Response to challenges with understanding the Trinity (a response to anti-trinitarians)


Response to challenges with understanding the Trinity
(a response to anti-trinitarians)


hello to all,  i've been hearing a lot of commotion about trinity and anti-trinitarian ideas from many in facebook and in real life so here are the points that help me understand the idea:

1. God does not fit in any language or even in all the languages combined.  greek, hebrew, aramaic, english, tagalog and others cannot fully express God, because these are human languages.

2. God does not fit in mathematics.  God is not limited by humanly-known mathematics.

3. Humans have limited capabilities and understanding.  Nobody claims to know everything, therefore nobody can claim total knowledge of a subject.

4. The Bible gives us many clues about God, but it is written in human language, by human penmen.

5. Despite of all of these limitations, there is still no better source of literature about God than the Bible.

6. Debates are mostly definition disputes.  Words have many meanings or senses. the word "light" has at least two senses as an adjective, at least one as a noun, at least two as a verb, and many more depending on how many meanings or senses the dictionary collector got.  dictionaries are thought to be standardized or authoritative but they are actually just collections of words and meanings and sounds that have been written down by people who go around asking people about words and meanings.


Issues
Question: trinity is a catholic doctrine.
Answer: adventism is not an inverse of catholicism. our doctrines are understood from the Bible.  God would have let us know even if others religions didn't have it beforehand.

Question: if Jesus was the begotten Son, there must be a mother.
Answer: God is not limited by our experience / knowledge.  If it is not said in the Bible, better not imagine it.  we cannot put God in our box of understanding or box of known natural world phenomena.

Question: Trinity, Triune, Godhead, Persons, Spirits, Forces, Influence, or what?
Answer: which sense (which of the many meanings do you mean?)? which language (greek, hebrew, english, tagalog or what?)?  you will notice that some languages don't have equivalent of some idea from another language.  so blame the language.  language tries its best but it should not be treated a limit or enclosure to God, but attempts at describing God.

Question: explain One God
Answer: explain "Abide in me, and I in you" John 15:4. explain "crucified in Christ", "die daily",  etc...


Conclusive Suggestion:

Just believe the Bible (even if we can't understand it fully). specially on points where SOP affirms the understanding.  these include:
1) Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 14:7
2) SOP referring to Holy Spirit as "third person".


expanded references:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: Deu 6:4
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:19
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 2 Cor 13:14
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph 4:4-6
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 1 Pet 1:2
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Rev 14:7

"Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power." {DA 671.2}

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