There are many Christians who believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is a created being, and therefore the idea that God in His essence is One Being who eternally exists as three divine Persons, the doctrine of the Trinity, is not correct according to Scripture.
I was amazed to learn in some of my recent reading that the great hymn writer Isaac Watts was convinced in his final years that the doctrine of the Trinity was mistaken. That is strange, because among the books he wrote is a work on the subject of logic! He was unable to find anyone in his day that could answer his doubts or his questions about the doctrine of the Trinity.
The problem Isaac Watts experienced in his day is very much still with us today. He was unable to find a pastor or another well-studied Christian who knew the Bible well enough to answer his questions about Bible doctrine. I have personal friends who have experienced this problem. Their pastor was not able to answer the questions they had to their satisfaction, so they left their church to attend a religious group that is very mistaken in their understanding of Scripture. I have ‘met’ former pastors and other Christians on the Internet who left Christianity because when they had questions and doubts, they could not find any Christians who could answer those questions. They became atheists and agnostics instead. More Bible-believing Christians need to learn Bible doctrine and apologetics to become prepared to meet the needs of these hurting people.
There are a number of groups that claim to be Christian today that also deny the doctrine of the Trinity. I experienced the opportunity to have a member of the local Kingdom Hall visit me every Monday evening from 7 to 8, sometimes to 9 or later, to teach me more about the Bible. He came to my apartment in Detroit for about four years. I learned a lot about the doctrines taught by the Jehovah Witnesses during that time. I was not convinced by their reasoning.
Some mistaken religions:
(8) Deny the full, eternal deity of Jesus Christ as the Second Person of the triune Godhead, or Trinity, Pr 8:22 note.
Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Pro 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. (KJV)
Proverbs 8:22
The Lord. *Pro 3:19, Gen 4:1; Gen 25:10, *Jhn 1:1; *Jhn 1:2, *Col 1:17.
possessed. Heb. acquired. S# H7069. Rendered “possessed” at Psa 139:13; Pro 8:22; Jer 32:15. This verb occurs elsewhere in Proverbs in the following passages: Pro 1:5; *Pro 4:5; *Pro 4:7; Pro 15:32; Pro 16:16; Pro 17:16; Pro 18:15; Pro 19:8; Pro 20:14; Pro 22:23. It is frequently rendered by “get” or “buy” (Pro 4:5; Pro 4:7; Gen 4:1, Pro 23:23; Gen 47:19; Ruth 4:4; Ruth 4:8; Jer 32:7, 8; Jer 32:8; Jer 32:25).
The Syriac (compare Lamsa’s rendering: “The Lord created me as the first of his creations”) and LXX. (compare Charles Thomson’s rendering: “The Lord created me, the beginning of His ways, for His works” or the rendering in Bagster’s LXX.: “The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works”) render it “created.” This rendering is significant to the Arian controversy of the fourth century and since: is Wisdom a personification of Christ? and if so, is Christ then a created being? If Christ is a created being, then he could not be eternal, or God, as the second member of the Trinity. Since the Hebrew verb does not mean “create,” as an examination of its occurrences and renderings will show, this text does not furnish evidence to support the notion that Jesus Christ is, in his pre-incarnate nature, a created being.
me. Pro 8:30, +Mic 5:2, Luk 11:49, **Jhn 17:5, 1Co 1:24, *Heb 13:8, %*Rev 3:14.
beginning. Pro 1:7; Pro 3:9; Pro 4:7; Pro 17:14, Jhn 1:1; Jhn 17:5, Col 1:15, 16, 17; Col 2:9, Rev 3:14.
his way. %Psa 103:7.
before. +Mic 5:2 (+S# H6924). +Mat 13:35, Jhn 17:24, Eph 1:4, Col 1:17, 1Pe 1:20.
The doctrine of the deity of Christ is rather plainly taught in the New Testament. Consider the opening verses of the Gospel of Mark:
Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mar 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Mark is quoting directly from Isaiah 40:3-5.
Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Notice that Isaiah 40:3 speaks of preparing “the way of the LORD.” That is, preparing the way of Jehovah. Note the synonymous parallelism that follows: “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
The New Testament Gospel writers apply this prophecy to our Lord Jesus Christ, thus asserting the deity of Christ.
Chapter Two of the Gospel of Mark also asserts the deity of Christ in the words of Jesus Himself:
Mar 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
Mar 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mar 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mar 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Mar 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Mar 2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Mar 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Mar 2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
Mar 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Notice that the scribes sitting there who observed what Jesus claimed to do, namely, forgive sins, responded in their thinking (Mark 2:7), “who can forgive sins but God only?”
Jesus responded (Mark 2:9) by asking which is easier, to say “Thy sins be forgiven thee?” or to say, “Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?”
Then Jesus demonstrated that He, the Son of Man, has power on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) by directing the man sick of the palsy (paralytic) to “take up thy bed, and walk” (Mark 2:11). He did so before their very eyes (Mark 2:12).
There are many more evidences in the New Testament that demonstrate the deity of Christ.
Years ago I heard of some who were called “Jesus Only.” Apparently, they did not believe in the deity of Christ in the Bible sense that Jesus is and always has been a member of the Trinity.
I have also encountered some that are called “Oneness Only.” They base their view on a whole string of Bible texts that they think support their view:
Deut 4:35, Deut 6:4; Deut 32:39, 2Sa 7:22, 1Ch 17:20, Psa 83:18; Psa 86:10, Isa 9:6; Isa 37:16; Isa 41:4; Isa 42:8; Isa 43:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; *Isa 44:6; Isa 45:5, 6; Isa 45:18, 19, 20, 21, 22; Isa 46:5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Isa 48:11, 12; Isa 57:15, Mic 5:2, Zec 14:9, *Mal 2:10, Mat 1:23, *Mrk 12:29, Jhn 1:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; **Jhn 8:56, 57, 58, 59; Jhn 12:44, 45, 46; Jhn 14:6, 7; Jhn 17:11; Jhn 17:21; **Jhn 20:28, Act 2:36; Act 4:10, 11, 12; Act 10:34, 35, 36, *1Co 8:4, 5, 6, 2Co 5:18, 19, Eph 3:9; Eph 4:4, 5, 6, **Php 2:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, **Col 1:15, 16, 17, 18, 19; *Col 2:9; *Col 2:10, 1Ti 2:5; 1Ti 3:16, **Tit 2:13; **Tit 2:14, **Heb 1:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 13, 14, **Jas 2:19, 1Jn 3:16; 1Jn 5:7, Rev 1:7, 8; Rev 4:2; Rev 13:8; Rev 20:11, 12; Rev 22:13.
The problem with this approach is that presenting an extensive list of Scripture to support a view or doctrine is unsatisfactory when the list does not include the evidence which supports a contrary view. Correct doctrine must be supported by all the evidence in the Bible which bears upon the doctrine.
Lastly, I have read where some affirm that there is just one God who is Jesus. Jesus manifests Himself sometimes as the Father, sometimes as Himself, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. Such a view is flatly contradicted when all three Persons of the Trinity appear on the same scene at the same time simultaneously, as at the baptism of Jesus. Not to mention other scenes where Jesus and the Father are speaking to one another.
