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I was scrolling on Facebook the other day and came across a post on the "I Am Apostolic" Facebook page. I am going to post that message here: "Please Assist once and for all. Holy Trinity or “JESUS ONLY”? Is it wrong to believe in the Holy Trinity? Is there scripture that can back up anything regarding such beliefs?"

Well, as my inclination is as of late, I couldn't let this question pass me by without giving a response.My answer was as follows: "Start from the beginning, Genesis 1:1 says In the beginning God...move to John 1:1 and we get another In the beginning was the Word (God), and the Word (God) was with God and the Word was God. John 1:14 says that the Word (God) became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us. Revelation 22:13 are words written in red, Jesus speaking and it begins with the same words which God spoke to the children of Israel in Exodus 20, "I AM"". Here He declares He is the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the end, the first and the last. If He was the Word which spoke everything into existence in Genesis 1, taking on the flesh of humanity to equate Himself with our iniquities (the ways in which we would be tempted) and here in Revelation is declaring that He is also the end this shows the continuity of scripture from cover to cover.

Many will utilize Matthew 28:19 where Jesus is giving the great commission to His disciples. What we do not get recorded in scripture anywhere is the teachings of Jesus to the disciples from the time of His resurrection to His ascension. The commission is given, there are a few things written such as the encounter on the roadways and when He came to them as they were fishing, but what was taught in the silence. The next recorded words we had is when He told them to go and tarry at Jerusalem to wait for the promise. Once that promise was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, this is when we get the bold declaration of Peter as recorded in Acts 2:38 of Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. As he continued in vs 39, this PROMISE (the exact word that Jesus had used to tell them to tarry) was to them, their children and to all that would receive. This promise is still available today because of the statement there of all that would believe. It did not end when the last disciples died. It did not get snuffed out during the Dark Ages. Just as there was a remnant that remained for the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament, there has been a remnant that held true to the teachings of the apostles. Many say it is a "new" belief starting in the 1900's at Azuza Street but that was the awakening of the remnant."

For some reason, that post is still going strong in that group. I was shocked at the number of folks that responded and continue to respond to what I said. However, I have not been able to stop thinking about what I wrote as the response. I have always heard how scripture confirms scripture time and time again. Line upon line, precept upon precept, the cannon of scripture stands.

But let me pause here and look at something in particular--the original question asked the question of trinity or one God and to provide scripture to back it up. I had shared Matthew 28:19-20 as one a lot of people use for the belief in the trinity.  That got my mind to thinking though. If Matthew recorded this aspect of the disciples meeting with Jesus after the resurrection, what did the othe disciples record in their gospels? 

After taking a look at what Mark wrote in particular, I see where denominations can get founded upon a singular scripture. This would have been written at the same time as Matthew 28 and Luke 24. This is Jesus speaking, Mark 16:15-18: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."  Now, this passage starts off just as Matthew 28 does with the command to GO. Go into all the world preaching and teaching the gospel. 

But over the next little bit is where the views of the writers begin to change the words that were used--not changing ideologies only verbiage.  Matthew utilizes "In the name of" and proceeds to list the titles while Mark only says "believes and is baptized" giving no titles or name. This is where we get the "all you have to do is believe" crowd giving us the ABCs of salvation. These are the ones telling you that you have to A-dmit you are a sinner in need of a savior.  B-elieve that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. C-onfess your sin and commit your life to Him. But even this crowd now does not press the need for baptisim even though Mark did utilize the words of believe and is baptized. For this group, belief and confession is enough. If the person dies before they are baptized then they are still in heaven.

But with what Mark wrote next is another  "denominational" teaching plucked from one set of scriptures upon which there are many "doctrines" built today. In vs 16, when he talks about the signs following them that believe, this has created a modern frenzy of manufacturing a "show". You have your charismatic churches that are having services to cast out demons and are looking for those who are possessed at every turn. They speak in tongues and shout loudly as they cry out to God for a manifestation of His presence. It reminds me of when Elijah and the prophets of Baal were on the mountain. Those false prophets cried aloud all day, even cutting themselves as a sacrifice to get their gods to come and move. 

Then you move onto the next verse where it speaks of taking up snakes and drinking anything deadly. You also have that facet of fanatical believers that pull that scripture out to stand on to justify snake handling within the church as part of their worship. They put bottles of poison on the pulpits and altars for those who feel they are in the Spirit to come up and drink from the bottle. This scripture is not speaking of purposely grabbing a snake or willingly drinking poisonous substances. It is speaking of instances when, like Paul being bitten by the viper, something comes unexpectedly to bite you or something unknowingly has been put into your food or drink Deuteronomy 6:16 says , "Do not test the Lord thy God." Test here means tempt which is the exact thing that the enemy tried to do when Jesus was in the wilderness fasting for 40 days. He responded with this verse to rebuke the enemy. He didn't stop and build a church on the temptation. Like Paul, you can shake it off and go on about your business. This is not a doctrinal teaching to build a denomination on. 

The world looks down on us as Apostolic believers. They call us fanatical and label us as a cult. They throw the fact of us utilizing Acts 2:38-39 as a foundational scripture as being shallow and that we know no other teaching other than these two verses. They challenge us by asking us to prove that there is only one God. OK, do you want that from the old or the new testament? Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear O Israel, our God is one Lord." Jesus quoted this in Mark 12:29 when the Pharisees asked Him what was the greatest commandment. Not enough? OK, lets keep going then. What about Isaiah 9:6-7, " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Jesus was known as the Prince of Peace. He was called wonderful, counsellor, and Mighty God. He was of the lineage of David.

Do you still want more? OK. John 1:1-17, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." That's a lot I know but in verse 1 we read where the Word was there in the beginning. The Word was the voice which Moses heard speaking to him from the burning bush in Exodus. It is the voice that spoke to the prophets and gave them the messages. He was the Angel of the Lord that went to Lott and his wife in Sodom to tell them to flee the destruction that was at hand. This same Word was that which spoke all things into existence in Genesis 1. Here it tells us that the Word was with God and was God. 

When you get down to verse 11 where it says he came unto his own but his own received him not, this is speaking of Jesus being born. He was born a Jew, in Bethlehem-Judea, yet the men and women who dwelled there never accepted Him as the Messiah. All they saw was the son of the carpenter, not the son of God. But He was not only the son of God, He was God in the flesh. You see, the Word (God) was only Spirit without form and body. He chose to robe Himself in the iniquity of flesh to allow Himself to feel all that we would in our lives yet He did so without falling to the temptations of the flesh. But even the disciples questioned if He was the One or not. Philip asked Him to let them see the Father. Jesus responded in John 14:9-11 "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." 

How about this one, Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptisim."  I guess when that question was posed about One God or the Trinity I took it a bit personal. I was raised on the Trinity belief and was not so nicely ridiculed when I left it behind. I was told I was wrong in so many ways.  I was new to the faith and did not know how to defend my new found beliefs through scripture. All I knew was the change that had been made in my life. By no means am I a scholar of the Word today but I do know, as I said when I gave my answer on Facebook to that group, if God declared Himself as the I am to the Israelite children, and again decalred Himself the I am in Revelation, how can we not see that He was, He is and He is that which is to come. The Aplpha and Omega, the first and the last, beginning and the end. He started with an In the beginning and He will complete it with an Amen.