problems with oneness theology problems with oneness theology
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit do not represent different persons within the Godhead, but rather, there are different modes that God takes. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. The Oneness folks have corrupted the word of God ( 2 Cor 2:17, Rom 16:17-18) by rejecting the Son of God, hallucinating that Jesus is the Father while swapping roles in heaven and denying His existence at the right Hand of God the Father ( Psa 2:7-9, Psalms 110:1-2, Heb 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, Mark 16:19, Eph 1:20, Acts 2:33, Rom 8:34, 1 Peter He is totally God. Please note, though, this is not saying there are three competing and separate gods (polytheism). The Bible is God's inerrant word. To sum up: The mystical doctrine of oneness is metaphysically disturbing, and it can foster authoritarian behavior. In John 8:16, Jesus says that he does not judge alone, but I and the Father who sent me. Nowhere in the New Testament is the distinction between the Person of God and that of Jesus more explicit. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him., 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandmentwhat to say and what to speak. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my Son, today I have begotten you; 6 as he says also in another place, You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.. When he ate, the Father was hungry. Oneness theology denies the Trinity doctrine and claims that there is one person in the Godhead who has manifested himself in three different forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Bernard, Essentials in Oneness Theology, p. 21. These "forms" are not three distinct persons, but one person who occupied consecutive modes. 54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. They deny the Trinity and teach that there is one person in the Godhead whom they call Jesus. In other words, can he think about what hes going to do and draw conclusions and make decisions based on that contemplation? Scriptures: 16 So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. The union of both divine and human natures (hypostatic union) did not occur until 2000 years ago. 3:17; 16:17; 2 Pet. The problem is that they attempt to tie angelic tongues, necessarily, with salvation. The Son of Man is destined to judge the world in righteousness. He can only represent fully in His nature another person that exists. Fortunately for those who do believe in such a God, Atterton is wrong. This is how the early church sprang out of an obscure village in the middle east on the backs of 11 peasants. Put another way, in the one substance of divinity, in the one being that is God, there are three co-eternal, co-existent, simultaneous persons: The Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Acts 5:3-4, Acts 7, Colossians 1:15, John 10:36, John 14:23, John 17:5, John 5:23, John 6:46, Luke 22:41-42, Matthew 3:13-17, Revelation 1, Sermon Topics: They must be different considering that the Father sent the Son (Matt. Oneness Pentecostalism teaches that when you are water baptized, the baptizer must recite the words in the name of Jesus. If he does not recite those words, the baptism is illegitimate, and you cannot be saved. Again, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each exemplify attributes of personhood. God our savior exalted Jesus at his right hand as leader and savior. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness., 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 1:17), have separate thrones, (Rev. Amen. 1 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 17 If anyones will is to do Gods will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. Thus, if you have been baptized in a trinitarian formula, you must be re-baptized into a oneness formula. 18 Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. Is he but one-third, 33% of God? Yet they are clearly titles. Perhaps my greatest complaint against American Christianity is how we popishly declare that people are saved. What is wrong with the oneness view of God? As such, it is distinguished from polytheism, the belief in the existence of many gods, from atheism, the belief that there is no god, and from agnosticism, the belief that the existence or nonexistence of a god or of gods is unknown or unknowable. What are the beliefs of Jesus only / oneness Pentecostals? I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. Then the result is Jesus taking the scroll from the right hand of Jesus. 27 For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. But upon close examination, nowhere does the New Testament suggest that we have to believe that Jesus the one God and Father. Quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Ibid., p. 22. Jesus came into existence 2000 years ago when He was born. You must be indwelled by God himself and have a born again experience. But if the Father is a conscious being and the Son is a conscious being and they are distinct from one another, then in what sense can it be said that they are truly one? What is this core truth? 25 For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. They have the wrong view of. They deny that the Father died on the cross. What is wrong with the Oneness view of God? Furthermore, it denies the true incarnation by denying the hypostatic union, separating the persons into two and only the human person died on the cross, thereby negating the divine sufficiency of the sacrifice. Oneness promotes Nestorianism, which attributes to Jesus the quality of two persons in one body. But the Trinity would solve this problem. That is how the trinitarian will understand these passages. A person must have faith in Jesus Only. Oneness Delusion - Let God Be True! 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions., 5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. (2 Cor 1:3). The human nature is the Son, and the divine nature is the Father. The Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament describe the coming son of man as an agent of God through whom God will establish an everlasting priesthood and kingdom. The problem with this is that they do not realize what the apostolic age entails. Oneness, Jesus, and which nature is talking - Christian Apologetics and Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and . Similarly if you do not speak in tongues, then you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit and consequently are not saved. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. The problem with this is that it is just completely unbiblical. An apostle is an agent commissioned by a principal. It seems problematic. (John 10:29, John 14:28), Why does Jesus refer to the Father as the only true God and as himself as the one that he had sent? 38 For I[DIVINE NATURE] have come down from heaven, not to do My [HUMAN NATURE] own will, but the will of Him who sent Me [DIVINE NATURE]. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me [HUMAN NATURE], that of all that He has given Me [HUMAN NATURE] I [HUMAN NATURE] lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. But the author suggests that this psalm is referring to Jesus. In this, Jesus, the single person designated by the word I claims the attributes of both natures. Oneness Tendencies amongst the Church . Oneness theology is false. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. Mark 16:9, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, Acts 5:31, Acts 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:17-19, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 12:2, and 1 Peter 3:22. Jesus is, by definition, one person with two distinct natures: a divine nature and a human nature. 17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. This entails that there is one God who is one person. Atonement is through the flesh and blood of the human Messiah (Christ). 11 Comments. What is Oneness Pentecostal theology? - carm.org Recently, certain Muslim apologists and YouTubers have been excited that former kickboxer and controversial internet by Matt Slick | Jan 2, 2023 | Islam, World Religions. All of the wrath of God that we deserve went out upon him. In this work, Michael Burgos has outlined in a systematic fashion the chief theological assertions of Oneness theology and then provides a point-by-point exegetical refutation. That is why so many Catholics also consider themselves Apostolic. They have realized that the doctrine is apparently supported by a handful of vague verses when interpreted in a particular way. I see five main problems with Oneness Theology as it relates to God as Father, Son, and Spirit. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God who is immortal cannot die by definition. The Messiah of prophecy is a human agent of God the Son of Man. If the baptizer says anything other than the formula, in the name of Jesus, you cannot be saved. Nestorianism, the logical result of oneness theology regarding the person of Christ, leads to a scenario where the different natures of Christ speak alternately at different times even though theyre in the same sentence. Prior to that, the pre-incarnate Christ existed as the word (John 1:1). Although there are over 760 NT passages that make a clear distinction between God and Jesus, we will focus on the most compelling verses covering Jesus and the Father being separate witnesses, the explicit distinction between the person of God and Jesus, common distinctions in the New Testament, and verses that show a visual distinction. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. This is precisely what happens to many people. talk like me! Once they do, they are declared to be saved. Who poured out his wrath upon Jesus? Hear, O Israel, The Lord Our God Is One. Deuteronomy 6:4 In an attempt to establish the oneness view of God, Oneness Pentecostals will often appeal to passages that prove that there is one God. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. His wrath abides upon us, he must give us just condemnation for our sins. We'd love to keep you up to date with what is happening at CARM. The name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. 34 Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. Yes, people do speak in tongues (which are probably foreign human languages) in the book of Acts. Oneness Pentecostals often mistakenly think that this is what the doctrine of the trinity represents. 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. They argue that this was fulfilled in Acts 2:38, which says that Peter baptized in the name of Jesus. Does God need to learn anything? . If Jesus was praying to the divine side of Himself, then isn't He still praying to Himself? 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Understanding how Jesus identifies himself in the Gospels, Understanding how Jesus is the model for us, The essential humanity of the one mediator Jesus Christ, Understanding The Law of Agency - A Key Biblical Concept Pertaining to Christ, Understanding the distinction between one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, Analysis of Philippians Chapter 2: Form of God is exaltation, not preexistence, Refuting erroneous conflations of Scripture used to infer Jesus is ontologically God, www.21stcr.org/subjects/oneness-pentecostalism/oneness-pentecostalism-articles/, www.21stcr.org/subjects/oneness-pentecostalism/oneness-pentecostalism-videos/, www.21stcr.org/subjects/oneness-pentecostalism/oneness-pentecostalism-audio/, www.21stcr.org/subjects/oneness-pentecostalism/oneness-pentecostalism-books/, There is one God (God is our Savior and desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth), There is one mediator between God and men, The mediator is Christ (the Messiah) Jesus, The mediator gave himself up as a ransom for all, The testimony of the Messiah was given at the proper time. We have lost this link because in our culture, people just name their children whatever sounds good but they do not give any attention to what the name means. there is no God but one. 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earthas indeed there are many gods and many lords 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. Dividing Over Oneness | Christian History | Christianity Today So what is wrong with the oneness view of God? It entails that people can speak authoritatively, in inerrancy and inspiration, and write Scripture. 44. It is the Father who said to the Son, In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth. But just so the reader will understand his theological meaning, the author of Hebrews adds the word, LORD (taken to indicate YHWH) into the sentence so as to underline the point. The main sticking point among oneness believers is maintaining the deity of Christ. The following points of doctrine are generally held to by the Oneness Pentecostal groups. The Oneness Pentecostal would agree with Arius who said that "there was a time when the Son was not." And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Is Jesus His own Father? God, the one divine. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. The Trinity is one God in three distinct simultaneous, coeternal persons. Jesus is presented in Heaven in His glorified human state in Revelation 1. If so, why? But it would be a mistake to say that it is always Jesus who is speaking. The infinite cannot be finite and remain infinite. They try and provide contradictions in God's word to weaken CARM is a nonprofit, non-denominational, multi-staffed Christian Apologetics Ministry that supports evangelism, radio outreach, and provides full-time support for several foreign missionaries. If it was the fleshly side of Jesus speaking to the divine side of Jesus in heaven, then does this not deny the true incarnation of God in Christ and invalidate the atonement? Jesus is totally God. Jesus, our high priest mediates a better covenant with his own blood. When one speaks in tongues, then we can say that they are born again. The Trinity is the doctrine that there is one God who manifests Himself as three distinct, simultaneous persons. What Is Wrong With The Oneness View Of God? - Therefore, God Exists 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. It is based upon a faulty conception of the trinity. The Nicene Creed has defined historical orthodoxy for centuries. 10:40; John 5:23; 6:38-39; 8:42; 12:44-45, 49; 13:20). 15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothersit is to him you shall listen 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die. 17 And the LORD said to me, They are right in what they have spoken. Problems With Oneness Theology - Sermon Central Why not just say that he is Greater than all? Problems with oneness Archives Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry It was Jesus. The objections to patripassionism are far too obvious. (i.e., according to Gods predestined plan), Jesus is the mediator between God and men, How are Jesus and the Father two witnesses? He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.. In distinction to God, Jesus is referred to as a man who is the one mediator between God and men in 1 Tim 2:5-6. How so? 5 They think that we are still in the apostolic age. 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 3:21), separate wills (Luke 22:42), and Jesus is now presently at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 7:56; Heb. God is one substance, a triune substance. Thus Saith Putin: Christianity Invaded by the Religious Right, Church Is Not Seminary: Why Young Theologically-Informed 20-Somethings Should Manage Their Expectations of Their Pastors, Why Jesus looked and acted like me, not you, Minimizing The Maximally Great Argument For Arminianism, How apologetics bloggers caused the downfall of the United States, Why Christians should apologize for using apologetics, Why apologetics is not necessary to evangelism, Something Greater Than The Crucifixion Is Here: How Jesus Shocked The Pharisees, Social Issues, Politics & Biblical Ethics. The following points should focus on the particular problems: A) The Oneness position cannot explain logically or Biblically the clear references to the pre-existence and Creatorship of the Son such as Colossians 1, Hebrews 1 and John 1. . Oneness Pentecostalism (OP) is a form of modalism. Rather, in the dawn of its history, it received no small criticism from Tertullian. I will be with you always, even to the end of the age, If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at, The Christian Trinitarian God Examined In Depth, https://carm.org/oneness-pentecostal/the-distinction-of-persons-between-god-the-father-and-jesus, Responding to Andrew Tate on Islam and Christianity, Responding to Andrew Tate on the nature of God. Many of my followers are aware that I have come from a Oneness Pentecostal background, and I often make harsh comparisons, in saying that they are similar to the Mormon church or the Jehovahs Witnesses. Jesus is said to have two natures: human and divine. Oneness theology denies the true God by denying the Trinity and proposes a Nestorian view of Christ where the two natures (human and divine) are actually two persons who speak alternately even in the same sentence. If that is the case, that means that Jesus is both the Father, and the Son. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth., 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. These formal arguments are based on rules of deductive reasoning, not fallacious syllogism. 1 Tim 2:5-6is framed as the truth of the Gospel. Muslims routinely claim that the Bible has been corrupted. Oneness theology denies the Trinity doctrine and claims that there is one person in the Godhead who has manifested himself in three different forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is the Father, how could someone else, who is called the Father in the text, speak from Heaven? 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? As formulated by Doctor Bernard, it logically entails that there are two Gods. Problems with oneness: Eternal Fellowship and Love God is a personal being. 28:20). It is something like an executioner acting in the name of the king. The following section of scripture contains which nature was speaking at what time according to the Oneness people Ive spoken to. 43. God cannot give himself as a ransom, as God is immutable and cannot die. Of course I went into this thoroughly in my subsection Oneness Pentecostal Heresy but I think it would be profitable to briefly lay out 5 problems with Oneness Pentecostal doctrines. The text says that these are names. When I ask who Jesus was praying to in the garden (Luke 22:42), they say it was human nature praying to the divine nature. Were all three of these distinct persons who do something Jesus? That is why John 1:18 says that he explains the Father. Also in the garden, Jesus prayed, saying, O my Father. These words show a Me/ You relationship as though they are two distinct, simultaneous persons. Instead, it is one God, one divinely simple being who expresses himself to us in three distinct simultaneous persons. To the best of my recollection, not a single oneness person has ever refuted how the doctrine of the Trinity is arrived at using the Scriptures. His most recent contribution, In Jesus Name, goes into detail on Oneness history and theology, but he primarily focuses his latter efforts on the significance of the name of Jesus. (Phil 2:8-9), Does it make any sense to say that God exalted himself? (John 8:28), If Jesus is God, he would have the Holy Spirit within himself. He possesses all divine attributes. Don't Make Me One with Everything - Scientific American Blog Network