Clear and effective communication is
possible only when those involved define, understand, and employ the same
terminology in the same way. We therefore begin with clarifying some key words
and concepts.
Definition of Terms:
Monotheism is the belief in only one God, in
contrast to the multiple gods of polytheism (cf. Ex. 20:3; Deut. 4:35, 39; 6:4; 1
Kgs. 8:60; 1 Chron. 17:20; Isa. 43:11; Zech. 14:9; Gal. 3:20; Jas. 2:19; etc.).
However, there is significant disagreement among monotheists as to how God is to be understood and explained. Unitarianism
is the view that God is a single Person or entity, the concept generally held
by orthodox Jews and Muslims. Binitarianism
is the idea that the one God is comprised of two divine Persons (the Father and
the Son),1 espoused by 7th-day Church of God groups such as the
General Conference of the Church of God (7th day), United Church of God, Living
Church of God, and a few splinter groups of the Worldwide Church of God. Trinitarianism is the belief that the
one unified God is comprised of three divine Persons (the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit)2 and has been considered the orthodox view of most
mainline believers throughout church history.
Seeing that strict unitarianism is very
difficult to harmonize with the overall teachings of scripture, it is no
surprise that a wide variety of unitarian subgroups have proliferated. Sabellianism, named after the
3rd-century theologian Sabellius,3 is the idea that the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit are all the same Person, espoused by the United Pentecostal
Church and various other so-called “Oneness Pentecostals” or “Jesus-Only
Pentecostals.” Arianism, named after
Arius of Alexandria (ca. 250-336), the first on record to have promoted this
view, is the idea that Jesus the Son was created by God the Father and is
therefore inferior in essence to the Father. A form of this doctrine is held by
religious groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and various
Unitarian sects. Socinianism is a view maintaining
that Jesus did not exist until he was conceived by the virgin Mary.4 This
theological concept is named after the 16th-century Italian theologian Fausto
Sozzini (Lat. Faustus Socinus) and was
popularized in Poland. Modern-day
proponents of this view include the Unitarian Church of Transylvania (also
Poland and England), the Christadelphians, and the Church of God General
Conference.
Responding to Popular
Anti-Trinitarian Arguments:
1. “The
word 'trinity' is not in the Bible.” Well, the word “Bible” is not in the
Bible. Neither are terms such as
"monotheism," "incarnation," “omniscience,”
"omnipotence," and “providence,” but these words do convey biblical
concepts. Irrespective of the descriptive terminology that might be employed
for communicative purposes, the question should be whether or not the words
convey biblical truth. Perhaps English
terms such as Godhead, Divine Nature, Divinity, and Deity are to be preferred.
2. “The concept of trinitarianism is at variance with the biblical doctrine of monotheism.” This is a false antithesis. The concept of trinitarianism
conflicts with unitarianism but not with monotheism (see definitions above).
Monotheism is the belief in only one God, which is a conviction held by both
trinitarians and unitarians. The unitarian concept is God as a single entity,
while the trinitarian concept is one God (the Divine Nature) consisting of
three distinct personages (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) in perfect
unity. Trinitarianism is not the same as tritheism (belief in three separate
gods). Note one of the primary differences in the way in which certain passages
of scripture are interpreted by unitarians and trinitarians. When unitarians
read about “God,” they are thinking of one Person; when trinitarians read about
“God,” they allow the context to determine whether one or more divine Persons
are intended. When a unitarian imposes his view of God on the text, and reads
it with a misconstrued idea of the trinitarian view, he makes nonsensical
arguments like: “How could Jesus be his own father?,” or “Was God speaking to
himself?,” etc.
3. “The
trinitarian doctrine originated in the 3rd–4th centuries along with other Roman
Catholic heresies like transubstantiation, indulgences, maryolatry, etc.” This argument is similar to the sabbatarians’ accusation that Roman Catholicism
(viz. Constantine) is allegedly responsible for changing the Sabbath to Sunday.
It is a smoke-screen diverting attention from the real issue of what the Bible
says. What about the history of the unitarian beliefs of sabellianism,
arianism, and socinianism? If modern-day
advocates of these teachings claim the Bible as the source of their beliefs rather
than Sabellius,
Arius, or Socinus, it is disingenuous to make shallow and
misleading historical claims about the alleged origin of trinitarian beliefs.
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Some have claimed that the 2nd-century Melito of
Sardis held this view, but this is disputed. By the 381 Council of
Constantinople, it was a topic of debate and its proponents (a.k.a.
“semi-arians”) rejected both arianism and trinitarianism.
2 This doctrine was affirmed in
the 2nd-century writings of Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Theophilus
of Antioch, and in the 3rd-century writings of Tertullian of Carthage.
3 This idea has at times been attributed
to Theodotus of Byzantium (ca. 190), but the first on record to have promoted it
is Sabellius of Libya (ca. 215-220). He denied the concept of the triune
Godhead and maintained that the designations Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
merely denote different capacities or manifestations of the same divine being.
The 16th-century Spanish Reformer Michael Servetus reaffirmed this teaching
(resulting in his execution by Calvinists in Geneva), as did the 18th-century
Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg.
4 This doctrine was espoused as
early as the 4th century by the Pannonian bishop Photinus.
Related Posts: The Triune Godhead, Responding to Sabellianism, Responding to Arianism, Responding to Socinianism
Image credit: http://www.relate4u.org/images/people.203.jpg
