The Trinity - How does it stack up?

The Trinity is a doctrine that is embraced by all mainstream Christian churches, so it comes as a surprise to many that there even is another view. Understandably, this is often met with caution, suspicion or even outright horror. How could Jesus not be God? Haven’t you read John one???

We will get to John one – but first, what do we believe about Jesus, and why?

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31) and the holy spirit is the invisible power and presence of God (Acts 10:38). This is in contrast to the trinitarian belief that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all God, being co-equal and co-eternal.

Both views aim to hold God as the one supreme, eternal creator. The difference is in our understanding of how Jesus could be exalted and glorified if he was a man. While trinitarians ask, how could Jesus be worshipped and given glory if he is not God, we ask, how could the eternal creator truly become a man?

To answer the first question, Jesus has God’s authority and glory because God gave it to him as his beloved son (Hebrews 5:5, 2 Peter 1:17). Just as God sent prophets and leaders in the past to speak his word, God has now spoken to us by his son (Hebrews 1:1-2, John 12:49-50).  

This concept of agency was well understood in the culture of the time. It was common for the head of a family to send a trusted servant or family member to act on his behalf – and the firstborn son was held in the highest regard in this role. He carried the same authority and respect as his father who sent him. We see this same idea being expressed throughout the Gospels. God declared, “This is my beloved son, hear him” (Mark 9:7). Jesus reiterated that he only spoke as God directed (John 5:19-30, 7:16), and that he did all things for the glory of his heavenly father (John 14:13, 11:40-42).

However, Jesus is much greater than any of the prophets who came before him because he was completely faithful to God in everything (Hebrews 3:1-6). He perfectly represented God. This is why God has exalted Jesus to his right hand and has anointed him to be our king (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus was a man, the promised descendant of Abraham and David, who God has given a position of glory beside him (Matt 1:1, Philp 2:8-11).

Trinitarians also accept that Jesus was human but believe that he was actually God, who had self-limited himself to become a man, so Jesus was both fully human and fully God at the same time. Is this a more reasonable explanation? Here are three Biblical issues with the view that God became a man.

First, the almighty creator of the universe could not be seen, even by the most righteous of men (Exodus 33:20-23, 1 Tim 6:16). God said, “No one can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). This is the whole reason that God sent someone else on his behalf (Deut 18:15, Acts 3:22). “No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father, he has declared him” (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12). Bringing God down to the level of a man who walked among us does not reflect what the Bible tells us about God – that he revealed himself only through a select few (Numbers 12:5-8). While Jesus was given authority, glory and even God’s name at times, being too mighty to be seen is just one of the essential qualities of God which Jesus did not possess. God is also:

• Eternal (Jesus had a beginning – Gal  4:4)

• Immortal (Jesus died – Acts 2:22)

• All knowing (Jesus learned – Luke 2:52, Heb 5:8)

• All powerful (Jesus was given power – Matt 28:18)  

• Incorruptible -unable to sin (Jesus was tempted to sin - Hebrews 4:15, James 1:13)

Second, while it is often thought that only God could be a worthy sacrifice for our sins, the Bible emphasises that Jesus needed to be human to save us (Hebrews 2:10-18). While God cannot be tempted and cannot die, Jesus struggled with submitting to God’s will in the face of a real death (Luke 22:42, Hebrews 5:7). The victory that Jesus had in overcoming temptation and being faithful to God, even to the point of death, made his sacrifice a genuine and meaningful example for us to follow (1 Peter 2:23). Could God truly die - yet still be alive and present in some way to raise himself from the grave?

Finally, if Jesus was God in a self-limited state, then why does he continue to be referred to as being distinct and lower than God after his resurrection? At the start of most of the New Testament letters greetings are made from God and Jesus (Romans 1:7). God is described as the God of Jesus (Rom 15:6, Eph 1:3). It is God who raised Jesus from the dead. It is God who appointed Jesus to his right hand (a position of second, not equal). It is God who gave Jesus authority and power and God who “has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by that man, whom he has ordained”, Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31, 2:32-33, Philippians 2:5-11). If Jesus is a co-equal and co-eternal second person of a triune God, the New Testament does not explain this.

So then, what about John one? This is one of several verses which Trinitarians understand to be implying that Jesus is God. Trinitarians understand the ‘word’ in the first few verses of John one to be a person who was God and was with God at the beginning of creation and who literally transformed into the man, Jesus, in verse 14.

An alternative view is that the ‘word’ is simply the word of God – his command, authority, wisdom and forethought with which he created the world. “For he spoke, and it came to be” (Psalm 33:6-9, Proverbs 3:19). John chapter one deliberately alludes to the Genesis creation to bring to mind the earth, which was in darkness, until God spoke, “let there be light” (Genesis 1:1-3). The word was with God, and only through his word was anything made. But now, that word is in his son, Jesus, who brings spiritual light and life to those who are in darkness. “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

In this example, the Genesis creation foreshadows the new creation of people in Jesus. As well as being foreshadowed, Jesus was foreknown. He was the centre of God’s plan and purpose right from the beginning, and it is in this sense that "the world was made through him" (John 1:10). God made the earth with the foreknowledge of Jesus’ victory, through which his ultimate purpose with the earth would be fulfilled (Eph 1:3-12). Other passages can also be better understood in this broader context of understanding Jesus as God’s beloved and faithful Son, foreshadowed and foreknown from the beginning.

So how does the trinity stack up? We’ve briefly overviewed the perspective that Jesus spoke on God’s behalf, as a faithful son, rather than as God himself.  We’ve also discussed a few of the reasons that make it difficult to accept that God became a man, including:

• God is too mighty to be seen – this is why he revealed himself through others.

• Jesus did not have any of God’s essential attributes like immortality, being all knowing, eternal and unable to be tempted.

• The work that Jesus was sent to do required him to be human, just like us.

• Even now God remains supreme over Jesus.

Whatever your view, we pray that exploring this topic will bring greater understanding and strengthen your relationship with God and his son, Jesus. “For this is life eternal, to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

If you are keen to explore this topic in more depth, sign up for our email series on the trinity. Each email delves a little further into different aspects of this topic, including a look at other verses, the history, the name of God and the Holy Spirit. We use straightforward reasoning that anyone can follow in brief emails you actually want to read. Plus – you are in control. Sign up for the first email, and then just click the link within when you are ready for the next part. Perfect for reading in that five minute gap while you’re waiting for the kids, or binge read them all at once.

We’d love to hear your thoughts - tell us which aspect of this topic you find the most compelling.