Trinity Proof Texts: 2 Corinthians 13:14 and Philippians 2:1-2

Trinity Proof Texts

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

Philippians 2:1-2
"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

What the verse is saying:

Three different things are given to Christians by three different persons of the Godhead. This verse is so powerful in proving the Holy Spirit is a person, that anti-Trinitarians are at a loss what to do with it! They are forced into the most uncomfortable position of having to render the meaning of the verse as: " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the sharing of electricity, be with you all."
2 Cor 13:14 and Mt 28:19 both prove the personality of the Holy Spirit. In both passages, there is a "person, person, person" sequence. (Father, Son, Spirit) Arians are forced into the most uncomfortable position of having to teach that both these passages follow a "person, person, thing" sequence. It just doesn't make sense to suggest that Paul is blessing them by saying, "May you be encouraged knowing that the person of God and Jesus and an the alkaline battery are with you!"
2 Cor 13:14 concludes with these important words: "be with you all". But what? Well three things are to be with you: "May Christ's grace be with you. May God's love be with you. May the Spirit's fellowship/sharing/companionship be with you." This exactly echoes the promise of the "comforter" in John 14:16-17, "And I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and He will give you another [Gr. allos: of the same kind as Jesus] Helper, that He [the Holy Spirit] may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you." So Paul's desire in 2 Cor 13:14 for Christians to have the "fellowship of the Holy Spirit" is EXACTLY what Jesus promised in John 14:17 of the Spirit: "He abides with you, and will be in you".
2 Cor 13:14 also echoes what Paul explained in great detail in his first letter to the Corinthians, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." 1 Cor 12:13 Here we see that the Holy Spirit is the agent of salvation, by placing us into the body of Christ. In this way we all are made to "drink of the one Spirit". Hence, "drink of the one Spirit" = "communion of the Holy Spirit" = "He abides with you, and will be in you".
The verse says that the "person of Jesus Christ" is the source and supplier of grace, the "person of God" is the source and supplier of Love and the "person of the Holy Spirit" is the source and supplier of fellowship. This is the only logical and consistent way to read the text.
Some want to translate Phil 2:1-2 as "if anyone has a sharing spirit" rather than "if there is any fellowship of the Holy Spirit." They do this in an effort to make the word "spirit" refer, not to the Holy Spirit, but a personality quality similar to the expression, "a spirit of joy" or "a spirit of sharing". Grammatically, such a mistranslation is wrong because they are trying to turn a noun (fellowship) into a participial adjective (sharing). As for "spirit" -- unlike English, Greek indicates the case of a noun by inflexion (its ending), and here the case is genitive, whereas they are trying to make it a simple nominative. In other words, you just cannot leave the "of the" out of the expression -- unless you are sure it is a subjective genitive, in which case you could translate it in the possessive case, e.g. "spirit's fellowship. Note that if you had a participle with the genitive, as in "a sharing of the spirit" the sense would still not be "a sharing spirit" but rather "what the spirit shares". Any way you look at it, you simply cannot translate the expression "if there is any sharing spirit".
You notice that the exact same expression "fellowship of the Spirit" is used in Phil 2:1-2. This phrase is embedded in the middle of a string of emotionally charged "if" expressions: "encouragement in Christ", "consolation of love", "fellowship of the Spirit", "affection and compassion". To make this say, "sharing of energy" rather than "fellowship of the person of God, the Holy Spirit", is an assault on common sense.
"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." Phil 2:1-2
In order to prove the Biblical trinity, all we need to do is prove the Holy Spirit is a person. Although this verse does not give us a "three in one formula" it does have three persons mentioned (like Mt 28:18-19) in an 3 part formula.
To argue that the first two (Jesus and God) are persons and that the Holy Spirit is a thing, not a person, violates the formula that is present in the text. The Greek underlying this formula is identical. In fact the English rendering in every major translation, exactly mirrors the Greek!
The concept of "fellowship of the Holy Spirit" is connected with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. "Fellowship", "abiding", "indwelling", "in you" and "in your heart", are five concepts that are interconnected. Again, we find that all five of these ideas are specifically and individually applied not only to the Holy Spirit, but the Father and the Son as well. All three are persons!
The fact that the Holy Spirit is a person is reinforced by the "interweaving" between the three persons of the trinity. Notice that the Holy Spirit is the source of fellowship, love joy, sanctification, and a helper in prayer. By themselves, these would show the Holy Spirit as a person. But notice also that other triadic passages "interweave" these thoughts. For example, in two triadic passages, Rom 15:30 ascribes LOVE to the Holy Spirit, while the same is ascribed to the Father in Jude 20-21. Of course fellowship, love joy and sanctification are ascribed on an individual basis to not only the Holy Spirit, but the Father and the Son as well.

Triadic passages that interweave thoughts:

Text	Father	Son	Holy Spirit
2 Cor 13:14	Love of God	Grace of Jesus	Fellowship of Holy Spirit
Rom 15:30	Prayers to God	Jesus	Love of Holy Spirit
1 Thess 1:6-8	faith toward God	word of the Lord	joy of the Holy Spirit
1 Pet 1:2	Foreknowledge of God	obey Jesus Christ	sanctifying work of the Spirit
Jude 20-21	love of God	mercy of our Lord	praying in the Holy Spirit

Non-triadic passages that interweave fellowship, love joy and sanctification, indwells. It is obvious that all three are persons!

Characteristic	The Father	The Son	The Holy Spirit
Fellowship	1 Jn 1:3	1 Cor 1:9	2 Cor 13:14; Phil 2:1
Love	Eph 2:4-5	John 15:13	Rom 15:30
joy	Romans 15:13	John 15:11	1 Thess 1:6
Sanctifies	1Thes 5:23	Heb 2:11	1Pet 1:2
Indwells	2 Cor 6:16	Col 1:27	John14:17
Abides	1 John 3:24	John 6:56	John 14:17
In you	1 Jn 4:4	2 Cor 13:5	1 Cor 6:19
In our heart	Rom 5:5	Eph 3:17	2 Cor 1:22

Anti-Trinitarian rebuttals:


Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal #1	"There is only one God mentioned in the verse not three. Even if the Holy Spirit is a person, there is a clear distinction between the three persons.
Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal refuted	We agree. Only Modalists believe there is no distinction between the three and that they are one person. All we need to do is prove that the Holy Spirit is a person from this verse. Since all anti-Trinitarians deny that the Holy Spirit is a person, trinity doctrine is proven by default. There is no in-between position: If the Holy Spirit is a person, then Trinitarians are right, if a thing, then Trinitarians are wrong.

Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal #2	Christians share in the Holy Spirit, in the same way they would share a pizza, that is all the verse is saying. When 4 people "have fellowship" with a pizza, we know the difference between persons and things! Persons may "share" or "fellowship" faith, blood, sufferings, water, food or a source of energy (Holy Spirit) without such things being persons as is seen in these verses that use the same Greek word for fellowship/sharing in 2 Cor 13:14: Philemon 6: "the sharing of your faith" 1 Corinthians 10:16 "a sharing in the blood of Christ" 2 Corinthians 8:4 "the favor of participation in the support of the saints" Phil 3:10 "the fellowship of His sufferings" 2 Cor 13:14 "the fellowship of the Holy Spirit"
Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal refuted	The way anti-Trinitarians water down the meaning of words, you would think that the Greek word for fellowship/sharing in 2 Cor 13:14 never means a companionship or brotherhood between persons. Yet in many places like Gal 2:9 this is exactly what it means, "James, Cephas and John ... gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship". Further, remember that the exact same expressions are used of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For example, 1 Cor 1:9 says, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." The Greek in 1 Cor 1:9 is identical to that of 2 Cor 13:14. So anti-Trinitarians must admit that our interpretation, although they think it wrong, is possible and a natural interpretation based upon other verses like Gal 2:9 and 1 Cor 1:9. Having said the above, we are honest enough to admit that the Greek word for fellowship can mean a sharing between persons through the medium of a thing. A Christian sharing with a non-Christian his faith. Christians sharing with one another and Christ the body and blood in the Lord's supper. Rich Christians sharing with poor Christians their money. Christians sharing with Christ the same kind of sufferings. But does this mean that 2 Cor 13:14 is saying that Christians share with one another, the Holy Spirit? We ask the simple question: How do Christians share the Holy Spirit? Do Christians share a common energy supplied by the Holy Spirit like they would from a pizza? Is this what the verse is saying? No!

Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal #3	New World Translation used by Jehovah's Witnesses, renders the verse, "The undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the sharing in the holy spirit be with all of you." This verse tells us about the sharing in the holy spirit, and says nothing about the holy spirit being a person.
Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal refuted	New World Translation (sectarian paraphrase) violates the integrity of the original Greek. Notice that word "of" connects the first two, but the third is joined by "in". We actually don't really care how Jehovah's Witnesses render the verse as long as the three joining phrases ARE IDENTICAL. This is because they are identical in the Greek. So if they render all three using "in" or "of", we don't care as long as the rule of consistency is obeyed. Of course the correct rendering is by using the word "OF". These two renderings are acceptable, although the first is correct: "Kindness of the Lord, love of God, Fellowship of the Holy Spirit" "Kindness in the Lord, love in God, Fellowship in the Holy Spirit" These two above renderings prove beyond question that all three are persons. "Kindness of the Lord" is the same as "kindness in the Lord". The NWT rendering is unacceptable because it violates the rule of consistency. By this rendering, they are trying to project the false impression that Kindness and love come from the persons of God, but that we have "fellowship and sharing" in the power of the non-personal Holy Spirit. Jehovah's Witnesses just can't leave the Bible alone without twisting it! The NWT rendering is below violates the rule of consistency: "Kindness of the Lord, love of God, Fellowship in the Holy Spirit" Every major translation renders the three joiners as "of". Only desperate sectarian bias with a need to confuse, would do otherwise.

Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal #4	"Others take the latter gen. as a subjective gen. or gen. of quality fellowship brought about by the Holy Spirit (Heinrici, Bachmann, Bousset; TSchmidt, D. Leib Christi '19, 135; s. 4 below)." Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich, page 439
Anti-Trinitarian rebuttal refuted	Notice that Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich specifically classifies it as their first choice under the "trinitarian" section, but notice also that they list 1 Cor 1:9 and 2 Cor 13:14 together in both section #1 [1. association, communion, fellowship, close relationship ... fellowship w. the Holy Spirit (so Sickenberger in the Trinitarian sense).] and section #4. [4. participation, sharing tinov" in something]. So B.A.G classifies both 1 Cor 1:9, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." together with 2 Cor 13:14. But lets take the argument for a moment and look at it. Even if you take it as subjective gen. where "quality fellowship brought about by the Holy Spirit" the Holy Spirit is still a person and the same would be true of all three expressions. "quality of fellowship brought about by the Holy Spirit" "quality of grace brought about by Christ" "quality of love brought about by God" All three must be taken as subjective gen. if you chose to make one that way. Grace that results from Jesus, Love that results from God, Sharing that results from the Holy Spirit. Either way, all three have personality! But even if you take only the last as "subjective genitive", the Holy Spirit is just as much a person in 2 Cor 13:14, as Christ is a person in 1 Cor 1:9, which uses the identical greek. This proves that B.A.G. does not believe that classifying only the last genitive involving the Holy Spirit as a "subjective genitive", proves that the Holy Spirit is not a person. If the "subjective genitive" in 2 Cor 13:14 proves the Holy Spirit a thing then 1 Cor 1:9 proves Jesus to be a thing. Obviously then, this anti-Trinitarian argument is invalid!

Data Section: Passages that use the same Greek word for fellowship in 2 Cor 13:14

A. Passages where person-hood must be inferred:

1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
Galatians 2:9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
1 Jn 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship [sharing] with us; and indeed our fellowship [sharing] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 Jn 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship [sharing] with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship [sharing] with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

B. Passages where fellowship between persons is "facilitated through the medium of a thing" is inferred:

Faith is the "medium of a thing" that facilitates fellowship between persons:

Philemon 6: and I pray that the fellowship [sharing] of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake.

Grape juice and bread are the "medium of a thing" that facilitates fellowship between persons:

Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship [sharing] , to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?

Suffering is the "medium of a thing" that facilitates fellowship between persons:

Phil 3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship [sharing] of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

Money is the "medium of a thing" that facilitates fellowship between persons:

2 Corinthians 8:4 begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation [sharing] in the support of the saints

Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

2 Corinthians 9:13 Because of the proof given by this ministry they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution [sharing] to them and to all

Rom 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution [sharing] for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

Metaphoric use of sharing of fellowship between two things: darkness and light:

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship [sharing] has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

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