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"And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Revelation 14:6, 7
Review the points focused on in Study 1 (read them if you do not remember)
God will only be pleased with worship when it is done in the way He asked
There is one God, the Father. Jesus is the Son of God - He is not God
The whole universe worships only the Father and the Son (not the Holy Spirit nor the trinity)
God is seeking those who worship Him not only in spirit (sincerity), but also in truth (in the way He asked)
If we worship Him in the way the Bible teaches, He will accept our worship
Worship is not about what *we feel*, but about who God *really is*. The Bible establishes that worship and divine service belong exclusively to the Father (Exodus 20:3-5; Matthew 4:10). To worship in spirit and in truth, we need to understand the original biblical terms.
"To bow down, prostrate oneself"
A gesture of respect or submission. Used for God, kings and prophets. By itself, it does not define divine worship.
"Sacred service, worship"
Refers to religious worship and absolute sovereignty. It is appliedexclusively to the Fatherand never to Jesus.
"Sacred dialogue"
Prayer is part of worship and must be directedto the Father, in the name of Jesus(Matthew 6:9; John 16:23).
If you ask someone to bring you a glass of water and they bring you a bucket full of sand, are you satisfied? No. In the same way, God is not satisfied when we come before Him, in church, to worship Him, and we do not do it in the way He asked.
Men have become accustomed to offering what they think God will accept. But He explained clearly in His Word how He wants to be worshiped. We will learn this today.
The Bible clearly teaches that there isone God - the Father. He is the Creator of all things, the only one who deserves our supreme worship.
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him..."
I Corinthians 8:6
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."
Deuteronomy 6:4
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
I Timothy 2:5
Only the Father iseternal- He has always existed and will always exist, without beginning. Jesus was begotten by the Father before all things, but had a beginning.
Has no beginning or end, always existed
Knows all things, understands everything
Almighty, can do all things
Is present in all places
The essence of God is perfect love
Perfectly pure, without sin
Past and future eternity - exclusive attribute of the Father
Jesus is theSon of God, begotten by the Father before all things. He is not God, but the Son of the only true God.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
John 17:3
Jesus always referred to the Father as "my God" and "my Father". God has no God above Him.
The Bible says that Jesus was "sent" by the Father. God is not sent by anyone; He sends.
Jesus constantly prayed to the Father. God does not need to pray to Himself.
Jesus said He did not know the day of His second coming, only the Father knows (Mark 13:32).
Jesus is the beloved Son of God, the firstborn of all creation, through whom all things were made. He deserves honor, glory and praise along with the Father, but He is not God Himself (Revelation 5:11-13; Hebrews 1:6).
Functional difference:Jesus is theMediator(1 Timothy 2:5) and High Priest. The Mediator is the means by which we come to God, not the final recipient of the worship (*latreía*).
The Holy Spirit is theactive power of God, His strength, His influence. It is not a third person of the trinity, but rather the very presence and power of God at work.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."
Acts 2:17,18
Nowhere in the Bible do we find prayers or worship directed to the Holy Spirit.
The Bible speaks of the Spirit being "poured out", "filling" people - language of power, not person.
In Revelation 5:13, we see only the Father and the Son being worshiped in heaven, not the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said: "for it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you" (Matthew 10:20).
The Bible also teaches that the Holy Spirit is agiftthat God grants to those who obey Him.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:38
The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God working in the world and in the lives of believers. It is through His Spirit that God communicates with us, sanctifies us and empowers us. He is a precious gift that God gives to those who repent and are baptized.
The doctrine of the Trinity was first formalized at theCouncil of Nicaea (325 AD)and consolidated at theCouncil of Constantinople (381 AD), becoming one of the central dogmas of the Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations. TheNicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which officially established the trinitarian doctrine, declares: "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty... and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father... and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father; who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified" (Denzinger 150). However, the Bible does not teach this doctrine.
Historical Note:The Catholic historian Joseph F. Kelly confirms: "The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was the first ecumenical council... Emperor Constantine convened it to resolve the Arian controversy and establish the doctrine that Jesus was 'true God of true God'" (Kelly,The Origins of Christianity, p. 45). TheCatechism of the Catholic Church(1992) reaffirms: "The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life" (CCC 234).
What the Bible really says:
The doctrine of the Trinity was an attempt to reconcile Greek philosophical concepts with Christianity, but it finds no support in the original biblical text. The Bible clearly presents God as the Father, and Jesus Christ as His only-begotten Son, who came to reveal the Father (John 1:18; 17:3).
•One God - the Father:"But to us there is but one God, the Father" (I Corinthians 8:6)
•Jesus is the Son of God:"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3)
•Holy Spirit is power of God:"I will pour out of my Spirit" (Acts 2:17,18)
•Dual worship:"Unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Revelation 5:13)
| Topic | Trinity Doctrine | Biblical Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| How many gods? | One God in three persons | One God - the Father |
| Who is Jesus? | Jesus is God | Jesus is the Son of God |
| Holy Spirit | Third divine person | Power/Gift of God |
| Whom to worship? | Father, Son and Holy Spirit | Only the Father and the Son |
| Jesus-Father relationship | Co-equal and co-eternal | Jesus subject to the Father |
The word "trinity"does not appear a single time in the Bible. It was a concept developed by theologians centuries after the apostles.
Jesus and the apostles always taught worship of theFather and the Son- they never mentioned worshiping a "trinity" or the Holy Spirit as a person.
About worshiping the Creator
God as Creator
One God, the Father
Jesus praying to the only God
Jesus as the Son of God
Worship of the Father and the Son
Worship in spirit and in truth
Worship accepted by God
In all his letters, the apostle Paul always greets mentioning onlyGod the Father and Jesus Christ. He never mentions the Holy Spirit in the greetings, showing that he recognized only two persons worthy of worship.
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
"...from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
The Bible reveals that on the heavenly throne are seated onlyGod the Father and Jesus. The Holy Spirit is never mentioned as being on the throne, proving that it is not a person.
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
Revelation 3:21
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."
Revelation 22:1
"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him."
Revelation 22:3
Note that it always speaks of the"throne of God and of the Lamb"- it never mentions the Holy Spirit on the heavenly throne.
| Attribute | The Father | The Son |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Without beginning (Eternal) | Begotten by the Father (John 3:16) |
| Authority | Supreme and Original | Received from the Father (Matt. 28:18) |
| Knowledge | Absolute (Omniscient) | Limited by the Father (Mark 13:32) |
| Role in Creation | The Source of all | The Agent through whom all was made |
Not in the sense of absolute divine worship (*latreía*). Although translations use "worship" in Hebrews 1:6, the original term isproskynéō(homage/prostration to the messianic King). The exclusive sacred worship is for the Father, while the Son receives honor and glory as the Lamb and Mediator (Revelation 5:11-13; Philippians 2:11).
It is much more than a "force". It is the real, conscious and powerful presence of God the Father and of His Son Jesus Christ in us. He thinks, feels and guides, but not as an independent person; rather, as the means by which the Godhead dwells in our heart.
This verse mentions the three, but it does not say that the three are "one God". Just as we say "in the name of the law", baptism is done under the authority of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son and the sanctifying power of the Spirit. The presence of the three does not prove a Trinity of co-equals.
"Who is the Creator of all things?"
"God is the Creator of all things. How many gods are there? Who is God?"
"There is one God, the Father. Jesus Himself, when He prayed to the Father, declared that He is the only God."
Jesus explained that He is the Son of God (He is not God). Note how Jesus clearly distinguishes between Himself and the Father.
There are poorly translated texts in the Bible that lead people to have a confused understanding of this topic. But if we trust what Jesus Himself said, through the clearest texts, as we have just read, we cannot go wrong.
"The whole universe, with the exception of our planet, worships only the Father and the Son. There are many who, in their sincerity, worship 'Father, Son and holy spirit', or 'trinity'. But the Bible does not teach us to worship the holy spirit. Only the Father and the Son."
Only True God
Eternal, Omniscient, Omnipotent
Son of God
Not God, has a Father
Power of God
Not a person nor God
With sincerity
As He asked
Only to Father and Son
If you are worshiping a"trinity", you are worshiping a god thatdoes not exist.
The Bible does not teach about three equal persons forming one God. This concept was invented by men centuries after the apostles.
To worship something that does not exist in reality isIDOLATRIA.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..."
Exodus 20:3,4
Creating a "god" in our mind that is different from the true God of the Bible is making a false mental image - a form of idolatry.
God looks at thesincere heart. Many people worship the trinity out of ignorance, thinking they are doing right.
But now that you know the biblical truth, God expects you toworship as He taught- only the Father and the Son.
Do you want to worship God and His Son only, in the way He asked, so that your worship may be accepted by Him?
But important questions arise:How does God view churches that teach the trinity?What does the Bible call these religious organizations?
In the next study we will discover"Babylon"- what it represents, why it fell, and what God is calling His people to do.
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