Protestant Trinitarians—what I was for almost 30 years—are difficult to reach with the truth because they’ve been instilled with the fear of falling into error if they were to ever question the Trinity. But what they really should fear is the error in which they’ve already fallen. They’re already at, where they fear to be.
God didn’t create Adam and Eve “blind,” i.e. ignorant of the truth, but had given them all they needed to know. The serpent, however, convinced the woman she was blind but would see by listening to him, “then your eyes shall be opened” (Gen 3:5). Once both were blind, he then convinced them they could now see, “And the eyes of them both were opened” (Gen 3:7). And his tactics haven’t changed, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2Co 2:11), “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11).
The serpent’s deceptions are diabolical. After getting people to the very place they don’t want to be, he makes them want to stay! He blinds people from the truth then convinces them they can see. Thinking they already have the light, when the light really does come, they reject it as darkness. Thinking they’re already saved, they fight against salvation itself.
Paul said, “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” (2Co 11:3), “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel [messenger] of light” (v. 14). The serpent deceived Eve by seeming to be a messenger of light for her blindness, when actually he was the blinder. Paul went on to say that the serpent’s ministers employ those same tactics, “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (v. 15). They feign helping people get right with God only to get them even farther away. And they keep people listening to them under the guise that they don’t want them falling into error, when in reality they don’t want them learning the truth.
We all have been blinded by sin. But religious people are in worse shape than before because now they’re not only blind but also think they can see. Jesus warned, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Mat 6:23). It’s bad enough to be blind and know it, but far worse to be blind but think we can see. If the “light” we’re seeing isn’t truly light but darkness, then how great of darkness we’re truly in. Thus, religious people think they’re the ones that can see while everyone else is blind.
Religious people have two main problems: (1) they’ve been blinded but think they can see; (2) they’re in bondage to the praises and privileges of the organization to which they belong. Even when they can be shown the error into which they’ve fallen, it’s very difficult for them to forsake everything they’ve invested their lives into. They crave the approval of people and dread their rejection. And they’ve become dependent upon the benefits received from their religious group: access, accreditation, belonging, endorsement, image, influence, positions, prominence, recognition, resources, support, titles, validation and much more. They don’t want to lose these things, therefore they forfeit Christ instead, “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luk 14:33). If we’re unwilling to stand alone, even from those closest to us, we’re not worthy of Christ.
Peace with God must be more important to us than peace even in our own home, “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mat 10:36-37), “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luk 14:26). We should do all we can to nourish peace in our home without compromising the truth.
Religious people just can’t fathom that Satan’s deceptions have been so pervasive and successful to the point that over 2 billion people in the world identifying as Trinitarian Christians are on the broad way that leads to destruction. It just can’t be that every single local church in cities across America and all over the world are false. And if they were to leave, where can they go?
Personally, I’m just unwilling to consider for a moment that Trinitarian ministers are right while Christ is wrong. In my humble opinion, the safest place is standing alone on His side with everyone else standing on the other. I would rather do my best to serve Christ on my own and understand the truth from the Scriptures for myself than to trust men that are teaching differently than He taught.
Understanding Scripture 