Why God Is Not A Trinity?
5:22 It would be safe to say that for not a few Catholics, and even non-Catholics, it’s hard to comprehend or understand the doctrine of the Trinity. To further prove that point with our viewers. Let’s share with them what some Catholic books say about the Trinity.
7:25 Because the Trinity is a mystery. According to Catholic authorities, what would it amount to if anyone tries to think or comprehend how the One God has three persons with just one nature?
9:05 What does the Catholic priest say that the doctrine of the Trinity is entirely opaque or obscure?
10:24 Aside from the most learned theologian, who other Catholic authorities say, cannot understand their doctrine about the Trinity?
16:43 Why do the Catholic priests say that the doctrine of the Trinity is puzzling, paradoxical?
18:40 Is it only their teaching about the union of the divine and human nature that is confusing?
20:14 When it comes to contradictions, what’s one of the examples of contradictions that God will never do?
21:21 What about the doctrine of the Trinity? What is the doctrine about the Trinity?
25:25 Is the doctrine of the Trinity based on the Bible?
27:22 When exactly did the Catholic Church declare that it was an article of faith that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly God, and that the Holy Spirit is also God?
28:58 Why do we accept the declaration made by Catholic authorities that the belief in one God with three persons is not a biblical doctrine? What is one of the teachings of the Bible about God?
30:36 That expression, the one God, does the expression, the one God mean, that there are others besides him?
31:43 What about the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, what truth about God did they teach?
32:26 What about the Lord Jesus Christ, whom many people believe to be truly God? Did our Lord Jesus Christ teach that he himself is the true God? Did he teach that God is a trinity? How many gods did our Lord Jesus Christ recognize?
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[Video Starts]
[Source: youtube.com/BeyondTodayTV]
Narrator: More than 2 billion people claim to be Christian, and belong to churches that teach the doctrine of the Trinity. That’s the idea that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together, form the three in one God. But does it add up? Have you ever wondered if the teaching agrees with the Bible? How did the Trinity become an official doctrine anyway? More importantly, should you believe it?
[Video Ends]
Brother Johnny Martin: Many people who consider themselves as a Christian, believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, which says that there are three persons in one God.
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
Brother Johnny Martin: But as the man in the video asked, Is God a Trinity? Should you believe in the doctrine of the Trinity? Does the Bible teach that in one God, there are three divine persons. That’s what we’ll find out today. I’m Johnny Martin, and welcome to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition.
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Johnny Martin
Quezon City, Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Dear friends joining us this week, our Brother Glenn David in Sydney, Australia,
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Brother Anthony Brandon in Toronto, Canada,
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: and Brother Bernard Daos in San Francisco, California.
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Good day, Brothers. And thank you for joining us in our discussion.
Brothers: Good day, Brother Johnny. Hello, Brother Johnny. Hello, Brother
Johnny, how are you?
Brother Johnny Martin: I’m fine. Brothers. Thank you. Now the topic to be taken up in this episode is the trinity or the triune God. To be precise for answering the question, Is God a Trinity? Now before we open up our conversation and discussion, let’s watch this video where Catholic priests talk about the Trinity. What is the Holy Trinity?
[Video Starts]
[Source: youtube.com/ArchdioceseOfMilwaukee]
Female: What is the Holy Trinity?
Priest: All of us have had great moments of communion with others. Maybe it was on a camping trip with friends. Maybe it was at a family reunion, when you felt at one with everybody around you. Maybe it was when you fell in love with your spouse and discovered the beauty of the most important relationship in this life for you. When we all have those moments, we feel at peace. And we feel that we can simply be ourselves. When we don’t have those moments, we really longed for them, we search for them. We want to experience them again. God for us is the perfect relationship. Because as Christians, we believe that God is both one and many. What Jesus reveals, God as Father as Abba, as Daddy himself as the son and sends us the Holy Spirit. So Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, form one God. And that unity has this beautiful diversity within it. And yet it’s in that diversity of person, that God is one for us.
[Source: youtube.com/LifeTeeninc]
Priest: Now, when we think about God, he’s one guy, but he’s three distinct persons. Now instantly our minds think, well, that’s not possible. That’s just bad. Math. Three is not one, and one is not three. When somebody says that they’re failing to make a distinction between nature and person. Another word for nature is substance. God is one divine substance, but he’s made of three distinct persons. And so think about yourself, you are one person, but you are made up of two different substances you are mind and matter. We could say you are body and soul. And that’s conjoined to make you the one person. Well, God is one divine substance, but he’s three distinct persons. Now, instantly our minds think what does that mean? Each person of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gets ⅓? No, each person of the Trinity possesses fully the divine substance. That’s all we can say the Father is God. Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
[Video Ends]
Brother Johnny Martin: Alright, Brothers, we just watched those video clips of Catholic priests who are teaching about what they believe about God. Now, what are some of the things that you noticed in the comments that were made by these Catholic priests about God?
Brother Glenn David: Well, first of all, Brother Johnny, the Catholic priest says here that God is the perfect relationship. That God is both one and many, and that the Father and the Holy Spirit and the son form one God. But the question is, where in the Bible can we read that? Where does it say in the Bible, that God is the perfect relationship that God is many we cannot read that in the Holy Bible.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Also, Brother Johnny, if we remember what he was saying, according to their understanding and their belief, God is one substance or nature, but three individual persons. And they say well upon him immediately hearing such a thing, the mind can’t really comprehend it or understand it. They say it sounds like just bad math and in actuality, it is really bad math.
Brother Bernard Daos: And Brother Johnny, the Catholic priests also said that God is one divine substance but three distinct persons. And he goes on to say, according to him, that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. But where in the Holy Scriptures does it say that the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God?
Brother Johnny Martin: So brothers, it would be safe to say that for not a few Catholics, and even non-Catholics, it’s hard to comprehend or understand the doctrine of the Trinity. To further prove that point with our viewers. Let’s share with them what some Catholic books say about the Trinity. Now, Brother Glenn, if we could begin with you please. What do Catholic authorities themselves say about the doctrine of the Trinity?
Brother Glenn David: Well, we would have to read from this book entitled The Teaching of Christ, a Catechism for Adults. And this Catholic book was edited by Ronald Lawler and has an imprimatur by Leo Pursley, and a Nikhil Obstat by Lawrence Gollner. And this is stated on page 184.
[THE TEACHING OF CHRIST: A CATECHISM FOR ADULTS, Edited by Ronal Lawler, Imprimatur: Leo Pursley, Nihil Obstat: Lawrence Gollner, Page 184]
In this life it is not possible for our human minds to comprehend the mystery of the Trinity. Human language, fashioned to speak of the visible realities of our experience, is strained to speak of this sublime truth about God. Much that is said in these pages concerning the Trinity may seem paradoxical and puzzling. What has been said with great care by saints and by councils of the Church to guard the central mystery of faith may seem at first entirely opaque.
Brother Glenn David: So based on what we have read, they say that the Trinity is obscure, confusing, and contrary, contradictory. That’s what they say about the Trinity.
Brother Anthony Brandon: What else do Catholic authorities say about the teaching of the Trinity? They say that it is a mystery. And why is it such a mystery to them?
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Because to them, it’s not only paradoxical or contradictory, but it’s also very puzzling or confusing. And it’s very interesting that according to the Catholic authorities themselves, the doctrine or teaching about the Trinity is almost entirely opaque or obscure. Meaning it’s nearly impossible to understand.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Anthony, let me go to you with this question, please. Because the Trinity is a mystery. According to Catholic authorities, what would it amount to if anyone tries to think or comprehend how the One God has three persons with just one nature?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Well, again, let’s read from one of the Catholic authorities books, this Catholic book is entitled, The Faith Explained, and this book was written by Leo J. Trese. And as a Nihil Obstat by Louis Putz, this is what we can read on page 25 and 26 of them book:
[THE FAITH EXPLAINED, by Leo J. Trese, Nihil Obstat by Louis Putz, Pages 25-26]
One such truth is the fact that although there is only one God, yet in that one God, there are three divine Persons– the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is only one divine nature, but there are three divine Persons. So when we try to think of God as three Persons possessing one and the same nature, we find ourselves banging our head against the ceiling.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Now, your question was, well, what are they saying about this particular teaching of the Trinity? When they tried to explain it, even according to their own authors and authorities, they say one finds himself batting his head against the ceiling. So thinking of the Trinity, God being three persons one nature can actually give a person a headache if they think about it too long.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Bernard, what does the Catholic priest say that the doctrine of the Trinity is entirely opaque or obscure?
Brother Bernard Daos: Again, Brother Johnny, let’s go back to the Catholic book that we read earlier. The faith explained again, written by Leo J. Trese, and with a Nihil Obstat by Louis Putz. This time we will read from page 29. And please listen:
[THE FAITH EXPLAINED, by Leo J. Trese, Nihil Obstat: Louis Putz, Page 29]
If the example which I use does not help us at all in our thinking about the Blessed Trinity, we should not let ourselves feel frustrated. We are dealing with a mystery of faith; no one, not even the greatest theologian can hope in this life to really understand it.
Brother Bernard Daos: Why do the Catholic authorities say that the mystery of the Trinity is opaque and obscure? Well, according to the Catholic priest, the doctrine of or the great mystery of the Trinity. Not even the greatest theologian in this life can hope to understand him. What is a theologian that is someone who dedicates their life to studying the scriptures, studying religion?
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bernard Daos: And if even the greatest theologian can’t hope to understand it in this life, how much more the ordinary Catholic or Protestant?
Brother Johnny Martin: Brother Glenn, aside from the most learned theologian, who other Catholic authorities say, cannot understand their doctrine about the Trinity?
Brother Glenn David: Well, let us read from the book God and myself and inquiry into the true religion. This Catholic book was written by Martin J. Scott, has a Nihil Obstat by Arthurus Scanlan, and the Imprimatur by Cardinalis Farley, and this is stated on page 118. It says:
[GOD AND MYSELF: INQUIRY INTO THE TRUE RELIGION, by Martin J. Scott, Imprimatur: Cardinalis Farley, Nihil Obstat Arthurus Scanlan, page 118]
The Trinity is a wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest saint, all are as mystified by it as the child of seven. It is one of the things which we shall know only when we see God face to face.
Brother Glenn David: So aside from the most learned theologian, who else do Catholic authorities say cannot understand the Trinity? Well, Catholics rightly admitted that not only the most learned theologian, but even the holiest Pope, the greatest saints are all mystified by the Trinity, even as the child of seven.
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Glenn David: And only when, according to them, can they understand the treaty? It’s when they see God face to face. So we are very sure that they will never come to understand the so-called mystery of the Trinity, because the Bible says that those who have false beliefs will not be saved on the Day of Judgment.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Oh, Brother Johnny and dear viewers, this is also the reason why in the Church Of Christ, we continue to invite people to come and not only examine the different teachings that they have heard through their Churches, through their pastors through the priests, but also to be able to compare those teachings, especially one like the Trinity, to find out if it’s really in the Bible, and what the true teachings of the Holy Scriptures are, so that not only we can serve God properly, but also receive salvation and eternal life come the day of judgment.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, dear viewers, why do the Catholic priests say that the doctrine of the Trinity is puzzling, paradoxical? That’s the question that we will answer when we come back from our break. You’re watching the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition, stay with us.
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Johnny Martin
Quezon City, Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Welcome back, everyone to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We’re talking about the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity. We’re answering the question, Is God a Trinity? Before resuming our discussion, let’s watch this video where Catholic priests talk about the Trinity:
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Johnny Martin
Quezon City, Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
[Video Starts]
[Source: youtube.com/BishopRobertBarron]
Rev. Robert Barron: We have the tradition of the church to explicate it more fully, but also this. Our current Pope says this: one of the purposes of Trinitarian language, so God is one, but God is three. Is meant to confound us. It’s meant to block us. It’s meant to confuse us. And so Trinitarian language is a bit like that. It’s meant to be smoke in the eyes of the mind. So that we’re not tempted to say I fully understand God. St. Augustine, who was one of the most profound reflectors on the Trinity, said, Si enim comprehendis, non est Deus. That means, if you understand, it’s not gone. The minute you say, yes, I’ve got it. Now I understand. Drop it. It isn’t it. God is ever greater. And the Trinity I think, is a way of signaling that we never fully understand God.
[Source: youtube.com/ArchdioceseO’Brisbane]
Priest: By far, the most helpful advice I ever received when trying to understand the basic Trinity came from a seminary professor, who simply said, ‘Don’t overthink the Trinity.’ Let its meaning find you. You can be searching so hard that you may miss what’s already in front of you. So with that sound advice I suggest if you want to understand just how creative God can be. Look no further than this Sunday’s readings. This is Trinity Sunday, when our minds are challenged to comprehend something that is quite frankly, incomprehensible one God in three persons.
[Video Ends]
Brother Johnny Martin: All right Brothers, we just watched video clips where a couple of Catholic priests were talking about the doctrine of the Trinity. Now, from all the things that they said or mentioned, what stands out for you the most?
Brother Bernard Daos: Well, the first Catholic priest stated that Trinitarian language has a purpose. And one of the purposes according to the priests of the Trinitarian language, saying that God is one, but God is three, it’s meant to and he said, It’s so adamantly to, to confuse us to block us. It’s meant to confuse us. In fact, he related to being a smoke in the eyes of the mind, which is actually very painful. So one of the things that he said about the Trinity is that the Trinity is a way that we would never fully understand God.
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Anthony Brandon: I know that Brother Johnny and dear viewers, you know, the second priest the way he was trying to describe the Trinity, and he mentioned, you know, it’s Trinity Sunday, and their understanding of the Trinity, it says, Actually incomprehensible. So they’re making an effort to understand something and they’re already admitting that they just can’t understand it.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Glenn David: Even the language Brother Johnny, the language used by the Catholic priests, when they speak about the doctrine of the Trinity is very similar to the language used by the Catholic authorities and priests from the various books that we have been reading from. And it just goes to show further that the Trinity is baffling. puzzling, paradoxical, confusing, you name it.
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Okay, Brother Anthony. On that note, why do the Catholic priests say that the doctrine of the Trinity is puzzling, paradoxical?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s go back and read again from the book Faith Explained Brother Johnny. Again, this Catholic book was written by Leo J. Trese, and has Nihil Obstat by Louis Putz. This is stated on page 73 of that book:
[THE FAITH EXPLAINED by Leo J. Trese, and has Nihil Obstat by Louis Putz, page 73]
By an act of His almighty power, God did something that, to our human minds, seems impossible. He united His own divine nature to a true human nature, to a body and soul like ours. What leaves our heads really whirling is the fact that this union did not result in a being with two personalities–the personality of God and the personality of man. On the contrary, the two natures are united in one single person, the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Brother Anthony Brandon: Why does this Catholic priest say that the teaching about the Trinity is so puzzling and paradoxical? Because what they’re trying to explain is that, according to them, God United His divine nature with human nature. God what they want us to understand is that God is a Spirit according to biblical teachings, as United himself, with flesh and bones, or a human body. Now that is truly a contradiction, because even biblically, we’re told that flesh and blood is not the same as a spirit. So truly, it does create a big paradox for them. And it does become very puzzling trying to understand what they’re trying to teach.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Bernard is it only their teaching about the union of the divine and human nature that is confusing?
Brother Bernard Daos: Well, let’s take an excerpt from another book entitled A Prayer Book of Favorite Litanies. Now, this was compiled by Albert J. Herbert, a Catholic priest, and it has a Nihil Obstat by George Meilluta, and an implementer by Joseph Sullivan. And this is what is stated:
[A Prayer Book of Favorite Litanies, by Albert J. Herbert, Nihil Obstat by George Meilluta, Imprimatur by Joseph Sullivan]
“Hail Mary! Daughter of God the Father. …Mother of God the Son. …Spouse of God the Holy Ghost.”
Brother Bernard Daos: Is it only the teaching of the Catholic Church, about the union of the divine nature with human nature that is confusing?
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
Brother Bernard Daos: Well, according to the book that we have read, another confusing doctrine or teaching is about the relationship of Mary, to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bernard Daos: Now, why is this doctrine or teaching confusing? Well, they say according to what we have read that Mary is the daughter of God the Father, but she is also the spouse of God, the Holy Ghost, and also she is the mother of God the Son. So now if we would try to apply our reasoning or logic to that, then it would appear that the Father is also the father in law to the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is Father to the Son, and that the Father is actually the grandfather to the son. So isn’t this doctrine also truly confusing?
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Glenn, when it comes to contradictions, what’s one of the examples of contradictions that God will never do?
Brother Glenn David: Well, one of those contradictions we can read from a book entitled, This Is Catholicism. It’s a Catholic book written by John Walsh and has a Nihil Obstat by Alfred Julien, and then imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing. And it stated on page 25, this is what we could read:
[This Is CATHOLICISM, by John Walsh, Imprimatur: Richard Cardinal Cushing, Nihil Obstat: Alfred Julien, P. 25]
“God, of course, cannot perform an absurdity, a contradiction in terms. He cannot, for instance, make two and two equal five.”
Brother Glenn David: So what is one contradiction? Well, according to Catholic authorities, God will not perform an absurdity or contradiction in terms. For example, God will not make two and two equal five, because we know that two and two equals four. So if we go their way, without understanding of the Catholic priests, then that would be a contradiction in terms and God would never do that.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, on the other hand, Brother Anthony, what about the doctrine of the Trinity? What is the doctrine about the Trinity?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s go to another book, This is Catholicism. This is again, a Catholic book. And this one is written by John Walsh, and has a Nihil Obstat by Alfred Julien, and an Imprimatur by Richard Cardinal Cushing. This is stated on page 185 of that book:
[This Is CATHOLICISM, by John Walsh, Imprimatur: Richard Cardinal Cushing, Nihil Obstat: Alfred Julien, P. 185]
- 2 Did Christ reveal to us the names of the three divine Persons?
They are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Question.
- 4 Is each of the persons divine?
Yes. The Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God.
- 5 Are they, then, three gods?
No, there cannot be three gods. The three Persons are one and the same eternal God, for each of the persons possesses one and the same divine nature.
Brother Anthony Brandon: So according to them, Brother Johnny, dear viewers, they’re saying that God has three persons. There’s God the Father, there’s God the Son, there is God, the Holy Ghost. Now, when asked, Are these three different gods? Their answer is no, there is only one God, three divine persons. So if we’re thinking about this, what they’re trying to explain and trying to understand is that these three persons make up only one God. So truly, it is confusing and paradoxical. Because it’s just like going back to the other book, you can’t make two plus two equal five, you cannot make one plus one plus one equal one. It’s impossible. It’s bad math as the preset earlier. So we have to understand just how confusing and how really hard it is to grasp the teaching of the Trinity.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bernard Daos: And it goes back to what we read earlier that God would never make a crunk contradiction, God would never make an absurdity. So for one to explain, or try to teach that one plus one plus one is still one. Well, even in a basic math class, we know that that teaching would fail.
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Glenn David: However, they do have a counter argument, remember Brothers that they say why do we use addition and not multiplicate, multiplication, because in multiplication, one times one times one equals one, and, but remember, we use addition because when the Bible introduced the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the conjunction used is ‘and’ based on Matthew 28:19, which in arithmetic signifies, addition, or plus. So we know that they also have many more arguments to, to, to support the belief in the Trinity, but we know that it fails every time when we compare it to the teachings of the Bible.
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, dear friends, in truth, we got to ask this question, is the doctrine of the Trinity based on the Bible? We’ve heard what these Catholic authorities have to say about the doctrine of the Trinity, but before anyone accepted, we got to find out. Is that doctrine in the Bible, that’s up next as the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition continues after the break. Don’t go away.
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To learn more about the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ), log onto iglesianicristo.net and incmedia.org
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INC International Edition
Brother Johnny Martin: Welcome back everyone to the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition.
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
Brother Johnny Martin: Today we’ve been looking at the doctrine believed by many that God is a trinity of person, that in one God, there are three persons, namely God, the Father, the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now the question we posed before the break was this one, is the doctrine of the Trinity based on the Bible. Well, Brother Bernard is that doctrine believed in by many people, one God, three persons is that doctrine based on the Bible?
Brother Bernard Daos: Well, let us read from the book entitled, Dictionary of the Bible. And this is another Catholic book written by John McKenzie, with a Nihil Obstat by John Amberg and an Imprimatur by Cletus O’Donnell, and this is what is stated on page 899:
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
[DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE by John McKenzie, Imprimatur: Cletus O’Donnell, Nihil Obstat: John Amberg, p. 899]
Trinity. The Trinity of God is defined by the Church as the belief that in God there are three persons who subsist in one nature. The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief.
Brother Bernard Daos: The question is, Is the Trinity based on the Bible? Now, without even going into the Bible, right now, we can say ‘no.’ Well, how do or who made that testimony that it’s not based on the Bible, according to what we read from this Catholic book, the teaching, or the belief was defined only in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. long after the Bible was already written. And in fact, the Catholic authority goes even too far as to explain that the belief of the Trinity that in God there are three persons who subsist in what nature is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief.
Brother Johnny Martin: You know, Brother Bernard, that is a very interesting excerpt read from that particular book. And Brother Glenn, in the book that was just quoted from it said that the doctrine of the Trinity was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Now to be accurate, when exactly did the Catholic Church declare that it was an article of faith that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly God, and that the Holy Spirit is also God?
Brother Glenn David: Well, we have to read from this book entitled Discourses on the Apostles Creed. And this book was written by a Catholic priest named Clement Crock. It has a Nihil Obstat by Arthur Scanlon, and an Imprimatur by Patrick Cardinal Hayes. And this is stated on page 206:
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
[Discourses On The Apostles’ Creed, by Clement Crock, Imprimatur: Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Nihil Obstat: Arthur Scanlan, p. 206]
Thus, for example, it was not until 325 A.D., at the Council of Nicaea, that the church defined for us that it was an article of faith that Jesus is truly God. …In 381, at the Council of Constantinople, it was defined that it is an article of faith that the Holy Ghost is God.
Brother Glenn David: So the belief that Christ is God was formulated only in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea. And the belief that the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit, as we now know it is God was formulated in 381 A.D. at the Council of Constantinople. Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity, when we look at it, when we examine it, even when it comes to history, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles had nothing to do with it. Because our Lord Jesus Christ was already in heaven, the apostles had already been long dead, and the Bible was already written at that time.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now, Brother Anthony, why if we accept the declaration made by Catholic authorities that the belief in one God with three persons is not a biblical doctrine? What is one of the teachings of the Bible about God?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Let’s read here Brother Johnny was in the book of Malachi in chapter 2, verse 10, says this:
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Don’t you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn’t the One God create each of us?
[Malachi 2:10 Contemporary English Version]
Brother Anthony Brandon: So if we’re looking here in the Bible, Brother Johnny, dear viewers, we find that even for the Israelites, and on into the Christian era, in fact, the only God that they recognize was the Father. There was no such thing as three persons in one God. And we should also understand, not everybody knows this. It’s not surprising that there are others that teach it, but we should all know that God is none other than our Father. And who does God expect to make this truth known to everyone, those who have the true God, members of the Church Of Christ.
Brother Glenn David: That’s why as members of the Church Of Christ, we continue to unite with the Church Administration, in intensifying our propagational works in intensifying our eventual commissions in inviting people to our worship service, our Bible study on doctrine so that the people of this world may know and be introduced to the Father, as the only true God.
Brother Johnny Martin: Now Brother Bernard, that expression, the one God, does the expression, the one God mean, that there are others besides him?
Brother Bernard Daos: Well, for that answer, let’s turn to the Bible here in the book of Second Samuel, 7 and 22. This is what the Bible states:
Therefore You are great, O, Lord GOD. For there is none like You nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
[II Samuel 7:22 New King James Version]
Brother Bernard Daos: What does that term as referenced by the Bible, the one God being? Just as we read in Second Samuel, the testimony of God’s servant David, he said, You are great, oh, Lord God, there is none like you, nor is there any God besides you.
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New Episode: IS GOD A TRINITY?
Brother Bernard Daos: So what should we notice from the viewers, according to the Bible, that one God means ‘one God,’ no other person, no other God besides Him. And this is clearly different from the mystery taught by those who uphold the doctrine of the Trinity.
Brother Johnny Martin: My Brother Glenn, what about the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, what truth about God did they teach?
Brother Glenn David: Well, we could read the teachings of the apostle Paul here in First Corinthians chapter 8, verse 6:
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; …
[I Corinthians 8:6 New King James Version]
Brother Glenn David: So Apostle Paul declares yet for us when he said, for us, the true Christians, the true members of the Church Of Christ, we recognize that there is only one God the Father. He does not say here, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God, we cannot read that here in the Holy Bible.
Brother Johnny Martin: Brother Anthony, what about the Lord Jesus Christ, whom many people believe to be truly God? Did our Lord Jesus Christ teach that he himself is the true God? Did he teach that God is a trinity? How many gods did our Lord Jesus Christ recognize?
Brother Anthony Brandon: Very good questions, valid questions, Brother Johnny. So let’s find the answer of our Lord Jesus Christ, recorded here in the book of John chapter 17. What we’re going to read are verses 1 and 3:
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
[John 17:1 and 3 New King James Version]
Brother Anthony Brandon: Brother Johnny, what we should notice is, this is not just a conversation, this is a prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he is praying to the Father, the one that he’s speaking to in this verse. And what he says there is that they should know You, the only true God.
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Anthony Brandon
Toronto, Canada
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bernard Daos: But how did the Lord Jesus Christ introduce himself? According to the Bible, he said, “And Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” So what should we notice? According to what we have read, the one who was sent to our Lord Jesus Christ is clearly different from the one who sent him or the Father, the one true God in heaven. Now, how important is it to recognize that the one true God is only the Father in heaven? Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly stated, ‘this is eternal life, that they may know you as the only true God.’
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Bernard Daos
San Francisco, California
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Glenn David: This is one of the many primary reasons we staunchly hold on to the truth of biblical belief that the Father is the only true God. We will never waver in our faith, nor turn to the other beliefs of the people of this world that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are one God. We will never go there because we will always stand by the truth written in the Holy Bible, that the Father is the only true God whom we should serve and worship.
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Glenn David
Sydney, Australia
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: So dear friends, is God a Trinity? No, he is not. There is only one true god. He’s not composed of three persons. The true God is absolutely one. And the one and only true God is no other than the Father who is in heaven. That’s what the Bible says. And that’s exactly what the members of the Church Of Christ or Iglesia Ni Cristo believe.
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Johnny Martin
Quezon City, Philippines
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Johnny Martin: So, we’d like to thank Brother Glenn David in Sydney, Australia, Brother Bernard Daos in San Francisco, California, and Brother Anthony Brandon in Toronto, Canada, for giving us Bible-based answers so that as the Apostle Peter said, that the members of the Church, you will be ready to speak up until anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are. You could read in first Peter 3:15.
Brother Johnny Martin: Well, that does it for us here on the Iglesia Ni Cristo International Edition. We hope you’ll join us again next time. I’m Johnny Martin, and thank you very much for watching. But as we come to the end of the program, we invite you to join us for a short prayer.
Brother Glenn David: Our loving and merciful Father in heaven, we are so thankful unto you loving God. For once again, we have received your message in this program. These messages of truth, dear Father, that indeed you are the only true God, our Creator, dear Father, whom we should serve and worship, so that we may continue to receive the promised salvation. This truth O dear Father, we want to relate to the people of this world. That they may also understand this truth, to also serve and worship you the Father, as our only true God, especially here inside the true Church Of Christ. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We also honor you as well Lord Jesus Christ. Please mediate our prayers to our Father, and help us to spread your gospel to the people of this world. Call them inside your Holy Church, that all the more we may receive this promise of salvation that you are reserving for your true people. Father, we fully believe you’ve heard our prayer. And above us all we have blessed the Church Administration. Continue to bless the objectives of this program, dear Father, that more people may be called inside your Holy Church. We pray for these things, dear Father, only in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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