Such new thinking as the Trinity would have required the most careful and
repeated explanation for men & women of the early Church, who had been steeped from birth in the belief that God was only one Person. It is undeniable that the idea of a sole, unique God was the most sacred tenet of Israel's national heritage. Their cardinal belief in one God could not have been quickly or easily dispelled.
In fact, belief in a trinitarian God would have been the most
revolutionary and explosive concept ever to have rocked the 1st-century Church. Yet....of that revolution the New Testament gives us
not one hint. Even so, there has been an on-going debate for 2,000 years. Now, wouldn't you say that
any doctrine which has caused such hostility among professed believers in Christ deserves careful analysis?
I wouldn't challenge anyone's sincerity, however, sincerity does not make a belief true. The power of
tradition is not to be underestimated. It is a valid thought that this new concept of God, as a trinity, emerged under the influence of Greek philosophy....which got stuck on top of the original faith that God is One.
Almost without exception, the N.T. means THE FATHER when it says "God." Maybe the Father is ignored today, but He wasn't in the days of the Apostles.
I don't get why people say that Jesus must be "either mad, bad or God." It is sufficient, and absolutely Biblical, to believe that he is the Messiah, the
Son of God.
What did Jesus mean when he said, as he addressed the Father: "This is eternal life, that they may know You,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent"? (John 17:3)
