Is a belief in Trinity theology necessary to be a Christian?
Let’s talk about the doctrine of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed which was deemed “an abomination” by Joseph Smith.
I was raised with the idea that the idea of the Trinity originated a couple hundred years after the Bible, and thus was adding to the Bible. I used this as my “gotcha” line whenever Christians accused us Mormons of adding to the Bible.
How can Christianity be defined by a doctrine that wasn’t even invented until 250+ years after Christ??
Well, let me explain what I have found out these last couple years. I feel this is very important, and it would benefit LDS people to understand this.
The reason the Nicene council was called was not because the doctrine of the Trinity was new. To the contrary— it was because the opposing doctrine was new! The Biblical, traditional understanding of the Trinity needed to be defended and clarified.
The Trinity wasn’t the corruption!
The Trinity was the traditional view they had already held for those 250+ years.
Arianism was the corruption.
What was new on the scene was this idea that Jesus wasn’t eternal, wasn’t fully God, and was inferior to the Father. That’s Arminianism and it originated in the 4th century.
Again, the doctrine of the Trinity did NOT originate at Nicea!
It only needed to be defended from the new kid on the block opposing it.
It is completely unbiblical to say Jesus had an origin, was spiritually born to the father. Or to say that He was merely on His way to Godhood, not yet perfected.
John 1:1–5 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
(Isn’t that interesting that even the gospel declares that some cannot comprehend Jesus’s eternal identity?)
Now, the LDS church might say Joseph Smith changed this passage to where “The Word” doesn’t refer to Jesus. However, the JST forgot to change verse 14, saying “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
So YES, the Word is Jesus!
And Jesus was from THE BEGINNING.
And Jesus created ALL THINGS.
Jesus is BOTH God and WITH God. That is the Trinity.
Further, the JST didn’t even touch the Isaiah verses declaring that there is only ONE God and NOBODY else is even like Him:
“Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.” (Isaiah 43:11)
“Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 43:8)
“I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)
“I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
“I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)
Why is Isaiah repeating this so many times?
Maybe it’s important.
There is only one God. Yet, there is a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit. Hence, the Trinity: One God, Three persons. One substance. Co-equal, co-eternal.
Jesus and all the Trinity has ALWAYS existed, and has ALWAYS been God. They were not men who became Gods.
God is not a physical man. He is spirit! (John 4:24)
God is not an exalted man. If he had been a man, that means someone before him was God. And hence, you’ve got polytheism.
Personally, as a Mormon I never read these scriptures that so clearly contradict LDS beliefs.
And that was just the beginning. I continued to study. And what really blew my mind is that with almost every Bible passage that contradicted the LDS church, I would look it up in my Joseph Smith Translation and he didn’t even change it!! In fact, John 1:1 is one of the very few verses he altered. But the rest of the JST affirms the trinity, the idea that we only become children of God when we accept Jesus, the doctrine of Grace, and the doctrine of completion of temples. (And the Book of Mormon affirms these things too!)
You see, once I opened my Bible for myself and just read it for what it really says, that was all I needed.
I was out of the LDS church.
Why? Because I love Jesus. I was committed to Him! Because I was a Christian. I had to choose the LDS church or Christianity.
“The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.” (Galatians 3:19-20)
All I Possess 