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Does I John 5:7-8 Support the Trinity Doctrine?

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

In the New King James Version, I John 5:7-8 states: For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. The Holy Bible teaches that the God Family currently consists of two fully divine Beings, God the Father and God the Son. However, in four popular translations—the King James, the New King James, the New Living Bible, and the Amplified Bible Classic—I John 5:7-8 appears to include additional verbiage not found in most other translations, which seems to introduce a third distinct Being, the Holy Spirit. This added language, italicized in the New King James Version, is not supported by the majority of ancient manuscripts. According to historical accounts, this troubling language was inserted by individuals in the ancient Church who believed the New Testament lacked direct support for their favored view, and it later appeared in late Greek manuscripts due to ecclesiastical pressure on Erasmus to include it in his 1522 Greek New Testament. Additionally, its presence in the Latin Bible likely stems from a scribe incorporating a marginal comment into the text. This deceptive addition to I John 5:7-8, a passage focused on proving the authenticity of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and identifying key characteristics of His true disciples, is seen as an attempt to overshadow a major precept of faith by introducing a false third Being into the God Family.

The Trinity and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Elohim is a plural noun designating more than one personality, correctly translated as "Gods" plural. The two clearly-revealed members of Elohim are the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son are separate, distinct personalities working in complete harmony and accord with each other. The Father is greater than the Son, and the Son always does what pleases the Father. They are not co-equal, and they are not co-mingled with each other.

Misconceptions and Malarkey About the Holy Spirit (Part Two)

'Ready Answer' by David F. Maas

The proponents of the Trinity employ a tactic of categorizing all non-Trinitarians as followers of Arius of Alexandria in AD 319, attempting to unify opposition under a single label. Critics like M.R. DeHaan and Walter Martin, along with the Catholic Encyclopedia, assert that establishing the divinity of the Son automatically implies a three-headed Trinity, a notion that is contested as invalid. The early Catholic Fathers, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Basil, Jerome, and Gregory of Nyssa, took pride in presenting the Trinity as a deep, unfathomable mystery, using high-level abstractions to maintain its obscurity. This approach granted them power over the uninitiated by positioning them as custodians of secret knowledge. The Vatican Council describes a mystery as a truth hidden by the veil of faith, suggesting that even when revealed, it remains as enigmatic as before, leaving individuals no more enlightened despite their quest for understanding.

The Trinity and the Holy Spirit (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The true understanding of Elohim dismantles the entire trinity argument. God is reproducing Himself; we are being prepared to become a part of Elohim.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's Spirit is the essence of His mind rather than a third person. With this Spirit, God opens our minds, dwells in us, and transfers His nature to us.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The architects of the trinity doctrine admit that it is a 'somewhat unsteady silhouette', requiring assumptions and inferences, but unsupportable by Scripture.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Being 'in Christ' does not refer to location, but instead our 'concern with' or 'involvement with' Him—and He with us.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We receive more of God's Spirit as we respond to His calling, drawing near to His presence and reversing Adam and Eve's fatal errors.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

There are varieties of spirit, motivating people to 'go with the flow' and conform to a sheep-like mob psychology. Satan's spirit encourages sinfulness.

Whither the Holy Spirit?

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In nearly every greeting in the epistles, the writer sends greetings from the Father and Jesus Christ. Why are there no greetings from the Holy Spirit?

What Does It Mean to 'Walk in the Spirit'?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

If fleshly things become more important, we are on a trajectory toward death. We must exercise control, drawing on the power of God's Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Theologians, misapplying grammatical gender and personification, falsely deduce a phantom third person, propped up by a spurious insertion (I John 5:7-8).

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ and God the Father are one in spirit and purpose, purposing to draw us toward that same kind of unity that currently exists between them.

God Is . . . What?

Booklet by John W. Ritenbaugh

What is God's nature? Is God one Being? Two? Three? Bible students have long searched for the answers to these questions. The truth is both simple and profound.

What Is the Holy Spirit?

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Even theologians admit that the Holy Spirit is a mystery to them. Yet the confusion comes from pagan thought patterns that have affected how Scripture is read.

Misconceptions and Malarkey About the Holy Spirit (Part One)

'Ready Answer' by David F. Maas

Most of Christianity believes in the Trinity, but a slim minority holds to a much older belief, one that hearkens back to the earliest Christians.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus referred to His Father as 'My God,' indicating that They do not share equality, preeminence, or superiority. They are equal in kind, but one is subordinate.

Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon without Becoming Assimilated (Part Five)

Sermon by David F. Maas

God is not a closed triangular Trinity, but a family consisting of God the Father and God the Son, and will include billions of resurrected, glorified saints.

The Nature of God: Elohim

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Understanding Elohim teaches us about the nature of God and where our lives are headed. Elohim refers to a plural family unit in the process of expanding.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Holy Spirit is never venerated as a separate being. Our hope is the indwelling of Christ, used interchangeably with 'Spirit of God' and 'Spirit of Truth.'

The Father-Son Relationship (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Father is the source of everything and the Son is the channel through which He carries out His purpose. Jesus declared that the Father is superior to Him.

God the Father in the Old Testament

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Hebrew Scriptures reveal the existence of the Father. Deuteronomy 6:4 refers to God as one, signifying unity of purpose and identical character.

The Holy Spirit

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

God's Holy Spirit typically refers to the mind of God and Christ, which is added to our human spirit to create a sound mind by which we witness of God.

Lying to the Holy Spirit

'Ready Answer' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The apostle Peter claims Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. Does his statement prove the Holy Spirit is a divine Person in a Trinity?

God the Father (Part 1)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Jesus reveals that the Father has always had supreme authority, and that He and His Father are absolutely at one in purpose. We must conform to their image.

Post-Historic Cave-Dwellers

'Prophecy Watch' by Charles Whitaker

The Sixth Seal of Revelation details the reaction of some people to the amazing heavenly signs they witness, giving us insight into what lies ahead.

Grieving the Holy Spirit

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Just as our human spirit can be grieved, God is grieved by willful sinful behavior—sullying, suppressing, or stifling the Spirit that identifies us as His.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Although Christ is not the Absolute Deity, He is nevertheless the complement of the Father. He had a pre-existence as the God of the Old Testament.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Christ Himself asserted the superiority of the Father. Jesus serves as the revelator of the great God, providing the only means of access to Him.

The Helper and the Angel of the Lord

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Christ frequently used 3rd person titles, such as the Son of Man and the Helper. Just as Christ sent the Helper—Himself—so Yahweh sent His Angel—Himself.

Image and Likeness of God (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus did not take on a different shape or form when He was transfigured. Taking on the image of the heavenly does not vaporize one into shapeless essence.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Father and Son are separate; the Father is the source of all power, while the Son serves as the channel through which we interface with the Father.

Announcing . . . Christ's Birth!

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The blending of paganism with inspired Scripture has degraded and obscured the meaning and glory of what happened in the announcement of Jesus Christ's birth.

The Holy Spirit: The Power of God

Sermon by Kim Myers

The Holy Spirit enables us to become offspring of God, giving us the ability to produce spiritual fruit, the very character, power, and mind of God.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The identical actions of the Lord and the Angel of the Lord show they are the same Being. The God known by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses was Jesus Christ.

Jesus on the Holy Spirit

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit's function to carry out God's work, including inspiring one to speak the words of God and to resist the power of Satan.