Does it really matter if you believe in the Trinity? It absolutely does! There has probably been no other doctrine that has been more mutilated, maligned, and misunderstood than this one. Here is just a small sampling of heresies that have been thoroughly denounced on the subject: Arianism, Noetianism, Docetism, Modelism, Ebionitism, Macedonianism, Adoptionism, Sabellianism, Partialism, Tritheism, Patripassionism. That is a lot of different “ism”s. And every single one denies the true doctrine of God.
But why does it matter that we get this doctrine right? Many might argue: “If you believe in Jesus, isn’t that enough?” Well, let me illustrate the problem to you. For instance, I went to middle school with a kid named “Jesus.” If I were to wholeheartedly believe that this kid was my Messiah because His name is the same as the true Savior, could that faith save me? Of course not. That “Jesus” had no power to save anyone (and if you knew the kid, you would laugh at the very idea of that notion). So then when we talk about salvation through faith in Jesus’ name – We need to take care to identify which Jesus we are referring to. Salvation is indeed found only through His name (Acts 4:12), but we must identify the right person bearing that name to be saved through Him.
To be fair, most heresies about the Trinity refer to the same historical person – The Jesus Christ that died on a cross around 2000 years ago. But they each describe the nature of that Jesus very differently. By doing so they cannot be actually describing the same person. For example, if I were to describe myself to you, I might say: my name is Chris and I am a 39-year-old American man. If someone else came to you and said they were looking for someone by the name of Chris, who was a 22-year-old German woman, you certainly would not think they were referring to me, because although we might share the same name, the crucial defining characteristics differ greatly. Such is the case with heresies surrounding the Trinity, they misidentify the fundamental nature of the members of the godhead, whether that be the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit.
The terrible result is that when you redefine the nature of God, that new god you have described (or created) is unable to save. As God declared through the prophet Isaiah, many people “pray to a god that cannot save.” (Isa. 45:20b) Let me explain by one more example. If you redefine the nature of Jesus, and say He is not God, but rather just a man – How can His death atone for your sins? Ps. 49:7 declares – “No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him.” Thus, salvation is a work only accomplished by God – “‘I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘And I am God. Even from eternity I am He…’” (Isa. 43:11-13a)
Since the work of salvation is accomplished and applied to us through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all three must be one and the same God! The Scriptures describe them as being distinct in person, but still yet being one and the same God. It may boggle the mind, it may be hard to grasp, but it is the truth that is plainly portrayed on the pages of the Bible. Only by belief in this specific triune God can a person be saved. Even if you call your god by the same name as the true One, if that god differs in nature from the truth, it has no power to save. So then, I will ask again: Does it really matter if you believe in the Trinity? It absolutely does!
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