“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit [breath], which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Co 11:3-4). Preaching a different Jesus than Christ’s own apostles preached is tantamount to the original deception of the serpent, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5).
The Jesus that Paul preached to the Corinthians, that God is not only the Father but also the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, is what Paul stated toward the end of this same chapter, “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Co 11:31). It’s also what he had taught them in his first letter: “And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (3:23); “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (8:6); “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (11:3); “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (15:28). Trinitarianism, on the other hand, preaches a different Jesus—a Jesus that is co-equal with God.
The Roman Catholic Church forced the Trinitarian view of God and Jesus on the world by locking away the Scriptures and putting to death any that opposed them. And the Protestant Reformation about 500 years ago wasn’t an improvement. It’s still the same false view of God and His Son Jesus Christ.
In context with “the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty” (2Co 11:3), Paul went on to say, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel [messenger] of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2Co 11:14-15). That “Satan himself is transformed into an angel [messenger] of light,” refers to the message he gave to Eve, “then your eyes shall be opened” (Gen 3:5). His message of “light” was to convince her that she was in darkness but would see if she just listened to him. From that Paul drew this conclusion about Satan’s ministers, “his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” They do the same as the serpent in the beginning—they convince people that they’re messengers of “light” and righteousness before God. If we’ll listen to them, we’ll see and be right with God.
Those that preach a different Jesus, Paul said have “another spirit [breath]” than the breath of God. Jesus Himself said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Mat 7:15). This category of “false prophets” includes all that present themselves as ministers of God yet preach a different Jesus: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2Co 11:13); “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them” (2Pe 2:1); “Beloved, believe [trust] not every spirit [breath], but try the spirits [breaths] whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1Jo 4:1). If “many false prophets” had already gone out while the apostles were still alive, then there are far more today.
This isn’t simply an academic dispute that can be resolved using hermeneutics and apologetics. It’s that there’s “another spirit [breath]” in them than “the Spirit [breath] of truth” (Jhn 14:17, 15:26, 16:13) Jesus Christ taught about and sent. It’s two antithetical breaths, “the spirit [breath] of truth, and the spirit [breath] of error” (1Jo 4:6). They never can be pacified, but always will be polarized.
Trinitarianism is a different God and a different Jesus. It’s a fruit that’s rotten at its core but made “pleasant to the eyes” (Gen 3:6) through many means: vast numbers of churches all over the world and in some places on every street corner; around 2 billion Trinitarians worldwide; esteemed seminaries training men and bestowing degrees upon them; credentialed and experienced men pastoring churches and living on mission fields; a never-ending stream of resources including books, commentaries, study tools, references, sermons, broadcasts, and conferences.
Jesus never called Himself “God” but called His Father “the only true God” and even “my God” (Mat 27:46; Jhn 20:17; Rev 3:12). Paul and Peter both preached the same, “Blessed bethe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3). But Trinitarianism preaches a different Jesus than He Himself preached, and different than His apostles, who knew Him personally, preached.
Understanding Scripture 