The Trinity is being attacked

by people who insist that they are going to become gods and goddesses. 

The Bible indicates that the one and only real God has revealed himself in three ways: as Father, as Son and as Holy Spirit.

The followers of Joseph Smith, Jr. insist that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate gods.

For example, here is a Twitter post in which a Mormon repeats a claim that Smith made about seeing the Father and the Son.

In Exodus 33:20, God tells Moses, "No one may see me and live."

So, either God lied to Moses, or Joseph Smith, Jr. lied.

In Numbers 23:19, the prophet Balaam says, "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind." 

That one lie by Smith - that he saw both God the Father and God the Son - should be enough to convince people that Smith was a fraud.

Yet, Mormons still insist that Smith was a prophet.

In Isaiah 43:10, God tells the nation of Israel, "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."

Mormons reject the monotheism that God declares in Isaiah 43:10 because of what Asaph says in Psalm 82. In that passage, Asaph uses the metaphor "gods" to describe certain political leaders.

The use of metaphors in the Old Testament is an obstacle for people who insist that every word in the Old Testament be interpreted literally.

For example, Joshua 10:13 says that the Sun stood still. That verse reveals how things looked from the perspective of the Israelites, who believed that the Sun orbited the Earth.

Today, we know that the Earth orbits the Sun. So, it is unreasonable to interpret "the Sun stood still" literally. It isn't necessary to interpret it literally in order for God to have performed a miracle for the Israelites in Joshua's day.

In summary, the metaphors in the Old Testament do not cancel what God says in Isaiah 43:10.

So, how does Jesus fit in to this topic?

Let's start at the Bible's beginning:

Genesis 1:1, NIV: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Now let's go to the first chapter of John's Gospel.

John 1:1-3, NIV: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

In this passage, John doesn't say that the Word was a god, but that the Word was God.

Afterwards, John writes (verse 14), "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

So, John identifies Jesus as being the God of Genesis 1:1.

Indeed, in John 14:9, Jesus tells Philip, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."

In John 10:30, Jesus declares, "I and the Father are one."

So, Jesus identified himself as being the God of Genesis 1:1.

It is understandable if one is confused by God being both the Father and the Son. Finite human minds aren't capable of understanding all of God's ways and thoughts, as God himself mentions in Isaiah 55:8-9.

I am in agreement with United Methodist elder David Mingus, D. Min., who has described the Trinity as a math formula:

1 (Father) x 1 (Son) x 1 (Holy Spirit) = 1 (God).

Granted, any human description of God, as Dr. Mingus elaborates, fails to give a complete accurate description of God.

So, how does the Holy Spirit fit into this situation?

The answer to that is in the 5th chapter of the book of Acts.

In verses 3 and 4, Peter tells Ananias, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

In short, Peter identified the Holy Spirit as being God.

When we put all of the pieces together, we see what the Bible teaches: that only one real God exists, that only one real God has ever existed, and that only one real God will ever exist. Also, this one and only real God has revealed himself in three ways: as Father, as Son and as Holy Spirit. 

Not 1 + 1 + 1 but 1 x 1 x 1. 

These lessons from the Bible don't benefit people who want to become gods and goddesses, which is what Mormons want to become. So, they deny the lessons. Instead, they cling to claims made by a man who lied when he claimed to have seen the Father and the Son as separate people.

Defending the LGBTQ community

 is not an easy task when opponents of the LGBTQ community are ready to scold you for being LGBTQ affirming.

It would be beneficial to think of a response to such opponents before encountering them.

Two fast responses come to my mind. They are these:

"I prefer not to throw stones."

"You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

If I were to have a discussion with such opponents, then I would present the following statements and questions.

From the 2020/2024 Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church:

Paragraph 3120. Rights of All Persons - “The Constitution of the United Methodist Church declares that all persons are of sacred worth. Our Social Principles have long affirmed the human and civil rights of all people regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. We lament the ways LGBTQ persons have been ostracized from and wounded by the church, and how often Christians have been silent in the face of injustice and discrimination against them.

Proverbs 31:8 calls us to speak up for those who are silenced or unheard, and as Jesus befriended and cared for people who are outcast and marginalized, the United Methodist Church commits to befriending and caring for all persons, including LGBTQ persons in our churches and communities.”

Question 1: Is there one gospel for members of the LGBTQ community and another gospel for everyone else?

The answer to Question 1 is "No," but opponents of the LGBTQ community act as if the answer is "Yes."

In Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29, Jesus describes blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as being an unforgivable sin.

Question 2: What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

As I understand it, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is act of attributing to Satan the work performed by the Holy Spirit.

Question 3: Does the Bible mention an unforgivable sin other than blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

The answer to Question 3 is "No." I ask Questions 2 & 3 in order to clarify that the unforgivable sin has nothing to do with being LGBTQ.

1 John 4:15 says, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.”

Question 4: Does the word anyone in 1 John 4:15 apply to members of the LGBTQ community?

The answer to Question 4 is "Yes." To answer it as "No" is to have one gospel for members of the LGBTQ community and another gospel for everyone else.

In Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Question 5: Does Romans 8:1 apply to members of the LGBTQ community who have made a profession of faith in Jesus?

The answer to Question 5 is "Yes." To answer it as "No" is to have one gospel for members of the LGBTQ community and another gospel for everyone else.

In 1 Corinthians 6:10, the Apostle Paul says that slanderers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Question 6: Is it slander to deny the spiritual salvation of an LGBTQ person who has made a profession of faith in Jesus? 

The answer to question 6 is "Yes." To answer it as "No" is to have one gospel for members of the LGBTQ community and another gospel for everyone else.

Questions 7, 8 and 9 are designed to show that LGBTQ believers in Jesus are on the same spiritual level as non-LGBTQ believers in Jesus.

1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Question 7: Do heterosexual believers in Jesus continue to sin after they have become believers in Jesus?

The answer to Question 7 is "Yes."

Question 8: If the answer to Question 7 is “Yes,” then why do heterosexual believers in Jesus still have spiritual salvation although they continue to sin?

Question 9: Does the Bible list sins that are acceptable for church leaders?

The answer to Question 9 is "No."

Question 10: If the answer to question 9 is “No,” then why are heterosexual believers in Jesus allowed to be church leaders although they continue to sin?

The next 6 questions are designed to expose the fallacy of citing Romans chapter 1 while attacking the LGBTQ community.

In Romans 1:25-26, the Apostle Paul writes, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.”

Question 11: Do modern-day heterosexuals worship and serve created things? 

The answer to Question 11 is "Yes."

Question 12: If the answer to Question 11 is “Yes,” then why haven't modern-day heterosexuals been turned into homosexuals?

Question 13: Do LGBTQ believers in Jesus worship and serve created things? 

The answer to Question 13 is "No."

Question 14: If the answer to Question 13 is “No,” then why are LGBTQ believers in Jesus still LGBTQ?

In Romans 1:25-26, the Apostle Paul mentions natural sexual relations. The National Wildlife Federation reports, “Homosexual behavior is more common among nonhuman animals than scientists once acknowledged. By several estimates, researchers have observed such activity in more than 1,500 species.”*

Question 15: If homosexual behavior is natural in more than 1,500 species, then could the Apostle Paul have erred about natural and unnatural sexual relations?

Galatians 2:11-14 mentions an incident in which the Apostle Peter got something wrong despite the fact that he was an Apostle.

Question 16: If Peter got something wrong despite the fact that he was an Apostle, then could Paul have gotten something wrong?

Opponents of the LGBTQ community might not admit it, but Science determines what is and isn't natural, and the Bible isn't a Science text.

*Quote Source: Same-Sex Behavior Among Animals Isn’t New. Science Is Finally Catching Up. nwf.org