What about the "Trinity Proof-Texts"?
A First Century Faith Perspective...
The doctrine of the Trinity is often supported by a collection
of commonly quoted Bible verses. However, when read in context and compared
with other Scriptures, these "proof texts" often do not teach what
Trinitarian theology claims. This article presents ten of the most frequently
cited Trinitarian verses and offers a Biblical Unitarian response rooted in a
first century understanding of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
1. Genesis 1:26 – “Let us
make man in our image…”
Trinitarian Claim: The plural “us” and “our” indicates a
multi-personal God (Father, Son, and Spirit).
Refutation:
- This
is best understood as God addressing His heavenly court—angelic
beings who were present at creation (Job 38:7).
- Only God creates
in the passage: “So God created man in His own
image…” (Gen. 1:27), reverting to singular.
- The royal
or majestic plural is another possibility, found in ancient
kings’ speech.
Supporting Scriptures:
- Isaiah
6:8: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” – similar
usage where God speaks in plural but is clearly one.
- Job
38:4-7 – God speaks of the “sons of God” (angels) shouting for joy at
creation.
2. John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Trinitarian Claim: “The Word was God” shows that Jesus
(the Word) is God.
Refutation:
- “Word”
(Greek: logos) is God’s plan, wisdom, or expression,
not a second divine person.
- In
John 1:14, the logos becomes flesh—it does not say “the
Son” became flesh, but “the Word.”
- The
phrase “the Word was God” (Greek: kai theos ēn ho logos) lacks
the definite article for theos, implying divine nature,
not identity as “the God” (ho theos).
- Even
many early Church Fathers understood the logos as an
impersonal principle before incarnation.
Supporting Scriptures:
- Proverbs
8:22–30 – Wisdom personified as present with God “before the world was.”
- Psalm
33:6 – “By the word of Yahweh were the heavens made…”
- John
1:18 – “No one has seen God at any time…” (even though Jesus was seen).
3. John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
Trinitarian Claim: Jesus is claiming to be one in
essence with the Father.
Refutation:
- The
word for “one” (hen) is neuter, indicating unity
of purpose, not identity of being.
- Jesus
later prays that believers may be one “even as we are
one” (John 17:22). This clearly means unity in will, not
shared divinity.
Supporting Scriptures:
- John
17:11, 22 – “that they may be one, even as we are one.”
- 1
Corinthians 3:8 – “He who plants and he who waters are one…” (same Greek
word).
4. John 14:9 – “He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father.”
Trinitarian Claim: Jesus is claiming to be the Father or
identical in nature.
Refutation:
- Jesus
is the visible representation of God’s character, not the
Father Himself.
- Hebrews
1:3 – Jesus is the “exact representation” (charaktēr) of God’s
being.
- Colossians
1:15 – Jesus is the “image of the invisible God.”
Supporting Scriptures:
- John
1:18 – “No man has seen God at any time.”
- 1
Timothy 6:16 – God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen
or can see.”
- Exodus
33:20 – “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
5. Matthew 28:19 – “Baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Trinitarian Claim: This shows a triune God of three
co-equal persons.
Refutation:
- This
shows roles or authority, not ontology.
- The
word “name” (singular) represents authority or
identity, not personhood.
- Acts
repeatedly shows baptism in the name of Jesus alone (Acts
2:38, 8:16, 10:48).
Supporting Scriptures:
- Acts
2:38 – “Be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ.”
- Acts
10:48 – “They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
- Colossians
3:17 – “Whatever you do…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
6. Colossians 1:15–17 – “By him all things were
created…”
Trinitarian Claim: Jesus is the Creator, therefore God.
Refutation:
- Jesus
is the agent (dia autou – “through him”), not
the source (ek tou – “from him”).
- “All
things” refers to new creation, not Genesis creation—Paul is
speaking of thrones, dominions, authorities (v.16) which
are spiritual powers.
- The
word “beginning” (v.18) links this to Jesus' resurrection, not pre-Genesis
creation.
Supporting Scriptures:
- 1
Corinthians 8:6 – “One God, the Father, from whom are all things… and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things.”
- Ephesians
1:10 – God’s plan is to sum up all things in Christ.
- Revelation
3:14 – Jesus is “the beginning of God’s creation,” not the Creator.
7. Philippians 2:5–7 – “Being in the form of
God… he emptied himself…”
Trinitarian Claim: Jesus was equal with God but became
man.
Refutation:
- “Form
of God” (morphē) means appearance, representation, not
essence.
- Jesus did
not grasp at equality with God but humbled himself.
- This
is a model of obedience, not a metaphysical claim.
Supporting Scriptures:
- John
5:30 – “I can do nothing on my own.”
- John
14:28 – “The Father is greater than I.”
- Hebrews
5:8 – “He learned obedience…”
8. Isaiah 9:6 – “His name shall be called…
Mighty God, Everlasting Father…”
Trinitarian Claim: This is a prophecy calling Jesus
“God” and “Father.”
Refutation:
- These
are titles reflecting authority, not identity.
- In
Hebrew, titles can be descriptive or honorific.
- “Mighty
God” (El Gibbor) is also used of other mighty ones (e.g., Ezekiel
32:21).
- “Everlasting
Father” likely means Father of the coming age (Hebrew
idiom).
Supporting Scriptures:
- Hebrews
1:4 – Jesus “inherited” a more excellent name.
- John
17:2 – Jesus has authority over all flesh given by the Father.
- Isaiah
22:21 – Eliakim is called a “father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (not
literal deity).
9. Hebrews 1:8 – “Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever.”
Trinitarian Claim: The Father calls the Son “God.”
Refutation:
- This
is a quotation of Psalm 45:6, originally spoken of a human
king, using the word “elohim” in a representational way.
- Some
scholars argue it should be translated, “God is your throne” (a
genitive construction), i.e., God is the source of your authority.
Supporting Scriptures:
- Psalm
45:6–7 – “God, your God, has anointed you…” – distinguishes God from the
king.
- Exodus
7:1 – “I have made you a god to Pharaoh” (Moses as elohim).
- John
10:34 – “You are gods” (Jesus quoting Psalm 82 about human judges).
10. 1 John 5:7 (Comma Johanneum) – “These three
are one.”
Trinitarian Claim: Explicit proof of the Trinity.
Refutation:
- This
is a later addition, not found in any Greek manuscript before
the 14th century.
- The
original verse reads: “There are three that bear witness: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood.”
Supporting Scholarship:
- Nearly
all modern Bible translations omit this phrase, including the ESV, NIV,
and NASB.
- Even
the 1611 KJV did not include this verse in its early
Greek manuscripts.
Let us return to the faith once delivered to the saints, grounded in the Shema: "Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4).