Anti-Trinitarianism

Even many Arians believe in God, Jesus and the Holy spirit. Just demonstrating there are three beings is far from demonstrating a triune God of the nicene creed. Secondly the section of 1 John that is quote is a later addition. It is found in a handful of late manuscripts and in many of those manuscripts it is not found in the text its self but as a marginal note, demonstrating this was some note that eventually got incorporated into the text and hence not original. If you read the entire chapter you will also see that the chapter deals with whether or not a witness can be believed. In the same chapter we read If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. the verse that you allude to demonstrating the trinity-- even though it is spurious--- only goes to demonstrate and interpret the following verse (this interpretation of the next verse (1 John 5:8) was most likely a note added by the reader of the text) 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. this shows that they merely are one in AGREEMENT and not one in essence or being. What John is trying to say is that We have three who are bearing witness to the things that John has said and this should be believed because it meets the criterion laid forth in the Torah. One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. Deuteronomy 19:15 But this time John goes even further by saying if the witness of man is enough to establish a matter how much more the witness of God! If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. This again goes to show that this section is about witnesses being one and in agreement not on in essence! We can see this same phrase paralleled in Paul's writing: 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Would you now become an "apostolic Binitarian" believing Paul and Apollos to be the two persons of the Pauline "binity" because that is what you must be believe in order to be consistent. Or will you take the text in context and understand that Paul and Apollos are one in agreement and purpose as the text clearly states and as 1 John 5 is trying to demonstrate? I do agree that 1 John 5 is quite clear and hence my rejection of your interpretation and rejection of 1 John 5:7 is quite coherent! Matthew 28:18 is another verse that has been horribly abused and misused. Firstly this verses authenticity is in question due to the fact that this formula of baptism only appears in this verse and all other baptismal formulas in the entire New Testament are in the name of Jesus only. Baptism was in no way unique to christianity-- in fact the greeks practised baptism to demonstrate that one was following a new philosophy of a philosopher or teacher. This parallelism is broken in Matthew 28:19 where you are not baptised in the name of your teacher "Jesus" but in the name of the Holy Ghost and God! Its interesting to note that however that Hebrew Matthew reads: "Go and teach them to carry out all the things which I have commanded you forever." It is also interesting to note that I am unaware of any instance in which Eusebius quotes the current version of Matthew 28:19 but instead quotes "'Go ye and make disciples of all nations in my name, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I commanded you." or other quotes where he just demonstrates baptism is in Jesus name only! I am not aware of any instance of the 21 instances that i know of where he uses the threefold formula of baptism! The apostles seem to also have been unaware of the supposed command of Matthew 28:19! Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 8:16 "For as yet he [it] was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts 10:48 "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Acts 19:5 "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts 22:16 ". . . arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." 1Cor 6:11 "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Rom 6:3 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? " Gal 3:27 "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." So we must either say that the apostles did not heed the commands of Jesus that Eusebius must have had a corrupt version of scripture along with other evidences or we must come to the conclusion that the threefold formula is a corruption. Having said that however all that verse demonstrates is that there is but three beings it does not show these three beings to be in one in essence and co-eternal as the nicene formula would state