Ten Heresies Against the Trinity

[b]Ten Heresies Against the Trinity[/b]

Some good information to have. I apologize for all the tedious "isms", but sometimes we just have to eat those yucky vegetables to get the reinforcement our body needs.

May the Lord protect us from error.

[b]Tritheism[/b] says there are three gods. This is taught by several polytheistic religions who place their triad at the top of their pantheon, such as Hinduism (Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva) and Egyptianism (Osiris, Isis and Horus). But: Scripture says there is only one God.

[b]Unitarianism[/b] says there is only one God in one Person, namely the Father alone. It explicitly denies the Trinity and deity of Christ, and makes the Spirit an impersonal force. It is related to [b]Arianism[/b], which said that Jesus was the first and highest created being, who had a similar but not the same nature as the Father. Unitarianism is held to by Jehovah's Witnesses andother cults, the Unitarian Church, and many Liberals. But: The Bible teaches the full deity of the Son and the personality and deity of the Spirit.

[b]Subordinationism[/b] says that even in His deity, the Son is subordinate to the Father. Some even say that He is eternally subordinate to the Spirit, though others say the Spirit is subordinate to the Son. But: This heresy arises from a misunderstanding of Eternal Generation and Procession. All three are equally God. The Son is subordinate to the Father only in His humanity. There cannot be a lesser member of the Trinity any more than there can be a lesser infinity or eternity.

[b]Sabellianism[/b] says that the only difference between the three is that of roles: the same divine person wore the Father hat in the Old Testament, the Son hat for 33 years, and has worn the Spirit hat since Pentecost. This heresy is also known as [b]Modalism[/b], [b]Oneness[/b], [b]Jesus Only[/b], and [b]Monarchianism[/b]. It is called [b]Patripassionism[/b] when it teaches that the Father died on the Cross. This heresy is held by various extreme Pentecostals, such as the United Pentecostal Church and some of the Apostolic Pentecostals. It denies Eternal Generation and Procession, and says there is only one person in God. Yet it does not deny either the deity or personality of Jesus or the Spirit. But: We have already shown the differences between the three. Also, this heresy would utterly confuse Christ's Baptism, His prayers, the Transfiguration, the atonement, Pentecost, and many other events involving all three (see below).

[b]Christomonism[/b] is in some ways similar to Sabellianism, for it tends to place the Son at the apex of the Godhead, thereby virtually ignoring or subordinating the Father and the Spirit. Karl Barth bordered on a form of this. But: All three are equal in all respects.

[b]Eunomianism[/b] says that the Father created the Son, and the Son in turn created the Spirit. This is related to [b]Macedonianism[/b] (also known as [b]Pneumatichoism[/b]), which denies the deity and personality of the Spirit, but does not necessarily deny the deity of the Son. But: Jesus and the Spirit are both eternal and uncreated God.

[b]Mormonism[/b] says that the Father is Elohim and the Son is Jehovah, but neither are eternal. Both were once humans before becoming divine, thus setting the example whereby other men can become gods. But: This is a polytheism that borders on Hinduism. Jesus was eternally God and in time became the God-Man. The Father has never been a man, nor has the Spirit. Also, "Jehovah" and "Elohim" are virtually synonymous in Scripture (Deut. 6:4, etc.).

[b]Temporal Generationism[/b] rejects the doctrine of Eternal Generation and says that though Jesus is God, He is not "Son" except by virtue of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth. This view is perhaps the least dangerous of the errors regarding the Trinity, and has been held by various Evangelicals and Calvinists, such as Thomas Ridgeley. J. Oliver Buswell held to an odd view: he believed in Eternal Sonship but not Eternal Generation, even though orthodox theologians equate the two. But: Jesus was eternally begotten by the Father before He was begotten by means of the Father through Spirit in time in the Incarnation.

[b]Dualism[/b] says there are two gods ([b]Bitheism[/b]) or two equal but opposite forces in God (Zoroastrianism, Buddhist Yin-Yang, 'Star Wars' dual-sided Force, etc.). [b]Armstrongism[/b] teaches that the Father and Son are gods, but the Spirit is not. But: God is three-in- one, not two-in-one. Nor can we even think that Satan is God's equal opposite.

[b]Quadtheism[/b] or [b]Quadinity[/b] says that there are four gods or four persons in God. [b]Romanism[/b] borders on this by giving Mary attributes and roles that belong only to God. Some cults virtually deify their leaders, thereby inserting him or her into the Godhead (e.g., Jim Jones, Sun Myung Moon, etc.). But: God is three-in-one (Matt. 28:19), not four-in-one.

http://members.aol.com/rbiblech/MiscDoctrine/TheTrinity.htm

Brother Paul,

My head just spinned a few rounds here, totally far out, I have no idea there are so many more isms out there. Talk about the subtlety of satan.

Thanks for this info

In Christ

Talk about the subtlety of satan

Yes. A little tweak here, a little tweak there, and before you know it the truth of the Trinity is completely altered. For some reason, Satan really loves to pervert this doctrine. The Trinity and the doctrine of hell are the two biggies. Interesting in that once someone begins tampering with them, the holy unction and anointing in their ministry just vanishes.

These two perversions are usually the distinguishing factors in cults. Either the Trinity is disfigured, or hell no longer exists, or in almost all cases - both. In addtion, Jesus is either demoted to a place of subordination, totally undeified, or morphed back into the Father and becomes one "Jesus Only" God.

With Christ's deity nullified, His Blood and the Cross will mean nothing.

Doing away with hell, God might as well forgive satan and everybody, again, the Blood and the Cross will be superfluous.

A bible study group I participated in eventually fell apart when a couple of the professing Christians nullified hell by introducing something called 'annihilation'? Troublesome indeed.

The greatest opossitions of truth that were made in the history and today are against the head of all truth, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He was through the history and He is today for many "stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence".

What a precious Scripture is given to us, to warn us:

1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
1Pe 2:7 [b]Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,[/b]
1Pe 2:8 [b]And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word,[/b] being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

With Christ's deity nullified, His Blood and the Cross will mean nothing.

Bingo. That's the whole idea behind each perversion. To render the cross powerless. Satan is like a boa constrictor, strangling the lifeblood right out of the gospel. When he's done with it, you are left with nothing but an empty outer shell of religion. Like a hollow egg that has been punctured and sucked dry. This is precisely what happens when men begin tampering with the concept of the Trinity and altering the position of Christ. They end up embracing a hollow and defiled egg.

The spooky thing is God will [i]allow[/i] men to collect the dead eggs, fit them snugly into cartons of human logic, and then peddle them off to other blind men in the marketplace of life.

Was it because Christ was deity that His sacrifice was accepted or what it because He was lamb without blemish..no sin. If God had created another man like the first Adam..one without a sin nature but not divine would his sacrifice be accepted if he was without sin?

If indeed this was a question, let me try to answer it by, to the first part, the Deity of Christ is the only possible [i] power [/i]behind salvation, without It, blood shed from millions of sinless Adams would probably just pollute the earth. The other element this Deity brings forth, is the revelation of the utmost love of the Triune God in His sacrificing Himself, in all holy essence,really. By removing the Deity of Christ would nullify these elements.

Reading your other posts on the Trinity thread, you mentioned a couple of times how you'd want to attain harmony through the Bible. But Scripture Itself gives no such instruction, that is, we are to seek harmony from God's Word or to find every possible answer to satisfy the investigative curiosity of our intellect. For the finite man with the finite mind, attempting to acquire perfect understanding or harmony of the design and scheme of the Infinite God? How is it possible? We are simply told to believe IT, learn It, study It, obey It, trust It and live it.

May God continue to increase our understanding and learning by faith, while accepting those deeper things that are beyond such. Be they in or out of our intellectual harmony...till [i]that day..[/i]

sscott,

Briefly, it's really best to rightly divide Scriptures within contexts. The verses you quoted were taken the Lord Jesus's stance pre-ascension. While I was trying to say,was to bring out the Power that's reserved only in His Deity as part of the Triune God.

It's sort of fruitless to argue over these things, just as with another person on this forum, who claims that the Bible is not the Word, yet tries to debate with It in fragmentation. If you have trouble with the belief in Trinity (which I'm not sure), nothing or anyone who holds that belief can convince you otherwise,(except the Spirit Himself) and I won't even try.

I can however, bring out a few Scriptures that speak of the Power of Christ Jesus (pre/post ascension):

[color=0000CC]
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

John 17:2
As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.

Romans 1:4
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

1 Corinthians 1:24
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:14
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power.

2 Corinthians 13:4
For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high [/color]

Praise Him!
If there are mistakes, please forbear.

hey ps Paulie West, pleeease brother, don't misconstrue my Saturday ramblings, wasnt meant as an insult or refutation of your initial post....no no no. I just find "religion", so poisonous, so toxic, so fallen, it takes my breath away

Hey, Big Bart, you got me smiling! :-)

You know I love you in the Lord, and I do understand where you're coming from. I feel the same way about religion. Totally agree.

But do you think that listing these destructive heresies equates to being religious? Honestly, brother. How would you like it if a Jehovah's Witness came and brainwashed your son into believing that Jesus was not God, but merely an archangel and that the Trinity is nothing more than a three-headed pagan devil invented by the church of Rome? I mean, you don't know who is coming into these forums. Your precious son could be in here, right after being handed a Watchtower pamphlet or being solicited by a Mormon after school. Confused and unsure of the whole encounter, he comes in here and clicks on this thread. "Hey! [b]Arianism[/b] sounds a lot like what those creepy guys who knock on doors are telling me about Jesus. And here it says that it's a heresy! I better do some more research..."

Anyhow, you get the point. The only downfall is the "ism" man has attached to these Satanic perversions in order to categorize them - which I apologized for beforehand!

Big Bart, you know I love ya! and I hope you know me well enough from these forums to see that I would never post something frivolously, or without cause. I actually think this is a very healthy post!

Stay warm up there in Chi. I'm going deer hunting next week, btw. Wish you could come with me and fellowship! :-)

Little Paulie

"Pastor" Paulie, huh?

That's a new one. :-P

just recieved my brand new JC Penney hand meat grinder

Hey, those little hand-cranked meat grinders are pretty hard to find. Wal-Mart doesn't carry them, and neither does Target. You need to go to hardware stores in Texas...and only then, if you're fortunate enough to find one.

Last year I butchered my own and made about 20 pounds of jerky, but this year I think I'll relent and take the deer to a processor, and get lots of breakfast sausage instead. Of course, I can kill a total of five with my permit. Gotta love deer sausage, man! Maybe God will give me a turkey too while I'm out there. Stock up the freezer with all kinds of goodies this Christmas!

Little Paulie