Expert: Brenda Martin - 7/17/2006

Question
We hold the same position believing the other is 'reading into' the Word of GodI can see how the founding of the JW belief system just over a century ago brought about false doctrine such as Jesus being an angel.  God does not allow worship of angels.

I too believe that one cannot circumvent the sole authority of Scripture.  The Bible, and the Bible alone is authoritative; no person, no organization, no angel, no creation whatsoever, can preach anything apart from the gospel contained within without being accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)  There is extreme danger in plucking selected verses out of context to make sure it aligns with the self doctrine held by anyone.

Please prove to me in the original languages how the Trinitarian view is false.

Thank you for your time,
Jonathan
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Answer -
"BOTH PERSONS ARE SAVIORS.' ARGUES THE POINT THAT JESUS IS INDEED SAME NATURE, DIFFERENT PERSON OF THE GODHEAD."

I believed in the false doctrine of the Trinity for 19 years, then I studied the bible for myself and saw no evidence of such a teaching, and over the last 30 years I have studied the subject in the scriptures and I am even more convinced of its falsehood.

The “Godhead” as you put it, was invented in the 4th century by apostate Christians, it was not taught by Jesus and was not believed or taught by his early followers. It is not a bible teaching.

A person who is really seeking to know the truth about God is not going to search the Bible hoping to find a text that he can construe as fitting what he already believes. He wants to know what God’s Word itself says. He may find some texts that he feels can be read in more than one way, but when these are compared with other Biblical statements on the same subject their meaning will become clear.

It should be noted at the outset that most of the texts used as “proof” of the Trinity actually mention only two persons, not three; so even if the Trinitarian explanation of the texts were correct, these would not prove that the Bible teaches the Trinity.

But don’t believe me, research it for yourself.

Brenda


Answer
Hi there Jonathan, you said--“THE FOUNDING OF THE JW BELIEF SYSTEM BROUGHT ABOUT FALSE DOCTRINE”.

Let me show you how mistaken you are, here are the beliefs and practices of the first century congregation Jesus established, for sake of time and space I will abbreviate, but I can show you the references if you so wish—

1.  They didn’t celebrate birthdays
2.  They did not partake of blood.
3.  They did not go to war.
4.  They performed adult baptism.
5.  They did not celebrate Christmas  
6.  They did not use the cross in their worship
7.  They practiced disfellowshipping.
8.  They used God’s name.
9.  They had a governing body
10. All went from house to house preaching the “good news”
11. They did not celebrate New Year’s Day.
12. They did not have a clergy laity distinction
13. They were separate from the world.
14. They did NOT believe in the Trinity.
15. They taught the soul to be mortal.

And many more, but suffice to say; JW’s beliefs and practices are identical, so if we have “false doctrine” then you are saying the First century congregation established by Jesus, also had “false doctrine”

The modern-day history of Jehovah’s Witnesses began with the forming of a group for Bible study in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the early 1870’s. At first they were known only as Bible Students, but in 1931 they adopted the Scriptural name Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Isa. 43:10-12) Their beliefs and practices are not new but are a restoration of first-century Christianity.
 
PLEASE PROVE TO ME HOW THE TRINITARIAN VIEW IS FALSE.

Christ and his disciples taught that there is only “one God the Father,” distinguished by his personal name, Jehovah, which appears some 7,000 times in early Bible manuscripts. (1 Corinthians 8:6; Psalm 83:18)

Jesus was created by God; he is “the firstborn of every creature,” says the Catholic Douay Version of the Bible at Colossians 1:15. Thus, as a created being, Jesus frankly stated: “The Father is greater than I am.”—John 14:28.

But by the third century, certain influential clerics, enamored of the trinitarian teaching of pagan Greek philosopher Plato, began recasting God to fit the Trinitarian formula. In the following centuries, this doctrine unscripturally elevated Jesus to equality with Jehovah and made God’s holy spirit, or active force, into a person.

Concerning the church’s adoption of the pagan concept of the Trinity, the NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA says: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”

Similarly, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA says: “Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”

THE OXFORD COMPANION TO THE BIBLE calls the Trinity one of a number of “later creedal formulations.”

All the best
Brenda