The Trinity Doctrine of the SDA Church

The Trinity Doctrine

The doctrine of the trinity is widely accepted by virtually all the Christian world, and the principal of the trinity is also a fundamental teaching of almost all religions in the world.  There are varying views of this doctrine but at its core the trinity teaches that:

·       God consists of three persons, but is one God in three divine persons.

·       These beings are all equal with each other.

·       They are eternal and have always existed.

·       They have no beginning and no end.

·       They are each God unto themselves, but they are collectively God. 

·       The trinity teaches that God is a mystery and therefore we cannot fully understand who he is nor can we fully understand his nature.

For most Seventh-day Adventists the doctrine of the trinity is not really understood.  For me I accepted it as biblical fact without really studying to see if it was so.  I knew and accepted most of the talking points, but it was not until I had to teach the trinity and who the Holy Spirit was to a baptismal class that I realized that I was having trouble explaining the concept to the class.  Now they accepted my explanation but it left with a number of questions in my mind.  It took some time and other people sharing with me what they understood about who God is for me to see how the doctrine of the trinity is not supported by the Bible.  In this blog post I will show the trinity doctrine from the Seventh-day Adventist stand point and show from the Bible that this doctrine is not in harmony with the Scriptures as the church claims.

SDA Doctrine number 2 – The Trinity
There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. God, who is love, is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation. (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:8; Matt. 28:19; John 3:16 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2.)

In the SDA teachings are quoted several texts that claim to support the trinity but, they are vague and one has to read into the texts to see it.  For example, in Genesis 1:26 it says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” The words used are, US and OUR, which could mean two or more but does not prove three like it is claimed.  To better understand the text, we only need to read the next verse to see how many beings God created to represent His image.  In verse 27 it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” From this we can deduce without much difficulty that God was not talking to two other persons, but to one.  So, who was this other person?  Jesus tells us in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”  In this text we see very clearly that there is only one true God and that He has a Son.  So, from this we can understand Genesis 1:26 as the Father speaking to His Son, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” Not the three like the church claims.

So, the next question you might ask yourself is where is the Holy Spirit in the creation of man?  The answer is found in Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  The Holy Sprit proceeded from God into Adam.  The Spirit is not depicted as a separate person, but as the Spirit of God.  Notice in John 20:22 when Jesus breathed upon the disciples He said “… Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” This represents His Spirit, not the Spirit of another.  So, in the creation of man he was filled with the Spirit of God.  This Spirit was not another person but the Spirit of God Himself.

Now let’s move on to the next text Deuteronomy 6:4 which says “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” In this text it is used to show that God is one God and that is true, but the church is using this text to prove that the triune God who is made up of three co-equal beings are one.  But what does the text really show?  The word interpreted “LORD” refers to a single being Jehovah and cannot mean three in one.  The Jews have always used this text to prove that there was only one God as opposed to the pagan belief of multiple gods.

Isaiah 6:8 which says “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Only shows the Lord speaking to one or more people, but does not does not prove three.  This is the same concept as in Genesis 1:26, and again in light of John 17:3 and other texts we can see that the “us” is referring to the Father and the Son.

John 3:16 is the most know text of all of Scripture and is a very beautiful promise to us.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  In this verse we see the love of the Father for mankind in giving us His only begotten Son.  One of the most fundamental points of the gospel is this; for the Father to give us His Son, He needed to have a Son to give, and more importantly in order for Him to be a Father He must have a Son.  I know that these points seem to be so obvious that we rarely even think very deep upon them but, in the doctrine of the trinity it says that all three persons of the Godhead are equal and eternal.  Neither one is higher than the other and have always existed.  For this to be true then the Father cannot be a literal Father, and the Son cannot be a literal Son, because for this to take place the Son would have had to have a beginning.  In this sense the trinity destroys this most beautiful promise of God.

Now you might think that the church has an answer to this most basic of principals, and in fact they do.  Here is the viewpoint of the world church of Seventh-day Adventists coming from the Biblical Research Institute, which was established by action of the General Conference Committee in 1975 and its purpose is to promote the study and practice of Adventist theology and lifestyle as understood by the world church.  In essence, it’s the theological voice of the church.  In an article published on the BRI’s website entitled “A Question on Sonship” author Angel Rodriguez, who is a member of the institute, says the following regarding the metaphoric significance of the Son.

“Fifth, the father-son image cannot be literally applied to the divine Father-Son relationship within the Godhead. The Son is not the natural, literal Son of the Father. A natural child has a beginning, while within the Godhead the Son is eternal. The term “Son” is used metaphorically when applied to the Godhead. It conveys the ideas of distinction of persons within the Godhead and the equality of nature in the context of an eternal, loving relationship.”
https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/godgodhead-jesus-christ/question-sonship

So according to the Biblical Research Institute, which is the official and theological voice of the Seventh-day Adventist church, the Son is not the literal, natural Son of God, that it is only a metaphor.  Another word that can be used for metaphor is symbol, not real, or fake.  So, if this is true then the Father is also not the literally and naturally a Father, and destroys the very foundation of the gospel.  It also makes the Father and the Son out to be liars.

The Son is literally the Son of God because He proceeded forth from the Father and is the only begotten of God.  The church claims that the term “only begotten” means original or the only one of its kind, but we see in the Scriptures that to begotten is to be born.  Where in the Bible do we find that the Son was begotten?  Proverbs 8:22-30.  Let’s take a look.

·       Pro 8:22  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

·       Pro 8:23  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

·       Pro 8:24  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

·       Pro 8:25  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

·       Pro 8:26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

·       Pro 8:27  When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

·       Pro 8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

·       Pro 8:29  When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

·       Pro 8:30  Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

In these verses it is speaking of the Son of God under the title of wisdom saying that the Lord possessed Him in the beginning of His ways, before His works of old, that He was setup from everlasting, before anything was created.  It was at this point that the Son was brought forth from the Father.  It was this event which happened sometime in eternity past that the One True God became a Father, and the Son was brought forth.

Now some may claim that the above text in Proverbs is not speaking of the Son of God but of the wisdom of God, but again, the Bible is its own best interpreter.  So, let’s compare Scripture with Scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:24, and 30.

·       1 Corinthians 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

·       1 Corinthians 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

In each of these texts it is calling Christ the power and wisdom of God.  This is not speaking only of His incarnation but from the very beginning.  The title Christ, is speaking of the Messiah which was to come for the redemption of man, and the title of Messiah always referred to the Son of God.  This means that when Christ was made wisdom for us it is speaking of His origin as the Son of God.

Another point to be made is that on several occasions Jesus revealed His relationship with the Father from eternity in John 8:42 and 16:27, 28.

·       Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

·       Joh 16:27  For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

·       Joh 16:28  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

In both texts above He is revealing both His authority and His mission.  By declaring that He proceed forth from the Father He is showing by which authority that He comes to them.  These are clear declarations that He is the Son of God not just in His incarnation, but from eternity.

The rest of the verses used, Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2., all center upon the belief that the Holy Spirit is a separate person to the Father and the Son.  On the surface it appears that this is the case, but one principal that we need to keep in mind is that one verse of Scripture cannot contradict another, and therefore must harmonize with one another.  If one verse appears to say something different from the other it only means that we do not fully understand what the contradictory text is saying.  The viewpoint that one takes when reading these texts will undoubtedly guide the understanding of them.  Therefore, it is important to read each passage objectively, seeking the guidance of the Spirit of God.  The one thing that we can be sure of is that they will harmonize, but not necessarily to our viewpoint.  If our viewpoint is not in harmony with the plain text of Scripture, then our viewpoint needs to be reexamined.  The texts above appear to support the trinitarian viewpoint but they do not harmonize with the other texts of the Bible.  In this sense we need to have a better understanding of who the Spirit is according to the Bible.

In the Scriptures there are many references to the Spirit, and if you take a look at each one you will be led to understand that they are all referring to the same Spirit, the Spirit of God.  The terms Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of Christ, or simply Spirit, are all referring to the same Spirit with is the Spirit of God.  The Spirit is not a separate person from the Father, and is the same Spirit that the Son has.  This is because the Son is the only begotten Son of God and proceeded forth from the Father.  Consider the following texts.

·       Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

This verse equates the Spirit with the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ.  They are one and the same.

Another very popular text comes from 1 Corinthians 6:19 speaking about our bodies being the temple of the Lord.

·       1 Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

In this verse we see that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost.  In an earlier text in the same book the Apostle Paul refers to the body temple in this way found in 1 Corinthians 3:16.

·       1 Corinthians 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Both texts are saying the same thing and Paul equates the Holy Ghost with the Spirit of God.  To say that the Holy Spirit is a separate person from the Father and the Son is to go against what the Scriptures tell us, for they reveal to us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

In light of the texts that clearly show that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the text found in Matthew 28:19 where Jesus says “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” can only mean that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and not another person.  When Jesus breathed upon the disciples and said “… Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” in John 20:22, He did this that they may receive His Spirit to prepare them for what was to come.  For us, baptism is a symbol of a new birth and we must be born of the Spirit if we are to be saved.

The whole problem that we have with sin is that we no longer reflected the image of God; we no longer had the Spirit of God dwelling within us.  Jesus said in John 17:21 “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” The only way that we can be one with the Father is through the Son, for 1 Timothy 2:5 says “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” and the way that we are transformed is by having the Spirit of Christ living within us.  Colossians 1:27 says “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Since the Spirit of Christ is the same as the Holy Ghost, we can clearly conclude that to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is to have their Spirit within us.  That Spirit is not another Spirit by is the Spirit of God living within us through Christ.  These texts harmonize with one another only when the Holy Ghost is understood to mean the Spirit of God and not a separate person.

There are other points that can be made and I will address them in future posts, but for now I think this should suffice.  The doctrine of the trinity as adopted by the Seventh-day Adventist church is a relatively new belief, only becoming a fundamental belief at the 1980 General Conference meeting in Dallas Texas.  The adoption of the belief of the trinity marked a change in the belief of the church from the time of the Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers.  You may be surprised to find out that the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church did not believe in the trinity.  Today they would be considered as non-trinitarian and would not be able to join the church because of the trinity doctrine.  They believed that the Father was the One true God and His Son Jesus Christ.  Not a Son by incarnation alone, but a Son from eternity past.  They believed that the Holy Spirit was the omnipresence of the Father and the Son because that is exactly what the Scriptures reveal.

It is sad that this unbiblical doctrine has come into the end-time church of God, but it was foretold in the Scriptures.  Ezekiel 8 & 9, and in the condition of the church of Laodicea found in Revelation 3:14-22.  I will post more on these subjects later, but I hope that this post will help you to better understand what the Bible says about who God really is.  Feel free to post comments or to ask questions regarding this post.

God bless,