THE FIVE BASIC DOCTRINES  Ac 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you
Ac 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
Compiled and written by Sandy Simpson, 1999 
Sources: Deception In The Church web page, Christian Apologetics & Research
Ministry (CARM), 
Biblical Studies Foundation (Bible.Org)  For instance, if you ask a young child who are the persons of God, he would be able to say Father, Son
All references NIV unless otherwise indicated.
INTRODUCTION
The five basic doctrines of the Christian faith are taken from a book called "The Fundamentals" edited
by R.A. Torrey with contributors such as H.A. Ironside and C.I. Scofield. In 1909, God led two Christian
laymen to set aside a large sum of money for issuing twelve volumes which would set forth the
fundamentals of the Christian faith. These were called The Fundamentals, and consisted of messages
written by well-known defenders of the faith from several different denominations. These twelve
volumes of The Fundamentals were mailed free to over 300,000 ministers, missionaries and other
Christian workers in different parts of the world. The response was far beyond any expectation. The
Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) through its publication, The King's Business printed additional
copies to meet the demand and finally combined the volumes into a four volume set which was also
widely circulated. It was written as a defense of the Christian faith against liberalism, but holds true
today in serving as a helpful aid in distinguishing heresy from truth.
There are five basic doctrines of the Christian Church. These doctrines put into simple language the
basic theology of our faith, taking into account the full teaching of the Word of God in context. Without
these five doctrines any individual cannot consider themselves to be a Bible believing, Christ centered,
Spirit baptized, Christian. Please understand that we believe that there are many, many Christians today
from varied backgrounds and denominations who fully believe and teach the five core doctrines of the
faith. These doctrines permeate their teaching at every level. We also recognize that there are many false
teachers today who call themselves "Christians" but deny one or more of these core doctrines by
teaching explicitly or implicitly against them.
Is the gospel then hopelessly confusing? Not so, for even children can believe because the Bible says:
Tit 1:6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are
not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 
Lu 18:16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and
Ro 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.
However, those that were addressed with this admonition had the true gospel preached to them, as it
certainly was in Acts:
A child can believe if the true gospel, which always includes correct teaching on the five basic doctrines
even at their most basic, has been presented to them.
and Holy Spirit if he had been taught that in his church. If you ask him whether Jesus was just a man or
just God he would likely answer that Jesus was both God and man, even though none of us can fully
understand that concept. If you asked him how we are saved, he would probably respond that we must
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. If you ask him if Jesus only came once, he would
probably say that Jesus is coming again. If you ask him why the Bible is so important, he would say that
the Bible is God's Word. So even a very young child who has been taught the basics of the gospel can
answer these fundemental questions correctly. But you would find that children of cults and false
churches do not answer these questions correctly.
However, even if children believe they can still choose to listen to false doctrine and become deceived,
as can older people. Those who are taught false doctrine, a false concept of Christ, the Godhead,
salvation, His second coming, and the authority of Scripture cannot be saved unless they believe the true
gospel:
Mt 15:9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' 
1Co 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you
have believed in vain. 
Ga 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of
Christ and are turning to a different gospel -- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people
are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an
angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally
condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other
than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
How many have "believed in vain" is only for God to know for sure, but we can know false teachers by
their false teachings if we compare them with the Word of God and the teachings of Christ who was
Himself the Word incarnate.
Can anyone, even a child be saved? Yes! 
Can they be led astray by false teaching? Yes.
2Co 11:3-4 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may
preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you
received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 
Lu 21:8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming,
`I am he,' and `The time is near.' Do not follow them. 
1Ti 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving
spirits and things taught by demons. 
Ro 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but
kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
We must continue in the grace of God not abandoning the true knowledge of Him to go after carnal lusts
and false teaching that people would rather hear than the truth.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear.
There are many Christian doctrines, but these five doctrines are primary. Any Christian or non Christian
who does not hold to these doctrines is not really a "Christian" at all because he does not understand and
has not believed in the full Gospel message, the law of Christ. If a person or movement or cult or
religion is teaching anything that goes against or undermines these five doctrines, true Christians are to
rebuke them (if they claim to be Christians) and, if they do not repent, are commanded by the Lord in
His Word to separate themselves from them. They are to be considered the same as anyone else who is
in need of repentance through hearing and believing the true gospel and by the conviction of the Holy
Spirit. They are not our brothers in Christ until they believe in the true Gospel which is wrapped up in
these five basic doctrines. This is a clear Scriptural mandate.
I am not some great theologian. The subject of the core doctrines is far beyond my small ability to
explain fully. But in a sense we are all called to be theologians.
Ac 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the
message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Deity and personality.
2 Tim. 4:3-5 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their
own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your
head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry.  3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge.
Ro 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Doctrine is being put down by many people today, by Christians and non Christians alike. They not only
put the idea of doctrine down but they twist the Scriptures to say what they want it to say to uphold their
own false beliefs. This is hypocritical.
2Pe 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain
some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the
other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
There are religions that do not even care about the Word of God. There are cults that pretend to care but
do not hold to even the basic things taught there. There are also those, such as talked about by Peter, who
distort the Word and pretend to be Christians but are really wolves in sheep's clothing.
Mt 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. 
Ac 20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
These wolves are here today and I will give them names and faces as we continue to study, proving from
God's Word that they are pretenders because they have denied one or more of the basic doctrines of
Christianity.
Doctrine is THE MOST important thing!
Doctrine is simply what you believe.
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W.
Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, 7.
If what you believe differs from what the Word of God says, you are in error in your doctrine. There is
no person alive today who does not hold to doctrines. They may pretend to be free of doctrine and just
"feeling" their way around the world, but they hold to doctrines just as tightly as you and I do. They just
don't realized how much they have been deceived by the enemy, by others, and by allowing themselves
to be deceived.
THE FIVE BASIC DOCTRINES
1. The Trinity: God is one "What" and three "Whos" with each "Who" possessing all the attributes of
2. The Person of Jesus Christ: Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
4. Salvation: It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
5. The Scripture: It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life.
The major religions of the world all deny all of these major doctrines. The cults deny one or more,
usually more than one and especially the dual nature of Christ. The wolves who pretend to be Christians
today involved in the Third Wave, New Wave, New Age counterfeit revival pretend to believe these
doctrines but don't let them fool you. By what they teach they also deny one or more of these doctrines,
and in fact I have more than one article that proves that many of them deny them ALL by what they
teach. These are the most slick and dangerous pretenders of all. I will show by the end of this study
which ones they go against, and that it is not just one of the five but ALL FIVE. I have already proven
that the men mentioned later are false teachers by quotes, recording transcripts and video and by
comparing them with Scripture just like the Bereans compared with Scripture everything Paul was
teaching them. These facts are readily available on our Deception In The Church web site at:
There are other doctrines that are also very important and a few I think ought to be added to this list, but
I am not a learned man and I leave that to others more wise than I. I would add, for instance, that a
Christian must believe that he was baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit when He believed and was
born again as it says in the Scriptures.
1Co 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or
free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  brought to life. This denies that Jesus Christ is with the Father in His resurrection body as well as going
Eph. 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is
a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the
praise of his glory.  (2) We are called to be discerning and judge right from wrong as Christians, unlike what many false
2 Cor. 2:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his
seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Those who teach that you need a second "baptism" or "anointing" that is transferable with human hands
are in grievous and dangerous error. But actually their false teaching on the person and work of the Holy
Spirit comes from a false teaching on the Trinity because many of them treat the Holy Spirit as an "it", a
substance rather than the third person of the Trinity. So because of that they say they can throw the Spirit
around the room, press Him into people's foreheads, etc. They deny by their actions and doctrine that the
Holy Spirit is God and is all powerful, sovereign, omnipresent, omniscient, unchangeable. So again we
come back to the basic doctrines of the Faith that we will be studying.
It is also important to note a few other things before we start.
(1) There are secondary doctrines, or minor issues, on which we as Christians can debate but we must
not separate over in terms of disfellowshipping or excommunicating, in the sense that we no longer
consider someone to be our brother in Christ. There are denominations for people of like mind who have
disagreed over secondary doctrines and find it more comfortable to be with those of like mind. That is
fine as long as it does not lead to walls being built against fellowship and to no debate on these issues,
which in some unfortunate cases it has. That is wrong. We are still one by virtue of the indwelling Holy
Spirit. We need to be very careful to "major on the majors and minor on the minors". That is why I am
doing this study, to give you the majors so you can compare teaching you hear with the major doctrines
of the faith.
Some secondary doctrines would be:
(a) Eschatology - what will happen in the end times and when the return of Christ will be, except where
it denies that Christ will return bodily to rule and judge.  Re 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not
(b) Bible versions - which one is a better translation. There are very bad translations out there that we
should not use, but there are also good ones and some disagree on them. But there are also some who
have made this a very big divisive issue in the Church. I do not agree with those who hold to a strict
elitist view of KJV-Only, for instance.  Scripture verse should be read in its context, if we are to properly understand the true meaning. In vs. 2-5
(c) Eternal Security versus Conditioal Security. Though this is a very important issue and I happen to
disagree with both extreme sides of the Calvinism versus Arminianism debate, it is still not an issue to
divide over, unless you begin to deny salvation by grace alone or clear teaching from Scripture on
other points. 
(d) Method of Water Baptism - immersion or sprinkling, which has the stronger picture in the Bible? 
(e) Method of the Lord's Supper some pass around small cups and bread, some have everyone drink
from one cup, some serve real wine, some serve grape juice or even other juice, some serve regular
bread and some serve unleavened bread. I can tell you what my preferences are because of the pictures I
see in the account of the Last Supper in the Bible, but to separate of this kind of issue would be
wrong. Unless you begin to say that Jesus is crucified again and His blood and flesh is actually
against Heb. 6:6 in crucifying Christ all over again. Over the Mass we separate with the false religion of
Catholicism.
teachers are teaching today. Let's do a short study to understand that we are to put teaching and prophesy
to the test today, just like in the time of the early Church, and back into the Old Testament.
A STUDY ON JUDGING
Read an excellent article on the subject of the words used in the Bible for "judge".
Paul to the Corinthians -
1Co 10:15 I speak to sensible people; JUDGE for yourselves what I say.
Paul on JUDGING people in the church who are sexually immoral, etc. -
1Co 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a
brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With
such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not
to JUDGE those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
John says we are to test, that also means judge, use our judgment - 
1Jo 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but TEST the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
If a person or even a whole movement is found to have a different spirit and false prophets, God pleads
with us to leave that movement or individual behind.
share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
One of the most misused verses in the Bible is, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7: 1). Every
of this same chapter it is evident that v. 1 is referring to hypocritical judgment. A brother who has a
beam in his own eye should not be judging the brother who may have a mote in his eye. The lesson is
plain, you cannot judge another for his sin if you are guilty of the same sin.
Those who cling to "Judge not, that ye be not judged, " to condemn those who expose error should read
the entire chapter. Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing... " (v.
15). How can we know false prophets unless we judge them by the Word of God? If we know the false
prophets, how can we fail to warn the sheep of these "ravening wolves?" All through the Bible we find
proof that they should be identified and exposed.
More verses for you to consider -
John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Another one --
A fornicator is described in I Cor. 5:1-13. Paul "judged" (v.3) the man even though he was absent, and
he told the Church at Corinth that they were to "judge" (v. 12) those that were within. The Greek word
for "judge" is the same here as in Matt. 7: 1. Paul did not violate "judge not, that ye be not judged, " in
judging the man, nor in instructing the Church to judge also. All of this judgment was according to the
Word of God.
Is it right to expose error in the church? YES!  "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves
We are to TRY them.
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false
prophets are gone out into the world" (I John 4: 1).
All doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to the Word of God. "To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Every
message, messenger, and method is to be judged according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus
was commended because they had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found
them liars " (Rev. 2:2). The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those that held "the
doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It is
never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be tried by the Word of God, and exposed. Of course
those who want to disobey the Word of God will seek by every means to avoid this teaching.
We are to MARK them and AVOID them.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them " (Rom. 16:17).
Those whose conduct and teaching contradicts the Word of God are to be marked and to be avoided.
This requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible. The Third Wave movement will resist
any effort to obey this Scripture. They cannot be marked and avoided, unless they are judged according
to the Word of God.
We are to REBUKE them.
"Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith " (Titus 1: 13).
This was written to Titus, because there were those going from house to house and subverting whole
houses with false doctrine (v. 10-16). Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller, Pat Robertson, John Kilpatrick,
Steve Hill, and others are subverting whole houses with their false doctrine today. Are we to sit silently
by, while they do this, without rebuking and admonishing people to avoid their teaching? No, the faithful
servant of the Lord is to be "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" (Titus 1:9).
We are to have NO FELLOWSHIP with them.
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them " (Eph. 5:11).
Reprove means to censure, condemn, find fault, rebuke, and to refute. How can we obey this Scripture
unless we try them by the Word of God?
We are to WITHDRAW from them.
from every brother that walketh DISORDERLY, and not after the tradition which ye received of us " (II
Thess. 3:6).
We are to withdraw from those whose doctrine and conduct does not conform to the Word of God. The
context clearly shows that obedience to sound doctrine is what Paul has in mind, for he says, "if any man
obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him, that he may be
ashamed. Yet, count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (II Thess. 3:14-15). Paul
admonished Timothy to "withdraw thyself " from those who "consent not to wholesome words ... and to
the doctrine which is according to godliness" (I Tim. 6:3-5).
We are to TURN AWAY from them.
Concerning the last days, he says that some will have "a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof. From such turn away" for such people are "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(11 Tim. 3:5,7).
How can we turn away from them if we do not identify them, and this requires that their message be
compared to the Word of God. It is the business of the true preacher to: "Preach the word; be instant in
season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine " (II Tim. 4:2). This is
usually an unpopular and thankless task but it is the duty of the God-called man. If a movement does not
preach the gospel, adding NOTHING, then that movement has no real power because "it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Rom. 1:16 The
displays of power in this movement are false signs and wonders. The real power of God is the power to
change lives. Angels rejoice when a sinner repents. There is no mention in Scripture about angels
rejoicing over signs and wonders. They know what a real miracle is.
We are NOT to RECEIVE them into our house.
"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid
him God speed For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds " (11 John 10, 11).
There is no doubt about who John is speaking about, it is " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in
the doctrine of Christ... " (v.9). By radio, TV, music and literature, false prophets are brought into the
homes of many Christians today. Even by e-mail. This should not be.
We are to REJECT HERETICS.
"A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject " (KJV) (Titus 3: 10).
We should reject those who teach a different atonement through Christ, as do Word-Faith prosperity
gospel teachers. If you doubt, read Hanegraaff's book "Christianity In Crisis" and read their statements.
There are many who deny this and other basic doctrines and tenets of the Christian faith from the Word
of God. If they will not respond to being admonished, then they are to be rejected.
We are to look out for those who preach another gospel. Paul warned about those who preached "another
Jesus ... another spirit ... or another gospel" (II Cor. 11:4). How can we know them unless we judge their
Jesus, their spirit, and their gospel by the Word of God? Paul called such preachers "false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ" (11 Cor. II: 13). He explains in v.
14-15 that these preachers are the ministers of Satan. The God-called man must be just as faithful today
in exposing the ministers of Satan.
Paul warned the Galatians about those who "pervert the gospel of Christ." He also said, "If any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (See Gal. 1:6-9).
Many televangelists and Third Wave leaders today are preaching a perverted gospel. Just read their
books, listen to their tapes, watch them on TV. They expose themselves for who they are because they
have departed from the authority of the Word. Those who teach salvation by baptism, or by works, or by
signs and wonders, are teaching a perverted gospel. Those who preach a salvation that you can lose, are
preaching a perverted gospel. The Third Wave movement is preaching a perverted gospel. Yet, we are
supposed to cooperate with them in evangelism and Christian work, according to many today. If we fail
to expose these false teachers and prophets, then we have betrayed Christ and His gospel.
We are to SEPARATE from them.
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no the unclean
thing; and I will receive you " (II Cor. 6:17).
This makes it plain. God's people are to come out of apostasy and religious error. How can any Bible
believer remain in the National Council or World Council of Churches? How can they remain in a
movement that is bringing demonic control into the churches of the world, splitting apart families,
bringing nightmares to children, bringing epilepsy and other abnormalities to otherwise healthy
individuals, bringing the teaching of the "second blessing" to a whole new low whereby every Christian
must now exhibit demonic manifestations to be considered holy?
Consider these things.
PART I - THE TRINITY
The Trinity, or the Triune nature of God, is a very hard thing to explain. I looked for illustrations and
could not find any that help us to really understand how God can be three persons in one. But I did find
one illustration that helps us to see how our understanding of God may be limited to the fact that we live
in space and time, whereas God is outside those limits and "the heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot
contain (Him)" as it says in I Kings 8:27.
Illustration (draw example):
C.S. Lewis likened our concept of Trinity to our concept of space. We live in three dimensions. In one
dimension there are only single lines. In two dimensions single lines can make a flat object (length and
width). Single lines of the first dimension have not been done away with but now are used in a much
more complex way to draw a square or rectangle. In three dimensions that same square can now become
a cube, like a sugar cube (length, width and depth). Nothing has been done away with but now is given
added meaning. The three dimensional world is what we live in and look how much depth and meaning
there is added to simple one dimensional things like a dot or line. When you go on to the next dimension
you do not leave behind the former things but add to them. They become more complex. We cannot fully
understand the next dimension of the spiritual, but we can understand the basic concepts. This is what it
is like to try to understand the Trinity. We know part of the picture, but we have no way to even imagine
the rest.
The Trinity: God is one "What" and three "Whos" with each "Who" possessing all the attributes
of Deity and personality.
"What" is: some object or thing that exists, may have intelligence, power, life, not a person God, Deity 
"Who" is: a person, a personality, a separate being, in God possessing all the attributes of both "What"
(Deity) and "Who" (Personality) Father, Son, Holy Spirit
The "What" and "Whos" make one "God".
Our finite minds cannot understand how the Triune nature of God can exist, but we can understand by
faith that the Word of God tells us that God is one "What" and three "Whos".
2Co 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.
It is vitally important that all teaching in the church affirm and teach the Trinity because so many
doctrines of the Church would not be true without this basic understanding.
The one "What" and three "Whos" that make up our Almighty God together and separately are
mentioned as having created the universe. This is one of the many proofs of the Trinity.
God ("What") created the universe: Gen. 1:1  2. NT: John 5:44; Rom. 3:30; 16:27; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2:5; James 2:19;
Father ("Who") created the universe: Mal. 2:10, Mt. 25:34  Jude 25
Son ("Who") created the universe: Col. 1:15-16, Heb. 1:2, Mt. 13:35  B. None like God (in His essence)
Spirit ("Who") created the universe: Ps. 104:30, Job 33:4, Jn. 6:63
There are many direct proof texts in the New Testament for the Trinty.
Ga. 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,
"Abba, Father."
Jesus commanded:
Mt. 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
1 John 5:7-9 For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in
agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of
God, which he has given about his Son.
King James Version adds:
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit;
and these three are one. (NKJ)
We also have this verse:  b. Being raised with glorified, immortal bodies like His: phil. 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:49
2 Cor. 13:14 [May] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, be with you all. (NAS)
A very important proof is when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist:
Matt. 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was
opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from
heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Even in the Old Testament we find proof of two persons of the Triune nature of God.
Prov. 30:4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of
his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and the name of His son? Tell me if you know!
STUDY ON THE TRINITY
I - There Is One God
A. One God: Explicit Statements
1. OT: Deut. 4:35; 39; 32:39; 2 Sam. 22:32; Isa. 37:20: 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:5; 14;21-22; 46:9 
1. Explicit statements: Ex. 8:10; 9:14; 15:11; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Kgs. 8:23; 1 Chr. 17:20; Psa. 86:8; Isa.
40:18, 25: 44:7; 46:5, 9; Jer. 10:6-7; Micah 7:18 
2. Being like God a Satanic lie: Gen. 3:5; Isa. 14:14; John 8:44 
3. Fallen man become "like God" only in that he took upon himself to know good and evil, not that he
acquired godhood: Gen. 3:22
C. Only one true God: 2 Chr. 15:3; Jer. 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 John 5:20-21
D. All other "gods" are therefore false gods (idols), not gods at all: Deut. 32:21; 1 Sam. 12:21; Psa. 96:5;
Isa. 37:19; 41:23-24, 29; Jer. 2:11; 5:7; 16:20; 1 Cor. 8:4; 10:19-20
E. Demons, not gods, are the power behind false worship: Deut. 32:16-17; Psa. 106:37; 1 Cor. 10:20;
Gal. 4:8
F. How men are meant to be "like God"
1. The image of God indicates that man is to represent God and share His moral character, not that man
can be metaphysically like God: Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1; 1 Cor. 11:7; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10 
2. The goals of being like Christ has the following aspects only: 
a. Sharing His moral character: 1 John 3:2; Rom. 8:29 
 
3. Becoming partakers of the divine nature refers again to moral nature ("having escaped the corruption
that is in the world by lust"), not metaphysical nature: 2 Pet. 1:4; see also Heb. 12:10; on the meaning of
"partakers," see 1 Cor. 10:18, 20; 2 Cor. 1:17; 1 Pet. 5:1
G. Are mighty or exalted men gods?
1. Scripture never says explicitly that men are gods 
2. Powerful, mighty men are explicitly said not to be gods: Ezek. 28:2, 9; Isa. 31:3; 2 Thess. 2:4 
3. Men and God are opposite, exclusive categories: Num. 23:19; Isa. 31:3; Ezek. 28:2; Hosea 11:9; Matt.
19:26; John 10:33; Acts 12:22; 1 Cor. 14:2 
4. Moses was "as God," not really a god: Ex. 4:16; 7:1 
5. Ezek. 32:21 speaks of warriors or soldiers as "mighty gods," but in context they are so regarded by
their pagan nations, not by God or Israel; cf. Ezek. 28:2, 9 
6. The elohim before whom accused stood in Exodus was God Himself, not judges, as many translations
incorrectly render: Ex. 22:8-9, 28; compare Deut. 19:17 
7 .The use of elohim in Psalm 82, probably in reference to wicked judges, as cited by Jesus in John
10:34-36, does not mean that men really can be gods.
a. It is Asaph, not the Lord, who calls the judges elohim in Psa. 82:1, 6. This is important, even though A. Texts where Jehovah is said to be elohim or el: Deut. 4:35, 39; Psa. 100:3; etc. Elohim is the plural
we agree that Psa. 82 is inspired.  form of "el" so even in the OT we see a picture of the Triune Godhead. 
b. Asaph's meaning is not "Although you are gods, you will die like men," but rather "I called you gods, B. Texts where the compound name "Jehovah God" (Yahweh Elohim) is used: Gen. 2:3; 9:26; 24:3; Ex.
but in fact you will all die like the men that you really are"  3:15-18; 4:4; 2 Sam. 7:22, 25; etc. 
c. The Psalmist was no more saying that wicked judges were truly gods than he was saying that they C. Only one Yahweh/Jehovah: Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29 
were truly "sons of the Most High" (v. 6b)  D. Conclusion: Jehovah is the only God, the only el/elohim
d. Thus, Psa. 82:1 calls the judges elohim in irony. They had quite likely taken their role in judgment (cf. III - God Is A Unique, Incomprehensible Being
point 5 above) to mean they were elohim, or gods, and Asaph's message is that these so-called gods were A. Only one God, thus unique: See I.A. 
mere men who would die under the judgment of the true elohim (vss. 1-2, 7-8)  B. None are even like God: see I.B 
e. Christ's use of this passage in John 10:34-36 does not negate the above interpretation of Psalm 82  C. God cannot be fully comprehended: 1 Cor. 8:2-3 
f. The words, "The Scripture cannot be broken," means "the Scripture cannot go without having some D. God can only be known insofar as the Son reveals Him: Matt. 11:25-27; John 1:18 
ultimate fulfillment" (cf. John 7:23; Matt. 5:17). Thus Jesus is saying that what the OT judges were E. Analogical language needed to describe God: Ezek. 1:26-28; Rev. 1:13-16 
called in irony, He is in reality; He does what they could not do, and is what they could never be (see the F. God is transcendent, entirely distinct from and different than the universe, as the carpenter is distinct
Adam-Christ contrasts in Rom. 5:12-21 and 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45 for a similar use of OT Scripture)  from the bench
g. The clause, "those against whom the word of God came" (John 10:35) shows that this "word" was a 1. Separate from the world: Isa. 40:22; Acts 17:24 
word of judgment against the so-called gods; which shows that they were false gods, not really gods at 2. Contrasted with the world: Psa. 102:25-27; 1 John 2:15-17 
all  3. Created the world: Gen. 1:1; Psa. 33:6; 102:25; Isa. 42:5; 44:24; John 1:3; Rom. 11:36; Heb. 1:2; 11:3
h. Finally, these wicked men were certainly not "godlike" or "divine" by nature, so that in any case the
use of elohim to refer to them must be seen as figurative, not literal IV - Is God One Person?
A. God is one God (cf. I above), one Yahweh, one Lord (cf. II above), one Spirit (John 4:24) 
8. Even if men were gods (which they are not), this would be irrelevant to Jesus, since He was God as a B. However, the Bible never says that God is "one person"
preexistent spirit before creation: John 1:1 1. Heb. 1:3 KJV speaks of God's "person," but the word used here, hupostasis, is translated "substance"
H. Are angels Gods? in Heb. 11:1 KJV; also in Heb. 1:3 "God" refers specifically to the Father 
1. Scripture never explicitly states that angels are gods  2. Gal. 3:20 speaks of God as one party in the covenant between God and man, not as one person 
2. Demonic spirits are not gods, 1 Cor. 10:20; Gal.4:8; thus, being "mighty spirits" does not make angels 3. Job 13:8 KJV speaks of God's "person," but ironically the Hebrew literally means "his faces"
gods  C. The use of singular and plural pronouns for God
3. Satan is therefore also a false god: 2 Cor. 4:4  1. Over 7000 times God speaks or is spoken of with singular pronouns (I, He, etc.); but this is proper
4. Psalm 8:5 does not teach that angels are gods because God is a single individual being; thus these singular forms do not disprove that God exists as
a. Psa. 8:5 is paraphrased in Heb. 2:7, not quoted literally (cf. Psa. 68:18 with Eph. 4:8). In Psa. 8:5, three "persons" as long as these persons are not separate beings 
elohim certainly means God, not angels, since Psa. 8:3-8 parallels Gen. 1:1, 8 16, 26-28. Note that the 2. At least four times in the OT God speaks of or to Himself using plural pronouns (Gen. 1:26; 3:22;
Psalmist is speaking of man's exalted place in creation, whereas Hebrews is speaking of the lower place 11:7; Isa. 6:8), and nontrinitarian interpretation cannot account for them
taken by Christ in becoming a man. Thus, Heb. 2:7 may not mean to equate angels with gods at all.  a. Plural reference to God and the angels possible in Isa. 6:8, but not in the Genesis texts; in 1:26 "our
b. Even if Heb. 2:7 does imply that angels are "gods," in the context of Hebrews 1-2 these angels would image" explained in 1:27, "in God's image"; in 3:22 "like one of us" refers back to 3:5, "like God" 
be those falsely exalted above Christ: Note Heb. 1:6 (which quotes Psa. 97:7, which definitely speaks of b. The "literary plural" (possibly, though never clearly, attested in Paul) is irrelevant to texts in which
"gods" in the sense of false gods); and cf. Col. 2:16 on the problem of the worship of angels God is speaking, not writing 
5. Elsewhere in the Psalms angels, if spoken of as gods (or as "sons of the gods"), are considered false c. The "plural of deliberation" is apparently unattested in biblical writings, and cannot explain Gen. 3:22
gods: Psa. 29:1; 86:8-10; 89:6-7; 95:3; 96:4-5; 97:7-9 (note that these false gods are called "angels" in ("like one of us") 
the Septuagint); 135:5; 136:2; 138:1; cf. Ex. 15:11; 18:11; Deut. 10:17; 1 Chr. 16:25; 2 Chr. 2:5  d. The "plural of amplitude" or of "fulness" (which probably does explain the use of the plural form
6. Even if the angels were gods (which the above shows they are not), that would be irrelevant to Jesus, elohim in the singular sense of "God") is irrelevant to the use of plural pronouns, and again cannot
since He is not an angelic being, but the Son who is worshipped by the angels as their Creator, Lord, and explain Gen. 3:22 
God: Heb. 1:1-13; Heb. 1:3-6 e. The "plural of majesty" possibly attested in 1 Kgs. 12:9; 2 Chron. 10:9; more likely Ezra 4:18; but
none of these are certain; and again, it cannot explain Gen. 3:22; also nothing in the context of the Gen.
I. Conclusion: If there is only one God, one true God, all other gods being false gods, neither men nor
Texts suggests that God is being presented as King
angels being gods, and none even like God by nature - all of which the Bible says repeatedly and
explicitly - then we must conclude that there is indeed only one God. D. The uniqueness of God (cf. III above) should prepare us for the possibility that the one divine Being
exists uniquely as a plurality of persons
II - This One God Is Known In The OT As "Jehovah/Yahweh" ("The Lord")
V - The Father Of Jesus Christ Is God
A. Explicit statements: John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; etc.  3. Heb. 1:10: Here God the Father addresses the Son as "Lord," in a quotation from Psa. 102:25 (cf.
B. The expression, "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ": 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3 102:24, where the person addressed is called "God"). Since here the Father addresses the Son as "Lord,"
this cannot be explained away as a text in which a creature addresses Christ as God/ Lord in a merely
VI - Jesus Christ Is God
representational sense 
A. Explicit statements
1. Isa. 9:6; note 10:21. Translations which render "mighty hero," are inconsistent in their rendering of 4. 1 Pet. 2:34: This verse is nearly an exact quotation of Psa. 34:8a, where "Lord" is Jehovah. From 1
Pet. 2:4-8 it is also clear that "the Lord" in v. 3 is Jesus 
10:21. Also note that Ezek. 32:21 is (a) not in the same context, as is Isa. 10:21, and (b) speaking of false
5. 1 Pet. 3:14-15: these verses are a clear reference to Isa. 8:12-13, where the one who is to be regarded
gods, cf. I.G.5 above. 
as holy is Jehovah 
2. John 1:1 Even if Jesus is here called "a god" (as some have argued), since there is only one God, Jesus
6. Texts where Jesus is spoken of as the "one Lord" (cf. Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29): 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5; cf.
is that God. However, the "a god" rendering is incorrect. Other passages using the Greek word for God
Rom. 10:12; 1 Cor. 12:5
(theos) in the same construction are always rendered "God": Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38; John 8:54; Phil
2:13; Heb. 11:16. Passages in which a shift occurs from ho theos ("the God") to theos ("God") never C. Jesus has the titles of God
imply a shift in meaning: Mark 12:27; Luke 20:37-38; John :2; 13:3; Rom. 1:21; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14; 1. Titles belonging only to God
1 Pet. 4:10-11  a. The first and the last: Rev. 1:17; 22:13; cf. Isa. 44:6 
3. John 1:18. The best manuscripts have "the unique God" (monogenes, frequently rendered "only- b. King of kings and Lord of lords: 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16
begotten," actually means "one of a kind," "unique," though in the NT always in the context of a son or 2. Titles belong in the ultimate sense only to God
daughter). Even if one translates "only-begotten," the idea is not of a "begotten god" as opposed to an a. Savior: Luke 2:11; John 4:42; 1 John 4:14; Titus 2:13, cf. v. 10; etc.; cf. Isa. 43.11; 45:21-22; 1 Tim
"unbegotten god."  4:10; on Jesus becoming the source of salvation; Heb. 5:9, cf. Ex. 15:2; Psa. 118:14, 21 
4. John 20:28. Compare Rev. 4:11, where the same construction is used in the plural ("our") instead of b. Shepherd: John 10:11; Heb. 13:20; cf. Psa. 23:1; Isa. 40:11 
the singular ("my"). See also Psa. 35:23. Note that Christ's response indicates that Thomas' acclamation c. Rock: 1 Cor. 10:4; cf. Isa. 44:8
was not wrong. Also note that John 20:17 does show that the Father was Jesus' "God" (due to Jesus
becoming a man), but the words "my God" as spoken by Thomas later in the same chapter must mean no D. Jesus received the honors due to God alone
less than in v. 17. Thus, what the Father is to Jesus in His humanity, Jesus is to Thomas (and therefore to 1. Honor: John 5:23 
us as well).  2. Love: Matt. 10:37 
5. Acts 20:28: "the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." The variant readings (e.g. 3. Prayer: John 14:14 (text debated, but in any case it is Jesus who answers the prayer); Acts 7:59-60 (cf.
"the church of the Lord") show that the original was understood to mean "His own blood," not "the Luke 23:34, 46); Rom. 10:12-13; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 12:8-10 (where "the Lord" must be Jesus, cf. v. 9),
blood of His own [Son]" (since otherwise no one would have thought to change it). Thus all other etc. 
renderings are attempts to evade the startling clarity and meaning of this passage.  4. Worship (proskuneo): Matt. 28:17; Heb. 1:6 (cf. Psa. 97:7); cf. Matt 4:10 
6. Rom. 9:5. While grammatically this is not the only possible interpretation, the consistent form of 5. Religious or sacred service (latreuo): Rev. 22:13 
doxologies in Scripture, as well as the smoothest reading of the text, supports the identification of Christ 6. Faith: John 3:16; 14:1; etc.
as "God" in this verse. 
7. Titus 2:13. Grammatically and contextually, this is one of the strongest proof texts for the deity of E. Jesus does the works of God
Christ. Sharp's first rule, properly understood, proves that the text should be translated "our great God 1. Creation: John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2; Rev. 3:14 (cf. 21:6 on "beginning"); on
and Savior" (cf. same construction in Luke 20:37; Rev. 1:6; and many other passages). Note also that "through" and "in" cf. Rom. 11:36; Heb. 2:10; Acts 17:28; cf. also Isa. 44:24 
Paul always uses the word "manifestation" ("appearing") of Christ: 2 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2. Tim. 2. Sustains the universe: Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3 
1:10; 4:1, 8  3. Salvation:
8. Heb. 1:8. The rendering, "God is your throne," is nonsense - God is not a throne, He is the one who a. In General: See C.2.a above 
sits on the throne! Also, "God is your throne," if taken to mean God is the source of one's rule, could be b. Forgives sins: Matt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26; note that Jesus forgives sins not committed
said about any angelic ruler - but Hebrews 1 is arguing that Jesus is superior to the angels.  against Him.
9. 2 Pet. 1:1. The same construction is used here as in Titus 2:13; see the parallel passage in 2 Pet. 1:11; 4. All of them: John 5:17-29 (including judgment, cf. Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Cor. 5:10)
2:20; 3:2, 18 
10.1 John 5:20. Note that the most obvious antecedent for "this" is Jesus Christ. Also note that the F. Jesus has all the incommunicable attributes of God
"eternal life" is Christ, as can be seen from 1:2. 1. All of them: John 1:1; Col. 1:15; 2:9; Heb. 1:3 
2. Self existent: John 5:26 
B. Jesus is Jehovah/Yahweh 3. Unchangeable: Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8 
1. Rom. 10:9-13: Note the repeated "for," which links these verses closely together. The "Lord" of 10:13 4. Eternal: John 1:1; 8:58; 17:5; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:2 
must be the "Lord" of 10:9, 12  5. Omnipresent: Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13; Eph.1:23; 4:10: Col. 3:11 
2. Phil. 2:9-11. In context, the "name that is above every name" is "Lord" (vs. 11), i.e., Jehovah 
6. Omniscient: John 16:30; 21:17; cf. 2:23-24  7. Mark 10:17-18: Jesus does not deny being God, but simply tells the man that he has no business
7. Incomprehensible: Matt. 11:25-27 calling anyone "good" in an unqualified sense except God 
8. Heb. 5:14: Jesus was tempted, cf. James 1:13; but note that Jesus could not sin, John 5:19 
G. Jesus is "equal with God"
9. John 1:18: No one has seen God, but men have seen Jesus, e.g. 1 John 1:1-2; but note that no man can
1. John 5:18: Although John is relating what the Jews understood Jesus to be claiming, the context
shows they were basically right: In v. 17 claimed to be exempt from the Sabbath along with His Father, see the glorified Jesus either, 1 Tim. 6:16, and to see Jesus is to see the Father, John 14:9 
10. 1 Tim. 1:17: God cannot die, but Jesus did, e.g. Phil. 2:8; but note that no one could take Jesus' life
and in 5:19-29 Jesus claimed to do all of the world of the Father and to deserve the same honor as the
from Him, He could not remain dead, and He raised Himself: John 10:18; Acts 2:24; John 2:19-22 
Father 
11. 1 Cor. 8:6: Father called God, Jesus called Lord: but here "God" and "Lord" are synonymous (cf. v.
2. Phil. 2:6: Jesus did not attempt to seize recognition by the world as being equal with God, but attained
5; cf. also Rom. 14:3-12 for a good example of "God" and "Lord" as interchangeable); moreover, this
that recognition by humbling himself and being exalted by the Father (vv. 7-11)
text no more denies that Jesus is God than it does that the Father is Lord (Matt. 11:25); cf. Jude 4, where
H. Jesus is the Son of God Jesus is the only Lord 
1. "Son" in Scripture can mean simply one possessing the nature of , whether literal or figurative (e.g. 12. 1 Tim. 2:5: Jesus here supposedly distinct from God; but Jesus is also distinct from (fallen) men, yet
"Son of man," "sons of thunder," "sons of disobedience," cf. Mark 3:7; Eph. 2:1  is Himself a man; likewise Jesus is distinct from God (the Father), but is also God 
2. Usually when "son of" is used in relation to a person (son of man, son of Abraham, son of David, etc.) 13. Deut. 4:12, 15-25; God not appear in a human form to Israel, lest they fall into idolatry; but this does
the son possesses the nature of his father  not rule out His appearing in human form later after they had learned to abhor idolatry 
3. Jesus is clearly not the literal Son of God, i.e.. He was not physically procreated by God  14. In many texts Jesus is distinguished from God: He is the Son of God, was sent by God, etc.; in all
4. On the other hand, Jesus is clearly the Son of God in a unique sense (cf. "only-begotten son," John these texts "God" is used as a name for the person most commonly called God, i.e., the Father
1:14; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9) and in a preeminent sense (i.e. the term is more fitting for Him than for
VII - The Holy Spirit Is God 
anyone else) 
 
5. Scripture is explicit that the Son possesses God's essence or nature (cf. F. above) 
A. Equated with God: Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18 
6. Jesus' repeated claim to be the Son of God was consistently understood by the Jewish leaders as a
B. Has the incommunicable attributes of God
blasphemous claim to equality with God, an understanding Jesus never denied: John 5:17-23; 8:58-59;
1. Eternal: Heb. 9:14 
10:30-39; 19:7; Matt. 26:63-65 
2. Omnipresent: Psa. 139:7 
7. Jesus is therefore God's Son, not God's creation, God's servant, God's agent, etc.; Jesus is God's Son
3. Omniscient: 1 Cor. 2:10-11
who became a servant for our sake and for the Father's glory (John 13:13-15; 17:4; Phil. 2:6-11; Heb.
1:4-13; 3:1-6; 5:8; etc.) C. Involved in all the works of God
1. Creation: Gen. 1:2; Psa. 104:30 
I. Objections
2. Incarnation: Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35 
1. Prov. 8:22: This text is not a literal description of Christ, but a poetic personification of wisdom (cf.
3. Resurrection: Rom. 1:4; 8:11 
all of Prov. 1-9, esp 8:12-21; 9:1-6), poetically saying that God "got" His wisdom before He did
4. Salvation: Rom. 8:1-27
anything - i.e., that God has always had wisdom 
2. Col. 1:15: Does not mean that Christ is the first creature, since He is here presented as the Son and D. Is a person
principal heir of the Father (cf. vv. 12-44); thus "firstborn" here means "heir" (cf. Gen. 43:33; 48;14-20; 1. Has a name: Matt. 28:19; note that even though "name" might be used of a non person, here, in
Ex. 4:22; 1 Chron. 5:1-3; Psa. 89:27; Jer. 31:9); note that v. 16 speaks of the Son as the Creator, nor conjunction with the Father and the Son, it must be used of a person 
creature (cf. E.1. above)  2. Is the "Helper"
3. Rev. 3:14: "Beginning" (arche) in Rev. as a title means source or one who begins, i.e. Creator (cf. a. Is another Helper: John 14:16, cf. 1 John 2:1; note also that "Helper" (parakletos) was used in Greek
Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13); elsewhere Christ is called the arche in the sense of "ruler," Col. 1:18, cf. plural always or almost always of persons 
archai "rulers" in Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15, also Luke 12:11; Rom. 8:38; Eph. 3:10; 6:12; Tit. 3:1; cf. Luke b. Is sent in Jesus' name, to teach: John 14:26 
20:20; Jude 6; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21  c. Will arrive, and then bear witness: John 15:26-27 
4. 1 Cor. 11:3; 15:28: Jesus is still subordinate to God, but as the Son to the Father; i.e., they are equal in d. Is sent by Christ to convict of sin, will speak not on his own but on behalf of Christ, will glorify
nature, but the Son is subordinate relationally to God  Christ, thus exhibiting humility: John 16:7-14
5. John 20:17; Rom. 15:6; 1 Cor. 15:24; 2 Cor. 1:3; Rev. 1:6; 3:12: Jesus calls the Father "My God" 3. Is the Holy Spirit, in contrast to unholy spirits: Mark 3:22-230, cf. Matt. 12:32; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John
because He is still man as well as God; note the distinction between "My God" and "your God" in John 3:24-4:6 
20:17 (i.e., Jesus never speaks of "our God" including Himself with the disciples)  4. Speaks, is quoted as speaking: John 16:13; Acts 1:16; 8:29; 10:19; 11:12; 13:2; 16:6; 20:23; 21:11:
6. Mark 13:32: Jesus' statement that He did not know the time of His return is to be explained by His 28:25-27; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7-11; 10:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13,22 
voluntary acceptance of the humble form and likeness of a man (Phil. 2:7); in fact Jesus, as God, did 5. Can be lied to: Acts 5:3 
know all things (John 16:30), and after His resurrection He does not including Himself as not knowing 6. Can make decisions, judgments: Acts 15:28 
(Acts 1:6-7) 
7. Intercedes for Christians with the Father: Rom. 8:26  1. Isa. 9:6: "Father of eternity" means eternal; compare other names formed with word "father":
8. "Impersonal" language used of the Spirit paralleled by language used of other persons Abialbon, "father of strength" = strong (2 Sam. 23:31); Abiasaph, "father of gathering" = gatherer (Ex.
a. The Holy Spirit as fire: Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; cf. Ex. 3:2-4; Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Heb. 12:29  6:24); Abigail, a woman's name(!), "father of exultation" = exulting (1 Chron. 2:16) 
b. The Holy Spirit poured out: Acts 2:17, 33; cf. Isa. 53:12; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6  2. John 10:30
c. Being filled with the Holy Spirit: Eph. 5:18, etc.; cf. Eph. 3:17, 19; 14:10 a. Jesus did not say, "I am the Father," nor did He say, "the Son and the Father are one person." 
b. The first person plural esmen ("we are") implies two persons 
c. The neuter word for "one" (hen) is used, implying essential unity but not personal unity (compare
VIII - The Father, Son, And Holy Spirit Are Distinct Persons  John 17:21-23).
  3. John 5:43: Jesus' coming in His Father's name means not that He was the Father because He had the
Father's name, but that, while others come in their own name (or their own authority), Jesus does not; He
A. Matt. 28:19 comes in His Father's name (on His Father's authority) 
1. "the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit": use of definite article before each personal noun 4. John 8:19; 16:3: Ignorance of Jesus is indeed ignorance of the Father, but that does not prove that
indicates distinct persons unless explicitly stated otherwise; compare Rev. 1:17; 2:8, 26  Jesus is the one He calls "My Father" 
2. The views that "Father" and "Son" are distinct persons but not the Holy Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit 5. John 14:6-11
is not a person at all, or that all three are different offices or roles of one person, are impossible in view a. Jesus and the Father are one being, not one person 
of the grammar (together with the fact that in Scripture a "spirit" is a person unless context shows b. Jesus said, "I am in the Father," not "I am the Father" 
otherwise).  c. The statement, "the Father is in Me," does not mean Jesus is the Father; compare John 14:20; 17:21-23
3. Does singular "name" prove that the three are one person? No; cf. Gen. 5:2; 11:14; 48:6; and esp.
6. John 14:18: An older adult brother can care for his younger siblings, thus preventing them from being
48:16 
"orphans," without being their father 
4. "Name" need not be personal name, may be title: Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1:23. If a single personal name is
7. Colossians 2:9: Does not mean that Jesus is the Father, or that Jesus is an incarnation of the Father;
sought, the name shared by all three persons is "Yahweh" or "Jehovah."
rather, since 'Godhead' (theotes) means Deity, the state of being God, the nature of God, Jesus is fully
B. Acts 2:38 and Matt. 28:19 God, but not the only person who is God. "The Godhead" here does not = the Father (note that Jesus is in
1. Neither passage specifies that certain words are to be spoken during baptism; nor does the Bible ever the Father, John 10:38; 14:10, 11; 17:21), but the nature of the Father. 
record someone saying, "I baptize you in the name of...."  8. The Father and the Son are both involved in various activities: raising Jesus (Gal. 1:1; John 2:19-22),
2. Those said to be baptized in the name of Jesus (whether or not the formula "in the name of Jesus" was raising the dead (John 5:21); 6:39-40, 44, 54, 1 Cor. 6:14), answering prayer (John 14:13-14; 15:16;
used) were people already familiar with the God of the OT: 16:23), sending the Holy Spirit (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7), drawing people to Jesus (John 6:44; 12:32),
a. Jews: Acts 2:5, 38; 22:16  etc. These common works do prove that the two persons are both God, but not that Jesus is the Father
b. Samaritans: Acts 8:5, 12, 16 
E. The Son existed before His Incarnation, even before creation
c. God fearing Gentiles: Acts 10:1-2, 22, 48 
1. Prov. 30:4: This is not predictive prophecy; "prophecy" in 30:1 translates massa, which is rendered
d. Disciples of John the Baptist: Acts 19:1-5 
elsewhere as "burden." 
e. The first Christians in Corinth were Jews and God fearing Gentiles: Acts 18:1-8; 1 Cor. 1:13
2. The Son created all things: See VI.E.1 
3. Trinitarian formula for baptism (if that is what Matt. 28:19 is) was given in context of commissioning 3. Jesus was "with" (pros or para) God the Father before creation: John 1:1; 17:5; pros in John 1:1 does
apostles to take the gospel to "all the nations," including people who did not know of the biblical God not mean "pertaining to," although is does in Hebrews 2:17; 5:1 (which use pros with ta). 
C. God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ are two persons 4. Jesus, the Son of God, existed before John the Baptist (who was born before Jesus): John 1:15, cf.
1. The salutations: Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; 6:23; Phil. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 1:14-18, 29-34 
Thess. 1:1, 2; 1 Tim. 1:1, 2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Tit. 1:4; Phm. 3; James 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:2; 2 John 3  5. Jesus, the Son, came down from heaven, sent from the Father, and went back to heaven, back to the
2. Two witnesses: John 5:31-32; 8:16-18; cf. Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15  Father: John 3:13, 31; 6:33; 38, 41, 46, 51, 56-58, 62; 8:23, 42; 13:3; 16:27-28; cf. Acts 1:10-11; cf. the
3. The Father sent the Son: John 3:16-17; Gal. 4:4; 1 John 4:10; etc.; cf. John 1:6; 17:18; 20:21  sending of the Holy Spirit, John 16:5-7; 1 Pet. 1:12 
4. The Father and the Son love each other: John 3:35; 5:20; 14:31; 15:9; 17-23-26; cf. Matt. 3:17 par.; 6. Jesus, speaking as the Son (John 8:54-56), asserts His eternal preexistence before Abraham: John
17:5 par.; 2 Pet. 1:17  8:58 
5. The Father speaks to the Son, and the Son speaks to the Father: John 11:41-42; 12:28; 17:1-26; etc.  7. The Son explicitly said to exist "before all things": Col. 1:17, cf. 1:12-20 
6. The Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father: Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 7:29; 8:55; 8. These statements cannot be dismissed as true only in God's foreknowledge
10:15  a. We are all in God's min before creation; yet such passages as John 1:1 and John 17:5 clearly mean to
7. Jesus our Advocate with the Father: 1 John 2:1 say something unusual about Christ. 
b. To say that all things were created through Christ means that He must have existed at creation. 
D. Jesus is not God the Father c. No one else in Scripture is ever said to have been with God before creation.
9. Texts which speak of the Son being begotten "today" do not mean He became the Son on a certain B. The New Testament presents a consistent triad of Father, Son, Holy Spirit (God, Christ, Spirit): Matt.
day, since they refer to His exaltation at the resurrection (Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:3-5; 5:5; cf. Psa. 2:7; cf. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:34; also Luke 1:35; 3:21-22 par.; 4:1-12; John 4:10-25; 7:37-39; 14-16; 20:21-22; Acts
also Rom. 1:4) 1:4-8; 2:33, 38-39; 5:3-4, 9, 30-32; 7:55-56; 10:36- 38, 44-48; 11:15-18; 15:8-11; 20:38; 28:25-31; Rom.
1:1-4; 5:5-10; 8:2-4, 9-11, 14-17; 1 Cor. 6:11; 12:4-6, 11-12, 18; 2 Cor. 1:19-22; 3:6-8, 14-18; Gal. 3:8-
F. Jesus is not the Holy Spirit
1. The Holy Spirit is "another Comforter": John 14:16; compare 1 John 2:1  14; 4:4-7; Eph. 1:3-17; 2:18, 21-22; 3:14-19; 4:4-6, 29-32; 5:18-20; Phil. 3:3; 1 Thess. 1:3-6; 2 Thess.
2:13-14; Tit. 3:4-6; Heb. 2:3-4; 9:14; 10:28-31; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John 3:21-24; 4:13-14; Jude 20-21; Rev.
2. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit: John 15:26; 16:7 
2:18, 27-29 
3. The Holy Spirit exhibits humility in relation to, and seeks to glorify, Jesus (John 16:13-14) 
C. Therefore, the Bible does teach the Trinity
4. The Son and the Holy Spirit are distinguished as two persons in Matt. 28:19 
5. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus: Luke 3:22  X - What Difference Does The Doctrine Of The Trinity Make? 
6. Is Jesus the Holy Spirit?  
a. 2 Cor. 3:17: the Spirit is here called "Lord" in the sense of being Yahweh or God, not Jesus (cf. v. 16, A. Sovereignty: Because the three persons have each other, we can be assured that God created us only
citing Ex. 34:34; cf. v. 17 in the New English Bible); note Acts 28:25-27, cf. Isa. 6:8-10  to share the love they have and not as a means to His own end: Acts 17:25; John 17:21-26 
b. 1 Cor. 15:45: Jesus is "a life-giving Spirit," not in the sense that He is the Holy Spirit whom He sent at B. Mystery: The triune God is totally unlike anything in our world, and therefore greater than anything
Pentecost, but in the sense that He is the glorified God-man; and as God He is Spirit by nature. All three we can comprehend: Rom. 11:33-36; Isa. 40:18 
persons of the Trinity are Spirit, though there are not three divine Spirits; and only one person is C. Salvation: God alone planned our salvation, came to save us, and dwells in us to complete our
designated "the Holy Spirit."  salvation: 1 Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:3-18; etc. 
c. Rom. 8:27, 34: the fact that two persons intercede for us is consistent with the fact that we have two D. Prayer: We pray to the Father through the Son, and also pray to the Son directly, in the Spirit: John
Advocates (John14:16; Rom. 8:26; 1 John 2:1)  14:13-14; Eph. 2:18; etc. 
d. John 14:18: Jesus here refers to His appearances to the disciples after the resurrection (compare E. Worship: We worship Father and Son in the Spirit: John 4:23-24; Phil. 3:3; Heb. 1:8; etc. 
14:19), not to the coming of the Spirit  F. Love: The love among the three persons is the basis and model for our love for one another: John
e. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are both involved in various activities: raising Jesus (John 2:19- 19-22); 17:26 
Rom. 8:9-11), raising the dead (John 5:21; 6:39-40, 44, 54, Rom. 8:9-11), dwelling in the believer (John G. Unity: The unity of the three persons is the basis and model for the unity of the church: John 17:21-
14:16; 2 Cor. 13:5; Col. 1:27), interceding for the believer (Rom. 8:26; Heb. 7:25), sanctifying believers 23 
(Eph. 5:26; 1 Pet. 1:2), etc. These works prove that the two persons are both God, but not that Jesus is H. Humility: As the persons of the Trinity seek the glory of each other, so we should seek the interests of
the Holy Spirit. others above our own: Phil. 2:5-11; John 16:13-14 
I. Sonship: We are "sons of God" as we are united with the Son of God by the work of the Holy Spirit
G. The Father is not the Holy Spirit
and the adoption of the Father: John 1:12-23; Rom. 8:14-17 
1. The Father sent the Holy Spirit: John 14:15; 15:26 
J. Truth: All those who wish to worship and love God must seek to know Him as He is in truth, for God,
2. The Holy Spirit intercedes with the Father for us: Rom. 8:26-27 
as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is truth: John 4:24; 14:6, 17; 15:26; 16:13
3. The Father and the Holy Spirit are distinguished as two persons in Matt. 28:19 
4. Is the Father the Holy Spirit?
a. Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:35: It is argued that the Holy Spirit is the Father of the incarnate Son of God; this
argument ignores the fact that the "conception" is not a product of physical union between a man and a PART II - THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST
woman! 
b. The Father and the Holy Spirit are both said to be active in various activities; the resurrection of Jesus
(Gal. 1:1; Rom. 8:11), comforting Christians (2 Cor. 1:3-4; John 14:26), sanctifying Christians (Jude 1; 1 Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
Pet. 1:2), etc. The most these facts prove is that the two work together; they do not prove the two are one
person. The dual nature of Jesus Christ is a core doctrine. All other religions, cults and wolves get this doctrine
wrong
IX - Conclusion: The Bible teaches the Trinity
A. All the elements of the doctrine are taught in Scripture
1. One God  Third Wave teachers are now saying that Jesus was just an anointed man, therefore if we believe in Him
2. The Father is God  we too are anointed as He was, thus we can do anything He did including signs and miracles. Both
3. The Son is God  Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland have said that any "anointed" Christian could also have died for the
4. The Holy Spirit is God  sins of the world just as Jesus did and that they could have done it. This is a complete misunderstanding
5. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons (i.e., they are not each other, nor are they and corruption of both the dual nature of Jesus and of the term "anointing". The word "anointed" is being
impersonal; they relate to one another personally) misused all over the place today. We must never forget that Jesus Christ is the "Anointed One". We are
His children by virtue of His anointing as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are under His
"anointing" by virtue of the Holy Spirit that indwells us and empowers us to Christian service and
sanctification. He has those titles today because He laid down His life for us in obedience and
submission to the will of the Father. We must also live in obedience to the will of Jesus Christ, the law
of Christ.
Let's look at the two natures of Christ in more detail.
Other verses to consider when examining His deity are, John 1:1,14; 5:18; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:5-8;
Tit. 2:13; Heb. 1:6-8; and 2 Pet. 1:1.
1 Tim. 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus." Right now, there is a man in heaven on the throne of God. He is our advocate with the Father (1
John 2:1). He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). He is Jesus.

Jesus' Two Natures

Jesus is God in human flesh. He is not half God and half man. He is fully God and fully man. At the
incarnation He added to His divine nature the nature of man. Thus He has two natures: divine and
human. He is both God and man at the same time. He is not merely a man who "had God within Him"
nor is he a man who "manifested the God principle." He is God, second person of the Trinity. "The Son
is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his
powerful word" (Heb.1:3, NIV). Jesus' two natures are not "mixed together," nor are they combined into
a new God-man nature. They are separate yet act as a unit. This is called the Hypostatic Union.
This is another mystery we have to accept by faith, but we need to understand its significance or we can
end up believing a false gospel.
PART III - THE SECOND COMING
Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge.
Other religions deny that Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge. Cults deny this
doctrine in other ways. This doctrine is also denied by believing in anything other than Pre-Trib, Pre-
Wrath Rapture or Post-Trib coming of Christ. These doctrines all affirm that Jesus Christ is coming back
bodily to rule and judge. They can be lumped together as Premillennial views. There are some doctrines
being taught in the Third Wave that deny this doctrine. They are called Postmillennialism, Dominionism,
and Amillennialism.

The following chart should help you see the two natures of Jesus "in action":  Let's define the different views quickly so you can see which ones affirm or deny this basic doctrine:
 
Pre-Tribulational Rapture: The pretrib view holds that the Church will be "raptured" before the entire
GOD MAN seventieth week of Daniel. This is a prevalent view in countries that have never experienced widespread
persecution, such as the United States. Jesus then comes back bodily at the end of the seventieth week of
He is worshipped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9)  He worshipped the Father (John 17)   Daniel to rule and judge.
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:1-2)   He prayed to the Father (John 17:1) 
He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8)  He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5)  Mid-Tribulational Rapture: The Church will escape the last half of the seventieth week, also known as
He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1)   He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)  the Great Tribulation. Jesus then comes back bodily at the end of the Tribulation to rule and judge.
He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15)   He was tempted (Matt. 4:1) 
He knew all things (John 21:17)   He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52) 
Pre-Wrath Rapture: The basic aspects of the prewrath view are that the "rapture" is distinct from the
 He gives eternal life (John 10:28)   He died (Rom. 5:8)  
"second coming" and the "rapture" will take place between the sixth and seventh seals. Jesus then comes
The fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9) He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)
back bodily at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel to rule and judge.

One of the most common errors that non Christian cults make is not understanding the two natures of
Post-Tribulational Second Coming: In most versions of postribulationism, the "rapture" and the
Christ. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses focus on Jesus' humanity and ignore His divinity (believe
"second coming" are at the same time. Post-Trib people do not consider themselves to be Pre-Wrath.
that Jesus is the angel Michael, not Son of God). The Christian Scientists, on the other hand, focus on the
Jesus Christ comes back for His elect, they meet Him in the air and He comes bodily to earth
divine nature and ignore the human. For a proper understanding of Jesus and, therefore, all other
immediately to rule and reign.
doctrines that relate to Him, His two natures must be properly understood and defined.
Preterism: This view has several variations. It places many or all eschatological events in the past,
The Bible is about Jesus (John 5:39). The prophets prophesied about Him (Acts 10:43). The Father bore
especially during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to
witness of Him (John 5:37, 8:18). The Holy Spirit bore witness of Him (John 15:26). The works Jesus
Jesus, p. 228) The extreme version of this view denies the need for Jesus to return bodily to rule and
did bore witness of Him (John 5:36, 10:25). The multitudes bore witness of Him (John 12:17). And,
reign because He supposedly already did and the Church is Christ.
Jesus bore witness of Himself (John 14:6, 18:6).
Amillennialism: Amillennialism is the system of theology which does not include a future millennial
reign of Christ on the earth. They believe that Jesus Christ is reigning today through His Church and that
Satan is bound. Thus they deny the bodily return of Christ to rule and judge.
Postmillennialism/Dominionism: Postmillennialism and Dominionism are becoming hard to
distinguish apart these days. They are fusing into one system of belief, especially popular in the Third
Wave counterfeit revival. It is the belief that Christ will return after the Church has Christianized society,
through a Christian force called "Joel's Army". He will not rapture His elect because they will be
victorious here on earth. Jesus Christ does not come back bodily but returns "in His Church" and reigns
on earth through His Church spiritually. Postmillennialism denies that Christ returns bodily to rule and
judge.
There are other assorted views, but any view that denies that Jesus will return bodily to rule and judge is
a false view, not a Christian view.
Christ is Returning!
The second coming of Christ is a cornerstone of Biblical doctrine. It is not possible to be considered
orthodox and evangelical unless you believe Jesus is coming back bodily to rule and reign. Our Lord
promised it, the apostles confirmed it, and the entire book of Revelation celebrates it. Below are just a
few examples of the verses that establish this fact.
John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house
are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may
be where I am." 
Matthew 26:64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see
the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."  works to salvation, as the Catholics do. The Third Wave denies this doctrine on a number of counts.
Luke 21:27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The return of Christ will be visible. He will not come in secret; He will not come "mystically," or only to
those with eyes to see Him. All humanity will witness His coming, and those who do not belong to Him
will be terrified.
Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus,
who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into
heaven." 
Matthew 24:29-30 "Immediately after the distress of those days "`the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "At
that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. 
Re 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and
all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
The Second Coming of Christ will be Bodily. He will not come "spiritually," He will not return "in His
Body" the Church. He has a body now, a glorious body, witnessed by the apostle John (Rev 1:12-16),
and when He comes in clouds of glory, it will be in that glorious body.
Philippians 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. 
Zechariah 14:3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of
battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of
Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving
north and half moving south.
He will come in Power and Glory--unlike His first coming, His true nature will not be concealed. He will
come at the head of a heavenly army, as the conquering Sovereign that He is.
Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, 
Matthew 24:30 They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory.
PART IV - SALVATION
It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
All the religions of the world deny this. Cults deny it in many ways but primarily because they add
They very rarely preach the full gospel message but rather a message of "Repent and come to Jesus".
That is not the full gospel message. Where there is no mention of the cross and redemption through the
grace of God alone in Christ alone, that is where there is a false gospel being preached. They also deny
the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit at salvation by their doctrine of a transferable impartation
"anointing" second baptism of the Spirit, thus denying the biblical definition of salvation. The need for
the Holy Spirit to be "imparted" or "transferred" by human hands denies the gospel of grace alone. This
doctrine is one of the most important core doctrines of Christianity and one that is being attacked most
often. Benny Hinn and others like him are redefining the very core of Christianity which is salvation by
grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE.
Eph. 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. (KJV)
GRACE ALONE!
Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. (KJV)  2 Peter 1:19-21 And in the written word of prophecy we have something more permanent;to which you
Rom. 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of do well to pay attention - as to a lamp shining in a dimly-lighted place - until day dawns and the
works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (KJV) morning star rises in your hearts. But, above all, remember that no prophecy in Scripture will be found
to have come from the prophet's own prompting; for never did any prophecy come by human will, but
FAITH ALONE! men sent by God spoke as they were impelled by the Holy Spirit. (Wey) 
2 Tim. 3:16-17 Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for convincing, for
Rom. 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (KJV)  correction of error, and for instruction in right doing; so that the man of God may himself be complete
Rom. 4:4-5 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that and may be perfectly equipped for every good work. (Wey) 
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 1Co 4:6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you
righteousness. (KJV) may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take
pride in one man over against another. (KJV) 
Rev. 22:18-19 For I testify together to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this Book: If
CHRIST ALONE! anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book. And if
anyone takes away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the
Jn. 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book. (MKJV)
but by me. (KJV) 
Acts 14:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
among men, whereby we must be saved. (KJV)
1. inspiration- "to breathe in"
Jesus Christ did all the work to save us from our sins. This is summed up nicely in what is called the
"Romans Road"
a. General
1) " To affect with an emotion or thought and thus influence or stimulate to action" 
ROMANS 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (KJV)  2) can be positive or negative, i.e.; 'inspired poem' , 'inspired with fear'
ROMANS 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (KJV) 
ROMANS 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died b. Special
for us. (KJV)  1) Process by which God caused His Special Revelation to be communicated to man 
ROMANS 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our 2) Scripture: 
Lord. (KJV)  Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold,
ROMANS 8:1a There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, (KJV)  I have put my words in thy mouth. 
ROMANS 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart 2 Tim 3:16,17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. (KJV)  correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
ROMANS 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (KJV) all good works. 
1 Cor 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the
spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 
2 Pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
PART V - THE SCRIPTURES Holy Ghost.
2. Incorrect views on Special Inspiration
It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life. a. Thematic inspiration- they think only the idea is inspired. but we know..."No private interpretation" 
b. Partial inspiration - they think only certain parts are Insp.(and they determine WHICH parts!) but we
This doctrine is so important today because the ideas of existentialism and subjectivism have influenced know..."All scripture is inspired..." 
many Christians. If everything is relative and what I believe may not be necessary for you to believe, and c. Incomplete inspiration - they think of ongoing Revelation. but we know..."Perfect, thoroughly
I should be tolerant of what you believe in even if it is not, then there is no such thing as solid objective furnished" 
Truth. However, true Christians hold the Scriptures as their highest authority in all matters of faith and d. Mechanical inspiration - they think God possessed the writers or something. but we know..."spoke as
practice. The Bible is a finished cannon of revelation from God. It was even quoted by Jesus and the they were moved"
Apostles, most notably when Jesus was tempted by Satan. Jesus didn't have to use the Word, but He did
to show us that it truly is the Word of God the Father. The Apostles confirmed this as well. 3. Verbal- having to do with words
a. definition - each word of the original text is inspired  5) Christ - who could invent this stuff? No one could ever dream up this.... 
b. Scripture -- (Jesus said "not one jot or tittle will pass from the law...) 6) person of Christ & the Doctrine of Salvation is THE greatest internal proof of Holy Inspiration.
1) each word  b. External
Prov 30:5,6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not 1) the Church 
unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.  2) the Believer 
2) each tense  3) the Bible
Matt 22:31,32 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken
unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is 6. Methods of special inspiration ( scripture )
not the God of the dead, but of the living.  a. Divine guidance in selection of facts and narration of observed scenes 
3) each singular or plural  b. Enlightenment in moral & doctrinal subjects 
Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many, c. direct special revelation concerning unknown or unknowables ( prophecies ) 
but as of one, And to thy seed, Which is Christ.  d. direct dictation ( "write this down !" ) 
4) each gender  e. direct inscription ( God writes it himself )
2 Tim 2:2 And the things thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful 7. The Word is inspired, not the men. - these were not supermen, or somehow on a higher spiritual plane;
men who shall be able to teach others also.  they were fishermen, shepherds, farmers, kings, tentmakers, etc.
1 Tim 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 
5) each number 
Definitions:
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the
number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
General revelation- there for everyone 
4. Plenary- the whole enchilada def.- the whole of scripture is inspired both in substance and in structure Special revelation- only for some 
a. Scripture  Special inspiration- process by which God caused His special revelation to be communicated to man. 
Ex 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I Illumination- process by which God ( the holy spirit ) makes His special revelation (scripture) known to 
have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.  the human heart.
1 Chr 28:19 "All this," David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave
me understanding in all the details of the plan." 
Authority of the Bible - Infallible, Inerrant, & Immutable
Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among
us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of
the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed 1. Infallible- cannot fail 
good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know t 2. Inerrant- without error - ALL of God's word is trustworthy 
he certainty of the things which you have been taught.  3. Immutable- cannot be changed - cannot change 
2 Tim 3:16 - All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for 4. Inspiration & Authority
training in righteousness;
a. Authority- the power and prerogative belong to God - flow to us from His Word (make sure to get the
5. Proofs
order correct; we don't want to impose our interpretations of the bible on God and try to f it him into our
a. Internal ( 1 Thess 2:13 )
box...) 
1) declarations of Inspiration 
b. Authority for faith
2) manifestations of Inspiration
a) Unity of theme-extent of scope-diversity of human authorship-first mentions- LIGHT, FAITH, HOPE, 1) Faith as belief - trust put in the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God 
LOVE, BLOOD, GRACE, WORD, JUST, PERFECT, ATONEMENT, COVENANT, ALTAR, SHED, 2) Faith as doctrine - taught by the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God 
WINE, DRUNKEN, PRAISE, PEACE, TITHES, VISION, SHIELD, REWARD, I AM, IMPUTED, 3) Faith as religion - built upon the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God
RIGHTEOUSNESS, WORSHIP, MERCY, FIRE, OBEY, SOW, SALVATION, ANGEL OF THE c. Authority for Practice - be not mere hearers of the word, but doers...
LORD (Any of these words can be found in Genesis and followed all through Scripture to their fruition
in Revelation; These make for great topical studies.) 
b) Prophecy fulfilled - we see most O.T. prophecies fulfilled, including 300+ about Christ. The only
ones left are at the very end... COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS, CULTS & FALSE "CHRISTIAN" TEACHERS
3) Purity of doctrine & ethics - doesn't become watered down 
Now that we have studied the basic doctrines we have a basis on which to discern error.
4) History of mankind - (the good, the bad, the ugly) Man wouldn't make himself look bad 
Any ONE of the basic doctrines that is taught explicitly or implicitly in error is enough for us to
separate ourselves from those teaching wrong doctrine and to tell others to avoid their fellowship
as well. This includes not only religions and cults, but also those who claim to be Christians and say they
agree to the these basic doctrines or creeds, but are teaching and demonstrating otherwise.
They therefore, in reality, become a Christian cult group because they are teaching false doctrine. Read a
definition of a cult below:
"A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular
doctrine system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies
(either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian Faith as taught in
the sixty-six books of the Bible." (Alan Gomes, Unmasking The Cults, Zondervan, 1995)
Let's compare, now, using what we have learned of the basic doctrines of Christianity, the religions,
cults and false teachers. Remember, if they do not stack up, we are to:
(1) Show them the truth from Scripture in love.  B. Cults that do not believe: Almost all cults get this wrong in some way. A good doctrine to test cults.
(2) If they truly repent and turn away from their false teachings or practice, receive them as brothers in
love and disciple them.  Jesus was), old Worldwide Church Of God, Christian Science (Jesus "anointed" human demonstrated
(3) If they do not repent, do not fellowship with them, warn others to stay away from them and treat
them as though they are non-believers, preaching the full gospel to them when the opportunity presents
itself until such a time as they do repent and believe 
(4) Continue to pray for them.
Following is a comparison between the five core doctrines of the Christian Church and other religions,
cults and false "Christian" teachers and movements.
1. The Trinity: God is one "What" and three "Whos" with each "Who" possessing all the
attributes of Deity and personality.
A. Religions that do not believe in the Trinity: Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, all
religions except for Christianity, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox. Catholicism is close to confusing the
Trinity by adding Mary as co-redemptrix with Christ, and is already teaching this concept in their
prayers, novenas, Catechism and with paintings showing Mary as part of the Godhead.
B. Cults that do not believe: Jehovah Witness (denial of person of Holy Spirit "God's active force"),
Mormon (God is an "exalted man" with a body), old Worldwide Church Of God, Christian Science
(Trinity suggests "polytheism"), Inglesia Ni Christo (Christ is a man only), Scientology, Unification
Church (Trinity is man, woman and God, Jesus married the Holy Spirit).
C. "Christian" churches that do not believe: United Pentecostal Church & Pentecostal Assemblies of
the World (Non Trinity, Jesus only), Unitarians, Unity (God not a being, force), United Church of Jesus
Christ, many Apostolic Churches and any churches descending from William Branham and Azusa Street
"Oneness" Pentecostals (Trinity a doctrine of demons, Jesus only)
D. Third Wave revivalists/televangelists that teach against the Trinity: Benny Hinn (nine part god),
Kenneth Copeland (Jesus brother of Satan), anyone involved in the false anointing
a. When the Spirit is treated as a substance both Deity and personality is denied. 
b. When God is "on call" Deity is compromised and God is blasphemed. 
c. Many of the manifestations lower man to beastly or sub-human levels. The Spirit's actions always
raise man to the character of Christ. Thus, to call these manifestations the work of the Spirit is a (not
"the") blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
2. The Person of Jesus Christ: Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity. 
 
A. Religions that do not believe: Judaism, Hinduism, Islam (Jesus only a prophet), Buddhism, Bahai,
all religions except for Christianity. Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox affirm this in their creeds but
teach that Jesus is put to death again each time they celebrate the Eucharist which denies that Jesus
Christ is 100% man, having died once for all, in His glorified resurrection body seated at the right hand
of God.
Jehovah Witness (Jesus is Michael), Mormon (Jesus brother of Lucifer, anyone could attain to be as
"Christ consciousness" as human only), Christadelphians, any Gnostic groups (Jesus spirit only),
Scientology, Inglesia Ni Christo (Christ is a man only)
C. "Christian" churches that do not believe: Unitarians, Unity (Jesus best manifestation of Divine
Mind)
D. Third Wave revivalists/televangelists that teach against this doctrine: Benny Hinn, Kenneth
Copeland, many others (Jesus just an anointed man only during all or part of His life on earth, died
spiritually on the cross, physical death did not provide salvation). Third Wave revivalists/televangelists:
Any teachers who treat Jesus like a vending machine for health and wealth, any prophets who see false
visions of Jesus proven by Scriptural model
a. "More Jesus" - Jesus treated as a substance instead of a person. 
b. Visions of Jesus often redefine the scriptural picture of Jesus. 
c. Kenneth Copeland with his denigration of Jesus' death and seeing Jesus as brother of Satan
3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge. 
 
A. Religions that do not believe: Catholicism (Amillenial/Postmillennial/Dominion - Catholicism is a
"religion", not Christian), Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, all religions except for Christianity.
Judaism believes Messiah is coming for the first time.
B. Cults that do not believe: Jehovah Witness (Christ "returned" invisibly in 1914 and there was an
invisible "rapture" in 1918 for 144,000 only), Scientology
C. "Christian" churches that do not believe: Unitarians, Unity
D. Third Wave revivalists/televangelists that teach against this doctrine: Any teacher or group that
teaches Postmillenialism (Jesus comes back but not to rule for a millenium on throne of David) or
Dominionism (Jesus comes back "in His church"). PM & Dominionism are becoming melded together
these days as "Recontructionism". Pat Robertson, Rick Joyner, Paul Cain (Joel's Army), Kansas City
Prophets are big proponents. Any group teaching strict Amilillennialism is also denying this doctrine
because the hard-core Amil Preterists believe Jesus already came back around 70 AD. This includes
most of the Third Wave today, although some are still Premillennial.
a. Dominion theology- spiritualizes the 2nd Coming - Jesus returns "in the church", etc.  B. Cults that do not believe: Mormons (add Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith from Aaronic preisthood),
b. Revival theology denies the "great apostasy" that must take place before Jesus' return.  Christian Science (error stole into Scripture through material humans, Gnosticism), Scientology
c. The church's job is to preach the gospel and disciple, not take over structures of the world system
4. Salvation: It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  is greater than His Word" or "Don't put God in a box" or that there is any new Revelation that adds to or
 
A. Religions that do not believe: Catholicism (teaches works salvation, does not agree to the phrase "by
grace alone"), Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, all religions except for Christianity. Judaism also
relies on works and tradition, still condemned by the law of Moses.
B. Cults that do not believe: Most cults do not teach salvation by grace alone, but promote some form
of work salvation or legalism. Jehovah Witness, Mormons ("Men have work to do if they would obtain
salvation", baptism and salvation for the dead, "spiritual death can only be avoided by individual
obedience to the commandments of God."), Christian Science ("Final deliverance from error ... is not
reached... by pinning one's faith without works to another's vicarious effort,"), Scientology, Unification
Church (Christ did not purchase our physical salvation, thus the need for the New Messiah, Dr. Moon)
C. "Christian" churches that do not believe: SDA (back under the law, "The blood of Christ, pleaded
in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still
remained upon the books of record.", Satan is "joint sin-bearer" with Christ), Unitarians, Unity (no evil,
we are one with the Father at all times, pagans worship God), Church of Christ & Boston Church of
Christ (salvation by baptism), and any Charismatics or Pentecostals who add the Third Wave "anointing"
to salvation by grace alone and baptism/seal of Holy Spirit.
D. Third Wave revivalists/televangelists that teach against this doctrine: Any Third Wave teacher
that teaches a transferable impartation, thus denying the gospel of grace and the true work of the Holy
Spirit. This includes ALL of the Third Wave teachers at this point. Also any Third Wave teacher who
does not fully present the gospel message of grace.
a. The Brownsville/Toronto "gospel" is "repent and come to Jesus" without mentioning the cross or
resurrection. 
b. Anything that denies the full indwelling of the Spirit at conversion denies, ultimately, the biblical
definition of salvation.  Cerullo, Rod Parsley, Randy Clark, John Arnott and TACF (Toronto "Blessing) and any TB church
c. Need for "impartation" is denial of gospel by grace.
5. The Scripture: It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life. 
 
A. Religions that do not believe: Catholicism (adds tradition equal to Scripture), Hinduism, Islam,
Buddhism, Bahai, all religions except for Christianity and Judaism (although Judaism does not hold the
New Testament to be inspired Scripture).
C. "Christian" churches that do not believe: SDA (add Ellen White), Unitarians, Unity (Scriptures
not inspired, records of men), any church that says prophets words today are over Scripture or that "God
takes away from what the Bible already says..
D. Third Wave revivalists/televangelists that teach against this doctrine: Almost all Third Wave
teachers deny the sufficiency of Scripture by teaching "new revelation" which is beyond what the
Scripture teaches, or signs and wonders that are not consistent with the Word and the Testimony of the
character of God. Some have even blatantly put down Scripture such as John Wimber, John Scotland,
John Kilpatrick, John Arnott and others.
a. "Empty your mind, don't think" assumes that something outside scripture must enter mind, body;
occultic technique. 
b. "New revelation" needed for modern church, "new picture" denies sufficiency of "faith once for all
delivered". 
c. Signs and wonders needed beyond gospel. 
d. Emphasis on experience over doctrine is backwards. 
e. Witchcraft/New Age techniques used for direction instead of scripture.
PART VIII - NAMES & FACES
Here is a short list of people or movements to watch out for.  True Christians must avoid their teachings
because they do not hold to the core doctrines of Christianity by teaching against them either explicitly
and/or implicitly.  These teachers have been rebuked and warned countless time, but continue to persist
in their false teachings, false prophesies and false anointing.
Click on the underlined names for further information on these who have strayed from sound doctrine:
Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Rodney Howard-Browne, Paul & Jan Crouch, John Avanzini, Morris
anywhere, John Kilpatrick, Steve Hill & Micheal Brown of Brownsville AG of Pensecola and any
church following that counterfeit revival, John Wimber and most Vineyard churches, RHEMA
and Kenneth Hagin, Marilyn Hickey, Bishop Earl Paulk, Oral Roberts, Paul Yonggi Cho, Karl
Strader, Charles Capps, John Osteen, Fred Price, Richard Roberts, Mike Evans, Jerry Savelle, Robert
Tilton, W.V. Grant, Peter Popoff, Charles Hunter, Jack Deere, Rick Joyner, Paul Cain, Bob Jones (of
KCP), Pat Robertson, John Scotland.

This list is nowhere near exhaustive.  There are hundreds more names that could be listed here who have
been teaching against the five basic doctrines.  You can research these yourself by searching for their
names on our web site.  There are also many other good apologetics sites linked from our web site you
can use.

The main thing is to be a Berean yourself.  Don't rely strictly on what I say or what someone else tells
you but go to the Word and find out for yourself if these people are teaching heresy.

Scripture is true when it states:

Mt 24:11   and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 

1Jo 4:1   Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We live in perilous times.  Christians need to be awake.