The cause of controversy bedevilling Christianity is associated with Trinity. Basically, Christianity is divided on the basis of whether the Doctrine of Trinity stands or not. However, unlike everything of this world, the things of God are by revelation, and not by Theological studies. One of the prophets of old wrote:
“I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘Or my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand’” (Daniel 12:8-10) (ESV).
There is only one method that things, prophetically shut and sealed, can be opened. The challenge is in that things assumed as wisdom are, actually, foolishness. And foolish behaviour is assumed as wisdom. Apparently, this is the curse currently affecting humanity, regardless of best intentions, in seeking understanding.
The type of sealing that the Lord of Daniel implied, needs the same Lord to reveal that which would be sealed. Any person, though claiming to be able to reveal what the Lord of Daniel sealed, may assume being wise, yet being so foolish. On crafting the Book of Revelation, at island of Patmos, the apostle John also emphasized:
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” Revelation 1:1-3) (ESV).
This Scripture is very clear—as in agreement with Daniel. Jesus is the only expositor of the things of God. Only a fool succumbs into assuming that another person, could reveal the things of God—even when displaying certificates of higher learning. The Bible is quite clear in that Jesus did not display any certificate of higher learning (John 7:15).
The falsified wisdom is in assuming that one needs to study Theology and acquire a doctorate in order to understand mysteries of God. True wisdom is in knowing that wisdom comes only by taking note of everything said by Jesus (John 8:31-32). In other words, taking note of what Jesus taught, requires no Theological studies.
There are those insisting that to understand the New Covenant, it is necessary to first understand scholastic treatises concerning Trinitarian doctrine. The appreciation of the doctrine of Trinity raises anyone up to the pedestal of the elite. If an ordinary person asks simple questions, concerning Trinity, he/she would be advised to enrol for Theological studies.
The person giving that kind of advice would not be prepared to scripturally quote the only expositor of Godly things—Jesus Christ. The person would simply highlight the credentials of the referred Theological College, thereby invalidating the authority of Jesus, who lamented:
“I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:43-44) (ESV).
Throughout the four gospel books there is no Trinity, in the vocabulary of Jesus. Well, I suppose I need to be courteous, in dealing with the Trinitarians: I fully understand and appreciate where they are coming from. Those people are sincere Christians. I suppose they desire to be in God’s Kingdom, just as I do.
However, like any person under deception, one could commit murder, in defence of the wrong posture. Anyone would not be in deception who does not feel strongly attached to what he/she assumes to be true. I would dare say the only symptom of deception is dogmatism. See [Simplified analysis to eradicate Trinitarian confusion].
Having also gone through similar experiences, myself, I find the greatest danger, leading to deception, being inability to test. Paul advised: “But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:21-22) (ESV).
Accordingly, everything needs to be tested against what Jesus taught. For anyone desiring to avoid deception, anything—as long as not traceable to the author of Christianity—should be treated as suspect. This includes even what comes from the epistles of the early Church apostles.
My only problem with the doctrine of Trinity is that Jesus never said God is three in one. As one declaring to be the way, the truth and the life, Jesus took instructions from His Father in Heaven. He never declared that such Father was a Triune God. From which authority, then, does the Triune God come from?
Jesus’ clear instruction to His disciples was also that they were not to call anyone on earth their Father. Just like Him, they were to take instructions directly from their Heavenly Father (Matthew 23:9). As Son of Man, Jesus depicted the significance of how Christianity was to be practiced, by fellow humans.
Failure to test falsehood is caused by inability to know the person called Jesus. Who is Jesus? Many Christians take this question for granted. However, Jesus highlighted something that even the renowned Scholars stumble over, without effectively answering the question of who Jesus is?
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16”13-17) (ESV).
This was Jesus’ conversation with His disciples. But it is from this conversation that the question concerning the identity of Jesus is answered. The same answer, effectively dispels the doctrine of Trinity. Earlier on, in the same passage, Jesus had asserted to the fact that He was the Son of Man: ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ (Vs. 13).
Let us put aside the Son of the living God, for the time being, and deal with the Son of Man first. Observed by everyone—as one later handed over to be killed on the cross, nothing was mysterious about Jesus, the Son of Man (Matthew 17:22). After wards, the same Son of Man, declared that all authority had been given to Him. This, clearly shows that, previously, the authority had not been conferred on Him (Matthew 28:18).
This Son of Man, whose name was Jesus, was seen by His disciples ascending up to Heaven. The Angel told those disciples that the same Jesus would come again, in the same form that they saw Him ascending up to Heaven (Acts 1:11). Various Scriptures indicate that the same Son of Man would come again and reign on earth—having taken the throne of His father David.
Matthew 16:13-15 indicated that Jesus left no-one of His time, unable to identify Him as Son of Man. Those people could not know Him as Son of the living God, as flesh and blood had not revealed that to them. But He had been known as Son of Joseph and Mary. True Christians call this Son of Man, brother and friend (Luke 8:21 & John 15:15).
There was nothing Trinitarian about this Son of Man because He was as human as all of us are, including unbelievers. Anyone can say or do anything against Him, without incurring eternal punishment (Matthew 12:32). As Son of Man, Jesus appeared as different from the Son of God—revealed to Peter—though not by flesh and blood (Matthew 16:17).
This brings us to now deal with God’s Son—not revealed by flesh and blood—except by the Father in Heaven. There is no question about the Son of Man being also the Son of the living God, as revealed to Peter.
But one becomes the Son of God, only when the Holy Spirit dwells in Him. Jesus, the Son of Man, was also the Son of God when He walked on earth, because God’s Spirit dwelt in Him. In the Son of Man, Jesus, the Almighty God dwelt—enabling Jesus to think like God, though being physical.
Similarly, I believe that I, Andrew Masuku, am also the Son of the Living God, who flesh and blood cannot reveal. I also believe that all true Christians are the Sons of the living God who flesh and blood cannot reveal. Together with Jesus, who called Himself the Son of Man; we are of the same household (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Eventually, all the saved ones become Sons of the living God. But the most important point is that one has to be an ordinary human, before qualifying as Son of God. Therefore, there has never been a Son of God, having ever become a member of Trinity—as if having been Alpha and Omega.
However, there is peculiarity in the Son of Man called Jesus. This peculiarity is clarified in Isaiah’s prophecy. The peculiarity lies in that Jesus’ birth was not ordinary, as this fulfils the anticipated Messianic achievement.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) (ESV).
A child that is born, at the beginning of that prophecy, implies that the same child had not been there, before. However, nothing makes this child different from any other child, as born of a woman. This is why some people described Jesus as John the Baptist and others Jeremiah, etc. (Matthew 16:13-16).
Taking another extreme, those of our generation describe the same child, born to us, as a member of Trinity. The reason being that, in Jesus’ personality, there was God, who flesh and blood could not reveal (Matthew 16:17). Those assuming Jesus to be Jeremiah, or another prophet, were not different from those making Him out to be a member of Trinity.
Those people miss what comes immediately after the child that is born: “To us a son is given.” To start with, a child that is born to us, and a Son that is given are not one and the same thing. A Son that is given is not born, as He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. The child born to us is finite—as born of a woman and is flesh and blood—succumbing to painful experiences of the cross.
However, the term “Son is given” is qualified by “child is born.” Yet the child born to us carries no attributes of Alpha and Omega. Otherwise, before the birth of that child, there was no Son given to us. Without the virtue of the child born to us, there could not have been any Son given to us.
That Son is described by Isaiah as: “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. This description has got nothing to do with Trinity, though ascribed to the child that is born. That given Son befits the description of the God of Israel, having been—not dual or Triune—but one (Deuteronomy 6:4).
This God of Israel cannot be likened to anything created, according to the second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-6). He is Spiritual, as to invite eternal punishment against those who blaspheme against Him. (Matthew 12:31-32 & Exodus 20:7)
People can trash the Old Testament Scriptures, assuming that they belonged to the sinful Israel. Interestingly, the attitude and behaviour of many Christians is exactly the same—if not worse than the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. See [Ten Commandments are more expedient in new, rather than Old Covenant].
What makes me conclude that Trinity cannot be a revelation is that Jesus, the only expositor, never talked about Trinity. Sincere Christians know that Jesus also revealed that deception would be prevalent, just before His second-coming.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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