THE TRINITARIAN CONTROL OVER CHRIST’S CHURCH
Rev. Steve Marlowe
Nazarean Fellowship for Christ (NFC)
Is belief in the Trinity a salvation issue? In other words, must one believe in the Trinity in order to be saved? Professor of Theology James White answers, “We (fellow Trinitarians) hang a person’s very salvation upon the acceptance of the doctrine… We must know, understand, and love the trinity to be fully and completely Christian” (James White, The Forgotten Trinity, p. 14-15, 1998). What is our Christian theological outlook on the relationship between the Father and the Son? Thomas Paine studied Christian theology and surmised it to be of nothing.
Thomas Paine wrote in his book: The Age of Reason:
“The study of theology, as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authorities; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and it admits of no conclusion. Not anything can be studied as a science, without our being in possession of the principles upon which it is founded; and as this is the case with Christian theology, it is therefore the study of nothing” (Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, New York: Citadel Press. p. 601, 1945 ed.).
We as Christians are to “Test all things, and hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:21). “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:13-17).
Theology is the study of God. Theology is the study of God from a religious perspective, and focuses on the nature of divinity, with such perspectives as Monotheism, Unitarianism, Binitarianism, Trinitarianism, and Monlatrianism.
Classical theism: conceives of God as the ultimate, transcendent reality, characterized by attributes, such as omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Classical theism has significantly shaped the doctrines of major religious traditions, particularly within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The early Church Fathers, like Augustine, incorporated classical theistic ideas into Christian theology, establishing a framework that was later refined by medieval thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas. Classical theism has its origins in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in the works of Plato and Aristotle.
Monotheism: is the belief that one God is the only deity. A distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, in which the one God is a singular existence, and both inclusive and pluriform monotheism, in which multiple gods or godly forms are recognized, but each are postulated as extensions of the same God, hence “the Trinity.” Judaism and Islam are exclusive monotheists. Trinitarians would accept the exclusive monotheism of the Jews, but reject Islam for not worshipping the God of the Bible because in Trinitarian Monotheism, it is one God, 3 Persons. There is no consistency between accepting Judaism and the rejection of Islamism. The Bible does not teach the Trinity, and exclusive Monotheism does not reflect the theology of the Bible.
Binitarian: is a Christian theology of two persons in one God. Binitarianism, like Trinitarianism, is understood as a form of monotheism—that is, that God is absolutely one being—and yet with binitarianism there is a "twoness" in God, as oppose to threeness.
Trinitarian: The apostolic church of the first century did not believe in a Triune God, and it was only in the late fourth century that the earliest Church Fathers in Christian history believed in the doctrine of the Trinity, and the Trinitarian doctrine is that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are three distinct Persons sharing one essence. Trinitarians try to support an early belief in the Trinity by triadic statements referring to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost expressed in the New Testament. The view that the Son was "of the substance of the Father, God of God, very God of very God" was formally ratified at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. The Holy Ghost was included later at the 1st Council of Constantinople in the year of 381 CE, where the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as one substance and three co-equal persons was formally ratified (J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines. A & C Black 1965, p. 88). “Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament… The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies… It was not until the late 4th century CE that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single…doctrine of one essence and three Persons” (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 11, p. 928, 1985 ed.). Historian H.G. Wells stated, “There is no evidence that the apostles of Jesus ever heard of the trinity–at any rate from him” (The Outline of History, Vol. 2, p. 499, 1920). There is no proof of the Trinity in the Bible, as the doctrine is totally of the mind of man, and not the revelation of God.
Monolatrian: (Ancient Greek, for mono for 'single', and λατρεία, latreia, 'worship,’ hence Monolatry) is the belief in the existence of one God with the consistent worship of only one deity, without denying the existence of other gods. The Bible is a Monolatrian book. Deuteronomy 10:17, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” In Psalm 136:1-2, Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 82:6, “I said, ‘You are (elohim) gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.’” “Some historians have argued that ancient Israel originally practiced a form of monolatry” ( John Day, "Religion of Canaan," in David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, six volumes (New York: Doubleday, 1992). The Torah (first five books of the Bible) shows evidence of monolatry. This is based on the references to other gods (elohim), such as the "gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12). The Egyptians are also demonstrating through power the existence of their gods; in Exodus 7:11–13, after Aaron transforms his staff into a snake, Pharaoh's sorcerers do likewise. The Ten Commandments have been interpreted as evidence that the Israelites originally practiced monolatry (Raymond F. Collins, "Ten Commandments," in David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, six volumes, New York: Doubleday, 1992). There is evidence that the Israelites before the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE did not adhere to monotheism. Much of this evidence comes from the Bible itself, for the God of the Bible is “the God of gods.” The apostle Paul acknowledged this, as he wrote it, “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord YAHSHUA the Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge…” (1 Corinthians 8:5-7).
Unitarianism: Unitarianians (from Latin unitas 'unity, oneness') are part of a nontrinitarian branch of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the oneness nature of God as the singular and unique creator of the universe, believe that Christ was inspired by God in His moral teachings and that He is the Savior of humankind, but He is not equal to God Himself. Accordingly, Unitarians reject the Ecumenical Councils and ecumenical creeds. Unitarianism was established in order to restore "Apostolic Christianity” before later corruptions set in. The Unitarian movement has never accepted the Godhood of Christ, and therefore does not include those nontrinitarian belief systems in their piety. Michael Servetus (Born: September 29, 1509 – Died by burning on October 27, 1553) was a Spanish theologian, physician, and a scholar who studied the Bible in its original languages. He is renowned in the history of several of these fields, particularly medicine. His work on the circulation of blood and his observations on pulmonary circulation were particularly important. He participated in the Protestant Reformation, and later rejected the Trinity doctrine and mainstream Catholic Christology. After being condemned by Catholic authorities in France, he fled to Calvinist Geneva where he was denounced by John Calvin himself and burned at the stake for heresy by order of the city's governing council.
John Calvin Wanted for the Murder of Michael Servetus!
