Trinitarianism

Terry McHenry
Jan 13, 2021
10 min read

Updated: Jan 26, 2021

Trinitarianism

Definition of Theology and its Beliefs

The concept of “trinity (implying three entities)” has been a divisive doctrinal issue through much of the history of the Christian church. Additionally, it has been a major factor in the chasm that separates Christianity and Judaism. Although it has been taught over the centuries with some variation, essentially the concept of the trinity has been explained as three persons of the God Head – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From a finite human perspective this has generally been understood as three persons operating in unity and accord with the will of the God Head. But, its perception for many people has still been that of separate entities. Why? Because the tendency of man has been to constrain Elohim to human limitations, so that we can understand Him in one or another of His many attributes.

The human mind says that Elohim must either be one or three - He cannot be both simultaneously. This conclusion, whether reached consciously or sub-consciously, is based on the Greco-Roman linear mind-set or logic system so heavily imbued into Western peoples. It tends to forget that the Elohim and Creator of the universe is Spirit. He is not constrained to finite, fleshly human limitations. Yet, man has for millennia attempted to understand Him by placing such restrictions on Him.

Of critical importance is to understand that the word “trinity” is not found in either the Scriptures or the Apostolic Scriptures. This alone should provide a telling realization to anyone attempting to understand the unfathomable attributes of the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the Elohim who both wrote the Torah and commissioned the writings of the original text of what we know as the Bible.

Historical Origins and Dates

The initiator of the concept of the trinity, as has been most usually taught, is rooted of course in the early Christian Church. The concept seems to have surfaced about 300 years after the crucifixion of Yeshua. It initially came about in opposition to Arianism, a belief that was regarded as an heretical view on the position of the Son of YHVH. The doctrines of Arius[1] denied that Yeshua was of the same substance as Elohim, and instead held Him to be only the highest of the created beings. To counter this the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. subsequently adopted a term to express the relationship between the Father YHVH and His Son, declaring that the Son is “of the same substance” as the Father. This later evolved into “three persons, one substance.” At this time, the Council of Nicaea said little about the Holy Spirit. It was not until later in the Fourth Century that the doctrine of the divinity and person of the Holy Spirit was developed by Athanasius (c. 293-373 A.D.)[2]. He defended and refined the Nicene Council’s conclusions, bringing the Holy Spirit aspect to the forefront along with the Father and Son. Under the leadership of the Cappadocian Fathers at the close of the Fourth Century, the doctrine had reached a form that substantially has been taught in post-modern Christendom.

Theological Interrelationships and Dependencies

For the most part the trinity teachings within the Church have been somewhat isolated from other of the mainstream theologies, being more of a doctrinal issue. Instead, we see the trinity as a concept that has developed through man’s attempt to understand the ‘what’ and ‘who’ of the Elohim. And as usual, man has failed to wrap his finite mind around an infinite Elohim. Again, this failure is largely attributable to man using a Greco-Roman perspective and mind-set to interpret the Scriptures, rather than the Hebraic model in which they were originally penned.

Exegetical Discussion

In order to grasp an understanding of the Triune nature of Elohim we must look to the Written Word of Elohim. After all, the Bible as a whole reveals the character and nature of Elohim in all of His many aspects, and today it is principally the Bible through which Elohim communicates His truths to mankind.

The entirety of the Scriptures and the Apostolic Scriptures teach there is one Elohim. See for example Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 8:4, Gal. 3:20 and 1 Tim. 2:5. The teaching that Elohim is One is the hallmark of Judaism, and rightfully so, because this is clearly taught in both the Torah and the Tanakh. Known to virtually all Jewish peoples is the Shema, found in Deut. 6:4:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”(emphasis added)

The Apostolic Scriptures mirror this concept as well; for example we read in 1 Timothy 2:5-7:

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man

Christ Jesus [Yeshua], who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified

in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle – I am

speaking the truth in Christ [Yeshua] and not lying – a teacher of the

Gentiles in faith and truth.”

However, in the Hebrew text we see a definite plurality of nature to Elohim. The Hebrew plural noun Elohim is used in a number of verses found in the Tanakh. Following are some of those verses as examples (See Gen. 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, and Isa. 6:8, e.g.):

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …” (emphasis added). From Gen. 1:26.

“Also, I heard a voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, And who

will go for Us? (emphasis added). From Isa. 6:8.

There is a form of distinctness within the manifestations of Elohim. For example:

“Come near to Me [Yeshua], hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the

beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord

God and His Spirit have sent Me [Yeshua].” (emphasis added) From Isa. 48:16.

See also: 14:26, 15:26, 16:7.

We see again from the Apostolic Scriptures that each of the manifestations of Elohim are YHVH. None is mutually exclusive from the other. According to the following verses the Father is Elohim: John 6:27, Rom. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2. For example, we read in John 6:27:

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures

to everlasting life, which the Son of Man [Yeshua] will give you, because

God the Father has set His seal on Him [Yeshua].” (emphasis added).

The Son is Elohim We read in John 1:1-3 and 14; and John 10:30:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He [Yeshua] was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His [Yeshua’s] glory as of the only

begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (emphasis added).

“I [Yeshua] and the Father are one.” (emphasis added).

In Hebrews 1:8, we read:

“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A

scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” (emphasis added).

See also Rom. 9:5, Col. 2:9, 1 John 5:20.

The Holy Spirit is God. We read in Acts 5:3-4:

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the

Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While

it remained, was it not your own? After it was sold, was it not in your own

control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not

lied to men but to God.” (emphasis added). See also 1 Cor. 3:16.

The individual manifestations of Elohim have differing tasks, many of which overlap. Thus, we see a Oneness of purpose and a Unity of effort. The verses which follow illustrate this reality.

The Father YHVH is the initiator and ultimate cause of the universe, and all that is made and sustained within it. For example:

“ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Gen. 1:1

“… yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things…”

1 Cor. 8:6

“You are worthy, O Lord [and God], to receive glory and power; for

You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

Rev. 4:11. (emphasis added).

The Son is a manifestation (not unlike the Holy Spirit) through whom the Father achieves many things. For example: creation (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1,

16: 12-15; Mat. 11:27; Rev. 1:1); salvation (Mat. 1:21; John 4:42; James 4:12); gathering and reuniting the house of Israel with the house of Judah (Jer. 16: 14-16; Ezek. 37: 15-28). See the following verses to illustrate this:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the

Word was God. All things were made[creation] through Him…” (emphasis added) From John 1:1-3.

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows

the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the

Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (emphasis added).

From Mat. 11:27.

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus [Yeshua],

for He will save His people from their sins. (emphasis added). From

Mat. 1:21.

“As for you Son of Man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah

and for the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his

companions.’ Then join [reunite] them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. …Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord

GOD: ‘Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where-ever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of

Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; …David My servant [Messiah

Yeshua] shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd[Yeshua];

they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes [Torah], and

do them.” (emphasis added). From Ezek. 37:15-17, 21-22, 24.

The Holy Spirit is the means by which YHVH moves to accomplish all things, working directly through His various manifestations, and in the hearts of mankind. For example: creation (Gen. 1:1-2, Job 26:13, Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15, Eph. 3:5, 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6, Titus 3:5, 1Peter 1:2); the moving and working of Yeshua (Isa. 61:1, Acts 10:38) See the following verses for illustration:

“You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face

of the earth.” (emphasis added). From Psalm 104:30.

“…for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God

spoke as they were moved[divine revelation] by the Holy Spirit.”(emphasis

added). From 2 Peter 1:21.

“… not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according

to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and

renewing of the Holy Spirit, …” (emphasis added). From Titus 3:5.

“…how God anointed Jesus [Yeshua] of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit

and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were

oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (emphasis added).

From Acts 10:38.

The foregoing Scriptural citations, although only a small sampling, illustrate the wondrous depth and breadth of the Elohim of the universe. The Apostle Paul perhaps said it best:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His

Counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to Him?’

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be

glory forever. Amen.” From Romans 11:33-36, quoting in part from

Isa. 11:34, Jer. 23:18, Job 41:11.

We have thus seen that Elohim is one, yet a plurality; that there exists within Him and His manifestations a distinctiveness and an hierarchy, yet all are Elohim. Each has differing tasks, but there is overlapping, and there exists within each of these manifestations a singleness of purpose, yet oneness and unity in effort and desire for the outcome at the close of this present age.

From a strictly human standpoint, these Scriptural facts surrounding the attributes of the Creator Elohim present a paradox. But this is only so if we attempt to relegate to Elohim our human limitations. By expressing Elohim as “three persons” we have attempted to understand Him through an over-simplification of His vast character and attributes. This has misled countless individuals for 1,600 years, and has actually countered what the Scriptures have to teach us about the fullness of who He is.

If we consider Him who created the vast universe and placed within it the celestial bodies, setting them perfectly in position and motion such that our atmosphere will sustain life in all its various forms, and seasons will predictably replicate for the millennia that they have, is it any wonder that our Elohim has no limitations? If one considers the miracle of the physiological intricacies of human conception and life, plus the mental, emotional and spiritual capacities of man, not to mention the soul that Elohim has implanted into him; plus, in this highest form of life the ability to reason and logic like no other mortal creature, is it any wonder that Elohim possesses the capacity to manifest Himself in forms and manners we cannot imagine? Is it any wonder He is outside of time as we know it? Is it any wonder He loves and sustains us in spite of ourselves? Is it any wonder that he has a plan for all who will acknowledge Him for who He really is, and that He gave us a Book of instructions in how to draw close to him in a relationship comparable to no other? It reveals to us His love, justice, mercy and truth, giving us a choice of death or life, requiring our simple obedience for the latter. Is it any wonder?

Who are we then to place upon Him our feeble limitations, thinking that we can understand all that He is, being constrained by those limitations? We must instead study His Written Word to learn what we can of Him, but accept that which is beyond our capacity to grasp at this time.

It is the Glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to

search out a matter.” Prov. 25:2.

[1] A Greek Christian (c. 256? – 336) theologian and founder of Arianism, who was eventually condemned as a heretic. [2] Saint Athanasius was a Greek patriarch of Alexandria.

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Trinitarianism

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