Milo

Some critics of the Trinity doctrine claim that since the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible, it isn’t true. Furthermore, some assert that if God wanted us to believe in the Trinity He would have stated the doctrine clearly.

First of all, it is illogical to claim that since the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible that its concept is not taught therein. This kind of objection usually demonstrates a prejudice against the teaching of the Trinity. Instead, the person should look to God’s word to see if it is taught or not.

Second, there are many biblical concepts that people believe in that don’t have a specific word describing them used in the Bible. For example, the word “bible” is not found in the Bible, but we use it anyway to describe the Bible. Likewise, the words “omniscience,” which means “all knowing,” “omnipotence,” which means “all powerful,” and “omnipresence,” which means “present everywhere,” are words not found in the Bible either, but we use them to describe the attributes of God. We don’t have to see a specific word in the Bible in order for the concept it describes to be true.

Following are other words that the Bible does not use but the concepts are mentioned.

Atheism is the teaching that there is no God. “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

Divinity which means divine quality or godlike character. Yet, we speak of the godlike quality of the Lord God. See Psalm 139.

Incarnation which means the word (God) who became flesh. Yet, this is definitely taught in the Bible (John 1:1,14).

Monotheism is the teaching that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:8).

Rapture is the teaching that the Christians who are alive when Jesus returns will be caught up to meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-18).

So, to say that the Trinity isn’t true because the word isn’t in the Bible is an invalid argument. Furthermore, to say that if God wanted us to believe in the Trinity He would have clearly taught it in scripture, is also an invalid argument. Something does not have to be clearly formulated in the Bible to be valid. Not all things taught in the Bible are perfectly clear. Take a look at the book of Revelation. It contains many things that are cryptic that must be interpreted after examining all of the Bible. Even then, there are disagreements as to what some things mean. Yet, we know that the truths there are true whether or not we discover them.

Nevertheless, there are scriptures that demonstrate a Trinitarian aspect.

Matt. 28:18, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

2 Cor. 13:14, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Eph. 4:4-7, There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Jude 20-21, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

The Bible never speaks of a place where one can go to be purified of his sin. Rather, it always speaks of a Person to whom we can go to be purified: Jesus Christ. God tells us that those who refuse to trust Christ to cleanse them from their sins are condemned: Whoever believes in Him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of God’s only Son (John 3:18). There are only two choices: Whoever believes in the Son has life eternal. Whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure the wrath of God (John 3:36; See also Revelation 20:15; Luke 16:19-31, especially verse 26). Anyone who accepts Christ is completely saved: There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Saying that there is no condemnation, certainly eliminates the flames of purgatory.

Another passage which clearly excludes the idea of purgatory is, their sins and transgressions I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17). If, as the Bible says, God no longer remembers the sins of those who are in Christ, He does not punish them for these sins. To do so would be saying that Christ had not made full payment for them and that God the Father still remembered them. (See also Romans 5:8-11; Hebrews 10:14-18; Psalm 103:12).

Anyone who does not believe that Christ has completely saved him, has not completely trusted Christ to save him. That is, he does not believe that Christ’s sacrifice has paid for all of his sins, and thinks he must pay for some of them himself. However, we are saved when we stop trusting what we can do, and start trusting Christ to save us.

The idea that Christ’s sacrifice is not sufficient to cleanse us from all of our sins would condemn a great sinner such as the thief who was crucified with Jesus to suffer a long time in purgatory if not for all eternity in hell! Instead, there was nothing left over that Christ’s death on the Cross did not cover. When the thief placed his trust in Christ, Jesus said to him, I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

If purgatory existed, and the mass helped people to get out, the rich would have a tremendous advantage by being able to pay for masses to shorten their suffering. The poor instead, would be left to the mercy of the occasional priest who might say an unpaid mass for them. One ex-priest wrote, “If we really believed that the mass would save people from the flames of purgatory, would we make them pay for it? I would even save a dog if I saw one in a fire, and I would never even think of asking to be paid!”

Purgatory was evidently a pagan idea. Virgil, the pagan Latin poet who lived 70 – 19 B.C. divided the departed souls into three different places in his writings: One for the good, one for the dammed, and a third where the less bad could pay for their sins. Since the idea of purgatory existed outside of the church before it came into the church, it is probable that it was brought in by contact with pagans like Virgil. There was a great influx of non-Biblical ideas into the church around 300 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Constantine took many unsaved people in as members of the church.

In any event, there is no mention of purgatory in the Bible. Some would try, however, to make the idea sound somewhat Biblical by referring to 2 Maccabees 12:41-45, a passage in one of the apocryphal books written between the times of the Old and New Testaments. These books were never accepted as part of the Hebrew Old Testament, nor quoted in the New Testament, but they are included in the Catholic Bible, though usually with an explanation that they are of a less inspired category. Apart from this passage in 2 Maccabees, the apocrypha is little used by the Catholic church to support a doctrinal position.

It is important to notice that this passage does not speak of purgatory at all, but actually condemns idolatry, particularly the practice of wearing little images on a necklace or such. Hebrew soldiers were found wearing this sort of thing after a battle, and their buddies, on making this discovery, realized that they had died in the sin of idolatry. They then counselled prayer for their souls. The Roman Catholic position is that prayer for them would have been unnecessary if they were in heaven and useless if they were in hell, so there must be another place. The logic seems good, but the result contradicts the clear teaching of the inspired Scripture. Contradicting inspired Scripture with a philosophical response based on an apparent inference from the Apocrypha is a very weak argument indeed. The very word “Apocrypha,” which comes from the Greek word for hidden, has come to mean “false,” or “of doubtful authorship.”

Karma is a theological concept found in the Buddhist and Hindu religions. It is the idea that how one lives one’s life will determine the quality of life one will have when one is reincarnated. In other words, if one is unselfish, kind, and holy during their lifetime, one will be rewarded by being reincarnated (born again into a new earthly body) into a pleasant life. However, if one lives a life of selfishness and evil, one will be reincarnated into a less than pleasant lifestyle.

The entire concept of karma is based on the theological belief in reincarnation. It is sort of a “you reap what you sow” idea with the reaping to take place in your reincarnated life. The Bible does not agree with the idea of reincarnation, so therefore, it does not support the idea of karma.

In Hebrews 9:27 it states, “And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this (cometh) judgment.” This Bible verse makes clear two important points which, for Christians, negate the possibility of reincarnation and karma. First, it states that it is “appointed unto men once to die…” Meaning that humans are only born once and only die once. There is no endless cycle of life and death and rebirth that is promoted in the reincarnation theory. Second, it states that “after this (cometh) judgment…” Meaning that there is no second chance, like there is in reincarnation and karma, to live a better life. You get one shot at life and living it according to God’s plan, and that’s it.

The Bible talks a lot about reaping and sowing. In Job 4:8 it says, “Even as I have seen they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” And in Psalms 126:5 it says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” And in Luke 12:24 it says, “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?”

In each of these instances, as well as all the other references to reaping and sowing, the act of receiving the rewards of one’s actions (reaping) takes place in this life, not in some future life. It is a present-day activity and the references make it clear that the fruit one reaps will be commensurate with the actions one has performed. In addition, the actions or sowing one performs in this life will affect one’s reward or punishment in the afterlife.

This afterlife is not a rebirth or a reincarnation into another body here on earth. It is either eternal suffering in hell (Matthew 25:46), or eternal life in Heaven with Jesus, who died so that we might live eternally with Him. And it is this life that our actions of sowing should be oriented towards. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:8-9, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Finally, we must always remember that it was Jesus whose death on the cross resulted in the reaping of eternal life for us, and that it is faith in Jesus that will gain for us this eternal life. It says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Therefore, we see that the concept of reincarnation and karma is incompatible with what the Bible teaches about life, death, and the sowing and reaping of eternal life.

Answer: “I think,” a young man told me earnestly, “that Jesus’ teachings were good, but He was just an ordinary man. After He died, His followers invented the story about the Resurrection and started talking as if He were God. They meant well, of course, they were only trying to gain more support for their new religion. But if Jesus had known that they’d made a God out of Him, He would have been shocked.”

Many people like the idea of acknowledging Jesus as a great moral Teacher, but they don’t want to recognize Him as God. So they suggest that all His claims to deity in the Gospels were added by over-zealous followers after His death. This hypothesis may be convenient to those who wish to pick and choose among Christ’s teachings, but is it true? Is it even logical?

Even if we assume that the apostles managed to deceive the Jewish people about the resurrection of Christ (a quite impossible fraud), what did they have to gain by this deception? The hypothesis asserts that they “were only trying to gain more support for their new religion.” But what profit would the apostles receive from making a god of a dead rabbi and making disciples in his name? If personal gain was what the apostles had in mind, they failed miserably. In fact, their own teachings defeated them, for they urged people to follow Christ, and not themselves (Acts 14:13-15; 1 Cor. 1:12,13; 2 Cor. 4:5); they did not make any financial profit from their converts (Acts 20:33, 34; 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8); and for preaching Christ they received not fame and admiration but persecution, and torture, and death (Acts 4:2, 3; Acts 5:18, 40; Acts 7:54-8:2; 2 Cor. 6:4, 5; 2 Cor. 11:23-28).

No man will give up his life for a belief which he knows to be false. So why would the apostles be willing to suffer shame, imprisonment, beatings, and death in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ if they knew full well that Jesus was just a dead rabbi? Some suggest that the disciples’ eagerness to spread Christ’s teachings led them to make a god of Him and then nobly give up their lives to establish His credibility. But stripped of Jesus’ claims to deity and all the things He taught which depended upon His being the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), there is very little left of His teachings in the Gospels. All that remains are a few simple moral principles which the Old Testament (among others) had already established. Why would the disciples be so passionate about spreading teachings that were really nothing new?

Those who think that the deity of Christ is not essential to His teachings clearly know little or nothing about what He actually taught. Again and again Jesus insisted that He was the only way to God and that men must follow Him. His whole ministry was founded upon the idea that He was far more than just an ordinary rabbi, He was the Son of God. We may accept that claim or reject it, but we cannot pretend that Jesus was just an ordinary man with some misguided followers. Either He was who He claimed to be, and we ought to worship Him, or He was a liar and we ought to reject Him. There is no other option.

R. J. Bohner

Question: How can God allow nice people to go to hell and bad people to go to heaven?

Answer: We all know people whom we value, who seem like genuinely good, kind people. But the Bible makes it clear that even these people have sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standards.

“There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

God sees a person’s whole heart, sees all of their actions, and knows all of their words and thoughts. So God has a lot more information to use when judging someone. It is with this complete knowledge that God can judge us righteously. The Bible says that “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1Samuel 16:7).

So how does this affect the whole heaven and hell question? It puts everyone on an equal playing field. People we think are good are in the same position as people we think are bad, because, from God’s perspective, no one perfectly follows his commands. There is, in every one of us, that inner drive that says, “I don’t care. I’m going to do it anyway.”

In fact, the Bible says that “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). In big and small ways, all of us have forsaken God and gone away from Him.

The antidote is to return to God. The Bible calls this “repentance.” When a person truly turns back to God, there is no sin that is too big for God to forgive. God provided the means to forgive sin through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. And God offers His forgiveness and eternal life to anyone who will believe in Jesus. Heaven is a free gift offered to anyone who will ask for God’s forgiveness and ask Jesus to come into their life. Here is how the Bible describes someone who turns to God in this way: 

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world …All of us also lived …gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of [God’s] wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. …in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:1-9)

All through the Bible God makes it clear that we gain heaven, not by our “good works” or “good life,” but that God offers it to all as a gift. Rather than pretend that we are good people, He asks us to admit that we sin against Him.

We can focus on life after death, but what about our life right now? We can interact with God and be guided by Him right now, and experience the life He created us to have. There is no relationship on earth as fulfilling and important as knowing God. If you want that after death, you have to start it now.