QUESTION: “Pastor Ronald, paano po sasagutin ang Anti-Trinitarians gamit ang John 17:3 kung sinasabi nilang ang Ama lang ang tunay na Diyos at hindi si Jesus?”

QUESTION:

“Pastor Ronald, paano po sasagutin ang Anti-Trinitarians gamit ang John 17:3 kung sinasabi nilang ang Ama lang ang tunay na Diyos at hindi si Jesus?”

ANSWER:

Good question yan, Pastor, kasi lagi ginagamit ng mga Anti-Trinitarians ang John 17:3 as if knock-out verse daw laban sa Trinity. Pero kung titignan natin sa context at sa theology ng buong John, hindi talaga ito contra sa Trinity—actually, it supports it.

How to Respond to John 17:3

1. Context of John’s Gospel

* John 1:1 – “The Word was God.”

* John 1:18 – The Son reveals the Father because He Himself is God.

Greek Manuscript Variants (John 1:18)

Yung key phrase dito sa Greek ay:

μονογενὴς θεός – “only begotten God” o “the only God”

ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός – “the only begotten Son”

Ang dalawang variant na ito lumitaw sa magkaibang manuscript traditions.

“Only begotten God” (μονογενὴς θεός) – makikita ito sa mga early at reliable manuscripts tulad ng:

• Codex Sinaiticus (א)

• Codex Vaticanus (B)

• Papyrus 75 (𝔓75)

“Only begotten Son” (ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός) – lumitaw naman sa later Byzantine manuscripts at naging paborito sa majority text tradition.

Ayon sa mga textual scholars, mas pinipili nila yung mas mahirap na reading (lectio difficilior). Sa kasong ito, yun ay “only begotten God” kasi mas malamang na original ito kaysa maging dagdag o harmonization lang ng mga scribes.

English Bible Translation Examples

• ESV (English Standard Version) = “The only God, who is at the Father’s side…”
• NASB (New American Standard Bible) = “The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father…”
• NRSV = “It is God the only Son… who has made him known.”
  
  

* John 20:28 – Thomas confesses Jesus as “My Lord and my God.”

Malinaw na si John mismo hindi nagdi-deny ng deity ni Christ. So, hindi mo pwedeng gamitin ang John 17:3 to contradict the rest of John’s Gospel.

* 1 John 5:20 - Si Juan na sumulat ng John 17:3, hindi siya nag-iisip na parang anti-Trinitarian. Kasi sa 1 John 5:20, siya mismo ang nagsabi tungkol kay Jesus: ‘This is the true God and eternal life.’ Ibig sabihin, hindi niya kinokontra ang pagka-Diyos ni Cristo inaaffirm pa nga niya.

Kung i-exegete mo ang 1 John 5:20, malinaw na si Jesus mismo ang tinawag na ὁ ἀληθινὸς θεὸς (“the true God”). Ang John 17:3 hindi nagtuturo ng exclusivity ng pagka-Diyos sa Ama, kundi relational distinction. Ang parehong author, si John, clarifies later na si Cristo ay tunay na Diyos at eternal life.

2. Grammar and Logic of John 17:3

* Jesus is praying to the Father and calls Him "the only true God".

* Pero notice: He also says, “and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

* Kung hindi Diyos si Jesus, bakit equal ang pagbanggit Niya sa Kanyang sarili with the Father sa verse na ito linked by the same eternal life?

Ang eternal life ay knowing the Father AND the Son (cf. 1 John 5:11–12, 20). Kung creature lang si Jesus, bakit necessary Siya para makuha ang eternal life?

3. “Only True God” Doesn’t Exclude the Son

* The Father is called “the only true God” → true!

* Pero si Jesus at ang Spirit hindi excluded, kasi they share the same divine nature.

* Halimbawa: 1 Corinthians 8:6 – Paul affirms “one God, the Father … and one Lord, Jesus Christ.” 

Hindi niya itinatanggi ang pagka-Diyos ni Cristo, at hindi rin ibig sabihin na si Jesus lang ang ‘One Lord’ at hindi na ‘Lord’ ang Ama. Ipinapakita lang dito ang pagkakaisa nila sa kani-kanilang papel sa plano ng kaligtasan.


4. John 17:5 Connection

* Just two verses later, Jesus prays: “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

That’s clear pre-existence and equality with the Father attributes of deity.


Strong Refutation Argument

Tell the Anti-Trinitarian:

“John 17:3 doesn’t deny Jesus’ deity; it affirms the Father as the true God, but eternal life also requires knowing the Son. If Jesus were not truly God, then salvation would depend on knowing a creature instead of God. Yet John 17:3 ties eternal life to knowing BOTH the Father and the Son. That’s not competition, it’s unity.”

John 17:3 isn’t a denial of the Trinity; it’s a window into it. Eternal life is knowing the Father as the only true God and knowing Jesus who shares that same divine glory (John 17:5).

For more inquiries, contact us:

Email: formeradventist.ph@gmail.com

Website: formeradventistph.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/formeradventistph

Phone: 09695143944