Amazing. So the trinity is called a hypothesis--a human invention of speculations, conjectures, guesses, theories, imaginings, and assumptions of something that is not understood. Try taking that to the bank!
Speaking of banks, try taking a check signed Father, Son and Holy Ghost of $1000 to the bank and cash it. Would the bank cash it? NO! It does not have the NAME of the person who wrote it. Father, Son and Holy Ghost are NOT names but titles of office. It lacks the NAME of the issuer which is JESUS, the Name of the Almighty GOD!!!
Regards,
Gary
♥ SJC ♥
Oneness Pentecostals do not believe the trinity.
. . .Father
God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is the Eternal One, the Creator of all things, and the Father of all humanity by creation.
He is the First and the Last, and beside Him there is no God (Isaiah 44:6).
There was no God formed before Him; neither shall be there any after Him (Isaiah 43:10).
. . .Son
Jesus is the Son of God according to the flesh (Romans 1:3) and the very God Himself according to the Spirit (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16:16); the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16-17); God with us (Matthew 1:23); God made flesh (John 1:1-14); God manifested in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16);He which was, which is, and which is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8);the mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus Himself testified of His identity as God when He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:7-11) and “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
It took shedding of blood for the remission of the sins of the world (Hebrews 9:22), but God the Father was a Spirit and had no blood to shed. Thus He prepared a body of flesh and blood (Hebrews 10:5)and came to earth as a man in order to save us, for in Isaiah 43:11 He said, “Beside me there is no Saviour.” When He came in flesh the angels sang, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
. . .Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is not a third person in the Godhead, but rather the Spirit of God (the Creator), the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. The Holy Ghost comes to dwell in the hearts and lives of everyone who believes and obeys the gospel, as the comforter, Sustainer, and keeper (John 14:16-26; Romans 8:9-11).
Strange.....*some* people seem angry that there are some who do not believe the trinity......
Jenster
The Godhead.
The concept that God the Father, Jesus Christ his Son and the Holy Spirit are one in PURPOSE yet separate and unique individuals. This doctrine holds up to biblical scrutiny and just makes sense.
I have tried for years to grasp the Trinity concept but despite many attempts at some kind of description from others it comes down to the idea that mere men can not comprehend it yet the bible says that Life Eternal is to KNOW God AND the Son. Not to mention the logic twisting you must do to fit biblical scriptures to the concept (like when Christ was baptized and all three were present).
For more visit the link:
http://www.mormon.org/jesus-christ/
EDIT: Out of curiosity I decided to look up the scripture list that Smyrna Deer Hunter provided to see if it did PROVE the Trinity. So lets see:
Isaiah 48:16 ..there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me. (this supports the Godhead as it clearly seperates Christ from God and the Spirit)
Matthew 3:16-17 (baptism scripture where AGAIN it is a clear distinction between the three seperate beings)
Matthew 28:18-20 ...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (AGAIN, three seperate. The Godhead.)
Luke 3:21-22 (Baptism one again)
John 14:26, 16:13-15, 26...But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things. (again, three seperate, like a team working together). 15 All things that the Father hath are mine (again, distinction. Christ the Son inherits all his Father has as traditionally the first born should)
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. (AGAIN, three seperate individuals)
Galatians 4:6 (same seperation)
Ephesians 2:18, 4:4-6, 5:18-20
5 One Lord (Christ), one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (One Lord who is Christ and one God who is Father and above all. Seems to me this means they are seperate individuals otherwise it should say something like "one Lord who IS God and above all")
1 Peter 1:2
1 John 5:7 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (finally the only scripture I see even remotely suggesting a physical unity and easily understood if you understand that the Godhead are one team striving together for the salvation of man.)
Waste of my time really looking those up as they actually support the Godhead doctrine more then the Trinity. ALSO, the Trinity is not in the bible nor was it doctrine until the third century after Christ.
Bill C
Oneness is one of the non-trinitarian doctrines.
Oneness teaches that God exists as one Spirit (John 4:24; Eph. 4:4)
That same Spirit (Holy Spirit) caused Mary to conceive (Matt. 1:18-20)
That same Spirit then inhabited the body of His son (2 Cor. 5:19)
We believe that Jesus isn't (one person) in the Godhead, but rather the fullness of the Godhead is in Jesus. (Col. 2:9)
Scripture never suggests that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are persons in the Godhead. Rather, these are titles of the one Spirit who is our God. If you look at the command of Matthew 28:19, to baptize in the NAME of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and then look at how the apostles carried out that command, you will see that they understood that these were all titles of the same one God: They never once repeated those titles in baptism, but instead, used the NAME, as Jesus commanded. All Christian baptism in the first century was performed using only the name of Jesus. (See Acts chapters 2, 8, 10, 19 and 22; See also Acts 4:12 and Col. 3:17)
Scripture states over and over that God is one in nature. The early church believed that. The doctrine of a trinity didn't arise in Christianity until the mid-second century, and didn't become official until the early 4th century. Those teaching the Apostolic doctrine of one God in Jesus were excommunicated at that time.