Twelve points of Biblical evidence for the Trinity

Background. The following twelve (12) points of evidence to establish belief in the Trinity is found in Biblical Research Institute (BRI) Release-9, May, 2015, p. 21. The Biblical Research Institute was established by action of the General Conference Committee of Seventh-day Adventists in 1975 with the intent to "foster doctrinal and theological unity in the world church" (see About). Thus, the BRI is as authoritative as it gets in the SDA community. Note the following admission with regard to this subject:

• "No text of Scripture specifically says that God is three Persons: but theological reasoning on the basis of biblical principles leads to that conclusion." —Biblical Research Institute Release-9, May, 2015, p. 20.

Effectively, the BRI acknowledges that there are NO PROOF texts, but only theological reasoning can be used to arrive at this conclusion. Here are the twelve (12) points of Biblical evidence (containing over 60 verses) suggested by the BRI in support of the Trinity by the use of "theological reasoning":

1. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are eternal (Rom 16:26; John 8:58; Mic 5:2; Heb 9:14; Deut 33:27).
2. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit created all things (1 Cor 8:6; Ps 100:3; Col 1:16; Job 33:4).
3. The Three are each omnipresent (Jer 23:24; Matt 28:20; Ps 139:7; Acts 17:28, 29).
4. The Three are each omniscient (Acts 15:18; John 21:17; 1 Cor 2:10; Heb 4:13).
5. The Three are each true and good (John 7:28; 17:17; Ps 34:8; John 10:11; 14:6; 1 John 5:6).
6. They each have a self-regulating will (Eph 1:11; Matt 11:27; John 17:24; 1 Cor 12:11).
7. They are each the fountain of life (Deut 30:20; Ps 36:9; John 3:8; 5:21; Deut 30:20).
8. They each sanctify us (Phil 4:13; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 3:16; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:2; Jude 1).
9. Each fills our souls with divine love (1 John 5:1; 2:15; 2 Cor 5:14; Rom 15:30; Col 1:8; Jude 21).
10. Each gives divine law (Neh 8:8; Ps 19:7; Acts 13:2; Rom 8:2; Gal 6:2; Col 3:16).
11. Each dwells in believers’ hearts (Eph 3:17; John 14:17; 2 Cor 6:16; Col 1:27; Isa 57:15).
12. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are, each by Himself, the supreme Jehovah and God: (a) “I am Jehovah thy God” (Exod 20:2); (b) “Jehovah our God” (Isa 40:3; cf. Matt 3:3) and “the Highest” (Luke 1:76; Matt 10:11); (c) “Jehovah God” (Ezek 8:1, 3) and “the Highest” (Luke 1:35). Yet God is one (Deut 6:4).

Examining the stated evidence

1. Eternal (Rom 16:26; John 8:58; Mic 5:2; Heb 9:14; Deut 33:27).

Certainly God the Father is eternal; there is ample Biblical evidence for this. The Son is never declared, nor ever declares himself to be, eternal. The proof text often used, which is discussed separately, is John 8:58. Translation bias on John 8:58 is quite evident.

"how much rather shall the blood of Christ, who, through [the] eternal spirit offers himself flawless to God" (Hebrews 9:14). Note that in the Greek text, the article "the" is missing from the phrase "[the] eternal spirit." This verse could easily be referring to God's spirit, not a Third Entity. A reasonable understanding of this verse is that the "eternal spirit" of God was particularly active in Jesus' life as he offered himself "flawless to God."

2. Created all things (1 Cor 8:6; Ps 100:3; Col 1:16; Job 33:4).

Yes, the Father created all things through the Son. God the Father is the Creator and Jesus was His agent in Creation (Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:15-17).

"The spirit [Hebrew: ruach; "spirit" or "breath"] of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" Job 33:4. This version is not speaking of a Third Person, but is in fact speaking of God's ruach (or breath). This concept is repeated in the second part of this verse ("the breath of the Almighty gives me life"). It was God's breath which created Man (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 33:6; Psalm 104:29-30). See ruach for further study.

3. Omnipresent (Jer 23:24; Matt 28:20; Ps 139:7; Acts 17:28, 29).

In the Bible references used, only the Father and His spirit is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7, "Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?"). Understand that God's spirit is an attribute of God. In Matthew 28:20 ("And behold, I am with you always"), Jesus is telling his disciples that he will be present with them always in spirit; otherwise, why would he be sending them the Holy Spirit to be with them "forever" (cf. John 14:16; 15:26). Jesus goes to Heaven in the Ascension and then comes back to them in spirit.

4. Omniscient (Acts 15:18; John 21:17; 1 Cor 2:10; Heb 4:13).

"Lord, you know all things" (John 21:17). This verse is used to prove Jesus was ominiscient. However, the counter argument is that Peter was simply stating that Jesus knew everything about him (i.e. Peter). In effect, Peter was saying, "Lord, you know enough about me to know that I am your friend." We know in fact that Jesus did NOT know everything because he grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52) and did not know the hour of his return (Mark 13:32). If Jesus did not know even one thing, which is true, then he is not omniscient. Moreover, the term "all" in the Bible does not always mean "everything in existence." A simple word search of "all" and you will find many examples where "all" does not mean "everything in existence" (e.g. Ephesians 6:21; {1 John 2:20, 27}; John 14:26; {2 Samuel 16:22}; Psalm 22:7; Psalm 118:10; Hosea 7:4; Matthew 3:5; John 10:8; etc). Students of the Bible are well aware of this type of overreach when dealing with other terms such as "eternal" as in "eternal fire." If "eternal" means "forever and ever" then Sodom and Gomorrah would still be burning (Jude 1:7). The fact of the matter is that there is contextual scope with "eternal" just as there is contextual scope with "all."

"For the Spirit searches all things" (2 Corinthians 2:10). Again, understanding the contextual scope is important here. So let's read this verse in context:

• 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 (NKJV): But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

There is parallel phrasing here. There are "the things of a man" and "the things of God." The things that man knows he knows by his spirit, and the things God knows is by His spirit (verse 11). Then, the things of God that are revealed to man are revealed to men through God's spirit ("But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit"). "God" in this verse is "ho theos" (literally "the God") which is understood to mean God the Father. It is the spirit of God the Father communicating to us the things of God. Therefore, contextually, the "Spirit" this verse is referring to is the Father's spirit. And if God the Father is omniscient, so is His spirit. This verse does not prove the Spirit to be a separate entity with separate omniscience.

5. True and good (John 7:28; 17:17; Ps 34:8; John 10:11; 14:6; 1 John 5:6).

Yes, the Father and Son are true and good. However, the only reference supporting the idea that the Spirit is true and good is 1 John 5:6 ("the spirit is the truth"). Understand that Christ referred to himself as "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) and he declared the Spirit which the Father would send to be the "spirit of truth" (John 14:16-17). The question is not whether the spirit is true, but whether the spirit is a separate entity or whether it is the spirit of the Father and/or Son. This one verse does not address the identity of the spirit at all.

6. Self-regulating will (Eph 1:11; Matt 11:27; John 17:24; 1 Cor 12:11).

No question that the Father has a self-regulating will. It is the Father's will we pray for (Matthew 6:10, "Thy will be done"). And that Jesus has a will.

"But the one and the same spirit energizes [G1754: energei] all of these, distributing to each one separately as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). It says in this verse that the spirit "energizes" [G1754] all of these (gifts, services, and activities), yet in verse 6 is says that it is God the Father who does this ("but it is the same God [ho theos] who energizes [G1754] all of them in all people"). So who is doing the energizing? Is it God the Father or is it the spirit? The simple answer is that it is God the Father through His spirit.

7. Fountain of life (Deut 30:20; Ps 36:9; John 3:8; 5:21; Deut 30:20).

Yes, the Father is the fountain of life. And, yes, the Son gives life to whom he wills and is also spoken of as "the fountain of life" in the EGW writings. Yet, the Father has life in himself, while the Son has been given this life that he has in himself (John 5:26). Here is how EGW puts it:

• DA 21.2: But turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus. Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give. “I do nothing of Myself,” said Christ; “the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father.” “I seek not Mine own glory,” but the glory of Him that sent Me. John 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18. In these words is set forth the great principle which is the law of life for the universe. All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.

Thus, the fountain of life originates with the Father, the Father's life then "flows out to all" through the Son. The Father is the Source; the Son is the agent or channel.

"So is everyone who is born of the spirit" (John 3:8). Again, this verse does not specify "the spirit" to be a separate entity. It could very well read, "the spirit" of God. After all, God the Father has a spirit and it is through God's spirit that life flows out to all.

8. Sanctify us (Phil 4:13; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 3:16; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:2; Jude 1).

It is plain that the Father sanctifies us (1 Thessalonians 5:23) through His Son (Romans 8:29-30). It is also plain that the Son sets us free (John 8:36) to do works of righteousness. It is also true that we are sanctified in our spirit, through the spirit. The question is not the work of the spirit, but who the spirit is. None of the verses referenced in this declaration answer this question. As Romans 8:9 tells us, it could very well be the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ that is at work in us to sanctify us.

9. Divine love (1 John 5:1; 2:15; 2 Cor 5:14; Rom 15:30; Col 1:8; Jude 21).

Yes, the Father and Son manifest divine love; plenty of Bible references speak to this.

"Now I am entreating you, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the spirit, to struggle together with me in prayers to God for me" (Romans 15:30). The phrase "the love of the spirit" could be understood to be inclusive of the love shared with the saints of Rome. Meaning that they are together in one spirit and in one love. After all, Paul is desiring for them "to struggle together with" him "in prayers to God for" him. If they have a shared spirit and love for one another, then they "struggle together." Rather than this verse speaking of a Third Entity, it is speaking of the spirit of love shared by the believers. Several commentators on this verse have this view. Here is one:

• "and by the love of the Spirit"—not the love which the Spirit bears to us, but that love which He kindles in the hearts of believers towards each other; that is "By that Saviour whose name is alike dear to all of us and whose unsearchable riches I live only to proclaim, and by that love one to another which the blessed Spirit diffuses through all the brotherhood, making the labors of Christ's servants a matter of common interest to all—I beseech you." —Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on Romans 15:30.

10. Each gives divine law (Neh 8:8; Ps 19:7; Acts 13:2; Rom 8:2; Gal 6:2; Col 3:16).

This is an ambiguous statement and the Bible verses referenced do not help to clarity. So, let's just list them and give a brief comment on each, and leave it at that.

• Nehemiah 8:8, "And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." The book, the law of God was understood to mean the Torah, the five books of Moses.
• Psalm 19:7, "Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple."
• Acts 13:2, "As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.'" No reference to divine law in this verse.
• Romans 8:2, "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." Understand that "law" (nomos in the Greek) has a very wide semantic range. It could include the Mosaic Law; the entire Old Testament; a law, rule, regulation, principle, precept, or injunction; anything that is established in the culture; and, the moral instruction given by Christ. What it means here is a matter of interpretation. How then are we to understand this "law of the spirit of life"? We have the answer a few verses later. In verse 9 it tells us that it is the "spirit of God" and the "spirit of Christ" which is the spirit of life, because the "spirit is life" (verse 10).
• Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." The "law of Christ" is most likely referring to loving one another (John 13:34; cf. Galatians 5:14), as the context seems to suggest.
• Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." No reference to divine law in this verse.

11. Dwells in the believers' hearts (Eph 3:17; John 14:17; 2 Cor 6:16; Col 1:27; Isa 57:15).

Yes, the Father and Son dwell in believers' hearts. That the parakletos (John 14:17) also dwells in believers' hearts is also true. However, the identity of the parakletos is what is up for debate. Trinitarians believe the parakletos is the Third Person of the Trinity, while non-trinitarians use 1 John 2:1 to prove that it's Jesus Christ ("we have an Advocate [Greek: parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous").

12. Each by Himself, the supreme Jehovah and God (Exodus 20:2; Isa 4:3; cf. Matt 3:3; Luke 1:76; Matt 10:11; Ezek 8:1, 3; Luke 1:35; Deut 6:4).

The reference to Luke 1:35 is discussed separately. Also, the reference to Deut 6:4 is discussed separately.

"Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God." (Isaiah 40:3). This verse is quoted in Matthew 3:3 and it is here suggested that the coming of the Messiah and "Yahweh" are equivalent. However, no one at that time would have thought such a thing. It was the coming of the Messiah (Yahweh's representative) that the people in Jesus' time were waiting for. They were not expecting Yahweh Himself to be coming down the highway. Jesus was not God, but he was God's Messiah (Revelation 11:15). Also, it was customary to attribute the work of a prophet to the work of God. For example, Luke 7:16 says, "and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us!' and 'God has visited his people!'" Effectively, the people proclaimed that God had "visited" them by sending a great prophet.

"And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him" (Luke 1:76). The child here is Zechariah's son, John the Baptist. He would be a prophet of the Most High. The Most High is God the Father (Luke 1:32). He would "go before the Lord to prepare the way for him." Whether the phrase "the Lord" is referring to Yahweh or the Messiah, there is nothing here that suggests Yahweh and the Messiah are equivalent.

"and the spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem" (Ezekiel 8:3). First of all, this was a vision Ezekiel had that lasted from Ezekiel 8:3 to 11:24, which all happened while Ezekiel was right in the middle of meeting with the elders of Judah that had been taken captive to Babylon. Whether it should be understood that the spirit is Yahweh or it is Yahweh's spirit which transported Ezekiel into vision is a matter of interpretation. However, nothing about this verse suggests that the spirit was a separate entity (i.e. a Third Person) who also was called Yahweh.

Concluding thoughts

It is difficult to imagine anyone being able to put together a doctrine of the Trinity using the Bible references BRI provided. There is no clear, unifying trinitarian thread running through any of it.