The Triune God - Part Two

I. 1 John 5:7 Textual Problem

1 John 5:6-8, KJV 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

In the KJV, the bracketed text [] only appears in 8 later manuscripts, & half of those are only marginal notes supplied by the copyist.

II. DOCTRINES OPPOSING THE TRINITY (Tri-unity of God)

A. Tri-theism: John Ascunages & John Philoponus taught that there were three who were God, but they were only related by loose association as, for example, Peter, James & John were disciples.

B. Sabellianism (aka Modalism): Sabellius taught that God was single and indivisible, with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being three modes or manifestations of one divine Person.

C. Arianism: Arius denied the deity of Christ, teaching that only God was the uncreated One. According to Arius, Jesus was not eternal, & only existed through birth. Roots toward Arius' conclusions began with Tertullian, who subordinated the Son to the Father, & Origen, who taught that the Son was subordinate to the Father “in respect to essence.” Arianism condemned at Council of Nicea (325 AD).