Expert: LEBoyd - 8/20/2008

Question

 Mr Boyd,

        Hello sir. I return to you with a question I am trying to understand. It is one I have pondered, as well as one questioned in false god worship. Is the Trinity doctrine false god worship? I have not found in scripture were the Trinity specifically is mentioned. In my research I have found many theologians suggest that the Triune doctrine creates false god worship in that it teaches that Christ is another god like the father, equal in power and authority. "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."  John 5:19.


"ye are Christ's; and Christ [is] God's." 1 Corinthians 3:23.



"the head of Christ [is] God."  1 Corinthians 11:3.


"But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him." 1 Corinthians 8:6.


"And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." 1 Corinthians 15:28.



"for my Father is greater than I." John 14:28

What understanding can you help to provide me in this question? Thank you sincerely

Answer
Zach,

Many try to make the Trinity a complex and difficult subject, but as you know, I try to make things as simple as possible.  So, the questions are, "Is there a simply answer to whether there is a Trinity and if so, how does it work?"

The simplest way I know how to explain it is to compare it to a marriage.  The Trinity can be like a marriage.  There are two people in a marriage, but only one marriage.  Each person in the marriage plays different rolls.  Each person in the Trinity plays a different roll.

In Genesis, the Hebrew word for "God" is plural, not singular.  So, we see in Genesis that there was more than one "person" involved in creation.  In several places, it references YHWH (the Hebrew for God the Father - often translated Jehovah in the KJV and capitalized LORD in other translations) as the creator and in Colossians it references Jesus the Son as creator.  And we read that the Spirit moved across the earth.  While we cannot conclude that all three partook in the act of creation, we can see that all three where there.

YHWH is God the Father and head over all.  Jesus is the Christ, Savior and only unique Son of God and made Lord over all by God (Phil 2:10-11).  The Spirit or Holy Spirit is the intermediary between man and God the Father.

Rom 15:30 and 2 Cor 13:14 both speak of Jesus, the Spirit and God.  Also, especially consider Hebrews 9:14, which speaks of Jesus as the Savior, the Spirit as eternal and God the father.

Now, when you consider which of these are to be worshipped, it's a different question.  Many suggest that because all three are part of the Trinity and eternal, that all should or can be worshipped.  However, in Scripture we only see that God and Jesus are worshipped.  So, we have no examples of the Spirit being worshipped, nor any commands to worship the Spirit and therefore must conclude that the Spirit is not to be worship - but only God and Jesus.

Hope this helps.