The Trinity is Not a Bible Teaching

You're welcome, Pro.What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit? According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit is a person.The Holy Spirit loves ( Romans 15:30)The Holy Spirit speaks (Acts 13:2)The Holy Spirit knows God's thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:11).The Holy Spirit teaches (John 14:26)The Holy Spirit decides (1 Corinthians 12:11)Why does the Holy Spirit have these personal qualities?The reason is that the Holy Spirit has a "mind.""And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." ( Romans 8:27 KJV).If the Holy Spirit is an impersonal power (energy), then, why he...... can be blasphemed (Matthew 12:31).Blaspheme energy?... can be lied to (Acts 5:3).Lie to energy?... can be grieved ( Ephesians 4:30).Grieve energy?Jesus was aware that the Holy Spirit was equally a person with Him (another Paraclete). ~ John 14:16 (1 John 2:1)The Spirit of Jehovah is called the God of Israel in 2 Samuel 23:2-3The Holy Spirit is contrasted with evil spirits - Mark 3:22-23; Matthew 12:32; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 John 3:24-4. If "unholy or evil spirits" are persons, then the Holy Spirit is a person. Pro said: "the holy spirit is something which is distributed acording to the will of God."Response of Con:Yes. God gives the Spirit. The Son himself was given as well ( John 3:16).1 Corinthians 12:11 proves the personality of the Holy Spirit: But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11).The language of "filling" can be used to persons: "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:4"Be filled with the Spirit" Eph. 5:18"that He [Christ] might fill all things." Eph. 4:10that you may be filled with all the fullness of God Eph 3:19 Here is a quote from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia [1]:"Many other texts declare quite as clearly that the Holy Ghost is a Person, a Person distinct from the Father and the Son, and yet One God with Them. It is in His name, as in the name of the Father and of the Son, that baptism is to be given (Matthew 28:19)."SUMMARYThe Holy Spirit is not power (energy).The Holy Spirit is outright said to have a mind which energy does not (Romans 8:27).This is a clear biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person and not something that is personified.This is what the Bible REALLY teaches. The Firstborn Of Every Creature A human father had a beginning of existence.His human son had a beginning of existence as well.Why is this so? The reason is that the human father begat his human son.The human father begat his human son to have his nature.The father is fully human and his begotten son is fully human as well.An offspring inherits traits from the parent.This is what science calls “heredity.” God has no beginning of existence (Psalm 90:2). He always is ( Exodus 3:14).He begat his Son (Psalm 110:3 LXX, John 1:18).This means that he has a fellow who is con-substantial (of same nature) with Him ( John 10:28-30). He who begets is eternal that is why he who is begotten is eternal. Proverbs 8:22 (LXX) "The Lord created me as the first of his works, before his works of old." This text predated the New Testament writings; it says that God’s attribute of wisdom is created prior to the creation of all things. Logic dictates that God cannot be a God who is not wise prior to the existence of wisdom. Rather, wisdom must be an eternal attribute of an eternal God. How could wisdom precede the existence of all creation if it is said that it is "created"? The context of the text answers this. The context of Proverbs 8:22 is talking about what the Latin Church fathers call “creation ad intra” (produced from one’s being i.e. begetting) as opposed to “creation ex nihilo” (produced out from nothing). This means that there is not one meaning to create .Even in us humans, we know that to begat is to create albeit in the context of "heredity". One of the creation ad intra examples is “begetting” (to make someone have one’s nature).An example of this is a human father who begot a human offspring.A human person from a human person. This is the kind of creation that is being talked about in Proverbs 8:22.The immediate contexts show this: Proverbs 8 (Septuagint) Verse 22 The Lord created me (Greek: KTISIS) Verse 25 He begets me (Greek: GENNAO) One example of creation ex nihilo is the creation of the flora (plant life) on the third day ( Genesis 1:13).God created the "flora" (plant life) by his speech ex nihilo (Genesis 1:11-12;Hebrews 11:3).God caused flora that is non-existent to become existent. The Diaspora Jews knew very well the Wisdom Theology of the inspired Scriptures.In Sirach 24:9 [an inter-testamental writing), God’s wisdom is said to be “created before all ages.” This coheres with the apostolic teaching as found in the New Testament Scriptures: Colossians 1:15 (1599 Geneva Bible) He is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of every creature. This fits the context. The reason is that everything was created in, by and for the Son that is why he is called the first begotten prior to "all creation".The Son was not created ex nihilo! The Son is begotten from God!The Son is the "only begotten" from God ( John 1:18, 3:16). Jesus is a divine person (the Son) from a divine person (the Father).This is what the early church believed as well: "If … it occurs to you to inquire what is meant by the Son, I will state briefly that he is the first product of the Father, not as having been brought into existence, for from the beginning God, who is the eternal mind, had the Logos in himself, being from eternity instinct with Logos." Plea for the Christians ( A.D. 177) ~ Athenagoras And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, very God from very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; Nicene Creed ( A.D. 325)Here is a quote from C.S. Lewis [2]:We don't use the words begetting or begotten much in modern English, but everyone still knows what they mean. To beget is to become the father of: to create is to make. And the difference is this. When you beget, you beget something o the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds. But when you make, you make something of a different kind from yourself. A bird makes a nest, a beaver builds a dam, a man makes a wireless set – or he may make something more like himself than a wireless set: say, a statue. If he is clever enough carver he may make a statue which is very like man indeed. But, of course, it is not a ream man; it only looks like one. It cannot breathe or think. It is not alive.Now that is the first thing to get clear. What God begets is God; just as what man begets is man. What God creates is not God; just as what man makes is not man. That is why men are not Son's of God in the sense that Christ is. They may be like God in certain ways, but they are not things of the same kind. They are more like statues or pictures of God.” Ontological Equality and Functional SubordinationThe Bible teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have the same nature but not the same function. Nature is something that is inherently belongs to someone.In other words, it is the innate ability.Function is something someone does.In other words, it is the use of the innate ability.Example: Joseph is governor of Egypt while Pharaoh is the supreme leader of Egypt -- even Joseph is under his rule and authority ( functional subordination) even though both of them are equally 100% humans ( ontological equality).Jesus was aware that he was the same, identical and equal with God in terms of ontology (nature). ~ John 5:17-8, 10:28-30Jesus was also aware that he was subordinate to God in terms of authority (function). ~ 1 Corinthians 11:3; 15:16,27 ;John 14:28 In fact, there are lots of bible verses that shows that Jesus receives from the Father ( e.g. John 5:26, Matthew 28:19).The Holy Spirit is subordinate to Jesus. "He (the Holy Spirit)will glorify me (the Son)." ~ John 16:14On the Omnipotence of Christ The Bible is clear that Jesus is omnipotent ( having "all power").And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:21SUMMARYDid Jesus know a “biblical trinity”? Christ was aware that there exists a “biblical trinity.” Jesus himself said that baptism should be done:“in the name ofthe Fatherand of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit” ~ Matthew 28:19 Singular name and plurality of persons The Scripture is clear that the male and female have the same name:Genesis 5:2 MALE AND FEMALE created he them; and blessed them, and called THEIR NAME ADAM, in the day when they were created. Singular name and plurality of persons We should call the male and female who have the same name collectively as ‘two humans’ because their human nature (human genome) consists of parts but we shouldn’t call the three persons who have the same name collectively as ‘three gods’ because their one divine nature is spiritual (John 4:24) and hence, indivisible. References:[1] http://www.newadvent.org... [2] http://www.goodreads.com...