The word “trinity” is not in the Bible:
Most scholars freely admit that there is no reference to the trinity in the Bible, but it is only, as most say, “implied.” Even though the church had theoretically “decided” the subject in 325 A.D., theologians, to this day, share differing opinions. Why? Remember, this doctrine cannot be proven. “A fruitful cause of error in ancient and also modern times is owing to an attempt to explain or illustrate this doctrine, forgetting that it is a Mystery to be received on faith, which cannot, from its own nature, be rendered intelligible to man’s intellect” (“Trinity,” Dictionary of Doctrinal and Historical Theology).
The word Trinity from the online dictionary means: "a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person."
“The term ‘Trinity’ is not a Biblical term, and we are not using Biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, article “Trinity,” p 3012).
How did the Trinity doctrine enter traditional Christianity—not from the Bible! Look it up for yourself—take some time and use any Bible dictionary or exhaustive concordance. What will you find? The word “Trinity” just isn’t there! However, trinity advocates will argue that the word “Bible” is not even in the Bible. Is this a true statement? The Apostle John was probably the last living of the original twelve toward the end of the first century B.C. Near the end of his life he was given a prophetic vision of which he recorded for our learning. In Revelation 20 he records the events pertaining to the first resurrection, Satan being bound, the millennium and the second and third resurrections. John writes, “...And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (verse 12). He is referencing the second resurrection, where the mass of humanity who never knew God or the Bible, will be given their very first genuine opportunity of salvation. What books? The word “books” is translated from the Greek biblion (bib-lee'-on), from Strong’s 975, meaning book, scroll, or writing. This is, in fact, a direct reference to our Bible, which in its original state was a compilation of scrolls. God will not judge His people based on something they do not know. Yet, for the very first time in these people’s lives the Bible will be opened to their understanding—it will finally make sense—in this period of the second resurrection the Bible terms as the Great White Throne Judgment! The word “Bible” is in the Bible, the word “trinity” still is not!
Many theologians also recognize the fact that the first chapter and verse of John’s Gospel account—the Prologue—clearly reveal the divinity and pre-existence of Jesus Christ; yet, do not refer in any way to the doctrine of the Trinity. The writings of John illustrate the plain unmistakable fact that Jesus Christ is God. However, we never find Trinity discussed in the whole of the chapter. Upon discussing John’s prologue, Dr. William Newton Clarke writes: “There is no Trinity in this; but there is a distinction in the Godhead, a duality in God. This distinction or duality is used as basis for the idea of an only-begotten Son…” (Outline of Christian Theology, p. 167).
Some will quote verses such as Isaiah 6:3, which states, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts…” Here is proof of the Trinity,” many will say! Yet, can we just randomly take words out of the Bible and prescribe meaning to them that fits our doctrine—of course not! In fact, we are told, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [origin]” (2 Peter 1:20). The Bible interprets the Bible! Otherwise, we could even look to the many times that Christ out of His very own mouth said, “Verily, verily.” We cannot now feed our own meaning into these words. Jude wrote toward the end of the first century, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend [fight] earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Clearly, the doctrine of the trinity was not a part of the biblical doctrine that Jude was referencing. Jesus Christ came to the face of this earth proclaiming a powerful message, but it was not the doctrine of the trinity. In fact, the Bible emphatically “spells out” what His proclamation was: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Matthew 28:19:
Jesus Christ gave His true followers a commission, “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” (Matthew 28:19). Later on, after Christ’s resurrection, Peter commanded to baptize, “…in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). Which example is correct? Both!
Some have speculated that Matthew 28:19 is a scripture that was falsely added into the Bible by Trinitarian supporters. Is this true? After the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, Greek scholars fled to Western Europe, particularly Switzerland, bringing a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts. These manuscripts provided the basis of what is called the Textus Receptus or Received Text of the New Testament, from which both the King James and New King James versions were translated. This tradition was perpetuated by William Tyndale in 1525 and continued by the 1611 translators in rendering the Authorized Version. The SCR Textus Receptus, critically edited and prepared by F.H.A. Scrivener in 1894 is the Greek New Testament critical edition that is the closest basis for the KJV and NKJV that we have today. The Textus Receptus does certainly include Matthew 28:19! However, does this prove the Trinity doctrine? In this verse, the word translated “in” is a bit misleading. It is from the Greek word eis, which is pronounced “ice” and is more accurately translated “into.” Notice Rotherham’s translation of this same verse, “Go you therefore and disciple all the nations, immersing them into [Greek, eis] the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” What is the significance of this difference?
Repentant believers are baptized into the Father, into the Son and into the Holy Spirit. Yet, when one of God’s true representatives baptizes a new convert, the person is fully immersed in the name of—that is, by the authority of—Jesus Christ! Why? Christ said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). During his powerful sermon on the Feast of Pentecost, Peter taught that after true believers meet the conditions of true repentance and faith in Christ’s sacrifice and the message He brought, “…you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). When a person is baptized and upon the laying on of hands receives the Holy Spirit, the person now becomes a begotten Son of God (1 Peter 1:3). In other words, God actually places His own name on the true believer. This person now carries the name of God and belongs to God as a begotten (not yet born again) member of the God family (Romans 8:14; 1 John 3:1). After all, it is God whom we sin against (Psalm 51:4) and it is God who then grants repentance (Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25)! Therefore, a spirit-begotten Christian is plainly baptized or immersed “into” the Divine Family called God. And it is done so by the authority of Jesus Christ who died so our past sins may be forgiven (Romans 3:25, 5:8)! Similar to a husband and wife becoming one—under one family name—yet, they are still two distinct individuals. When we are baptized, and receive God’s spirit, we literally become spirit-begotten members of the God Family (Ephesians 3:14-15). We repent to God (Psalm 51:4), by the faith of Christ (Galatians 2:20) and we do so by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14-15; Acts 20:21).
Is that so hard to understand? Even as humans we bear the name of our forebears (e.g. Johnson, meaning originally the sons of John). God is the family name of His divine kingdom containing spirit beings. The Apostle Paul stated, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15). And the Holy Spirit, which comes from God the Father is the begettal means or power by which we receive the earnest of our salvation (Romans 8:16; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14). This is truly what many “so-called” religionists do not understand. They fail to recognize the part the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit each play in the process of salvation. The result of this misunderstanding is the Trinity doctrine!
Probably the most notorious scripture used in times past and the present as “proof” of a Trinity is 1 John 5:7. Yet, numerous theologians identify that this scripture was much later added to the New Testament manuscripts.
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