The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-17
man Christ Jesus, was the beginning

things created that are n ne2Ven ana
that are In earth, visible and invisible.
" all things were created by Him
and for Him, and He was before all
things and by Him all things consist
And He is the head of the church,
which is His body; He is the begin.
ming, the first born from the dead;
that in all things He might have the
pre-eminence. For it pleased the
Father (the invisible Cod that in Him
should all fitness dwell. (COl., l., 10
19.
Our Lord Himself pointed out 10 us
that it is the heavenly Fathers will
that we should honor the Son as we
honor the Father-also that we should
recognize Him as the Fathers repre-
sentative, through whom He is work
ing all things according to the counsel
Of His OWL will. The Apostle explains
to us that although u Lord occupied
the chief position next to the Father
before He came into the world TO be
our Redeemer, yet He now occupies a
still higher position. He tells MS that
He was obedient to the Father and
humbled Himself v unto death,
ever the death of the cross.
Although the reformers did valiant
service in dispelHng much of the gross
darkness and in lifting the true light
Of Gods Word, they evidently over
looked the fallacy called the Trinity.
But we have in the Bible the standard
authority by which the reformers were
guided, and it is our duty as well as
our privilege to hear what the Lord
God hath spoken upon this subject and
to conform our faith thereto. The
Scriptures do indeed teach, as we have
seen, that there is an Almighty One,
"The God and Father of u Lord
Jesus Christ" lRomans, Nv, g. They
do also teach that the only begotten
Son Of God, highly exalted by the
Father, is to be r%eYerenced even as we
reverence the Father; also that the
Scriptures do teach that there is q
Holy Spirit of God, which, proceeding
from the Father and from the Son, is
also to be the Spirit Of the sancdfed
church. !
But some one inquiries in astonish-
ment: Is not the doctrine Of the Trin-
ity particularly set. forth in the Bible2
we UuSWcI, INO. LFCl lAlA6 oo Wv
have shown is to the contrary; the
word Trinity, trinitarian, ETC., is not to
be found, even in u common version
of the Bible, which was made by those
who held this as the scriptural posi-
ton and who would have been glad to
thus translate any Hebrew or Greek
word If they had found any such word
capable of such translation.
The few of our day who would stand
up in defense of the unreasonable
proposition that we have three gods
equal in power and glory, and yet that
the three in some incOmprehensible
manner are one in person, would like
to use the one text Of Scripture which
has defended this absurdity for centu-
ries, but which all scholars now agree
with no part of the original writings,
but was added about the seventeenth
century, at the time when this doctrine
Of the Trinity, by persecution, had
forced itself into the place Of full con-
tr0i. :
The passage referred to is omitted in
the revised version of the Bible, al
though all the members of the cen!
mittee were professedly trinitarians in
their views. They were too conscien-
tious to give further publicity to that
which was recognized as q fraudulent
Interpolation intended to deceive and
to support the trinitarian view. The
words not in the original, added in the
seventh century not found in any,
Scriptures of earlier date than the sew
enth century-you should note in your
Testament by striking them out, name1
ly, beginning with the words, "in heav!
en-. the Father, the Word and the Holy,
Ghost, and these three are one. And
there are three that bear witness in
EARTH" If those fraudulent words be
stricken out the passage reads as it did
originally, with beautiful simplicity:
and clearness, There are three that
bear records, the Spirit, the water and
the blood, and these three agree in
one Testimony" !
The absurdity Of the passage as 1t
stands in the common version can be
seen at q glance. The Interpolation
would make the passage say that the
Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost
all three are one, and that they are
bearing record in heaven that Jesus is
the Son Of God. How unreasonable to
suppose that such q witnessing in
heaven should be necessary. Do not
the angels know that Jesus is the Soil
Of God? Why, then, the statement
that the Father, the Son and the Holy,
Ghost are witnessing in heaven that
Jesus is the Son Of GOd2 Every inter-
polation, and we are glad that they are
few, marks itself as an a%bsurdity, and
cannot be harmoniZed with the In
spired portions of the Word. This is a
further evidence to, US that the Scrip
lures as given by God are of divine ia
spiration, and that nothing should be
added to them nor taken from them.
Evidently, however, it is the duty Of
every child Of God to erase from his
Bible any portion, such as this one,
that may be found to be an addition,
not the words Of the inspired apostles. t
This passage would not suggest to
any reasonable mind that the Father
and the Son are one in'person were it
not that this false doctrine has be-
clouded judgment on the subject.
There are more ways of being one than
merely personally one. Our Lords
words elsewhere explain His meaning
here. Praying to the Father for His
followers He said, after praying for
His apostles, Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also who will be-
lieve on Me through their word, that
they all may be as Thou, Father,
art in Me and I in Thee, that they may
be one in u.s." John xvii, 20-21).
Here is the sense Of oneness between
the Father and the Son, oneness Of