Why I Cannot Accept the Trinity Doctrine: New Testament

But I Will Still Meet With Trinitarian Believers

The Point of No Return?

There are articles I write in a few hours. Then there’s articles like this one that take days, and I go back and revisit multiple times.

Not because I lack conviction, but because I know the weight of what I’m saying.

This is one of those.

I wanted to follow up on my recent “heretic” article, because I received many gracious replies, and I also realized that I probably glossed over the depth of my study on this topic over the last 2 years.

I want to take the next 2 articles (New Testament and Old Testament) and help others to understand how I come to my conclusion, while still extending a hand in fellowship to those who might read the bible differently.

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I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by people who either rejected the Trinity outright (without giving it a name) or accepted it as an unquestioned part of Christianity. I was somewhere in the middle, until I wasn’t.

Today, I can say this plainly:

I believe the doctrine of the Trinity is neither taught nor supported by Scripture.

I know that sentence alone will make some readers wince. For others, it might feel like a breath of fresh air.

I can also say plainly that in the world of Christendom, there’s hardly a faster way to be labeled a heretic than to deny the trinity doctrine as presented by most denominations.

The Trinity doctrine, though historically popular and elegantly constructed, doesn’t actually reflect what Jesus or His apostles taught.

In fact, it often contradicts it.

In short, it is a theological construction, born out of post-biblical debates and shaped more by Greek philosophy than Hebrew revelation.

And though it attempts to protect monotheism while elevating Christ and the Spirit, it ends up distorting the very picture of God it tries to clarify.

But let me also say this:

I have great fellowship with many Trinitarian believers. I believe our salvation does not hinge on perfect theological understanding.

I do not write this to sever relationships or throw stones, but to wrestle in public with what I believe Scripture teaches.

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Scripture Doesn’t Say What the Trinity Requires

The doctrine of the Trinity makes 4 core assertions:

1. God is one Being

2. God eternally exists as three co-equal, co-eternal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3. Each Person is fully God

4. There is not more than one God

These are elegant on paper.

But here’s the problem: none of these claims are directly stated in Scripture.

Not one verse in the Bible ever says, "God is three persons."

The words "God the Son" or "God the Holy Spirit" never appear.

There is no mention of "three-in-one" or "triune essence."

These are theological extrapolations, not biblical declarations. These theological constructions were made centuries after the apostles died. An extra-biblical framework was retrofitted onto scripture.

If something this foundational is true, shouldn’t it be taught plainly?

Instead, what we see in Scripture is consistent and clear language about:

• One God — the Father (John 17:3, 1 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:6)

• One Lord — Jesus the Messiah, God’s Son (Acts 2:36, Rom. 10:9)

• One Spirit — the presence and power of God (Luke 1:35, Acts 2:33, Rom. 8:11)

These distinctions are not mysterious, they’re repeated throughout both Testaments.

But the Trinity doctrine attempts to cover up this absence by labeling it a “sacred mystery.”

It insists that the truth of “three-in-one” can’t be grasped through reading alone, but only through divine revelation, an inner illumination granted to those with higher spiritual insight.

In other words: If it doesn’t make sense, it’s because you haven’t received the right revelation.

But that’s not how Scripture invites us to know God.

Jesus didn’t say, “Theologians will uncover the mystery of My nature.”

He said, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

If our understanding of God requires extra-biblical categories and secret insight, it’s not divine mystery, it’s human speculation baptized in spiritual language.

It’s inviting pride and confusion to distort the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel that Jesus thanked God for “hiding from the wise and prudent, and revealing unto babes”.

Here’s the thing: if the Trinity were truly the bedrock of Christianity, that is to say, if the eternal nature of God Himself depends on it, then Scripture’s silence on these specific formulations is not a minor oversight.

It’s a decisive absence.

God repeatedly commands His people to know who He is.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” —Deut. 6:4

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” —Exodus 20:3

“I am the Lord, and there is no other.” —Isaiah 45:5

Why would a God so committed to clarity suddenly veil the truth of His nature in mystery, only to have it revealed through Greek metaphysics 300+ years after Jesus and the apostles died?

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The Trinitarian Paradox:

• Three “Persons,” each called God

• Each Person has mind, will, and role

• Yet they’re all somehow one being in a shared divine essence

This either results in:

• Modalism (1 person, 3 roles), rejected as heresy

• Or Tritheism (3 gods), also rejected as heresy

That’s why even Trinitarian scholars call it a mystery or “beyond reason.”

Trinitarianism creates unity through essence (Greek metaphysics).

Biblical theology shows unity through purpose, love, and authority (Hebrew categories).

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Jesus’ Own Words

When it comes to defining God, shouldn’t Jesus’ words carry the greatest weight?

And yet, Jesus never once says, “I am God.”

He never claims to be co-equal.

He never suggests that God exists as three Persons in one essence.

Instead, He points away from Himself and upward, to the One who sent Him.

Jesus Himself tells us exactly who He worships:

"This is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." —John 17:3 (NASB95)

That’s not a cryptic statement. That’s absolute clarity.

Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the Father as the only true God, and knowing Himself as the One sent by that God.

He distinguishes Himself from the only true God.

"I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God." —John 20:17 (RSV)

Even after His resurrection, Jesus affirms the Father is His God.

He does not say, “I ascend to our shared divine essence.”

He does not say, “I will return to my co-equal place.”

He affirms the same hierarchy He always taught: the Father is His God.

And when He is asked what the greatest commandment is:

"The Lord our God, the Lord is one." —Mark 12:29 (NASB95)

Jesus quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4, reaffirming Jewish monotheism without hinting at a multi-personal God.

Jesus constantly points to his Father. He taught us to pray to God. He commanded us to obey his Father’s will. He made it clear he was sent, not self-appointed.

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And here’s a very simple, real-world reflection:

I’m a father. I have two sons. If you were to meet us, it would be obvious that my sons are mine (they resemble me in many ways).

They’ve inherited characteristics from me both in body and personality.

But if you were asked a simple question:

Who came first? Me? Or my boys? The father or the sons?

The answer is self-evident.

You’d never say “both.”

Of course, I don’t claim this human relationship perfectly mirrors the divine, but it illustrates a truth Scripture repeats without confusion: there is a Father and a Son, and with that comes origin, authority, and distinction.

This points to the core problem with Trinitarian logic.

If Jesus is begotten, not made…
If He is the Son of God…
Then He is from God, not identical to God.

The Trinity tells us the Father and Son are co-equal and co-eternal (i.e. two divine Persons who are the same age, same power, same glory.)

But Scripture always speaks of God as Father and Christ as Son.

“The Father is greater than I.” —John 14:28
“The Son can do nothing of Himself…” —John 5:19

If the relationship were one of twinship, or two equal divine minds, we would expect to see brothers (Polytheism), not a father and a son.

Instead, we see a hierarchy grounded in love, not competition.

The Father sends.
The Son obeys.
The Father glorifies.
The Son is glorified.

And in that relationship, it is abundantly clear who came first.

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The Apostles Follow Suit

Not one of the apostles teaches a “triune God”.

Instead, they consistently affirm a divine hierarchy, even AFTER the resurrection and ascension.

Paul, who had a literal blinding vision of Christ, writes:

"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things... and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things." —1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB95)

Notice the explicit language: God = the Father. Lord = Jesus.

Not co-equal persons. Not dual Yahwehs.

If the trinity were true, Paul could have just said: “For us, there is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

He never does.

Instead, Paul draws a distinction between the source (God the Father) and the agent (the Lord Jesus).

If Jesus was fully co-equal with the Father, this would have been the perfect place to say so. But Paul doesn’t.

Instead, Paul repeatedly refers to:

"The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." —Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 1:3;

Peter, who walked with Jesus for years, still says Jesus has a God. (1 Peter 1:3)

Not in metaphor, but in truth.

This language appears repeatedly in the New Testament. It is NEVER reversed as “The Son, who is God the Father.”

This isn’t random. It’s theological consistency.

Even the book of Revelation, penned after Jesus' glorification, records Jesus saying:

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God… I will write on him the name of My God…” —Revelation 3:12 (NASB95)

Jesus, now exalted, risen, and on the throne… STILL refers to “My God.”

Four times in a single verse.

If Jesus were the second person of a co-equal triune essence, this would be theological nonsense.

But if He’s the exalted Son, seated at the right hand of His Father, it makes perfect sense.

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Common Trinitarian Proof Texts

Let’s look honestly at the most cited verses used to support the Trinity and why they don’t hold under scrutiny.

John 1:1 — "The Word was God"

Yes, "and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

But the Greek lacks the definite article before "God," allowing for an alternative translation:

"The Word was divine" or "a god"

More importantly, it distinguishes the Word from "God" in the first clause: "with God."

So the Word is not identical with God.

Rather: “The Word had the same nature as God, but was not identical with God.”

John clarifies in verse 14 that "the Word became flesh" (not “God became flesh”).

In other words, God’s expression or plan embodied in Jesus. This isn’t introducing a second Yahweh.

Matthew 28:19 — "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"

This is a liturgical formula for baptism.

But the verse doesn’t say these three are "one essence." Nor does it call them all "God."

And it’s worth noting: every actual baptism recorded in Acts is done in the name of Jesus. If this were a doctrinal definition of God, we’d expect the early church to use it consistently. They don’t.

• Acts 2:38 — “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ”

• Acts 8:16 — “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”

• Acts 10:48 — “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ”

• Acts 19:5 — “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”

It doesn’t define the three as co-equal, co-eternal, or consubstantial.

If it was meant as a doctrinal statement, the apostles didn’t follow it.

More likely: this was a functional invocation, not a theological declaration.

John 10:30 — "I and the Father are one"

The context is unity of purpose, not identity of being.

Jesus also prays that we would be "one" in the same way:

"That they may be one, just as We are one." —John 17:22

Unless we think we become part of the Godhead, we must admit "one" here means something other than ontological equality.

(Ontological: refers to the ‘nature of being and existence’)

Greek metaphysics = essence. Not Hebrew scripture.

Acts 5:3-4 — "You have lied to the Holy Spirit... You have lied to God."

This is a common semantic leap.

Equating the Spirit with God here doesn’t prove personhood or co-equality any more than saying:

“You rejected the king’s messenger… therefore you’ve rejected the king.”

That doesn’t mean the messenger is the king. It means the messenger represents the king.

Another way to frame it: Jesus was called the Lamb and the Shepherd.

Does that mean all lambs are shepherds?

Context and function determine usage.

To lie to the Holy Spirit is to resist God’s presence. But this doesn’t demand that the Spirit is a separate co-equal Person.

1 Timothy 3:16 — “God was manifest in the flesh” (KJV)

This verse is often used to claim Jesus is God.

But it relies on a later manuscript alteration.

The earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus, use ὃς (“He who”), not θεός (“God”).

Modern translations rightly correct this:

“He who was revealed in the flesh…” (RSV, NASB95, ESV)

This isn’t a minor difference, it shifts the claim from “God became flesh” to “Someone was revealed in the flesh.”

The verse is describing Christ’s incarnation, not declaring His identity as God.

To say Jesus was “manifested in the flesh” doesn’t mean He is the one doing the manifesting.

It means the one sent was revealed.

This aligns perfectly with what Jesus Himself said:

“I came forth from the Father and am come into the world.” —John 16:28
“I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” —John 20:17

The apostles never preached that “God became flesh.”
They preached that God sent His Son.

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Jesus Is Exalted Because He Was Obedient

One of the most overlooked truths in the New Testament is this: Jesus is exalted by God precisely because He submitted to God.

"He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death... Therefore God highly exalted Him..." —Philippians 2:8-9 (NASB95)

The "therefore" matters.

Jesus wasn’t exalted because He was always co-equal. He was exalted because He was obedient. Obedience requires hierarchy.

The Trinitarian framework erases this. It flattens the drama of redemption by insisting Jesus never subordinated Himself. But Scripture emphasizes again and again:

"The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing..." —John 5:19

"The words I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative..." —John 14:10

once again, Jesus was sent, not self-appointed.

“I came down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
—John 6:38 (NASB95)

He is begotten, not co-eternal. Sent, not sending. Submissive, not co-equal.

The Son is exalted because He humbled Himself.
The Son is worthy of worship because the Father exalted Him.

(Acts 2:36 — “God has made Him both Lord and Christ…”)

This is not “theological downgrading”, it’s gospel clarity.

And He is still subject to the Father in the end:

"Then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all." —1 Corinthians 15:28

That verse alone should be enough to refute the Trinity. But for those still unsure, there’s more.

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The Holy Spirit Isn’t a Third Co-Equal Person

A central pillar of the Trinity doctrine is that the Holy Spirit is the third divine Person, again “co-equal and co-eternal” with the Father and the Son.

But Scripture never explicitly teaches this. In fact, when we simply follow the biblical usage, a different picture emerges.

Let’s consider what we don’t see in Scripture:

• The Holy Spirit is never prayed to

• The Holy Spirit is never described as sitting on a throne

• The Holy Spirit is never given a distinct will apart from God or Christ

• The Holy Spirit never speaks independently apart from being described as God’s own Spirit or the Spirit of Christ

Instead, we find:

"The Spirit of your Father speaking in you." —Matthew 10:20

"God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts." —Galatians 4:6

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What About the “He” Pronouns in John?

Some argue that the Holy Spirit must be a person because Jesus refers to the Spirit as “He” in John 14–16. But this is a misunderstanding of Greek grammar.

The Greek word for Spirit is pneuma, which is neuter. But in those chapters, the word paraklētos (“Helper” or “Advocate”) is masculine, so Greek grammar requires masculine pronouns to agree with the noun.

This isn’t a theological argument for personhood, rather it’s grammatical consistency.

The same phenomenon occurs in other languages. For example, the French word for “car” (voiture) is feminine, so it takes feminine pronouns. That doesn’t mean a car has a gendered identity.

A Power, Not a Person?

Let’s not swing too far the other way either.

The Spirit is not an impersonal “force” like something out of Star Wars. Scripture describes the Spirit as:

• Grieving (Eph. 4:30)

• Teaching (John 14:26)

• Interceding (Rom. 8:26)

• Being lied to (Acts 5:3)

But none of these necessarily imply independent personhood.

Rather, they reflect the relational activity of God through His Spirit.

The Spirit is how God operates, not who God is in person #3 of a triune team.

Much like your own “spirit” can be troubled, grieved, or empowered (Luke 1:47; 1 Cor. 2:11), so can God’s Spirit. It is an extension of His will, not a separate divine personality.

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So Where Did the Trinity Come From?

The Trinity doctrine was not taught by Jesus.
It was not preached by Peter.
It was not expounded by Paul.

It took centuries to develop.

The word "Trinity" doesn’t appear until Tertullian in the late 2nd century.

The formulation "three persons in one essence" emerged later, solidified in the Nicene Creed (325 AD) and Athanasian Creed (5th century) which explicitly warns that belief in this formulation is necessary for salvation.

Why Did This Doctrine Arise?

Let’s be charitable here.

The early church wasn’t trying to confuse people. They were reacting to a real dilemma:

• The Old Testament says God is One.

• Jesus is clearly exalted and divine.

• The Spirit empowers and indwells believers.

So how do you reconcile this without becoming polytheistic?

Their answer: a three-in-one being, united in substance but distinct in persons.

But in doing so, they created a framework that never appears in Scripture and requires philosophical gymnastics just to explain.

It also required new vocabulary, such as:

• Essence (ousia)

• Person (hypostasis)

• Co-eternal, co-equal

• Eternal generation

None of these terms come from the Bible. They come from Greek philosophy and were later used to mold Scripture into a predefined system.

In other words, the early churches were trying to avoid being lumped with the polytheistic pagan religions, and struggling to reconcile who Jesus was and is, in relation to God, his Father.

But the result was a philosophical system foreign to the Hebrew worldview.

It uses terms the Bible does not define, builds logic Scripture does not use, and reinterprets verses to fit a model the apostles never taught.

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Why Does The Trinity Still Persist?

The Trinity doctrine feels necessary for many Christians today. Why?

Because:

• It preserves the divinity of Jesus (which I affirm as a Proparchian Christian)

• It protects against accusations of polytheism

• It unifies tradition, history, and orthodoxy

• It provides a neat, systemic way to package God’s complexity

But sometimes, the “system” becomes the idol. The tidy formula ends up overriding the plain words of Jesus.

And the moment you begin to question it, you’re told:

“It’s a mystery.”
“You need divine revelation.”
“You’re leaning on logic, not faith.”

But mystery is not a license for contradiction.

Faith is not the rejection of reason.

And divine revelation will never contradict the Word God has already given.

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Let the Word Speak

When it comes to questions of doctrine, especially one as central and fiercely protected as the Trinity, our ultimate authority cannot be creeds, councils, or tradition.

It must be the Word of God. Jesus said:

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." —John 17:17

The Scriptures don’t present a God shrouded in contradiction or a salvation dependent on solving metaphysical puzzles.

Instead, they offer a breathtakingly coherent picture:

• One God — “the Father, from whom are all things” (1 Cor. 8:6)

• One Lord — Jesus the Messiah, through whom are all things (same verse)

• One Spirit — the presence and power of God, given to dwell in us (Acts 2:38, John 14:17)

This is not a “Trinity.” It’s a beautiful divine order.

• The Father initiates.

• The Son obeys and accomplishes.

• The Spirit empowers and communicates.

They are united in will and purpose, but not fused into a metaphysical oneness that Scripture never articulates.

Simplicity Isn’t a Flaw. It’s the Genius.

Jesus praised the Father for hiding truth from the wise and revealing it to babes (Matt. 11:25).

Paul warned against so-called wisdom that corrupted the simplicity of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:19–25).

We’re not meant to ascend a theological Everest to know who God is.

We’re meant to listen to the Son, who said plainly:

“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” —John 7:16
“The Father is greater than I.” —John 14:28
“I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” —John 6:38

If Jesus were “co-equal and co-eternal,” these statements become problematic, or require mental gymnastics to explain away.

But if we let the Word speak as it is written, the picture becomes strikingly clear:

• God is the Father and the only true God (John 17:3)

• Jesus is the Son, begotten, sent, obedient, and exalted

• The Spirit is the breath and power of God, not a separate co-equal being, but God’s presence and activity in the world

This is the language of Scripture, not Greek philosophy.

It’s also the language of faith.

Because faith doesn’t mean believing in mystery for its own sake.

It means believing what God said.

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What About Mystery, Revelation, and Spiritual Experience?

I want to acknowledge that for many believers, the Trinity is more than a doctrine, it’s something they’ve felt.

Something they believe God revealed to them.

I don’t discount the sincerity of that experience.

But I would ask: is it possible that what you were shown was the glory of Jesus, the intimacy of the Spirit, and the majesty of the Father…

And your mind interpreted that experience through the man-made theological framework you were handed?

The truth is, Scripture never asks us to embrace a triune mystery. It asks us to embrace a revealed Son.

“God… has spoken to us by His Son… through whom also He made the world. He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” —Hebrews 1:1–3 (NASB95)

The mystery is not in a hidden metaphysics, it’s in the love and brutality of the cross.

The mystery is not in God’s composition, it’s in the depth of His love.

“Great is the mystery of godliness: He was revealed in the flesh…” —1 Timothy 3:16 (corrected rendering)

I don’t reject mystery.

But I reject confusion masquerading as mystery.

I reject man-made systems that obscure what Jesus made clear.

The Gospel doesn’t require you to comprehend the eternal inner workings of God.

It asks you to believe in the One whom He sent.

So I say again:

• I believe in God the Father, the only true God.

• I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten before all ages and exalted to God’s right hand.

• I believe in the Holy Spirit, the power and presence of God poured out upon His people.

And I extend fellowship to all who call on the name of the Lord in sincerity.

We don’t need to agree on every theological detail to share in Christ.

But I do not affirm the Trinity.

Because I believe the truth is not three-in-one.

The truth is what Jesus said:

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” —John 17:3 (NASB95)

Let the Word speak. Let the Son shine. Let the Father be glorified.

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Next: The Old Testament Witness

Some claim the Trinity is “hinted at” in the Hebrew Scriptures.

That it’s subtly foreshadowed, veiled in mystery until Christ unveiled the truth.

But when I searched the Old Testament with fresh eyes, when I was not looking for what I’d been told to find, but simply listening for what was actually there, I didn’t see veiled complexity.

I saw stunning simplicity.

From Genesis to Isaiah to Daniel, the pattern is unmistakable:

• One God: YHWH, the Father

• One coming Anointed One: the Messiah

• One powerful Spirit: poured out by God, moving at His command

Not once does the Old Testament present God as a three-in-one being.

Not once does it teach co-equality among multiple persons.

And not once does it blur the line between the Most High and the One He would send.

If the doctrine of the Trinity were truly central to the nature of God, it would be present in the foundation of our faith, the Scriptures Jesus and the apostles called “the Word of God.”

But it isn’t.

And next time, I’ll explain why I believe that the Trinity not only isn’t found in the Old Testament…

…it simply does not and will never fit.