Is the Trinity Biblical?

Please do not assume I am asserting anything here; I am merely probing.

Scripture repeatedly says there is only one God. Jews, Muslims, atheists and others find the "trinity" confusing. Even Christians find it confusing. Maybe it sounds confusing because it is confusing. After all, "God is not the author of confusion."

Jesus says, "I and the Father are one. ...the Father is in me, and I in the Father" (John 10:30-38). Where is the Holy Spirit in that equation? Nothing is ever said about the Holy Spirit being in Them and They in the Holy Spirit. How does a Spirit (John 4:24) have a spirit? Romans 8:9 speaks of "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ." Philippians 1:19 speaks of "the Spirit of Christ Jesus." Which is it? The Father's spirit? The Son's spirit? Or a separate entity altogether? Are there 3 Spirits? What about where Scripture refers to the 7 Spirits of God (Is. 11:2; Rev. 1:4-5; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6)? Is God 1-in-10 and 10-in-1?

Just because something is "established," "long-standing," and/or "tradition" does not mean it is correct. Dogma can be wrong. Perhaps the "church" has failed to understand Scripture correctly and has imposed their faulty interpretation and understanding upon the Scriptures (like they often do). Maybe the "trinity" developed because it sounds like there are three people, but maybe there are actually only two: Father and Son. Maybe the Spirit is just some aspect of themselves. After all, how can the Holy Spirit be a third person, and yet be referred to as the Father's (ownership) spirit and/or the Son's (ownership) spirit?

I am not saying this is the case. The Trinity is probably the best explanation that man has come up with to explain Yahweh God, but it may also be wrong. We should be aware of and open to that. Whether someone believes in a dichotomy or a trichotomy, I can accept that. But if they reject Jesus as divine, when Scripture says "the fullness of deity" dwelled in Him (and other such statements), then they are engaging in heresy and I reject it.

Something to think about.

We should always have an open mind, willing to consider possible alternatives, but our minds should never be so open that our brains fall out. We need to rightly discern things. Remember, there are over 40,000 Christian denominations, groups, and sects. They cannot all be right, but they can certainly all be wrong. None of them hold a monopoly on the truth. Scripture should always be our ultimate authority, and any teachings from these 40,000 groups should be weighed against Scripture, discerning the difference between the Old and New Covenants, the Gospel, and grace. Regardless of how they were raised, what they were taught, or what they might presently believe, every professing Christian should be willing to change their beliefs in accordance with Scripture if they are found to be wrong, and to grow in maturity and their understanding. If you refuse to do so, you remain stagnant, ignorant and immature.

Where Should Our Eyes Be?

Theologians have a philosophy to justify the reason all pews face the pulpit! Can you believe that? (They have a philosophy for everything they do to us. The more unscriptural, the more profound the philosophy.) This particular philosophy is transparently erroneous, and, in general, is odorous. But you need to hear it. Theologians will state this indefensible idea with such spiritual profundity, it may very well intimidate you:

"We all face toward the Word of God to show our reverence for Scripture and our agreement with it."

All right, fellas, here is a philosophical reply to your philosophy about pews:

"If we all face toward the pulpit, we acknowledge that the clergy and the sermon are everything, that the clergy functions and we do not, and that the clergy tells us what to do, controls our worship, our fellowship and our very lives! We are only fringe accessories, spare parts of a meeting. We are an audience called in, making it possible for the clergy to perform!!
We should not all face forward. From a philosophical view—if your philosophy demands a philosophical response—then we should face one another. We are, after all, the Body of Christ. In so doing, we show our care and our love for one another and acknowledge the centrality of the Christ who dwells within us. We also function and participate in all meetings. Wen we do, we are fulfilling our role of functioning while facing each other, not the clergy. By facing one another we can function. In no other direction can we do this. While facing all the saints, we declare that the congregation belongs to God and to the redeemed, not to anyone else. Especially is the ownership of the congregation not the clergy's. Our central focus is not where it has been for 500 years, on the clergy. Our focus is Christ and one another; our eyes are on one another.
By looking at one another we demonstrate that any message we might hear is only part of congregation life. The clergy's sermon is not the all nor the center, nor is anything else we do. Only Christ is. And when we gather, our worship of Him is not under the absolute control of one man, or any ritual.
We face one another because we are all one body."

Pews do not allow for any functioning!

Ministers may not understand how this could be so monumentally important . . . but just look where the minister is sitting. Now he has one very spectacular view! The minister is in front, up on a raised platform, looking down. (Down on you.) What does he see? He sees a thousand well-scrubbed faces, and beautifully dressed bodies. But more! He sees 2,000 eyes glued on him. Sure! Why not pews!? All of them facing me! An actor would kill for a role like that!

The average minister will never concede to this revolution. He is too central to the production . . . all floodlights shine on him. And, generally speaking, he is bereft of all understanding of congregation life.

Now, let's step down off the platform, go into the audience (because that is what it is), and get a look at what you are seeing. Just exactly what are you seeing anyway? You sit in that pew for an our, with nothing to do but look at the back of someone's neck. That is all you see! For one hour! You sit. You are silent. You stare at the back of a head!! That is Christianity? This is why Christ died for you? When Scripture says, "Christ loved the ekklesia and died for her," is this what God had in mind as the ultimate for the redeemed!? Examining the back of someone's head, sitting through a boring ritual, listening to a lecture? Is this to be the consummation of your participation in the gathering of the Body of Christ?

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. (You can continue from 12:27 through 13:13 for a fuller picture.) Does the apostle Paul's description of the Body of Christ reflect what you experience every Sunday in these godless, worthless, useless organized religious institutions called churches? NO! Your experience is limited to one tongue and many ears!! That is not the Body of Christ! That is not how a body—the Body—functions! When everyone gets to participate, when everyone gets to express the Lord Jesus, the whole Body is edified and built up, encouraged and strengthened. We need to get back to the organic meetings of the ekklesia as found in Scripture and the first three centuries!