The doctrine of the trinity
The WTS rejects the doctrine of the Trinity on rational grounds, claiming it is incomprehensible. But is it rational to demand that all of our knowledge be comprehensible before we believe it? Consider briefly if you fully comprehend the following: matter, energy, light, time, gravity, chemistry, life, biology, consciousness, language, personality, thinking, conscience, yourself, other people? In none of these topics does anyone claim to have full comprehension. If so much of creation is not fully comprehended by us, should we expect the source and cause of creation to be fully comprehensible? If we demand that our understanding of God must be limited to our ability to comprehend him, we will inevitably limit his nature, attributes and abilities. The apostle Paul said: “For we know in part … now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” It should not be surprising that the Bible reveals some things about God that we cannot fully understand.
The doctrine of the Trinity is based on 3 premises.
- The Bible states there is one God.
- The Bible states there are 3 persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- The Bible calls each of them God.
Trinitarians do not believe that there are 3 Gods in 1 God, but rather that the Godhead (the nature of God) consists of 3 persons or individuals similar to the Governing Body of the Watchtower, which consists of multiple persons who belong to 1 composite, yet unified body. The Watchtower has repeatedly used incorrect definitions of what Trinitarians believe when arguing against it. This is known as a “straw man” argument. A “straw man” argument misrepresents a point of view and then attacks the misrepresentation. That is not intellectually honest. If someone were to claim that JWs believe that God is made of green cheese and then try to argue that's not what the Bible teaches, you would dismiss such a person as not even worthy to discuss with. Yet, that is what the Watchtower Organization has done with Trinitarians. They don't even try to rebut the actual beliefs but make up something else and claim that is what they believe. Like Daniel Kahneman has said: “When faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.” If that happens deliberately, then its not being intellectually honest. Misrepresenting an opponent’s viewpoint only makes the one doing the misrepresentation look bad.
The WTS consistently describes the doctrine of the Trinity with all kinds of negative terms so JWs have an immediate emotional reaction to it and reject it. However, the WTS already uses and accepts a term that is very similar to the concept of “trinity,” although admittedly, not in connection with God. It has used the term “composite” more than 300 times that appears in more than 50 different phrases. They see the concept of “composite” in almost everything! These include: “composite group”, “composite body”, “composite sign”, “composite class”, “composite slave”, “composite servant”, “composite man”, “composite secretary”, “composite steward”, “composite bride”, “composite wife”, “composite watchman”, “composite man of lawlessness”, “a body of persons, a composite, unified group”, “a composite body of persons, an organization, a heavenly one”, “a composite identifying mark, or signal”, “a composite or national group”, “a composite person designated the antichrist”, “the antichrist is a composite entity made up of many individual antichrists”, “a composite person, not just one individual”, “composite Christian body”, “composite Christian congregation”, “composite anointed slave”, “composite army”, “composite beast”, “composite body of Christ”, “composite body of anointed Christians”, “composite body of believers”, “composite despot”, “composite government”, “composite great harlot”, “composite group of spirit-anointed followers of Christ”, “composite group of the clergy of Christendom”, “composite house manager”, “composite identifying mark, or signal”, “composite image”, “composite individual”, “composite message”, “composite number”, “composite or collective organization”, “composite picture”, “composite political body”, “composite political organization”, “composite political power”, “composite prophet”, “composite rebellious body of men”, “composite ruling body”, “composite seed”, “composite symbol of the harlot”, “composite wild beast”, and “composite woman”. Go ahead, and search for it!
They even use it once to describe a correct view of the Trinity: “Some persons who claim belief in the Bible teach that Jesus and his Father are equal parts of a composite deity” (Happiness—How to Find It 1980, p. 39). The only thing I would change with this quote is to use the word “members” rather than “parts” to reflect an emphasis on personhood.
It seems like the WTS loves the word and concept of “composite” even though none of these phrases are found in scripture. These phrases are arrived at by reasoning on concepts that are found in scripture and can be accurate alternate ways to express those concepts. The doctrine of the trinity is also based on reasoning from scripture. If you want to reject the word “trinity” you are free to do so, but consider the possibility that because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all referred to as “God”, you could very easily think of them as a “Composite Unity”. Or you could think of them as the “Governing Body” of the universe. Just as men and women share the same nature, the same essence, because both are fully human beings, so also the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the same divine nature or essence.
Both the doctrine of the Trinity as well as the doctrine that Jesus is Michael the archangel are based on reasoning from the scriptures. (Here’s an analysis of their article and methodology.) We can use the same method and the same categories that the Watchtower Society uses when trying to identify Jesus as Michael the archangel to compare how the scriptures talk about and refer to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We will compare the:
- Names or Titles
- Actions or Activity
- Attributes or Descriptions
of the persons involved.
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How the scriptures speak about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, a Composite Unity. (61 points of comparison found in about 573 different verses. Probably not exhaustive!) |
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| Point of Comparison | Father | Son | Holy Spirit | Michael the Archangel How many points of comparison are there with Christ? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God (Hebrew: אלהים = ʾĕlōhím; Greek: θεός = theos) |
Php 1:2 (many other references) | John 1:1,18; 20:28; Psa 45:6-7; Isa 7:14; 9:6; Jer 23:6; Mat 1:23; Acts 20:28; Php 2:6; Rom 9:5; Tit 2:13; Heb 1:8;
2Pe 1:1; 1Jo 5:20 (Acts 16:31,34) 16 verses More
Some textual variants: Rom 9:5; Col 2:2; John 17:3; Eph 5:5; 2Th 1:12; 1Ti 3:16; Jude 1:4 (7 verses) |
Acts 5:3-4 | ? |
| LORD of Hosts (Hebrew: יְהֹוָה צָבָא = Yahweh tsebha’oth) |
Isa 6:1-5 Isaiah saw LORD of Hosts (NWT: Jehovah of armies). If we would ask Isaiah “Who did you see”? He would say: “YHWH of armies”. | John 12:37-41 says that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory and spoke of Him! If we would ask John “Who did Isaiah see”? He said: “the Messiah, Jesus Christ”. | ? | |
| Mighty God (Hebrew: גִּבּוֹר אֵל = El Gabor) | Isa 10:21 | Isa 9:6 | ? | |
| Almighty God (Hebrew: שַׁדַּי אֵל = El Shaddai) |
If you accept that the Father is and always has been invisible to human eyes, then the roughly 48 appearances of YHWH in the OT were the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ, and in these appearances he identifies himself as the “Almighty God” and “YHWH”. Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3; Exo 6:3. How can that be? Well, Jesus himself told us that the Father had given him his name (John 17:11-12). | ? | ||
| YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה LXX: εγω ειμι = “ego eimi” = I AM) |
Gen 12:7; 17:1-22; 18:1-33; 19:13-29; 26:2,24; Exo 3:13-14; 4:5; 6:3; Deu 32:39; Isa 43:10 (many other references). The Father gave Jesus his name John 17:11-12 | Mat 3:3 (Isa 40:3) John 8:24,28,56-58; 13:19; 18:4-6;
Jesus said that Abraham had seen his day and the Pharisees said: "You're not even 50 years old and you've seen
Abraham?" When did Abraham see him? Gen 18:1
OT: Jer 23:6; Zec 2:8-12; 11:12-13 |
? | |
| OT quote used of YHWH is applied to Jesus and Holy Spirit | Isa 8:13-15 (1Pe 2:8; 3:15); Psa 34:8 (1Pe 2:3); Joel 2:32 (Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13); Isa 45:23
(Php 2:9-11); Jer 9:23 (1Co 1:31); Mal 1:7,12 (1Co 10:21); Exo 34:34 (2Co 3:14,16); Zec 14:3-5 (1Th 3:13); Isa 40:3
(Mark 1:3); Isa 6:1-10 (John 12:40,41); Zec 12:1,10 (Rev 1:7; John 19:34); Isa 44:6 (Rev 1:17); Mal 3:1 (Mat 3:3;
Luke 1:76); Psa 102:24-27 (Heb 1:10-12)
If the Father is invisible and has not and cannot be seen by anyone, who is the YHWH who appeared in the OT at least 48 times? Gen 12:7; 17:1-22; 18:1-33; 19:13-29; 26:2; 26:24; Exo 3:2-15; 4:5; 6:3; et al. Why could the NT writers apply the name of YHWH to Jesus? The answer is found in John 17:11-12 (see also Exo 23:20-23). |
Acts 28:25,26 (Isa 6:8-10) | ? | |
| Lord (Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי = “Adonai”; Greek: κύριος = “kurios”) | Jdg 6:15; 13:8; Psa 2:4; 16:2; 86:12 (many other references) | Mat 12:8; Acts 7:59,60; 10:36; 16:31; 20:21; Rom 1:7; 10:9,12; 1Co 1:7,8; 2:8; 12:3; Php 2:10,11 (many other references) | Acts 10:13-20 | ? |
| Alpha and Omega (Greek: Α-Ω = A-Z First and Last, beginning and the end) | Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev 1:8 | Rev 1:8,17,18; 2:8; 21:6-7; 22:12-16 | ? | |
| Creator (a rational attribute) | Gen 1:1-6; Jer 10:12-16; 32:17; Psa 33:6; 95:5,6; 102:25-27; 104:24; 107:25; 136:5; 146:5-6; 148:1-5; Ecc 12:1; Pro 3:19; Isa 37:16; 40:26,28; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12,18; 48:13; 51:13; 64:8; Jer 10:12; 27:5; 32:17; 51:15; Acts 14:15; 17:24,26; Rom 1:20; Eph 3:9; Heb 3:3-4; Rev 4:11 | John 1:3 John 1:10; 1Co 8:6; Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:2-3,10-12; (Psa 102:25-27); Rev 3:14 | Gen 1:2; Job 33:4; 26:13; Psa 33:6; 104:30; Luke 1:35 | ? |
| Savior | Isa 43:3,11; 45:15,21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8; Hos 13:4; Luke 1:47; 1Ti 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Tit 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jude 1:25 | Mat 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 1:29; 4:42; Php 3:20; 2Ti 1:10; Tit 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; Heb 5:9; 2Pe 1:1,11; 2:20; 3:18; 1Jo 4:14 | ? | |
| Redeemer | Isa 41:14; Isa 43:14; Isa 44:6,24; Isa 47:4; Isa 48:17; Isa 49:7,26; Isa 54:5,8; Isa 59:20; Isa 60:16; Isa 63:16; Jer 50:34 | Luke 1:68; 24:21; Acts 20:28; Gal 3:13; 4:5; Eph 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1Pe 1:18-20; Tit 2:14 | ? | |
| Judge | Gen 18:25; Psa 9:7,8; 50:4,6; 96:13; 98:9; Jer 17:10; Joel 3:12; Heb 12:23,24; 1Pe 1:17 | John 5:22; Mat 16:27; 25:31-46; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom 14:10-12; 1Co 4:5; 2Co 5:10; 2Th 1:7-10; 2Ti 4:1; Rev 2:23; 22:12-13,20 | John 16:7-11 | ? |
| King | Psa 10:16; 22:28; 24:7-10; 95:3; Dan 4:37; 5:21; Isa 43:15; 1Ti 1:17; Rev 15:3; 19:6 | Mat 2:2; 21:5; 27:11,29,37; Mark 15:2,26,32; Luke 19:38; 23:2,3; John 1:49; 12:13; 18:37; 19:14,15; 1Co 2:8; James 2:1 | ? | |
| King of kings, Lord of lords, God of gods | Deu 10:17; Dan 2:47; 1Ti 6:14-16 | Rev 17:14; 19:16 | ? | |
| Holy One | Job 6:10; Pro 9:10; Isa 5:16; 10:17; 43:15; Rev 16:5-7 | Psa 16:10; Acts 3:14 | ? | |
| Holy One of Israel/God | 2Ki 19:22; Psa 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; 106:16; Isa 1:4; 5:19,24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7 | Mark 1:24; Isa 41:14; 54:5 | ? | |
| Holy (a moral attribute) | Lev 11:44,45; 19:2 Jos 24:19; 1Sa 2:2; 6:20; Isa 6:3; 43:3; Rev 15:4 | Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; Acts 3:14; 4:27,30 | Luke 1:15; Rom 1:4 (96x Holy Spirit) | ? |
| Shepherd | Gen 49:24; Psa 23:1; 80:1; Isa 40:11; Eze 34:11-31 | John 10:11,14,16,26-28; Heb 13:20; 1Pe 2:25; 5:4 | ? | |
| Husband | Isa 54:5; Jer 31:32; Hos 2:16 | Mat 25:1; Mark 2:18,19; 2Co 11:2; Eph 5:25-32; Rev 21:2,9 | ? | |
| Master | Mal 1:6; Mat 6:24; Luke 16:13; Eph 6:9; Col 4:1 | Mat 23:8; 2Pe 2:1; Jude 1:4 | ? | |
| Light | 2Sa 22:29; Psa 27:1; Isa 42:6; 60:19,20 | John 1:4,9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; Rev 21:23; 22:5 | ? | |
| Truth | Psa 31:5; Isa 65:16; John 7:28; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18 | John 14:6; 1Jo 5:20; Rev 3:7; 19:11 | Acts 14:17; 1Jo 5:7 | ? |
| Counselor | Isa 9:6; 1Jo 2:1 | John 14:26 | ? | |
| Rock | Deu 32:3,4,15,18,30,31; 2Sa 22:2,3,47; 23:3; Psa 18:31; 89:26; 95:1; Isa 8:13-15 (cf. 1Pe 2:8) | Rom 9:33; 1Co 10:3,4; 1Pe 2:4-8 | ? | |
| Pre-existent | Gen 1:1 | John 1:1,15,30; 3:13,31,32; John 6:62; 16:28; 17:5 | ? | |
| Immutable | Psa 102:25-27; Isa 46:9,10; Mal 3:6; James 1:17 | Heb 1:8-12; 13:8 | ? | |
| Resurrects Christ | Acts 3:15,26; 17:31; Gal 1:1; 1Th 1:10 | John 2:19-21; 10:17 | Rom 8:11 | ? |
| Indwells | 2Co 6:16; John 14:23 | John 14:23; Col 1:27 | John 14:16,17 | ? |
| Eternal | Psa 90:2; 102:26,27; Hab 3:6 | Isa 9:6; Micah 5:1-2; John 1:3 (uncreated); John 8:58; 17:5; Rev 1:8,17 | Heb 9:14 | ? |
| Everywhere (Omnipresent) | 1Ki 8:27; Psa 139:7-12; Pro 15:3; Jer 23:24 | Mat 18:20; 28:20; Eph 3:17; 4:10 | Psa 139:7-10 | ? |
| All knowing (Omniscient) | 1Ki 8:39; 1Ch 18:9; Jer 17:9,10,16; Heb 4:13; 1Jo 3:20 | Mat 11:27; Luke 5:4-6; John 2:25; 16:30; 18:4; 21:17; Acts 1:24; Rev 2:23 | 1Co 2:10-11 | ? |
| All powerful (Omnipotent) | Isa 40:10-31; 45:5-13 | Mat 28:18; Mark 1:29-34; John 10:18; Jude 1:24; Heb 1:3 | ? | |
| Power | 1Pe 1:5 | 2Co 12:9 | Rom 15:19 | ? |
| Sanctifies (moral attribute) | 1Th 5:23 | Heb 2:11 | 1Pe 1:2 | ? |
| Life giver | Gen 2:7 | John 1:3; 5:21 | Job 33:4; Eze 37:14; John 6:63; Rom 8:11; 2Co 3:6 | ? |
| Eternal Life | Jhn 12:50; 17:2-3 | 1Jn 1:2; 5:11-13,20; John 3:15,16,36; 6:27,40,47,54,68; 10:28; Rom 5:21; 6:23; 8:2; 1Ti 1:16; Tit 1:2; 3:7; 1Jn 2:25; 4:9; Jude 1:21 | Gal 6:8 | ? |
| Raises the dead | Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; 1Ki 17:21-22 | Mat 9:18-26; Luke 7:14-15; 8:54-55; John 5:21; 11:25 | ? | |
| Fellowship (social attribute) | 1Jo 1:3; John 14:23 | 1Co 1:9 | 2Co 13:14 | ? |
| A Will (volition) | Luke 22:42 | Luke 22:42 | 1Co 12:11 | ? |
| Speaks (communication) | Mat 3:17 | Luke 5:20; 7:48 | Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:2 | Jude 1:9 |
| Love (emotion) | John 3:16 | Eph 5:25 | Rom 15:30 | ? |
| Searches the heart | Jer 11:20; 17:10 | Rev 2:23 | 1Co 2:10 | ? |
| Brought Israel out of Egypt | Isa 63:7-14 | Isa 63:7-14 | Isa 63:7-14 | ? |
| Inspiration of Scripture | 2Ti 3:16 | 2Pe 1:21 | ? | |
| Baptized in the name of | Mat 28:19 | Mat 28:19 | Mat 28:19 | ? |
| We belong to | Deu 4:20; 7:6; 14:2; 26:18-19; John 17:9; Eph 1:14 | John 17:6; Acts 20:28; Tit 2:14 | ? | |
| Our Righteousness | Isa 45:24 | Jer 23:5,6; Rom 3:21-22; 1Co 1:30 | ? | |
| Is worshipped | Mat 4:10; John 4:24; Rev 5:14; 7:11; 11:16 | Mat 2:2,8,11; 14:33; 28:9,17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; Php 2:10,11; Heb 1:6; Rev 5:12-14 | ? | |
| We serve | Mat 4:10 | Col 3:24 | ? | |
| All knees will bow to | Isa 45:23; Rom 14:11; Eph 3:14 | Php 2:10 | ? | |
| Believe in | John 14:1 | John 14:1 | ? | |
| Prayed to | Mat 6:9; Eph 3:14 | John 14:13-14; Acts 7:59-60; 1Co 1:1-2; 16:22; 2Co 12:8; 1Th 3:11-14; 2Th 2:16-17; Rev 5:8-13; 22:20; Heb 7:25; 1Ti 2:5-6; Eph 2:18; 5:20 | Eph 2:18; Jude 1:20 | ? |
| Gives joy | John 15:11 | Rom 14:7 | Acts 13:52; 1Th 1:6 | ? |
| Judges (a moral attribute) | John 8:50; Heb 10:30; 12:23; 13:4; James 4:11-12; 1Pe 1:17; Rev 14:7; 20:11; Rom 2:2-6; 3:6; 1Co 3:17; 2Th 1:8-9 | John 5:22,27,30; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2Co 5:10; 2Ti 4:1; Rom 2:16; 14:9-10 (all judgment has been given to the Son) | Michael did not dare pass judgment (Jude 1:9) |
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| Comfort (emotion) | 2Co 1:3 God of all comfort | Phil 2:1 | ? | |
| Justifies (a legal attribute) | Rom 3:30 | Isa 53:11; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:7 | 1Co 6:11 | ? |
| Our Righteousness | Jer 23:6; 1Co 1:30; Phil 1:11 | ? | ||
| Grace and peace from | Rev 1:4 | Rev 1:5 | Rev 1:4 | ? |
| Prophecy | Isa 43:9 | Rev 19:10 | 1Pe 1:11 | ? |
| Word abides forever | Psa 102:12,26; 119:89; Isa 40:8; Mat 5:18; Luke 16:17; 1Pe 1:23 | Mat 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33 | ? | |
| Giver of Life | Gen 2:7; Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; Psa 36:9 | John 5:21; 10:28; 11:25 | ? | |
| Speaker of Divine authority | “Thus says the LORD” hundreds of times | Mat 5:27,28,31-48; “You have heard it said… But I say to you” John 5:24; “Truly I say to you …”, |
? | |
| Use personal pronouns | Luke 22:42 (many other references) | Luke 22:42 (many other references) | John 16:7-8,13-15; Acts 10:20; 13:2; 28:25-27; Heb 3:7-11; 10:15-17 | ? |
| Discerns | Acts 15:28 (seemed good) | ? | ||
| rebukes | Jesus rebukes Satan Mat 4:10; 17:18; Mark 1:25-27; 9:25; Luke 4:35,41; 9:42 | Michael dares not rebuke but says “the Lord rebuke you” (Jude 1:9) |
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All of these verses above fit together like pieces of a puzzle to create a picture of a composite God. To try and rearrange them into a picture that claims that Jesus is actually Michael the archangel is futile.
Who is like God? Exo 8:10; 9:14; 15:11; 2Sa 7:22; 1Ki 8:23; 1Ch 17:20; Psa 86:8; Isa 40:18; 44:7; 46:5,9; Jer 10:6-7; Mic 7:18
Jesus is! Col 1:15; John 1:18; 14:9; 15:24; 2Co 4:4,6; Php 2:6; Heb 1:3
Jesus had the Father’s glory before the world was made (John 17:5) and the Father had given the Son his name (John 17:11-12).
The world to come will not be subject to an angel. (Heb 2:5; 1Pe 3:22)
Could Jesus be a god? Another separate, independant god? Isaiah 43:10-11 (NWT 2013) “You are my
witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “Yes, my servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and have faith in me and understand
that I am the same One. Before me no God was formed, And after me there has been none. 11I—I
am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.”
Isaiah 44:6 (NWT 2013) This is what Jehovah says, The King of Israel and his Repurchaser, Jehovah of armies:
‘I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me.’
Isaiah 44:8 (NWT 2013) …Is there any God but me? No, there is no other Rock; I know of none.’”
Isaiah 37:16 (NWT 2013) “O Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, sitting enthroned above the cherubs, you alone are
the true God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
Isaiah 45:6 (NWT 2013) In order that people may know From the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none
besides me. I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.
Verses that mention all three (Father, Son, Holy Spirit): Mat 28:19 (“name” is singular); Mat 3:16-17; 1Co 12:3-6; 2Co 13:14; 1Pe 1:2; Eph 2:18; 4:4-6; Isa 48:16; Joh 14:26; Acts 2:38-39; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 1:35; Luke 3:22; Rom 8:9; 15:30; Heb 9:14; Tit 3:4-7; 2Th 2:13-14; Jude 1:20-21.
A biblical illustration of the trinity using Adam and Eve
Source: Jay Hess
If you understand Adam and Eve you can understand the Trinity. Man is a compound unity consisting of a male and a female that share the same nature. The word “man” can be used to refer to both an individual male and to the nature of people as being human. In the same way, the word “God” can be used to refer to both a person and to the divine nature of the person as God-ness (theologians also use the word “the Godhead” to refer to the nature of being “God”). It can be used both as an identifier (this person) and as a qualifier (this nature).
Note the use of the singular and the plural in the following:
Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
Genesis 5:1-2 (NASB) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made man in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man (nature) in the day when they were created.
Gen 2:24; Mark 10:6-8 (NASB) But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two , but one flesh. (1+1=1. This is Christ’s arithmetic, not pagan arithmetic!)
Genesis 3:22 (NASB) Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever —”
How are Adam and Eve one flesh? They shared the same nature, both being human, the woman was “bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh”, they are genetically the same, even though they had different roles and functions. Their unity is based on nature (or Ontology) and they were united in relationship. Internal to that relationship they were two persons, but externally (to others) they were one flesh. They also had a unity based on social relationship.
Let’s rewrite John 1:1 using the woman as an illustration: In the garden (beginning) was the woman, and the woman was with the man, and the woman was man. (Not “a man”, and not “the man”.) In this case we can easily see how the word “man” is used with different meanings. In the first instance it refers to the male companion she was with, in the second it refers to her human nature.
Another instance of composite unity is found in Isa 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen…”
Old Watchtower authors and the Trinity
J.H. Paton, an early colleague of C.T. Russell, wrote in that the Trinity is truth in Day Dawn (1890) and capitalizes the “Holy Spirit” throughout his book.
Newer Publications
In the WT Aug 15, 2012 p. 18 they make reference to Archbishop Agobard of Lyons in the 9th century, Peter of Bruys, Henry of Lausanne, and Valdès (or, Waldo) in the 12th century, John Wycliffe and William Tyndale suggesting them as being “genuine annointed Christians” even though they were firm trinitarians.
Famous Trinitarians and Bible Translators
| Name | Orthodox Trinitarian Beliefs |
Mentioned by WTBTS |
Risk/Contribution | Fate |
| William Tyndale | Yes | articles: 1, 2, 3 | Translated Bible into English, martyred for heresy. | Burned at the stake |
| John Wycliffe | Yes | video, Index | Advocated for English Bible translation, posthumously condemned. | Body exhumed and burned |
| Thomas Cranmer | Yes | Index | Key in English Reformation, translated the Bible, martyred. | Burned at the stake |
| Hugh Latimer | Yes | Index | Preached Bible translation, martyred during Mary I's reign. | Burned at the stake |
| Nicholas Ridley | Yes | Supported English Bible translation, martyred. | Burned at the stake | |
| William Carey | Yes | Index | Translated Bible into Indian languages, missionary in India. | Lived out life, missionary |
| Samuel Ajayi Crowther | Yes | Translated Bible into Yoruba, missionary in West Africa. | Lived out life, missionary | |
| Martin Luther | Yes | Index | Translated Bible into German, sparked the Protestant Reformation, excommunicated. | Lived out life, excommunicated |
| John Hus | Yes | Index | Criticized Church corruption, advocated for Bible access in the vernacular, martyred. | Burned at the stake |
| List of Reformers | Index, list 2 |
Possible objections answered
- Only the Father is called “Almighty God”; Jesus is only called “Mighty God”, never “Almighty God”.
There are 3 answers to this observation.
- The WTBTS focuses only on 1 word in this phrase, namely “almighty.” For Watchtower doctrine the actual problematic word in this phrase is that Jesus is called “God” in John 1:1 and elsewhere.
- In the argument that the WTBTS uses here they seem to create a principle that says in order for Jesus to qualify as being God (or divine), both persons would need to share all of the titles and descriptions equally. If one is missing then it is a disqualifying criteria. Is this really a principle or merely special pleading? This principle is found nowhere in scripture but is used repeatedly by JWs. So let’s test it. If its a valid principle then we should be able to apply it to other situations as well. How many titles and descriptions are shared by Jesus and Michael the archangel? Does Michael share all of the same titles as Christ? Do they share actually any? By some counts more than 100 names and titles have been used in the Bible for Jesus. Why such a selective application of an argument? Why demand something of your opponents that your own position fails so miserably?
- If you accept that the OT theophanies (appearances of God) were actually appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ who is called “the angel of the LORD,” “YHWH,” and “God,” then one of the titles used by this person includes the title “Almighty God” (El-Shaddai). See: Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3; Exo 6:3. Ergo, Jesus is called “Almighty God”.
John 17:3 states that we need to know the “only true God” for salvation; therefore Jesus cannot and is not called the true God.
- Jude 1:4 also talks about “to our only owner and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Does this mean that it excludes the Father?
- 1 John 5:20 states the “everlasting life” is connected with “the true God”. In the rest of John’s epistle this is always connected with Jesus Christ. Thus the “the true God” is Jesus Christ.
