Trinity or Godhead ? ?

So I have had quite a few questions about the 'Trinity'.  This post is to help others understand where the Trinity came from and how it was conceived.

"And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."

-- John 8:16
If I am not alone then there must be another person standing by, and I cannot send myself somewhere, I would just GO there.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
-- John 14:26

Again being sent is a command from someone else, and if 'he' (the Holy Ghost) shall bring all things which Christ had said unto them, why would He not have said that, 'I shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have already told you'?

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

-- Acts 10:38
To anoint is like giving a blessing.  The priesthood of God is used to bless and help others, not yourself.  Being selfish is against the will of the Lord, and prevents one from exercising the priesthood.  When Christ was baptized by this same priesthood authority, 'God was with him'.  I cannot be with myself, I simply am myself.

"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."
-- Luke 3:22
The Holy Ghost has the form of a body all on his own, and if Christ was in the water then how could He be speaking from Heaven.  'Thou' and 'Thee' are pronouns like 'you' and are used when talking with someone else, not yourself.

The notion of the Trinity was conceived by men because after the Death and Resurrection of Christ, His apostles were also killed.  In war if you don't like the King you kill all of the Kings servants as well to prevent them from rebelling against your dominion.  The Jewish senate known as the Sanhedrin condemned Christ, so also afterward they sought to destroy His apostles.  After those apostles were gone there was no one left on the earth with the priesthood authority to speak with God concerning doctrines taught in the scriptures.  So several hundred years went by with honest men giving what they thought about the Bible.

These concepts were than taken to be correct because their was very little opportunity to actually read the Bible itself without having someone else who could read Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.  It wasn't until about 1500 AD that William Tyndale translated the Bible into English.  This even had to be done secretly as the church and national governments did not agree with giving the common folk access to sacred scripture.  Tyndale once said to a priest, "If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!" (source)

This was realized about 300 years later when a 14 year-old farmboy in New York was reading the Bible, which was made possible by Tyndale's efforts to translate it into English. 

Excerpts from the history of how this farmboy, Joseph Smith, learned more about scripture than an educated priest, is as follows.  For the entire record see Joseph Smith History.


"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion.

"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit....but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

"I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

"When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right and which I should join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” "


Joseph Smith was called as a Prophet of God, to restore the church that Christ had established during His mortal ministry.  Through him we have the Knowledge that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared in the year 1820, side by side.

In regard to the Godhead the scriptures teach that They are each individual, yet one in purpose.  Separate physically, but united spiritually.  Even as I and my mortal father are united in our labors when we go out into the field to work, so also was Christ united with the Father while laboring here in His vineyard.


"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."

-- John 8:42

I cannot be my own father.  That would require being of age before I was born.  If God works by natural laws, and is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), then Jesus Christ could not have also been His own Father.

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

-- John 17:20-21

Here Christ prays for His apostles, but not them alone also all who believe on their words.  Therefore there must needs be a way for us to be 'one', or 'united', with each other while still in possesion of our own individual bodies.

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

-- John 20:17

The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not each other.  However they each hold the title of God.



There really is only ONE God.

"There is one body, and one Spirit, 

even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

One Lord, 

one faith, 

one baptism,

One God and Father of all, 

who is above all, 

and through all, 

and in you all."

-- Ephesians 4:4-6

There is no need for multiple Doctrines.  There is no need for multiple Interpretations.  There is no need for multiple Institutions.

We have all been Created by one God.  He is our Heavenly Father and loves us dearly.  He has given us Commandments for our benefit.  If we live according to His Commandments we shall find Happiness, Friends, and Peace throughout our lives.

There cannot be more than one way of performing sacred ordinances today, such as Baptism, any more than there was in biblical times.

"And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord."

-- Numbers 26:61

We do not see those who did not obey God's prescribed method die as has happened in days past, but the necessity of priesthood Authority has been taught by all of the Lord's Prophets since the beginning.

We have all been Commanded to diligently study the Scriptures, written by Prophets, that we may know for ourselves what is expected of us. (Joshua 1:8)

It is a Commandment to "Pray unto the Father", and to receive personal direction for our individual lives. (John 16:26)

We have also been Commanded to assemble ourselves, or in other words attend church, so that we may receive guidance from Priesthood Leaders, whom God gives revelation on how to govern the affairs of His church. (Hebrews 10:25)

I know that as we Read the Scriptures, Pray to God our Heavenly Father, and seek Revelation from Him as we go to Church, we will be shown what to do in our own lives.  We will know exactly why things happen, and it will give us more spiritual strength.

lds.org/maps/google

He Will Take Upon Him Their Infirmities

I love this picture.  Christ loves the world, and everyone that lives in it.  But when He has suffered for all of our sins, and we go about as if we don't care, I am sure that He has wept for the pain that He can not keep back from us.  If we go on and make bad choices that go against His Commandments, then we cause the burden to be that much worse for our Savior.

The Thoughts of Scripture Upon 'The Trinity'

So I have had quite a few questions about the 'Trinity'.  This post is to help others understand where the Trinity came from and how it was conceived.

"And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."

-- John 8:16
If I am not alone then there must be another person standing by, and I cannot send myself somewhere, I would just GO there.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
-- John 14:26

Again being sent is a command from someone else, and if 'he' (the Holy Ghost) shall bring all things which Christ had said unto them, why would He not have said that, 'I shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have already told you'?

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

-- Acts 10:38
To anoint is like giving a blessing.  The priesthood of God is used to bless and help others, not yourself.  Being selfish is against the will of the Lord, and prevents one from exercising the priesthood.  When Christ was baptized by this same priesthood authority, 'God was with him'.  I cannot be with myself, I simply am myself.

"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."
-- Luke 3:22
The Holy Ghost has the form of a body all on his own, and if Christ was in the water then how could He be speaking from Heaven.  'Thou' and 'Thee' are pronouns like 'you' and are used when talking with someone else, not yourself.

The notion of the Trinity was conceived by men because after the Death and Resurrection of Christ, His apostles were also killed.  In war if you don't like the King you kill all of the Kings servants as well to prevent them from rebelling against your dominion.  The Jewish senate known as the Sanhedrin condemned Christ, so also afterward they sought to destroy His apostles.  After those apostles were gone there was no one left on the earth with the priesthood authority to speak with God concerning doctrines taught in the scriptures.  So several hundred years went by with honest men giving what they thought about the Bible.

These concepts were than taken to be correct because their was very little opportunity to actually read the Bible itself without having someone else who could read Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.  It wasn't until about 1500 AD that William Tyndale translated the Bible into English.  This even had to be done secretly as the church and national governments did not agree with giving the common folk access to sacred scripture.  Tyndale once said to a priest, "If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!" (source)

This was realized about 300 years later when a 14 year-old farmboy in New York was reading the Bible, which was made possible by Tyndale's efforts to translate it into English. 

Excerpts from the history of how this farmboy, Joseph Smith, learned more about scripture than an educated priest, is as follows.  For the entire record see Joseph Smith History.


"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion.

"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit....but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

"I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

"When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right and which I should join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” "


Joseph Smith was called as a Prophet of God, to restore the church that Christ had established during His mortal ministry.  Through him we have the Knowledge that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared in the year 1820, side by side.

In regard to the Godhead the scriptures teach that They are each individual, yet one in purpose.  Separate physically, but united spiritually.  Even as I and my mortal father are united in our labors when we go out into the field to work, so also was Christ united with the Father while laboring here in His vineyard.


"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."

-- John 8:42

I cannot be my own father.  That would require being of age before I was born.  If God works by natural laws, and is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), then Jesus Christ could not have also been His own Father.

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

-- John 17:20-21

Here Christ prays for His apostles, but not them alone also all who believe on their words.  Therefore there must needs be a way for us to be 'one', or 'united', with each other while still in possesion of our own individual bodies.

 

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

-- John 20:17

 

The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not each other.  However they each hold the title of God.



Some Scriptures From The Bible

"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."
-- John 8:42

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:"

-- Philippians 2:5-6

"For God is not the author of confusion"
-- 1 Corinthians 14:33


"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."

-- Acts 7:55-56

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

-- Genesis 1:26-27

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

-- Colossians 2:9-12

"As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."

-- John 17:18-26

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

-- Titus 2:14