The long list of email addresses in the header of this email tells me that I am not special. However, I am in some good company.

A Reconsideration of the Roman Catholic-Protestant Doctrine of the Trinity in Light of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures

In Divine Truth or Human Tradition the author critically examines the viewpoints and Scripture expositions of prominent evangelical scholars and apologists—including popular author and debater Dr. James R. White (author of The Forgotten Trinity), John MacArthur (President of The Master’s Seminary), Robert Bowman Jr. (author of Why You Should Believe in the Trinity), Robert Morey (author of The Trinity, Evidence and Issues), R. C. Sproul, and others…

According to what has long been considered mainstream Christian “orthodoxy,” the doctrine of the Trinity (the idea that the true God of the Bible is—in the ultimate sense—a mysterious being made up of three co-equal and co-eternal persons) is not only central to the Christian faith, but absolutely necessary for one to accept in order to be counted as a true Christian and be saved. Such a demand on a Christian’s faith has come across as strange and perplexing to many, especially so in light of the fact pointed out by one respected Trinitarian:

“[The Trinity] is not clearly or explicitly taught anywhere in Scripture, yet it is widely regarded as a central doctrine, indispensable to the Christian faith. In this regard, it goes contrary to what is virtually an axiom [that is, a given, a self-evident truth] of biblical doctrine, namely, that there is a direct correlation between the scriptural clarity of a doctrine and its cruciality to the faith and life of the church.” (Millard J. Erickson, God in Three Persons, p. 11. Emphasis added)

Understandably, this fact has raised questions in the minds of Christians and truth-seekers alike ever since the doctrine was first decreed as mandatory to confess in the late 4th century. Many Christians have wondered: How can a doctrine that is not clearly or explicitly taught in the Bible be considered mandatory to accept in order to be a true practitioner of the Christian faith? Since it is not taught by Scripture in a straightforward way, is it possible that the doctrine of the Trinity is not an authentic representation of God’s nature and of the original apostolic faith? Were the councils correct in decreeing that it is obligatory for Christians to accept the concept of the Trinity in order to be saved? Or, does such a pronouncement go beyond the original apostolic doctrine? Few Evangelical Christians have been willing to explore these issues in depth. Most are familiar with the arguments commonly advanced to defend the idea. But how many are familiar with alternative (yet scripturally harmonious) ways to understand the classic “proof-texts”? Surprisingly—as research has revealed—Trinitarians themselves provide most of the alternative answers.

Table of Contents
Introduction
1 The True God—the “Trinity” or “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”?
2 “God the Son…” or the Son of the Living God?
3 The Father-Son Relationship

As you can see, it's a blurb for a new book by Patrick Navas, who sent this email, debunking “the Roman Catholic-Protestant Doctrine of the Trinity.” I really get tired of this one. The unbeliever who sent me this email evidently did not bother to read what I believe about the Triune God of the Bible, or he thinks his new book is so brilliant that it will cause me to repent of my latent Roman Catholicism and join the Modalists.

Sorry, it won’t. I know that makes me an idolater and an unbeliever, but that’s OK. You see, I don’t think of you as a brother, either. You don’t believe in the God of the Bible. Your god is no better than Allah or the Jedi’s “force.” The God of the Bible is clearly triune. If you have actually read the authors listed above, as you imply you have, and still persist in your unbelief, there is really nothing I can say to change that. You can read this if you like, if you’re not too stiff-necked.

Do I seem harsh? Well, it’s like this: you’re not an ignorant heathen who has no clue of God. You’ve read the Bible and Christian theology enough to think you’re qualified to write a book on theology. That means you have been presented with the Gospel. You have read the Scripture which, by itself with no explanation, displays the Trinity in glorious color. You have read theologians who have explained it clearly. Yet you reject the God of Scripture and manufacture one that is more acceptable to you.

I pray that God will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I pray that you will not die in your rebellion but will humble yourself before God and acknowledge him as he is.

I would be remiss at this point if I did not answer a question I have been asked since my post on the Trinity: Must one believe in the Trinity to be saved?

Yes—and no.

It is entirely possible that a person could learn of their sinful condition and their helplessness to measure up to the demands of God who is holy and can tolerate no sin in his sight. They could hear of the Savior who bore those sins in their place so they could be presented to God pure and spotless. God could give them faith and regenerate their hearts and save them, and they might have no clue about the Trinity. In fact, I am sure that happens all the time. Remember in Acts 19, Paul met some disciples in Ephesus and asked if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Their answer? “We haven’t even heard if their is a Holy Spirit!”

However, when a person is born again, he becomes a new creation. He becomes open and accepting to God’s Word. He begins to read it and, when he encounters the Trinitarian teachings of Scripture, he believes them. It may take some time and teaching, but when he is presented with the truth, he believes it. It is in his new nature to do so.

As time goes by, even a mature believer may have some doubts about this and other Scriptural doctrines. He may need to revisit the subject and search the Scriptures anew to reinforce what he has already known. But he will never reject outright the God of Scripture.

So no, one need not know of God’s triune nature to be saved; and one certainly does not need to understand the Trinity to be saved (thank God!); but anyone who flatly rejects it must be assumed unsaved.