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“Arithmetic Problem”
Categories: JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, RELIGIONSI have a Jehovah's Witness co-worker who denies the Trinity. He says the word "Trinity" is not found in the New Testament. He claims nowhere does the Bible say God is one but in three persons. He also mentioned the church only developed the idea of the Trinity many centuries after the New Testament was written.My question is: where did the word "trinity" originate, who was the first to use it, and why was it accepted as an orthodox Christian belief even though it is not explicitly defined in the New Testament?
Sincerely,
Three Questions
Dear Three Questions,
Your Jehovah Witness co-worker is right about the word ‘Trinity’… but wrong on the nature of God. It is disingenuous to say that just because the word ‘Trinity’ isn’t found in the New Testament that the concept of a trinity Godhead isn’t biblical. The concept of the Trinity is that there are three distinct persons that are all equally deity. That principle is found throughout the Bible. Jhn 1:1 points out the deity of Christ. Gen 1:2 shows the eternal nature of the Holy Spirit, and Lk 3:21-22 shows all three Deity working independently of each other. The Scriptures also show that all three members of the Godhead are of equal authority (Matt 28:19). In short, the Trinity is expressly defined in the New Testament… that is where its origins lie.
