Question:
Dear Greg,
I
am of the opinion that if God is a Trinity, then he has not told us so in
Scripture and you Trinitarians must then admit that you do not hold Scripture as
your only rule of faith and doctrine. Is
it possible to be a Christian while thinking the Trinity doctrine is nonsense?
James
Answer: Dear James,
I
have spent hundreds of hours studying the nature of God as revealed to us in the
Bible. In concert, I have studied
the history of cults, cultic movements and heretical ideas over against the
history of Christianity—imperfect as it is.
It is my opinion that bad, inaccurate and bogus teaching almost
invariably begins with an inadequate and off-kilter view of who and what God is,
and gets worse from there. Such a
thing has happened over and over again in the history of Christianity.
If
the foundation of a building is suspect, then the entire building is endangered.
The nature of God is at the heart and soul, the core of Christianity.
If it is flawed, the house that is built is more likely to be built on
sand rather than on the Rock (Matthew
I
know groups that claim to be Christian but disclaim the Trinity.
Such a thing is like claiming to be Canadian, but residing in
The
definition of a Christian includes acceptance of the God of the Bible.
The God of the Bible is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If God is denied, if Jesus is less than God and if the Holy Spirit is
seen as something more like electricity than the third divine Person of the
Godhead, are we talking about Christianity?
I think not.
Does
that mean that all who do not accept the Trinity are not Christians?
I don’t think such a proposition is biblical either.
Why? Simply because church
affiliation does not guarantee Christianity, which is an intimate personal
relationship with God. Someone may
attend a Christian church regularly, but their attendance does not make them a
Christian. Their denomination may be
Christian, but membership in a physically incorporated entity does not confirm
spiritual status—a personal relationship with God.
On the other hand, someone may not attend a church at all, or
rarely—and may have difficulties articulating the nature of God—but they may
have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
If
a person is a Christian, but hold fundamental views that are at loggerheads with
Christianity, will they continue in beliefs and doctrinal positions that deny
the God of the Bible? I don’t
think so. I think that God, in his
wisdom, mercy and love will work in the life of the person—teaching and
directing them through the work of the Comforter—God the Holy Spirit.
Hope
that is clear enough for you, James. May
God bless you as you continue to seek him, to walk with him and know him.
Thanks for allowing us to be of service.
In
Christ,