Trinity - Bible vs Koran

Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One (אֶחָֽד). (Deuteronomy 6:4 HCSB)

You cannot find the word "Trinity" in the Bible. Why? Because there is no such thing. "Trinity" is a term invented by lazy theologians to give one word to describe what the Bible affirmed about God:

1. God is One;
2. The Father is God;
3. The Son is God;
4. The Spirit is God;
5. The Father, the Son and the Spirit is distinct (that is, the Father is not the Son, the Father is not the Spirit, the Son is not the Father, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, the Spirit is not the Son).

The Bible has very carefully avoided associating God with any number other than one. Search the Bible and you will know the I am writing the truth. We should never go beyond what the Bible says.

But you can find the word "Trinity" in the Koran!

People of the Book, do not exceed the limits of devotion in your religion or say anything about God which is not the Truth. Jesus, son of Mary, is only a Messenger of God, His Word, and a spirit from Him whom He conveyed to Mary. So have faith in God and His Messengers. Do not say that there are three gods. It is better for you to stop believing in the Trinity. There is only One God. He is too glorious to give birth to a son. To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. God alone is a Sufficient Guardian for all. (Quran 4:171 Muhammad Sarwar version)

Koran says Jesus is the Word of God.
Koran says Jesus is a spirit from God.
Koran says do not believe in Trinity.

Pioneer Generation

God appeared to the pioneer generation of both covenants, old and new.

God appeared to the Israelites who left Egypt for Canaan under Moses.

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. (Exodus 19:16-20 NLT)

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram's horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen. But don't let God speak directly to us, or we will die!" (Exodus 20:18-19 NLT)

The Apostles and the first generation of believers saw Jesus and witnessed His resurrection.

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9 ESV)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV)

Christianity is not only about the message, but also the authentication and transmission process. After all, anyone can claim to be a prophet, but not many can descend on Mount Sinai with fire and resurrect from the dead.

The Holy Spirit is God

Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God." (Acts 5:3-4 ESV)

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32 ESV)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26 ESV)

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26 ESV)

Some false teachers taught that the Holy Spirit is actually some form of energy. But the Bible clearly tells us that He is God. He is sent by the Father to bear witness of the Son. He can be lied to and blasphemed against. You cannot blasphemed against anyone except God.

Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT)

Trinity, Help or Heresy

Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One (אֶחָֽד). (Deuteronomy 6:4 HCSB)

This is what the Bible affirmed about God:

1. God is One;
2. The Father is God;
3. The Son is God;
4. The Spirit is God;
5. The Father, the Son and the Spirit is distinct (The Father is not the Son, The Father is not the Spirit, the Son is not the Father, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, the Spirit is not the Son.).

Now, it is very difficult for the human mind to wrap around this concept. So theologians came up with the doctrine of Trinity, one God three Persons.

There are implications when cardinal numbers are assigned to the persons in the Godhead. The immediately obvious implication is that the cardinal number 3 is now an attribute associated with God, and therefore co-existed with God. Since God is self-existent and eternal, so is the cardinal number 3. If the cardinal number 3 is eternal, then the whole number system is eternal. My question will be, is God self-existent and eternal, or are the rules of mathematics self-existent and eternal?

There are three persons in the room. We have no problem with this statement because people are discrete and countable. We cannot say "There are three waters", or "There are three airs". It does not make sense. God is spirit (John 4:24). The Father, the Son and the Spirit is distinct. But is the Father, the Son and the Spirit discrete and countable? Why does the Bible scrupulously avoid the cardinal number of 3 when the Father, the Son and the Spirit seems to be crying out to be counted as 3? Rather, the Bible tells us that God is one, despite the Father, the Son and the Spirit. When Jesus was on earth, He was a discrete countable human. Thus He and the Father can be counted as two witnesses (John 8:17-18).

אֶחָד
What about the number "one"? Is it not also a cardinal number? Yes. But one can mean unique, alone or first, which is definitely an attribute of God. Before creation, time and space and the number system did not exist. But God is.

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm 119:160 ESV)

God Is One, Alone, Unique - 2

Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deuteronomy 4:39 KJV)

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 HCSB,NASB)

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth - as there are many "gods" and many "lords" - yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him, and we exist for Him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through Him, and we exist through Him. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6 HCSB)

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 HCSB)

Basic Theology of Christianity on God and Christ

This is what the Bible affirmed about
1. The nature of God:

1. God is one.
2. God the Father is God.
3. God the Son is God.
4. God the Holy Spirit is God.
5. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is distinct.

2. The nature of Christ:

1. Jesus is wholly God.
2. Jesus is wholly Man.
3. Jesus is one.

Here is a list of heresies on God, collected from the internet:

Denial of the oneness and uniqueness of God
These result from a denial of the statement, "There is only one God."

• Polytheism

Denial of the eternal deity of each Person
These result from a denial of the statement, "Each Person is fully God".

• Adoptionism
• Arianism - Jehovah Witness
• Apollinarianism

Denial of the distinction of Personalities or Persons
These result from a denial of the statement, "The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, eternal Persons".

• Modalism - Patripassianism, Branhamism, The Local Church (or "Living Stream Ministry")
• Monarchism

Denial of the two, distinct, unmingled natures of Christ

• Nestorianism
• Eutychianism

Trinity In Old Testament

"Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way. Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there." And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. (Isaiah 48:12-16 ESV)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV)

Trinity In New Testament

Taken from this website:

QUOTE
Within the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit share an equality of divine nature. It is noteworthy that, in the great trinitarian passages in the New Testament, the scriptures do not adhere to any rigid sequence when mentioning the divine persons, thereby avoiding any suggestion of superiority or inferiority within the Godhead. Indeed every possible arrangement of the divine names is found:
Father, Son, Spirit (Matthew 28:19)
Father, Spirit, Son (1 Peter 1:2)
Son, Father, Spirit (John 14:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Son, Spirit, Father (Ephesians 2:18)
Spirit, Father, Son (John 14:26)
Spirit, Son, Father (John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
In every instance, there is a precise reason for the sequence in the context of the verse. The divine persons within the Godhead are the same in substance, equal in powder and glory.
UNQUOTE

Comma Johanneum

1 John 5:7-8
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (KJV)
For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. (ESV)
For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (NASB)
For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood - and these three are in agreement. (HCSB)

The Comma Johanneum, also known as the Comma Johannine, is a textual variant in 1 John 5:7-8. The word comma simply means "short clause," and Johanneum means "pertaining to John."

This is the short clause: "three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost".

This only occurrence where God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is counted like discrete objects and assigned numerical properties of the natural number 3.

The Bible has always been very careful to present God as one, and that He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. While God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is often seen simultaneously, interacting with one another, God is one.

In the Bible, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is always named distinctively, but never grouped or numbered, for example, like, "2 of the 3 persons of the Godhead" or "All the 3 persons of the Godhead".

Because of that, we can be sure that the Comma Johanneum is not part of the Bible, but inserted by theologians, who wanted to present God as 3-in-1, like some kind of coffee mix.

In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me." (John 8:17-18 ESV)

God Is One, Alone, Unique - 1

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 KJV)

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6 KJV)

I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:5-6 KJV)

For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6 NASB)

Muslim Objections to the Biblical Doctrine of Propitiation

Muslims object to the great and central Biblical doctrine of propitiation because they feel that it is unjust. This article "Three Big Problems With The Atonement" found in The Muslim Debate Initiative Blog gave three objections:

1. It is unjust;
2. It invalidates the true concept of forgiveness;
3. It causes problems for the doctrine of Trinity.

Below are some extracts from the article:

QUOTE
Argument no. 1: It is Unjust, Hence Compromising God’s Holy Attribute of Justice
...
Those worthy and deserving of punishment must be treated accordingly and those not worthy and deserving of punishment must be treated accordingly. You cannot have the penal consequences of sins if you are not guilty of those sins. Also, if Jesus wasn't TRULY guilty of the sins he was "punished" for, then that means that the guilt of the sinners weren't TRULY transferred to him and hence we still have guilty people not being judged the way justice demands that they should. And if Jesus is TRULY guilty of the sins that he was "punished" for, then you have a sinful savior and God resulting in the destruction of his holiness.

One may say "Bassam, don't confuse laws that are binding upon us human beings with laws that are binding upon God, for there are no laws binding upon God" I have two responses to that. First, the idea of holding a specific person accountable and guilty for his sins and not transferring the guilt to someone innocent is in and of itself a Biblical motif. Ezekiel 18:19-20 states:

19 "Yet you say, 'Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Secondly, it is true that God is not judged by laws but that doesn't mean that He isn't necessarily good by nature. If he wasn't then God would be able to turn all good into evil and if He could go that far then why not simply forgive all sin and hold no one accountable? Punishing the guilty and sparing the innocent is more than just a law, it's a moral principle.

It is also fruitless to explain the problem away by saying that some good has come out of Jesus' alleged sacrificial death, for just because something good might come about from an unjust act that does not make the act itself just.

1 Timothy 2:5 states: "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus".

The task of a mediator is usually to bring two sides together and take charge of the interests of both the offended and the offender. He doesn't take upon himself the guilt of the offender nor the wrath and fury of the offended, for he is to be the one seeking to reconcile between both parties as a third party member. But apparently that isn't the case in light of the atonement.

Argument no. 2: The Atonement Invalidates The True Concept of Forgiveness
...
If someone owes you a thousand dollars and you wanted to "forgive this debt" that would mean that you would have to forgo the thousand dollars and absorb your losses. If Kevin owes you a thousand dollars and then you tell Kevin you don't have to pay it anymore and that John could pay it instead, that doesn't mean that you have truly forgiven Kevin's debt. Kevin's debt is still there even though it's not Kevin paying it anymore. The only way for you to TRULY forgive Kevin's debt is for you to absorb your losses. Similarly, the only way for God to TRULY forgive us our debt is to let go of the debt all together. Now we don't say that God "absorbs His losses" because God is independent of all creatures and has no "losses", but the logic is the same in that God would have to forgo the debt all together in order to TRULY forgive us our debts. However, in Christianity we don't see that because Jesus takes the debt and pays it.
...

Argument no. 3: Jesus’ Vicarious Death Causes Problems For The Trinity (which is supposedly a description of God’s Holy Nature)
...
Now most mainstream Christians are of the view that all the three persons in the Godhead and not only the Father required propitiation (that is they required to be satisfied from the problem of sin) because if it was only the Father then the Son and Holy Spirit wouldn’t be as Holy as the Father, which would be problematic.

Now since all three persons required propitiation and since the wages of sin is spiritual death, how exactly did Jesus propitiate himself? He is supposed to be both the subject and object of propitiation. How does one satisfy his own wrath by punishing himself? Also, if Jesus is God and he must spiritually die and become separated from God, how does he become separated from himself? Despite having two separate natures he is still one person according to orthodox and mainstream Christianity. So how did he separate from himself? It appears that Christians say that he was separated from God the Father and that would count as a spiritual death. I’ll go with that idea for the sake of argument.

John Calvin and other reformed scholars such as Charles Hodge, John MacArthur, RC Sproul, John Piper and others insist that mere corporeal death wouldn’t have been sufficient, but that Jesus during his hours on the cross must have truly been separate from God the Father and that his soul endured such trauma.

But if Jesus were truly separate from God the Father for those few hours then doesn’t that mean that there was a temporary break and disconnect in the Trinity? Didn’t that intercommunion in the Godhead temporarily stop? Isn’t that a change in God, which Malachi 3:6 says cannot happen since God does not change?

Also, doesn’t Jesus dying and suffering for us mean that he is more worthy of honor and praise than the Father who only sent him? Does the commander who sends his soldier to die in a mission that saved the lives of millions deserve and get the same level of honor as the soldier sent to die? Surely not! The one who does the dirty work is at a much higher level in terms of praise and honour than the one who sent him to do the dirty work. Surely the Son feels a bit closer to us than the Father while the Father feels a bit more transcendent than the Son? So COULD (not should, but COULD) we honestly we love the Father AS MUCH as the son? Doesn’t the atonement raise problematic concerns for God’s supposedly Holy Triune nature?
...
UNQUOTE

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 ESV)

And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 YLT)

Natural Numbers Are Not Natural

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3 ESV)

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 ESV)

All things, including abstract objects such as numbers and sets, abstract rules such as mathematics and logic, are created by God. 1 + 1 =2 is a law created by God, not something eternal and self-existence.

How do I know? It is from the unique nature of God as described in the Bible that hinted to me that the abstract concepts of mathematics and logic, which we held to be something always there, is created.

The Bible tells us that God is one, and He is three, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, the one and three cannot be the one and three we know of, because one is one and three is three and one cannot be three, as in the case of God. That God is one and three is a mystery that the Bible did not explain because it would be not comprehensible to us. But from the nature of God, we can be sure that natural numbers (1, 2, 3,  ...) do not exist intrinsically, but is created by God within the creation which also contain us. Thus natural numbers have difficulty to describe the nature of the true and living God and we have to invent concepts and analogy to help us comprehend how God can be one and three.

Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me. (John 8:17-18 NASB)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (1 John 5:7 KJV)

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. (1 John 5:9 ESV)

The Five Solae And The Roman Catholic Objections

By Grace alone (Sola Gratia)
Through Faith alone (Sola Fide)
In Christ alone (Solus Christus)
According to Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura)
For God's Glory alone (Soli Deo Gloria)

"If the Pope would concede that God alone by His grace through Christ justifies sinners, we would carry him in our arms, we would kiss his feet." - Martin Luther, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians.

We I look at all the objections of the Roman Catholic Church, I realize that we have very different perception on Christianity. The Protestants valued the glory of God above all things. The Catholics wanted to defend their traditions. If we do not have the Right View 正見, our perspective will always be different.

Sola Gratia
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)

Roman Catholic Objection

Catholics would agree that we are indeed saved by grace, which is a free gift from God. Where we differ is the method of how we receive that grace. The Catholic Church regularly dispenses sanctifying grace through the sacraments. The Protestants believe that God just gives them grace whenever He wills it, sacraments or not. The Catholic version of this one would be that we are saved by grace, which increases our faith, and leads us to do good works as a very necessary fruit of our faith.

Sola Fide
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17 KJV)
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." (Galatians 3:11 ESV)
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Hebrews 10:38 KJV)

Roman Catholic Objection

A quick search shows that only one of the solas, the words "faith alone" does appear in the Bible, as follows:

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24 HCSB)"
Strange that the one sola that does appear in the bible contradicts the very sola itself. Works (good works, not useless Jewish works of the law) are part of being justified. The Catholic Church teaches that justification begins at Baptism, when the Holy Spirit comes to us, even while we are infants. And "being saved" is a lifelong journey that doesn't end until we die and are allowed into heaven. A lot of Protestants talk about "when they were saved", as if it's in the past tense. Catholics would agree that whenever you began taking your faith in Christ seriously was certainly a great time, but it was only a first step, not the entire journey. What really counts is your faith at the time of death, not your faith when you first started believing 20 years ago.

Solus Christus
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5 KJV)

Roman Catholic Objection

"Christ Alone", also sounds great. Who could argue with the fact that we are saved by Christ alone? The problem with this is that the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit, also plays a HUGE role in our salvation.  According to the bible, we are temples to the Holy Spirit. Peter and the other apostles all followed Jesus and ate with him, talked with him, and tried to follow him. It wasn't until Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them that they received power (Acts 1:8). Catholics receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, and can receive Him again and again through the laying on of hands by charismatics (to reinvigorate your faith).  And what about the role that the Communion of Saints plays in our salvation? They lead us to Christ, as do our parents, our friends, and our fellow Catholics. The whole problem with this particular sola is that it isolates us into a "Me and Jesus" scenario, where I don't really need a Church or a family telling me what to do. And that is so wrong. Jesus set up His Church for a reason, to be His Kingdom on earth. And this sola allows for no glory to God our Father, who we pray to each and every time we say the "Our Father" prayer.

Sola Scriptura

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV)

Roman Catholic Objection

The text most often used by protestants to back this one up is 2 Timothy 3:16. However great this passage is, the word "alone" does not appear in it anywhere. The word profitable does not mean only. If it did, then Titus 3:8 below would mean that good deeds are all we need to be saved:
"This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." Applying the word "alone" to scripture also means that anyone can properly interpret it, without the Magesterium and Sacred Tradition. In other words, the Catholic Church only claims infallibility with the official documents of the Church, spoken "ex cathedra" ("from the chair") by the Pope. This sola claims that anyone and everyone who interprets scripture on their own is infallible! And how wrong is this today, with over 30,000 Protestant denominations, with some even claiming that homosexuality is no longer sinful!

Soli Deo Gloria
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.  (Isaiah 42:8 ESV)
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11 NASB)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 ESV)
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. (Romans 16:27 KJV)
Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us - to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 HCSB)

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV)

Roman Catholic Objection

"Glory to God Alone" sounds like a winner. However, there is one problem with it. Jesus Himself said in John 17:22 that He gave His glory to his apostles "The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (John 17:22 ESV)" at the Last Supper, when He gave them the Eucharist. And while none of the apostles' lives or works will save us in and of themselves, they are indeed one with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17) and they are partakers in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It really is okay to venerate the saints, which is not the same glory and honor we need to give to Christ. A lot of Protestants confuse veneration of the saints with glory to God. Mention the Communion of Saints to a Protestant who says the Apostles' Creed every Sunday, and you will usually get a blank stare back. In other words, most Protestants who recite the Apostles' Creed say they believe in the Communion of Saints, but they do not know what it means. What it means is that the saints in heaven are our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us, and who help us in our journey in this life. After all, Jesus says that they are ALIVE (Luke 20:38). And since they are partakers in the divine nature, according to 2 Peter 1:4, that means that they can hear us and help us.

The Roman Catholic objections are taken with modifications from the website "The Five Solas - Catholic Bible 101".

Athanasian Creed

1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give account of their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

Contradictions

God is One but God the Father is God; God the Son is God and God the Holy Spirit is God. God is good but there is evil in the world. God is invisible but He can be seen. God is eternal (outside time and space) but He is temporal (inside time and space). God is transcendent (superior to, absent and apart from His creation) yet immanent (present and active in creation and within us). God is immortal but He died. God is holy (just), but He is merciful (unjust).

Such contradictions are possible only with the one true God, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is beyond man's imagination.

God Visible and Invisible

God Invisible
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18 KJV)

No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. (John 6:46 NIV)

No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12 NASB)

But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (Exodus 33:20 NASB)

God Visible
Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. (Exodus 24:9-11 KJV)

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. (Exodus 33:11 NIV)

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1 KJV)

Question
Is God visible or invisible?

Answer
God is Trinity. God the Father is invisible, but God the Son is visible. All appearances of God in the Old Testament was the pre-incarnate Christ. So God is both visible and invisible. Invisible, but yet have an image. Nothing is too hard for God.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NASB)

Four Mysteries

All religions face this mystery: Freewill or Predestination.
All monotheistic religions face this mystery: Did evil come from God?
Christianity faces this mystery: Trinity and Christ
Christianity faces another mystery: The sovereignty of God and the accountability of men.

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (Romans 9:20-21 ESV)

The Questions that the Bible did not answer

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 NASB)

There are questions that the Bible did not answer.

1. The Bible did not explain to us eternity and heaven.
2. The Bible did not explain to us the mystery of Trinity.
3. The Bible did not explain to us the mystery of Christ as wholly God and wholly man.
4. The Bible did not explain to us the mystery of free will and predestination.
5. The Bible did not explain to us the sovereignty of God and the accountability of men.

We cannot explain too many things to a baby because the baby has limited knowledge infrastructure to receive our knowledge. For example, the language tool is not fully developed in the baby, thus the baby cannot communicate in languages. When the baby grows into a child, he or she will be able to understand more. Likewise it is so with us. We who live in the temporal world, moment by moment, are not able to comprehend God and eternity. We cannot imagine how God can live simultaneously in the past, present and future, and by implication, we cannot understand how free will, predestination and human responsibility may co-exist.

Early Christian Heresies

Early Christian heresies centered around the twin issues of the nature of God (Trinity) and the nature of Jesus Christ (Christological Controversies).

The official stand on these issues (according to all the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches) are as follows:
1. God is a trinity, three persons but one essence;
2. Jesus Christ was one person, simultaneously human and divine.

Modalism / Sabellianism
God is one person in three modes. This, of course, implies that Jesus Christ was purely divine, without humanness, and therefore could not truly have suffered or died.

Docetism
Jesus was divine, but only seemed to be human.

Adoptionism
Jesus was a human being who was "adopted" by God and granted a divine nature.

Monophysitism
Jesus Christ has two separate natures joined in one body.

Nestorianism
Jesus Christ had two natures - man and God which remained separate throughout his period on earth.

Apollinarianism
Jesus fully God, partially or incompletely human, Jesus divine will overshadowed and replaced the human. Apollinarians suggested that he had a human body and a human soul, but his mind was taken over by the eternal Logos.

Arianism
Jesus was a lesser, created being, a special creation by God for man's salvation.

Socinianism - (A version of Arianism)
Denial of the Trinity. Jesus is a deified man. This heresy still lives on in two very different forms, the Unitarians and the Jehova's Witnesses.

Can GOD create a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself?

Can GOD create a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself? The Bible does not have an answer to this question. But if you change to question to "Can the immortal God die?", the Bible has the answer.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV)

So if there is a stone that Jesus cannot carry, then GOD had created a stone so heavy so that He cannot lift it up Himself.

It is wonderful to be Trinity, three and yet one.