The True Believers

DURING THE TIME of early Christianity, to be branded as among the believers in Christ was a social stigma which would incur the ire and disgust of the world and would invite persecution and derision from the general populace. Today, however, “Christendom” offers a totally different picture. No longer are people ashamed to be called believers in Christ, but countless of them now claim and openly profess to be among their number. In fact, this expression has become so hackneyed and trite, each and every one who professes to be Christian appropriates this to himself, knowing fully well that no less than salvation is guaranteed by the Savior to those who truly believe in Him. 

There are even those who go so far as to use the expression to refer to all those belonging to different religious organizations or churches that allegedly make up the body of Christ, which is the Church of Christ. This view, which is usually found among the Protestants, has relegated membership to any particular church or religious organization as unimportant, for it holds that as long as an individual professes faith in Christ, accepts Him as Lord and Savior, he is a true believer and member of the Church of Christ and can share in Christ’s promised salvation.

For them, therefore, the expression “believers in Christ” refers to all professing Christians worldwide regardless of religious affiliation. What, indeed, is the biblical truth concerning the true believers? Who are they and what distinguishing qualities do they have which separate them from the rest of the Christian-professing people? Let us ask first, how does one become a true believer in Christ? The words of Christ clarify:

            “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44, NKJV)

            To be a true believer or follower of Christ, one must first be drawn by the Father to Christ and unless he is drawn by God to Him, he can not be a true believer or disciple. Apostle Paul explains that God draws people to Christ by calling them to have fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ:

            “God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (I Cor. 1:9, TEV)

            Those whom God has called to have fellowship with, or union with, Christ “were called in one body” (Col. 3:15, NKJV), which is the Church headed by our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:18). How fellowship was forged between Christ and the true believers in the Church headed by Him is explained further by the Apostle Paul thus:

            “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” (Eph. 2:15, NKJV)

            With the creation of the one new man out of the two, referring to Christ as head and the Church as His body, fellowship and union was forged between Christ and those whom God has called. To have this fellowship with Christ and to be among the true believers, one must be “baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13), which is the Church headed by Christ or the Church of Christ. Members of the Church of Christ are the true believers in Christ, for they are the ones drawn by the Father to Christ and have fellowship with Him.

Many parts, one body

There is simply no truth to the allegation that all professing Christians, regardless of the church with which they are affiliated, are true believers and disciples of Christ. Neither is there truth to the allegation that the Church of Christ is composed of all the religious organizations or churches worldwide professing to be Christian. Apostle Paul dispels such allegations in pointing out that “Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts” (I Cor. 12:12, TEV).

            It is the parts and not the body or Church which are many—Apostle Paul explicitly says that though it is made up of different parts, it is still “a single body, … it is still one body.” And these different parts are the individual members of that one religious body or Church of Christ as he clarifies further thus:

            “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Rom. 12:4-8, NKJV)

            The individual members who make up the one body of Christ or true Church of Christ are the ones who are many and not the churches or religious organizations that allegedly composed the Church of Christ. These individual members are endowed with different gifts or duties to perform in the only one religious body or Church. This one body or Church is characterized by its unity in everything which could not possibly be found in the aggrupation of various religious organizations with different and even conflicting teachings, practices, and administrations. The Apostle Paul points this out thus:

            “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:4-6, Ibid.)

            In the one body or true Church, the members share one hope of their calling; recognize one Lord, Jesus Christ, whom God made as their Lord (Acts 2:36); serve and worship one God who is the Father; and have a uniform set of teachings and doctrines as they share one faith and one baptism. And “God composed the body,” in such a way so “that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.” (I Cor. 12:24, 25, NKJV). This could not be possibly said of the various religious organizations professing to be Christians for they espouse varied and differing teachings, beliefs and practices, belying the claim that they compose the one body of Christ or the Church of Christ.

Factionalism and Denominationalism

Adherents of the Protestant faith claim that they are true believers in Christ and that they belong to Him. Although they do not subscribe to the importance of church membership as requisites to the attainment of salvation, surprisingly they are themselves affiliated with different Protestant churches. In fact, as early as the mid-80’s, it was reported by a Protestant writer that there were already “20,800 denominations in the world, supplemented by more than 15,000 distinct parachurch agencies” (Moody Monthly, Sept. 1984, p.28). The same writer observed that this “division within the Church arose from unfaithfulness to Christ … has marred the body of Christ,” stating further that “today’s churches bear little resemblance to the first-century model” (Ibid.). Indeed, the writer couldn’t have put it better, for the true Church of Christ, of which the true believers are members, is not characterized by divisions and factions. The apostle James emphasized to the true believers in the first century:

            “But if you have bitter envying among you or strife in your hearts, do not boast and do not lie against the truth. This wisdom does not come from above, but it is earthly, sensual, devilish. For wherever envy and strife are, there is confusion and every sort of evil.” (James 3:14-16, Lamsa Translation)

            Clearly, division or strife, which is so characteristic of the Protestant faith, does not belong to God and to Christ. The Protestant churches, with all these divisions and denominations in their midst, are a far cry from the first-century Church of Christ. As such they are not the true believers and they could not have made up the body of Christ or the true Church of Christ.

The will of the Father

Why could not just people be true believers even if they serve Christ and recognize Him as their Lord and Savior, as we see many people are claiming to be doing nowadays and because of this, they think that they already belong to Christ and will attain salvation? The Lord Jesus explains the reason why when He testifies, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:21-23, NKJV)

            There is no doubt that the people being mentioned here by the Lord profess faith in Him and recognize Him as their Lord. They even have proofs of their vaunted faith in the Lord through the works of miracles that they have done in His name. Indeed, by their own standard, they could have easily passed themselves off as true believers in Christ and are entitled entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Sad to say, however, for Christ, they are not true believers, but false ones. In fact, instead of recognizing their efforts and even works of miracles in serving Him, Christ will reject them and will not save them. What is it that they didn’t do, which is why they will be rejected and not be saved? Christ makes it very specific that only those who do the will of His Father will gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and those who did not, their services to Him will be in vain. What is this will of the Father concerning all men that if it is not done, profession of faith and the services rendered to Christ and to God will be useless? Apostle Paul enlightens us thus:

            “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” (Eph. 1:9-10, New International Version)

            It is the will of the Father for all people to be brought together under one head who is Christ. How this is fulfilled, Apostle Paul further explains: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Eph. 1:22-23, Ibid.).

            The true believers in Christ have fulfilled the will of God, which is why they are members of Christ’s body—the Church headed by Christ or the organization called the Church of Christ. Indeed, the importance of membership in this Church could not be overemphasized. Those who refuse to become members of this one religious body could not be the true believers and will not be allowed entrance into the kingdom of heaven because they have not done the will of the Father in heaven.

They also follow Christ

Besides fulfilling the will of the Father, the true believers in Christ—the members of the Church of Christ—have also fulfilled or followed the words of Christ. The Lord Jesus emphasizes the importance of doing what He says to qualify as His true believers. The Bible relates this:

            “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’.” (John 8:31, Ibid.)

            The true disciples and believers in Christ obey His teachings. They do not merely believe or profess faith in Christ, call on His name, and recognize Him as their Lord. Those who do just that without following what He says are rebuked by the Lord: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46, Ibid.) And what has Christ said which all true believers ought to follow in order for them to be saved? The gospel according to John records:

            “So Jesus spoke again: In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold. … I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.” (John 10:7, 9, Revised English Bible)

            To be safe or saved, one should obey these words of our Lord Jesus Christ to come into the sheepfold and be among His sheep. The sheepfold or flock in which those who have obeyed this bidding are found is the Church of Christ as testified to by the Apostle Paul:

            “Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

            Hence, the true believers in Christ, His sheep, are in only one sheepfold or flock which is the Church of Christ. It is of this one religious organization that those have done the will of the Father and have obeyed Christ’s words are members. Those who are not in this flock have not followed Christ and are not among His sheep and therefore could not be true believers. Christ has this words for them to ponder on:

            “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:26-28, NKJV)

The True Believers

By Ruben D. Aromin

Published in God's Message

December 2006, p.9-11

Is the Trinity Doctrine biblical or man-made?

“IS THE DOCTRINE of the Trinity a man-made creed or is it truly a biblical doctrine?” E. Calvin Beisner, writer in theology, posed this question in the preface to his book, God in Three Persons. The answer to this question can readily be deduced from his admission that “the word ‘Trinity’ is not found in the Bible.” If this doctrine is not found in the Bible, obviously, it is man-made. However, the Trinitarians argue that although the concept of the Trinity was merely formulated by men, it is an accurate representation of the teaching of the New Testament (God in Three Persons, p.7).

            It behooves us then to examine the Trinity doctrine in the light of the Holy Scriptures. Is there really any teaching in the Bible that supports the concept of God having three distinct divine persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us that since the beginning, the people of God have believed in a solitary God with no hint whatsoever that He is divided into three distinct beings. Moses, the prophet of God, spoke to the Israelites and proclaimed:

            “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” (Dt. 6:4, New King James Version)

            In the Hebrew Bible which is also called The Old Testament, the Israelites recite twice daily the Shema in accordance with the rabbinic interpretation of Deuteronomy 6:7. The shema, Hebrew, “Hear [O Israel],” the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4, clearly reveals to us the strict monotheism upheld by the Israelites. There is no doubt in their minds that there is only one true God (Is. 46:9; Jer. 10:10).
            
Jesus our Lord, when asked by one of the scribes, “What is the greatest commandment in the law?” being an Israelite, replied by affirming the oneness of God:

            “… The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one’.” (Mk. 12:29, NKJV)

            With regard to the identity of the one true God, Christ didactically emphasized in His mediatory prayer that it is the Father alone who should be recognized as the only true God. John recorded this statement of our Lord Jesus Christ in 17:1,3:

            “… Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, … And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (Ibid.)

            However, in contrast to what was taught by Moses and Jesus Christ, Catholics and Protestants adhere to an ambiguous and confusing concept of God based on a creed ascribed to a certain Athanasius. Part of the so-called Athanasian creed reads:

            “And the Catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.” (McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia)

            The Trinity doctrine, considered as sacrosanct by its adherents, is crucial to Catholic and Protestant theologians in explaining their view of God from the basic Judeo-Christian perspective. Although these theologians do not subscribe to Judaism’s strict monotheism, they use the Old Testament in expounding their belief on the Trinity. This doctrine is so much ingrained into their theology. Consequently, voluminous writings were made in trying to explain the dogma. Books on systematic theology abound with critical analyses of the doctrine.

            However, is Trinity taught in the Holy Scriptures? Edmund J. Fortman, an author who discusses a historical study of the doctrine of the Trinity, says:

            “Catholic theologians today maintain that neither a trinity nor a plurality of divine persons is taught or revealed explicitly in the Old Testament.” (The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity, p.290)

            Explicitly or implicitly, there is nothing in the Bible that teaches God as a Trinity! Catholic authorities further admit:

            “The word ‘Trinity’ does not appear in the New Testament; and the meanings of the words ‘person’ and ‘nature’ in the precise senses in which these words are used to bear the message of God, had to be carefully refined to bear that message rightly.” (The Teaching of Christ: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, p.177)

            “The doctrine of the Trinity as commonly defined is not found in the Bible. For we assert that there are three persons in one God—a statement not found in Scripture.” (Full Christianity: A Catholic Response to Fundamental Questions, p. 25)

            If one were to ask a Trinitarian to explain the doctrine that there are three persons in one God, he would likely get this same answer:

            “This [the Trinity] is a mystery that no human mind can completely understand.” (A Catechism for Adults, p. 13)

            Could a person who is learned in the Scriptures, for instance a theologian, comprehend the Trinity doctrine?

            Fortman, a professor emeritus of historical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago who holds a Doctorate Degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, answers this question by saying that “… there is a general agreement among theologians that this dogma is a strict mystery …” (The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity, p. 289).

            Whether reason can be used to comprehend this so-called mysterious doctrine, Fortman confesses, “… that reason alone … cannot know it [the Trinity doctrine] … cannot positively demonstrate it …” (Ibid.).

            But if reason could not know this so-called mystery, then on what ground should one accept the Trinity doctrine? Trinitarian apologists would come to the defense and reason out that faith should be the basis in accepting it. As William J. Cogan reasons out:

            “Faith is accepting something on the word of another. God says that there are three Persons in the One God. If you accept that statement as being true because He said so, then you have faith.” (A Catechism for Adults, p. 13)

            By this very same argument, it is made more evident that only through a blind faith or fanaticism can one accept the Trinity doctrine. Never has God in the Holy Scriptures said that there are three persons in one God. The Bible clearly affirms that there is only one God. God Himself proclaimed:

            “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Is. 44:8, Revised Standard Version)

            “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.” (Is. 46:9 NKJV)

            These statements coming from God Himself nullify the so-called trinity of persons in one true God. There is no other God besides the one true God and there is none like Him. There is no mention in the Bible of the one God having a first, a second, and a third person.

            What is the confession of the Catholic Church regarding the Trinity doctrine which they firmly believe without reservation?

            “The most difficult part and the deepest mystery of the Christian confession of God still stands before us; the confession of the triune or Trinitarian God … The content of this ecumenical confession of the triune God can be stated most succinctly as one God in three persons. The confession does not say that one person equals three persons, or that one God equals three Gods, which is absurd … This confession of the triune God is a deep mystery that no created spirit can discover of itself or ever comprehend.” (The Church’s Confession of Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, pp.72-73)

            Catholics admit that the Trinity doctrine is the most difficult part and the deepest mystery of Catholic confession. Why is it so difficult for them to understand this doctrine? Because it defies reason. Indeed, how could the one true God be manifested in three different persons and still be one in number?

            Trinitarians will certainly not agree that to say that God is a Trinity, is the same as saying that there are three Gods. But simple logic leads one to no other conclusion than that the Trinitarians are really believing in three Gods. If it were true that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, then each of the three would be a distinct being. And they add up to three beings, each of which they consider God. It is illogical to count them as just one God since they are three distinct beings and not just one. This is so simple that one does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out!

            After over a thousand years of trying to figure out the Trinity doctrine, have the Catholics succeeded in coming up with a clear understanding of it? Martin J. Scott, a Catholic priest, answers:

            “The Trinity is a wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest saint, all are as mystified by it as the child of seven.” (God and Myself: An Inquiry into the True Religion, p. 118)

            Sadly, Catholics believe in a doctrine that they themselves and their mentors do not understand. What about the Protestants who simply inherited this doctrine from the Catholics? Have they arrived at a clear and comprehensible understanding of the Trinity doctrine? Wayne Grudem, a Protestant theologian who is a professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical School, Deerfield, Illinois and holds doctorate degrees from Harvard, Westminster Seminary and Cambridge, admits:

            “… With respect to the doctrine of the Trinity, we affirmed that God exists in three persons, and each is fully God, and there is one God. Although those statements are not contradictory, they are, nonetheless, difficult to understand in connection with each other, and although we can make some progress in understanding how they fit together, in this life, at least, we have to admit that there can be no final understanding on our part.” (Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p. 538)

            Why can there be no final understanding on their part as far as the Trinity doctrine is concerned? Here is a situation that is puzzling to our Trinitarian friends as described by Grudem:

            “What then do we say about the fact that ‘God cannot be tempted with evil’ (James 1:13)? It seems that this is one of a number of things that we must affirm to be true of Jesus’ divine nature but not of his human nature. His divine nature could not be tempted with evil, but his human nature could be tempted and was clearly tempted. How these two natures united in one person in facing temptations, Scripture does not clearly explain to us.” (Ibid., p. 539)

            The answer is plain and simple: Jesus is not God because it was Jesus, not God, who was tempted with evil. In fact, if they only believe what Jesus taught that the Father is the only true God, they would not fall into the error of believing that God is both God and man at the same time.

            If the Trinity doctrine cannot be understood by leading Catholic and Protestant theologians, how can it be understood by an average person on the street? If a person accepts a doctrine that even his religious leaders could not understand, he must be a blind follower. This is a case of a blind being led by a fellow blind (Mt. 15:14)! If only they were satisfied with the unequivocal teaching of the apostles concerning who the true God is, they would not become consenting victims to the incongruent doctrine of the Trinity.

            The apostles, true Christians and defenders of the truth about God, proclaimed:

            “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; …” (I Cor. 8:6, New International Version)

            The true Christians, like the apostles, are definitely not Trinitarians. They have learned the truth about God from Christ who taught them emphatically that the Father is the only true God (Jn. 17:1, 3). Ironically, the Trinitarians are defending an unbiblical doctrine. They say it is shrouded in mystery. But in the light of the Scriptures and sound reasoning, we have seen that the Trinity doctrine is absolutely not a wonderful mystery but an absurdity.




Is the Trinity Doctrine biblical or man-made?
By. Jose J. Ventilacion
Published in God’s Message
April 2004, p. 23