Why are the vast majority of Protestants trinitarian?
The words “trinity” and “triune” never occur in the Bible, nor the phrase “God in three persons.” While there are verses that point to aspects of the trinity, the main reason for exegeting them that way is solely due to already believing in the trinity. Certainly, the unique personhood of the Holy Spirit is very hard to prove solely Biblically.
I highly doubt if some person who had never heard of Christianity were to read the Bible on a desert island, they would come to the conclusion of belief in the trinity. This isn’t really a problem for Catholics or Orthodox who accept the role of church authority, but for Protestants it seems odd. At the very least, I’d expect them to be split on the issue, but the vast vast majority of Protestants accept it
The concept always seemed meaningless to me. Why even argue about it?
>why argue about the only thing that actually matters in the end?
I thought Christ's sacrifice and redemption of creation was what mattered. The details are academic, a hobby for turbo-nerds that pales to nothing in comparison to grandma's simple faith in Christ.
"Simple faith in Christ" hinges on belief in His divinity.
The nature of God is unknowable. You really think arguing over autistic explanations of three persons/aspects/whatever is the most important thing you can do with your life? Or would you be better off remaining humble and treating your fellow man with love and compassion?
>the only thing that actually matters in the end?
imagine thinking that nothing matters except a story where the world is 6,000 years old and all land animals emerged from a single boat 4,300 years ago
total nihilism
think of nothing but bullshit, goy. it's true enlightenment
1 John 5:7-8, known as the Comma Johanneum, is why
>For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood, and these three agree in one.
This is an interpolation. The original goes “For there are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement.”
This interpolation likely came from a footnote or commentary which was erroneously added to the main text by an errant scribe. A similar thing happened in John 5:4. The majority text and the critical text do not contain this passage.
When Erasmus, a Catholic monk, was preparing the first printed Greek text of the New Testament, he left out the Comma Johanneum. It doesn’t appear in the first or second editions of his book. He justified this because it didn’t appear in a single Greek manuscript he could find. It was only known in the Latin vulgate. He was presented with a Greek manuscript that included it, the Codex Montfortianus, and so put it in the third and later editions. The Codex Montfortianus was prepared solely for this purpose, and the Comma Johanneum was translated into Greek from the Latin. The later editions of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament because the basis for the Textus Receptus, or the received text of the New Testament. The King James Bible was translated from the received text, and so includes it.
It’s true, if all you had was an accurate Bible version, you wouldn’t figure out the trinity on your own. On the other hand, if you believe the King James Bible is the infallible word of God in English, you will believe in the trinity, as this verse is pretty unambiguous
>It’s true, if all you had was an accurate Bible version, you wouldn’t figure out the trinity on your own.
The Reformation was not about starting from scratch with just a Bible.
>On the other hand, if you believe the King James Bible is the infallible word of God in English
This is a modern idea held only by certain fringe Baptist sects.
>This is a modern idea held only by certain fringe Baptist sects.
You can't pretend Baptists are fringe anymore. Mainstream Protestantism has completely failed, attempts to reform tradition lost to Great Awakenings
Baptists themselves are not fringe. KJV-Onlyist Baptists certainly are. The majority of Baptists do not hold those beliefs.
>The majority of Baptists do not hold those beliefs.
No true Scotsman.
If you actually think that KJV Onlyism is representative of Baptists in general then you simply do not have any understanding of Baptists. I don't care much to defend them so I'm not going to try to prove it to you. I'm not a Baptist anyway.
>Mainstream Protestantism has completely failed, attempts to reform tradition lost to Great Awakenings
Mainstream Protestantism failed because it capitulated to theological liberalism. Anyway, there's ultimately nothing you can do to stop a proliferation of sects unless you want the state to start executing people based on its own theological prerogatives. Protestants eventually decided they'd had enough of that.
>because it capitulated to theological liberalism
Said theological liberalism was a Universalist Unitarian reaction to their Calvinist theology that painted God as evil, causing Universalism to explode in popularity as a reaction. Really the way they are set up they are going to keep exploding into more extreme sects during these reactionary spasms until a void appears like it already has in Europe and then I guess Islam takes over
The current mainstream Protestant denominations don't hold any sincere beliefs anymore other than support of progressive politics, so there aren't going to be any more splits, other than their more conservative elements finally giving up the fight and breaking off from them, like what's happening with Methodism.
To clarify, when I say "mainstream Protestant denominations" I mean the "mainline" denominations. There are Protestant denominations that still hold to normal confessional Protestant theology but they are smaller and not part of the "mainline."
Protestants used the King James Bible for hundreds of years before moving to other Bibles. It’s a fringe view now, but it didn’t used to be. The comma johannum preserved the trinity
>Certainly, the unique personhood of the Holy Spirit is very hard to prove solely Biblically.
Literally in the first paragraph of the entire Bible.
>Why are the vast majority of Protestants trinitarian?
They tried to find some arbitrary point to stop pulling on the thread, because at least some of them knew it would pull into nothing and you'd end up with completely different religions. Eventually, American Adventism started mogging their sects regardless
Because the Reformation wasn't about abandoning tradition entirely but fixing it.
Probably because among the hundred times it comes up in the New testament is Matthew 28:19
> Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit
>the hundred times it comes up in the New testament
go ahead, name 10
The real gigabrains basically just reconstruct Islam, like Isaac Newton
Matt. 12:31; Luke 12:10 – Jesus says blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Only God can be blasphemed.
John 4:24 – God is a spirit (the Holy Spirit) and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. Only God is worshiped.
John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7 – the Father and the Son send the Counselor, the Holy Spirit – Isaiah 9:6 – the Counselor is Mighty God.
Acts 5:3-4,9 – Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit, and that he has not lied to men, but to God (the Holy Spirit).
Acts 28:25-27 – the Holy Spirit said “Go to this people and say…” – Isaiah 6:8-10 – the Lord said “Go to this people and say…”
Rom. 8:11 – the Spirit that raised Jesus up from the dead – Gal. 1:1 – God the Father raised Jesus from the dead.
1 Cor. 2:10 – the Spirit searches everything – Jer. 17:10 – the Lord searches the heart.
1 Cor. 3:16 – you are the temple of God – 1 Cor. 6:19 – you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor. 12:4-6 – there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, varieties of service but the same Lord, varieties of working but same God.
2 Cor. 3:6,17 – we are ministers of the covenant in the Spirit which gives life. Now the Lord (God) is the Spirit.
Heb. 10:16 – the Holy Spirit said this is the covenant I will make – Jer. 31:33 – the Lord said this is the covenant I will make.
1 Peter 1:2 – we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit – 1 Thess. 5:23 – the very God of peace sanctifies you wholly.
https://www.scripturecatholic.com/the-holy-spirit/
Has more if you actually care.
Protestant was always just slippery slope to Jehovas Witnesses
The image of the Trinity reaches even those with a tinge of intelligibility.
>Certainly, the unique personhood of the Holy Spirit is very hard to prove solely Biblically.
That's where you're wrong.
>the reason that we know God is triune in nature is the revelation of the Bible
not trolling but is it possible that God could be more than Triune and just did not reveal that about himself? Is it assumed that He revealed EVERYTHING?
Because protestantism isn't 'read the Bible and invent a new religion ' its just democratized papalism