Trinity -- or not?

In my first 20+ posts I wrote about our Savior's name, and names of various characters in the Bible. I think I have worn out that topic for now, and I plan to move on to several others. A couple of topics demanding my attention right now are the trinity and the feast days. What does the Bible say about them?

I probably won't have that much to say about the trinity, because it is not a topic I've studied exhaustively, I'm not sure there is an easy answer, and I'm not sure how important it is that we know the exact answer!

The questions that I ponder are:

1. Doesn't the Bible teach the trinity? The short but somewhat evasive answer is: No, the Bible does not mention the trinity -- or at least not the word trinity.

2. Are there three separate persons in the Godhead, three-in-one, or are there two, Father and Son, and a Holy Spirit that emanates from them? I don't know. I can see arguments on both sides of this question.

3. Doesn't 1 John 5:7-8 explicitly teach there are three persons? This requires a long answer, but the shortest possible answer is that a clause has been inserted here, called the Johannine Comma. The translators added a message they felt was missing. What a lot of problems would be avoided if humanity would not add their own traditions to scripture!

Without the Johannine Comma, the verses read:

For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. ESV

With the later-added text, the Comma, the verses read (the added text in brackets):

For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. KJV

Many use the Johannine Comma as proof that there are three-in-one, not knowing that they are not quoting the inspired words of John.

4. What about Jesus' baptism instructions in Matthew 28:19?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

I have been told that Jesus didn't perform baptisms Himself, but I would love to have seen Him give an example of how this is done. Most baptisms include the phrase, "I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost)." Have you ever noticed the sentence structure, that it sounds like there is only one name? He didn't say "in the names of," but "in the name of." I don't know if that is significant; it's just something I've thought about.

The above are the only two verses I can find that mention the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at the same time. If believing in a trinity is of utmost importance, wouldn't there be more about it in the Bible, and wouldn't what is there be less ambiguous? The first example, with the inserted clause, is not a true example. The second implies that all three carry the same name!

Did the disciples follow Jesus' baptism instructions? I found only four verses that tell about baptisms in the name of anyone, and these examples use only the name of Jesus Christ (or Lord Jesus). I can't believe they were disobeying their beloved Master's directive. They were doing what they understood Him to have told them to do:

On the Day of Pentecost: And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

When Peter and John went to Samaria: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:16,17

Peter at the house of Cornelius: And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:48

Paul at Ephesus: And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 19:5

That's all I have for now. The two commonly-used New Testament proof texts do not prove there is a trinity, but then I am not convinced there isn't some kind of three-ness there. Perhaps I am influenced by a few decades of hearing about the trinity. I do know that within my own congregation, the teaching has grown toward a more trinitarian-type belief, with a Holy Spirit who is a separate and third person, but years ago, within my lifetime, it was not so.

To me the bottom line is that I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He has saved me by His sacrifice and His grace. Whether I believe the Holy Spirit is a separate person or not, will it affect my salvation? If it did, wouldn't the Bible tell us so?