What does Acts 7:55, 56 teach us in connection with a trinity teaching?

"But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”" (NASB)

So Stephen was full of a person? No, that's absurd. What Stephen saw is in full harmony with Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man, holy ones, and myriads of angels. No holy spirit person is mentioned. This also agrees with John's Revelation of his heavenly vision where, again, no holy spirit person is mentioned, even though he does see the same characters as Daniel saw.

Additionally, we can be thankful that the holy spirit is NOT a person. Why? Consider one of the most celebrated events in human history, the virgin birth of Christ. If the holy spirit were a person that got Mary pregnant, then she would no longer be a virgin, and the holy spirit fills the role of an incubus. How repulsive! Therefore, we can rejoice and sing praises to God that the holy spirit is NOT a person but a force for doing his will!

Anti-trinitarians always stop short at the end of verse 56. They never mention verses 57 to 60. Why not? Because if you read the whole account (and not just a selected bit of it) you discover that despite Stephen seeing both God and Jesus in heaven, he fell down on his knees in prayer and prayed to Jesus to receive his spirit! Why didn't he make that request to Jehovah when he'd seen both the Father and the Son together?

Anti-trinitarians always try to make much of the fact that, in the heavenly vision, the Son is standing whilst the Father is seated on the throne. Clearly, they are two distinct personages. Yes, they are, which is precisely what the Trinity doctrine clearly states. The Father and the Son are distinct persons! They are never one and the same person (which is what Oneness Pentecostals wrongly teach). The Trinity states that the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. So Trinitarians have no problem with Stephen's vision of one person being seated and the other person standing at his side.

Anti-trinitarians DO have a problem with Stephen addressing his supplication to Jesus. But Trinitarians don't because Jesus gave his followers permission to pray to him. Check out John 14:13-14 then Luke 23:46 to understand what Stephen was doing, and why. Anti-trinitarians refuse to pray to Jesus because that is an act of worship. They also distort John 1:1, forgetting that verse 3 knocks the ground from under their feet because verse 3 shows Jesus created everything that was ever created, and the simple logic is that Jesus cannot be a created being himself! If they could, anti-trinitarians would translate John 1:1 as "...and the Word was a mighty one" because even though they relegate Christ to being "a god", they refuse to worship this minor deity, such is their misunderstanding of the New Testament.

The conclusion I come to after examining ALL the verses about Stephen's martyrdom in chapter 7 is that Stephen prayed to the heavenly, glorified Christ to receive his spirit, as Jesus had prayed to the Father to receive his spirit at his crucifixion. This substantiates the Trinity teaching that the one being of God subsists in the persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In the late-first-century and early-second-century writings of the Apostolic Fathers, there is no support for Christendom’s Trinity. They spoke of God, Jesus, and the holy spirit just as the Bible does. Look, for example, at Acts 7:55, 56: “Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’”—Catholic Jerusalem Bible.

Stephen saw a vision of God in heaven with Jesus standing next to Him. The Son was standing next to the One termed, not just “Father,” but “God,” one completely separate in identity from Jesus. And there was no third person involved in what Stephen saw. The holy spirit was not seen in heaven with Jesus and his Father.

That is similar to Revelation 1:1, which states: “This is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ.” (The Jerusalem Bible) Again, the resurrected Christ in heaven is shown to be entirely separate from God, and the holy spirit is not mentioned. If Jesus were the second person of a Trinity, knowing all things, how could he be “given” a revelation?

mark 14 :62-63 also gives further evidence of the trinity

1+1+1=3 not 1 i believe in one god

Who is doing the speaking---Stephen. To whom does he speak---the leaders of the Temple--those in high places of the priesthood. Stephen is a Saved-born again disciple--we know because this is after the Pentecost when the disciples have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit(Ghost) and we know that the Holy Spirit indwells us. Stephen has a vision which he shares--he sees God the Father upon the Throne and the son of Man(Jesus) standing by his side---what an inspiration that must be and it surely made Stephen bold. Now the three parts of the God head are present in one scriptural story--you either accept or you do not----they are one not as in a single form and shape but in their inward desires and decisions--we know God was in heaven when Jesus was upon the Cross--physically separated but spiritually one. We know the physical Jesus had to go before he would send the spiritual Holy Spirit to indwell the believers. The closes we can come to understanding these three personages is our brain, our body and our soul(spirit) Each are part of one and must work together yet they function to do different task.

To prove this oneness remember Jesus spoke to the disciples about the father--ending that if you know me you know the father for we are one. John 1:1 as you identified is a oneness again--In the very beginning was the word(Jesus)--we know this is true for God said nothing was created without the son, and the word was with God(this is the God of creation, God the father and again the word is Jesus) and the word was God---we two are one, we two are the same, we two are interchangeable.

I find it so easy to accept and believe in the trinity--yet I also know it is not absolute that one must accept to find Jesus and salvation. It is easy to sidetrack about the lesser important things and complete miss the essential---without Jesus all is lost. When one finds Jesus the Holy Spirit will be present in that person's life--identified or not--however when it goes unidentified in our individual life we lose so much of the Christian power he brings. Same is true with the Heavenly Father--I cannot imagine my faith without my long talks with him as my mentor and guide. He too is my comforter, my teacher, my guide and from him I receive the hugs when I do well and the reprimand when I do badly.

It teaches us that the trinity doctrine is bogus.

The passage:

http://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ac...

is in full and complete agreement with the doctrine of trinity. There we see the 3 persons of the trinity all mentioned together - though as individuals - in one passage (though the Father - in full and complete accordance with the doctrine of trinity - is referred to as "God"); all treated as separate individuals (persons).

Now that you know that passage agrees completely and totally with the doctrine of trinity, what does this passage teach you with regard to the deity of Jesus, especially whether or not there is an advantage to believing that Jesus is God?

http://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jo...

- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

he was having an "alternate reality" experience. instead of being "grounded" and living in the monotony of the daily life, he was full of holy spirit ....active and engaged on another REAL level of life. in today's world, this sort of experience is called "psychosis" but to insist so to the one who has experienced the divine, they don't like it one bit.

Nothing. It's out of date. Read Terry Pratchett.