In Matthew 7:23, Jesus made a statement that should cause every believer to stop and think. He said to a group of people who had performed miracles, cast out demons, and prophesied in His name:
“I never knew you.”
Think about that.
These people called Jesus “Lord.” They performed supernatural works in His name. They apparently believed they knew Him. Yet Jesus said, “I never knew you.”
How could that happen?
Could it be possible to sincerely believe that we know God, sincerely worship Him, sincerely call Jesus “Lord,” and yet have a fundamentally wrong understanding of who God is?
That is a question we cannot afford to ignore.
Today, most Christians accept the doctrine of the Trinity as the central explanation of who God is. They may sincerely believe it, yet many have never carefully examined what the Bible actually says about the nature of God, the relationship between the Father and the Son, and the identity of the Holy Spirit.
Instead, when difficult questions arise, some simply quote Deuteronomy 29:29:
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God.”
Certainly, there are things God has not revealed to us. But the same verse also says:
“Those things which are revealed belong unto us.”
God has revealed things about Himself.
He has revealed who He is. He has revealed His relationship with the Son. He has revealed the role of the Holy Spirit. He has given us His Word so that we can understand what He wants us to understand.
So the question is not whether we can understand everything about God.
Of course we cannot.
The question is: Will we believe what God has actually revealed?
Some may say, “Why does this matter? Isn't it enough simply to believe in God and love Jesus?”
But our concept of God matters enormously.
Consider Aaron.
When Moses was on Mount Sinai, Aaron helped the Israelites create a golden calf. They did not necessarily think they were abandoning God. They were trying to conceptualize and represent the God they believed had brought them out of Egypt.
But they were wrong about who God was.
And that wrong concept of God led them into idolatry—with devastating consequences.
Our understanding of God affects how we worship Him, how we relate to Him, how we understand His purpose, and ultimately whom we are worshiping.
If we have the wrong concept of God, sincerity alone does not make that concept correct.
You would not go to a banker to have your teeth repaired simply because you sincerely believed the banker was a dentist.
You could have complete confidence in the wrong person and still receive the wrong result.
Likewise, faith must be based on truth.
God does not call us to blind faith. He calls us to believe His Word.
That kind of faith gives His children strength to endure trials, tribulations, and persecution to the end:
“He that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22).
And again:
“He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
So let us examine this subject carefully—not according to tradition, not according to popular opinion, and not according to what we have simply been told—but according to the Word of God.
The commonly accepted Trinity doctrine makes three basic claims concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all members or Persons of the Godhead.
All three are co-equal, coexist eternally, and are ultimately “one God” or “three in one.”
All three are individual Persons or Beings possessing personality.
The first claim—that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all associated with the Godhead—is not necessarily controversial.
The real questions begin when we ask:
Are they all the same Being?
Are they equal in authority?
Are there three divine Persons?
And most importantly:
What does the Bible itself say?
Consider the very first chapter of the Bible.
The fourth word of Scripture is Elohim:
“In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
The Hebrew word Elohim is plural in form and appears thousands of times throughout the Old Testament.
Why is a plural word used to describe God?
The Bible also uses Elohim in connection with angels, judges, and false gods—entities or groups associated with authority or power.
This suggests that Elohim can convey the concept of a group, class, or family of powerful beings rather than necessarily describing one individual Person.
We understand this concept when we use the word “family.”
A family can contain multiple individuals while still being one family.
Likewise, a group can contain multiple members while belonging to one class or category.
Paul even says:
“There be gods many, and lords many” (1 Corinthians 8:5).
The question, then, is whether the biblical concept of Elohim can describe a divine family or plurality in unity.
If so, we should allow the Bible to explain that relationship rather than forcing it into a later theological formula.
Now consider John 1:1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Notice something very important.
The Word was with God.
How can someone be “with” another person and simultaneously be God?
John is describing a relationship between two divine Persons.
And who is the Word?
John later tells us:
“And the Word was made flesh” (John 1:14).
The Word became Jesus Christ.
So at the beginning, we have the Word with God.
Two divine Persons.
Two Beings.
And yet both are identified with divinity.
The relationship becomes even clearer when we examine what Jesus Himself said.
Jesus said:
“My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).
Why would Jesus say that if the Father and Son were completely equal in authority?
Paul gives us another remarkable statement:
“The head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3).
Think carefully about that.
The head of man is Christ.
The head of Christ is God.
There is a clear hierarchy of authority.
Jesus Christ is Lord over humanity, but the Father is Lord over Christ.
And Paul makes this even clearer in 1 Corinthians 15:23-28, where he describes the Son ultimately being subject to the Father.
So we have two divine Persons working together in perfect unity—but unity does not necessarily mean equality of authority.
A husband and wife are equally human, yet they may have different roles and responsibilities within the family.
A child is equally human, yet the child does not possess the same authority as the parents.
Likewise, the Father and Son can both be divine while possessing different levels of authority.
Look carefully at the words of Jesus throughout the Gospel of John.
Again and again, Jesus distinguishes Himself from the Father.
He prays to the Father.
He speaks about being sent by the Father.
He obeys the Father.
He returns to the Father.
He says that the Father is greater than He is.
And in John 14:6, Jesus says:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Notice the direction.
We come to the Father through Christ.
The Father is not simply another name for Jesus.
The Father and the Son are distinct.
They are not the same Person.
They have a relationship.
They communicate.
They love one another.
They work together.
And the Son submits to the authority of the Father.
This is not “three in one” in the sense that the Father and Son are the same Being.
They are two distinct divine Persons.
Now we come to the most controversial question.
Is the Holy Spirit a third divine Person?
If the Holy Spirit is a third divine Person in the God Family, we should expect Jesus and the apostles to make that fact unmistakably clear.
After all, if the Trinity is the central doctrine of Christianity, this would be one of the most important truths Jesus could possibly have taught His disciples.
But where is the clear statement?
Consider John 5 and the passages that follow.
Jesus speaks repeatedly about the Father and Himself.
He explains their relationship.
He explains their authority.
He explains that the Father sent Him.
He explains His relationship with the Father.
The Father and Son are clearly identified.
But where is the third Person?
Where does Jesus plainly say, “The Holy Spirit is another divine Person equal with the Father and Me”?
The statement is simply not there.
And then we come to one of the most remarkable statements in the entire Bible.
John 17:3.
Jesus is praying to His Father and says:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Think about the significance of this statement.
Jesus is explaining eternal life.
If knowing God is essential to eternal life, and if God exists as three co-equal Persons, why does Jesus identify the Father as the “only true God” and then identify Himself separately as the One whom the Father sent?
Why is there no statement about knowing the Holy Spirit?
Why is there no explanation that eternal life requires knowing three divine Persons?
Instead, Jesus speaks of knowing the Father and knowing Jesus Christ.
This deserves serious consideration.
Biblical knowledge is not merely intellectual knowledge.
To know someone means to have a relationship with that person.
The Bible repeatedly describes the relationship between the Father and the Son.
The Father loves the Son.
The Son loves the Father.
The Father sends the Son.
The Son obeys the Father.
The Son speaks to the Father.
The Son returns to the Father.
But where is the comparable description of a personal relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son?
Where does the Holy Spirit pray to the Father?
Where does the Holy Spirit speak to Jesus as another divine Person?
Where does Jesus pray to the Holy Spirit?
Where does the Father send the Holy Spirit as another divine Being who possesses independent personality?
Instead, the Holy Spirit is repeatedly described as the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of Christ, and the power through which God works.
This provides a very different picture.
The Holy Spirit can be understood as the Spirit, power, and spiritual essence of the Father and the Son rather than as a third independent Person.
Deuteronomy 19:15 establishes an important principle:
“At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
So let us consider two witnesses.
The first witness is Scripture.
The second is history.
Historically, the Trinity was not formally defined in the Christian church during the ministry of Jesus or the lifetime of the apostles.
Its formal theological definition developed centuries later, particularly through the fourth-century councils.
That is more than 300 years after Christ's ministry and the deaths of the apostles.
This should cause us to pause.
If the Trinity is the central doctrine defining who God is, why did it take centuries for the doctrine to be formally defined?
Why did Jesus not plainly teach it?
Why did the apostles not plainly state it?
The usual Trinitarian answer is that the doctrine was present in Scripture from the beginning but was only gradually understood and formally articulated by the church.
But that answer itself raises an important question:
If it was the central doctrine of Christianity, why was it not clearly stated by Christ and His apostles?
Instead, the doctrine was developed through theological reasoning and interpretation of multiple passages.
That means we need to distinguish between what Scripture explicitly says and what later theology deduces from Scripture.
And this is where the danger lies.
Human reasoning can be valuable, but it must never become more authoritative than God's inspired Word.
We should begin with Scripture.
We should allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.
And where Scripture speaks clearly, we should believe it.
Based on the biblical evidence presented here, the understanding proposed is straightforward:
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit coexist and are all associated with the Godhead.
The Father and the Son are two distinct divine Persons or Beings. They are both divine, but they are not equal in authority. The Father is the head of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is not a separate divine Person or Being, but the Spirit, power, and spiritual essence of the Father and the Son.
This understanding allows us to take seriously everything Scripture says about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit without forcing those passages into the framework of a three-Person Trinity.
Let us return to where we began.
Jesus said to some people:
“I never knew you.”
These were not people who thought they were rejecting Jesus.
They called Him “Lord.”
They did works in His name.
They believed they knew Him.
Yet Jesus said, “I never knew you.”
That should humble every one of us.
The issue is not whether we are sincere.
The issue is whether our worship is based on truth.
Aaron sincerely participated in the worship of the golden calf.
But sincerity did not transform the golden calf into the true God.
The God we worship must be the God who revealed Himself in Scripture.
So let us not be satisfied with inherited traditions.
Let us not say, “It is a mystery, so there is no need to understand it.”
And let us not place human theological traditions above the inspired Word of God.
Instead, let us search the Scriptures.
Let us ask difficult questions.
Let us follow the evidence wherever it leads.
And most importantly, let us seek to know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus Himself said:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
If our understanding of Elohim is wrong, we risk misunderstanding the very God we claim to worship.
But if we sincerely seek God through His Word, with humility and an open heart, we can come to know Him as He has chosen to reveal Himself.
The question is not simply, “Do we believe in God?”
The deeper question is:
“Do we know the God we believe in—and are we worshiping Him as He has revealed Himself?”
在馬太福音 7:23 中，耶穌說了一句應當使每一位信徒停下來深思的話。祂對一群曾經奉祂的名行過神蹟、趕鬼、說預言的人說：
「我從來不認識你們。」
想一想這句話。
這些人稱耶穌為「主」。他們奉耶穌的名行超自然的工作。他們顯然相信自己認識祂。然而，耶穌卻對他們說：「我從來不認識你們。」
這怎麼可能？
一個人有沒有可能真心相信自己認識神，真心敬拜神，真心稱耶穌為「主」，但對於神究竟是誰，卻有一個根本性的錯誤認識？
這是一個我們不能忽略的問題。
今天，大多數基督徒都接受「三位一體」作為解釋神是誰的核心教義。他們可能是真誠地相信這個教義，但很多人從未仔細查考過聖經究竟如何描述神的本質、父與子的關係，以及聖靈究竟是誰。
相反地，當遇到難以解答的問題時，有些人只是引用申命記 29:29：
「隱祕的事是屬耶和華我們神的。」
當然，神確實有一些事情沒有向我們啟示。但是同一節經文也說：
「惟有明明顯顯的事是永遠屬我們和我們子孫的。」
神已經向我們啟示了一些關於祂自己的事情。
祂啟示了祂是誰。祂啟示了祂與聖子的關係。祂也啟示了聖靈的角色。祂賜下祂的話語，使我們能夠明白祂要我們明白的事情。
所以，問題並不是：我們能不能完全明白神？
當然不能。
真正的問題是：
我們是否願意相信神所真正啟示的話？
有人可能會說：「這有那麼重要嗎？只要相信神、愛耶穌，不就夠了嗎？」
但我們對神的認識非常重要。
想想亞倫的例子。
當摩西在西奈山上的時候，亞倫幫助以色列人製造了一隻金牛犢。他們未必認為自己已經完全離棄了神。他們是在試圖用一個具體的形象，來表達他們所認為那位把他們從埃及領出來的神。
但是，他們對神的認識錯了。
而這個錯誤的神觀，最終把他們帶進了偶像崇拜，並造成極其嚴重的後果。
我們對神的認識，會影響我們如何敬拜祂、如何與祂建立關係、如何理解祂對我們的旨意，以及我們究竟是在敬拜誰。
如果我們對神有錯誤的認識，單單真誠並不能使這個錯誤的認識變成正確。
你不會因為真心相信銀行家是牙醫，就去找銀行家為你修牙。
你可以對錯誤的人抱有完全的信心，但結果仍然會是錯的。
同樣，信心必須建立在真理之上。
神並沒有呼召我們去相信盲目的信仰。祂呼召我們相信祂的話。
這樣的信心能夠給祂的兒女力量，使他們在試煉、患難和逼迫中忍耐到底：
「惟有忍耐到底的，必然得救。」（馬太福音 10:22）
又說：
「惟有忍耐到底的，必然得救。」（馬太福音 24:13）
所以，讓我們仔細查考這個問題——不是按照傳統，不是按照大多數人的看法，也不是按照別人告訴我們的內容，而是按照神的話語。
今天普遍接受的三位一體教義，對父、子和聖靈有三個基本的主張：
父、子、聖靈都是神格的成員或位格。
三者都是同等、永恆共存，並且是「三位一體」——也就是說，最終是「一位神」或「一體」。
三者都是各自獨立的「位格」或具有位格性的存在。
第一個主張——父、子和聖靈都與神格有關——本身未必會引起太大爭議。
真正的問題在於：
祂們是不是同一個存在？
祂們在權柄上是不是完全平等？
究竟是不是三位神性的位格？
而最重要的是：
聖經本身到底怎麼說？
讓我們看看聖經的第一章。
聖經中的第四個字就是 Elohim：
「起初，神（Elohim）創造天地。」（創世記 1:1）
希伯來文的 Elohim 在形式上是複數，在舊約中出現了數千次。
為什麼聖經用一個複數形式的字來描述神？
聖經也使用 Elohim 來指天使、審判官以及假神——也就是與權柄或能力有關的存在或群體。
這似乎顯示，Elohim 可以表達一個群體、類別或有能力者的家族，而不一定只是指一個單獨的個體。
我們可以從「家庭」這個概念理解這一點。
一個家庭可以包含多個個人，但仍然是一個家庭。
同樣，一個群體可以包含許多成員，但仍然屬於同一個類別。
保羅甚至說：
「世上有許多的神，也有許多的主。」（哥林多前書 8:5）
因此，問題是：
聖經中的 Elohim 是否可以用來描述一個神聖的家庭，或在合一中的多個成員？
如果可以，那麼我們應該讓聖經自己來解釋這種關係，而不是把它強行套進後來形成的神學公式中。
現在來看看約翰福音 1:1：
「太初有道，道與神同在，道就是神。」
注意一件非常重要的事情。
「道與神同在。」
一個人怎麼可能「與神同在」，同時又是神？
約翰正在描述兩位神性的存在之間的關係。
那麼，「道」是誰？
約翰稍後告訴我們：
「道成了肉身。」（約翰福音 1:14）
這個「道」就是耶穌基督。
所以，在起初，「道」與神同在。
這裡有兩位神性的存在。
兩個位格。
而且兩者都被描述為具有神性。
當我們看看耶穌自己所說的話時，這種關係就更加清楚。
耶穌說：
「因為父是比我大的。」（約翰福音 14:28）
如果父與子在權柄上完全平等，為什麼耶穌要說父比祂大？
保羅也說了一句非常值得注意的話：
「基督的頭是神。」（哥林多前書 11:3）
仔細想想。
人的頭是基督。
基督的頭是神。
這裡存在一個清楚的權柄次序。
耶穌基督是人類的主，但父神是基督的主。
保羅在哥林多前書 15:23-28 中也進一步說明了這種關係。他描述了最終連子也要服在父的權柄之下。
因此，我們看到的是兩位神性的存在，在完全的合一中共同工作——但「合一」並不必然表示權柄完全相等。
丈夫和妻子在人的本質上都是平等的人，但在家庭中可以有不同的角色和責任。
孩子同樣是人，但孩子並沒有與父母相同的權柄。
同樣地，父與子都具有神性，但祂們可以有不同的權柄層次。
仔細看看耶穌在約翰福音中的話。
一次又一次，耶穌把自己與父區分開來。
祂向父禱告。
祂說自己是父所差遣的。
祂順服父。
祂要回到父那裡。
祂說父比祂大。
而在約翰福音 14:6，耶穌說：
「我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。」
注意這個方向。
我們是藉著基督到父那裡去。
父並不是耶穌的另一個名字。
父與子是不同的。
祂們不是同一個位格。
祂們有關係。
祂們彼此溝通。
祂們彼此相愛。
祂們一起工作。
而子順服父的權柄。
這並不是說「三位一體」中的父與子是同一個存在。
祂們是兩個不同的神性位格。
現在我們來到最具爭議的問題。
聖靈是不是神格中的第三位神性位格？
如果聖靈真的是神家中的第三位神性位格，那麼我們應該期待耶穌和使徒非常清楚地說明這件事。
畢竟，如果三位一體是基督教信仰的核心教義，那麼這應該是耶穌能夠教導門徒最重要的真理之一。
但是，清楚的聲明在哪裡？
看看約翰福音第 5 章以及接下來的幾段經文。
耶穌一次又一次談到父和祂自己。
祂解釋祂們的關係。
祂解釋祂們的權柄。
祂解釋父差遣祂。
祂解釋祂與父的關係。
父和子非常清楚地被指出來。
但是第三位在哪裡？
耶穌在哪裡明確地說：
「聖靈是另一位與父和我同等的神性位格」？
這樣的明確聲明並不存在。
而接下來，我們來到整本聖經中其中一句最值得深思的話。
約翰福音 17:3。
耶穌向父禱告說：
「認識你─獨一的真神，並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督，這就是永生。」
想想這句話的重要性。
耶穌正在解釋永生。
如果認識神是得永生的必要條件，而神又是三位完全同等的位格，那麼為什麼耶穌稱父為「獨一的真神」，然後把自己單獨列為父所差來的那一位？
為什麼沒有提到「認識聖靈」？
為什麼沒有說永生需要認識三位神性的位格？
耶穌反而說，我們要認識父，也要認識祂自己。
這一點值得我們認真思考。
聖經中的「認識」並不只是頭腦上的知識。
認識一個人，意味著與那個人建立關係。
聖經一次又一次描述父與子的關係。
父愛子。
子愛父。
父差遣子。
子順服父。
子向父禱告。
子回到父那裡。
但是，聖經在哪裡以同樣清楚的方式描述聖靈與父、子之間的個人關係？
聖靈在哪裡向父禱告？
聖靈在哪裡以另一位神性位格的身份向耶穌說話？
耶穌在哪裡向聖靈禱告？
父在哪裡把聖靈差遣出去，作為另一位具有獨立位格的神性存在？
相反地，聖經一次又一次把聖靈描述為神的靈、父的靈、基督的靈，以及神工作的能力。
這呈現出一幅非常不同的圖畫。
聖靈可以被理解為父與子的靈、能力和屬靈本質，而不是另一位獨立的神性位格。
申命記 19:15 建立了一個重要原則：
「憑兩個人的口作見證，或憑三個人的口作見證，才可定準。」
所以，讓我們考慮兩個見證。
第一個見證是聖經。
第二個見證是歷史。
從歷史上來看，三位一體並不是在耶穌事奉期間或使徒仍然活著的時候，被正式定義為基督教會的核心教義。
它的正式神學定義是在幾個世紀之後逐漸形成的，尤其是在第四世紀的教會會議中。
這距離基督的事奉以及使徒們的死亡已經超過三百年。
這一點應當使我們停下來思考。
如果三位一體是定義「神是誰」的核心教義，為什麼需要經過幾個世紀才正式確立？
為什麼耶穌沒有清楚地教導它？
為什麼使徒沒有清楚地說明它？
三位一體神學通常給出的回答是：這個教義一直存在於聖經之中，只是教會經過數個世紀才逐漸理解並正式表達出來。
但是，這個答案本身又引出一個重要問題：
如果這是基督教最核心的教義，為什麼基督和祂的使徒沒有清楚地說明它？
相反地，這個教義是透過神學推理，以及對不同經文的綜合解釋而逐漸形成的。
因此，我們需要區分兩件事情：
聖經明確說了什麼，
以及
後來的神學從聖經推論出了什麼。
這正是問題所在。
人的推理可以有價值，但人的推理絕不能成為比神所默示的話語更高的權威。
我們應該從聖經開始。
我們應該讓聖經解釋聖經。
而當聖經清楚說話時，我們就應該相信它。
根據以上所提出的聖經證據，我們可以作出以下理解：
父、子和聖靈是共同存在的，並且都與神格有關。
父與子是兩個不同的神性位格或存在。 兩者都具有神性，但在權柄上並不相等。父是基督的頭。
聖靈不是另一位獨立的神性位格或存在，而是父與子的靈、能力和屬靈本質。
這樣的理解，使我們可以認真對待聖經對父、子和聖靈的所有描述，而不必強迫這些經文符合後來形成的三位一體神學框架。
讓我們回到最開始的地方。
耶穌對一群人說：
「我從來不認識你們。」
這些人並不是認為自己拒絕耶穌。
他們稱祂為「主」。
他們奉祂的名行事。
他們相信自己認識祂。
然而，耶穌卻說：
「我從來不認識你們。」
這應該使我們每一個人都謙卑下來。
問題不只是我們是否真誠。
問題是：
我們的敬拜是否建立在真理之上？
亞倫也可能是真誠地參與了金牛犢的敬拜。
但真誠並不能使金牛犢變成真神。
我們所敬拜的神，必須是那位在聖經中向我們啟示自己的神。
所以，不要只滿足於從傳統中承受來的信仰。
不要只說：「這是奧祕，所以我們不需要理解。」
也不要讓人的神學傳統凌駕於神所默示的話語之上。
相反地，讓我們查考聖經。
讓我們提出困難的問題。
讓我們跟隨證據所指向的方向。
最重要的是，讓我們尋求認識父和祂的兒子耶穌基督。
因為耶穌親自說：
「認識你─獨一的真神，並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督，這就是永生。」
所以，我們對 Elohim 的理解如果錯了，就可能對我們所宣稱敬拜的神產生根本性的誤解。
但如果我們真誠地、謙卑地、敞開心地從神的話語中尋求祂，我們就能夠按著祂所選擇啟示自己的方式來認識祂。
問題不只是：「我們相信神嗎？」
更深一層的問題是：
「我們真的認識我們所相信的神嗎？我們是否按照祂所啟示的方式來敬拜祂？」