The Correct Translation—And Meaning

Next Part John 14, 15 and 16—Trinity Not Taught by Christ

These verses should properly read, “There are three that bear record: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree as one.”

We must ask: What is the meaning of “three that bear record”? To “bear record” or “bear witness” is to attest or testify to something. When a witness testifies in a courtroom, he is telling “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Therefore, these three elements of the conversion process “attest” to the fact that a person is indeed a Christian.

This works in the following way:

(1) Spirit: Romans 8:16-17 states this: “The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” Rom 8:9 continues, “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”

It is by the receiving of the Holy Spirit that one is begotten by the Father. With this Spirit then dwelling in the mind, a person can begin to understand God’s Word and His Plan: “For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:11).

(2) Water: The death and burial symbolized by water baptism, preceding true conversion, is the means by which Christians show God their willingness to live a new life, to “put off…the old man” (Eph. 4:22; Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:4-6) and walk “in newness of life.” It also demonstrates faith in Christ’s death and resurrection.

(3) Blood: It is the blood of Christ that cleanses people from their past sins (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12) upon repentance and baptism. (You may wish to read our booklets What Do You Mean Water Baptism? and What Is True Conversion? to learn in detail about this process.)

Matthew 28:19

In Matthew 28:19, Christ gave His apostles the instruction to “[baptise] in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Scholars and theologians have universally misunderstood the meaning of this instruction.

We must ask: What does this scripture actually mean? Does it validate the trinity? First, let’s understand some basics of the verse. It is clear that all three have a name—but a name does not make something a person. People name all kinds of things—mountains, buildings, pets, cars, boats, planes, estates, companies, inventions and many more. The point is that just because there is a name for all three, this does not mean that all three are persons or personalities.

What does it mean to be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? This is not difficult. The Father and Son have a name and the Holy Spirit conveys or bears that name to His children.

Let’s understand the baptism process more clearly.

The disciples were to baptise in the name of the Father, because it is the Father “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:15). In other words, the Father is the Head of the house—the family—and families traditionally carry the name of the father. Also, it is God’s (the Father’s) goodness that leads one to the recognition and repentance of his sins (Rom. 2:4).

The apostles were instructed to baptise in the name of the Son, because His death, in our stead, makes salvation possible (Rom. 5:8; II Pet. 3:9).

What about “In the Name…of the Holy Spirit”?

But they were also to baptise in the name of the Holy Spirit, because the Father uses that Spirit—His Spirit—as the power through which the begettal is performed (Rom. 8:16).

This is what the passage means! God gives Christians His Holy Spirit, which is His seed. When they receive that seed, it gives them God’s name—they become heirs with Jesus Christ. From the point of conversion, Christians carry the name of God. When understood, this is why the name of the true Church has always been the “Church of God.” The word “Church” (Greek: ekklesia) literally means “the called out ones”—human beings are called out of the world, begotten as God’s children, put into His Church and given His name.

Note what John said about the “seed” within converted people: “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (I John 3:9). The Greek word for “seed” is sperma, from which comes the English word “sperm.” The Holy Spirit is the “sperm” or “seed” of God.

Notice another scripture, adding light to what the seed of God is: “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again [begotten], not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever” (I Pet. 1:22-23).

While Christians will ultimately be born again into the kingdom of God at the resurrection, they are, at conversion, begotten of God through the Holy Spirit. This is similar to the human reproductive system. As soon as the sperm of a father attaches to the egg of the mother, a child is conceived. The child is not yet born, although he is begotten of the physical seed—the father’s sperm. We, once we have received the Holy Spirit—the seed of God—are begotten in this life, but not yet born! Like any human father who would say that his wife is carrying his child, God speaks of the Church—described as the “Mother” of Christians (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 12)—as carrying His children.

So then, does Matthew 28:19 establish the trinity? Clearly not! It simply reveals that when we are baptised, we are given God’s name through His Spirit.

Romans 8:9

Let’s further examine the begettal process before returning to other scriptures. Notice Romans 8:9: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” This passage represents what could be called the Christian “DNA test.” Everyone recognizes that one must have a man’s genes to be his biological child. God is the same. Without God’s Spirit, one cannot be His begotten child.

We can understand more about the process of spiritual begettal by examining the actual process of human begettal. In reproduction, an egg must be fertilized by a sperm cell, which then “seals off” the egg. The egg can never be fertilized by another sperm.

Now consider. Romans 8:9 spoke of Christians receiving in the same begettal the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Are these two different Spirits—yet, Christ said, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30)? If they were two different spirits, this still would not validate the trinity. It would mean that there are four, not three, beings—God and His Spirit and Christ and His Spirit—in the Godhead.

Upon baptism and the laying on of hands (the point at which one receives the Holy Spirit), Christians are begotten by the Father, just as Christ was begotten in Mary’s womb by the Father. Once they are begotten, Christ lives in them (Gal. 2:20). At that point, they have the spirit of both Christ and the Father dwelling in them—which are one and the same Spirit. It is through this Spirit that Christians take on the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5).

It is important to recognize that a Christian can, however, “abort” in this lifetime—if he does not continue in the right path. It is possible to lose the Holy Spirit, and bring the new begotten life to an end. Notice: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame” (Heb. 6:4-6).