Passages that seem to disprove the Trinity.

As part of the presentation last week in a church apologetics class, I discussed the answer to a key question – who is Jesus? One of the areas touched on had to do with the doctrine of the Trinity, an area many Christians struggle with. There are several verses brought up by those who oppose the Trinity, and I wanted to use this time to show that their arguments don't work.

They might start with the first chapter of John. We read in the 14th verse, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Those who oppose the Trinity will point out that this verse suggests God brought about Jesus because of the word "begotten." However, a far better translation shows that this word refers to the uniqueness of the Son. A better translation would be "God the only Son" or "the only Son, who is God."

Another place those who oppose the Trinity go to in John is in the 14th chapter. We see in verse 28 that Jesus says the Father is greater than He is. But the rest of the passage tells a different story. Jesus is explaining to his disciples that they should rejoice because He is going to the Father. If it simply means that the Father is a higher being, why should the disciples rejoice? This passage refers to the fact that the Father in heaven is positionally greater than the Son on earth. Jesus is telling the disciples to be happy because He is leaving a humble position and returning to glory.

Another favorite passage for those who oppose the Trinity is in Colossians. We read in the first chapter (verses 15 and 16) about Jesus: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." The use of the word "firstborn" makes it sound like Jesus was created later than the Father. However, this term has been used throughout the Bible to indicate a favored position rather than literally born first. Take a look some time at Exodus 4:22, Jeremiah 31:9, Psalm 89:27, Romans 8:29, Hebrews 1:6, Revelation 1:5. For example, Psalm 89:27 calls David the firstborn even though David was not the first one physically born in his family.

I certainly agree that the Trinity is a difficult concept. But it is taught clearly in the Bible, especially the New Testament. I can cover that sometime if anyone wishes to continue with this topic.