Why do Protestants accept the Trinity?

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In one sentence, Sola Scriptura not Solo Scriptura.
 
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anon10271182 said:
Well, MacArthur, Piper, Stanley, et.al. still uphold the Trinity, so it must be true.
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When mentioning individuals such as these, it is helpful to identify their religious affiliation.
As far as I know, these three were not involved in any of the seven ecumenical councils, so I’m not sure how you come to this conclusion, actually or sarcastically
 
Most Protestants that I know who have some knowledge of Church history accept the first few ecumenical councils as binding, because they were “truly” ecumenical. After the Church split (some would say when the Oriental churches became distinct, others would say when the Orthodox and Catholics became distinct), it was no longer possible for there to be an ecumenical council as there was no longer one visible church. According to this understanding, the Church has become invisible, containing some people from each of the visible churches, and also excluding some from each of the visible churches.
 
catholic1seeks said:
So why do Protestant accept the official, binding decisions of Catholic (and Orthodox) bishops from the early centuries?
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Protestants do accept the official, binding decisions of Catholic (and Orthodox) bishops from the early centuries, unless they are Unitarian and do not.
 
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greenrangerx said:
Most Protestants that I know who have some knowledge of Church history accept the first few ecumenical councils as binding, because they were “truly” ecumenical. After the Church split (some would say when the Oriental churches became distinct, others would say when the Orthodox and Catholics became distinct), it was no longer possible for there to be an ecumenical council…
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I agree up to this point, with the usual caveat about “Protestant “.
 
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catholic1seeks said:
I think that the Trinity can be found in Scripture.
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Catholic scholars have a different opinion.

The New Testament itself is far from any doctrine of the Trinity or of a triune God who is three co-equal Persons of One Nature. (William J. Hill, The Three-Personed God (Washington DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1982), 27.)

There is no formal doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament writers, if this means an explicit teaching that in one God there are three co-equal divine persons. (Edmund J. Fortman, The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1972), 44

I hope this helps…
 
Protestants accept the Trinity because Calvin made an example of Michael Servetus that non-Trinitarianism would not be tolerated in Protestantism.
 
catholic1seeks said:
No honest person will claim that the doctrine of the Trinity is clear from Scripture. It took the early church centuries to flesh out the doctrine of Christ and his relationship to the Father. The earliest of Fathers are not always totally consistent with the later orthodox, developed dogma.
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What did the early “orthodox” Christians believe that is not consistent with the Trinity? I think the earliest that the Trinity was written about in detail was around 200AD. Would you say that Tertullian’s concept of the Trinity is inconsistent with the later ideas from the councils? Tertullian: Against Praxeas

What do you think you would believe about God if you carefully studied the Bible with educated peers without the knowledge of the Doctrine of the Trinity? What part of the Trinity do you think is non-Biblical? Would you be left lacking concepts that you would learn about only from the later councils? Are there ideas you would learn from reading the Bible that can only be refuted by the councils?

Some Protestants do believe in the early councils. I believe in the triune God because the Bible supports this concept that has been part of Christianity from the earliest history. I honestly don’t know exactly what the “Doctrine” of the Trinity entails, but 1 God in 3 persons is a Biblical concept.
 
Although the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, the doctrine is encapsulated multiple times: Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, and Hebrews 9:14
 
I am guessing you were referencing Andy Stanley. While, I disagree with some points of his theology, I would say that Charles Stanley was very faithful in his preaching.
 
catholic1seeks said:
No honest person will claim that the doctrine of the Trinity is clear from Scripture.
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I think I’m an honest person, but the Trinity is right there in 1 John 5:7:

And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.
 
That’s actually a very problematic clause from an apologetics standpoint. I would look up the history of the Comma Johanneum.
 
Genesis315 said:
Protestants accept the Trinity because Calvin made an example of Michael Servetus that non-Trinitarianism would not be tolerated in Protestantism.
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MAny so called Protestant communions have no connection to Calvin. Personally, I’d be a Catholic before a Calvinist
 
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