Did Early Christians Teach the Trinity?
NINE SERMONS
Please read the following passages of Scripture in your Bible. Note how many times it is mentioned that Jesus is literally God or that God is a Trinity in these sermons to unbelievers:
1) Acts 2:14-41; Peter preaches to crowd on Pentecost, about 3000 converted.
2) Acts 3:12-26; Peter preaches at the Temple, about 5000 converted, Acts 4:1-4.
3) Acts 7:2-56; Stephen preaches to the Jewish Council and is stoned to death.
4) Acts 10:34-43; Peter preaches to Cornelius, family, and friends, perhaps all converted, vv. 44- 48.
5) Acts 13:16-41; Paul preaches in synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, many converted, vv. 42, 43.
6) Acts 17:22-31; Paul preaches at the Aeropagus in Athens, some converted, vv. 33, 34.
7) Acts 22:1-21; Paul preaches to the crowd upon his arrest in Jerusalem, riot ensues when Paul mentions that God had sent him to preach to the gentiles.
8) Acts 24:10-21; Paul preaches to Governor Felix.
9) Acts 26:2-23; Paul preaches to King Agrippa.
In these sermons to unbelievers how many times is it mentioned that Jesus is God or that God is a Trinity? ZERO! If such a teaching were seminal Christian truth and the cornerstone of salvation, why was it never mentioned in any of these sermons, not even once?! Note that in Peter’s Pentecost sermon he describes Jesus as “a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him…” (Acts 2:22) God did miraculous works through Jesus; Jesus did not do them because he was God! (See also Acts 10:38, where it reads “for God was with him.”) In verse 36 Peter says that “God has made him [Jesus] both Lord and Christ.” If Jesus were God it would not have been necessary for God to make him Lord – that is, someone with authority – since he already would have that authority.
For a scriptural examination of the relationship of Jesus to God see The Only True God – A Scriptural Study On The Trinity.
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Image: “Dogmatic Sarcophagus”. 350 A.D. Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy.
