Rather, in the dawn of its history, it received no small criticism from Tertullian. The principal and agent remain two distinct persons. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,6who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Oneness theology denies the eternal distinctions among the three persons, insisting there is only one actual person in the Godhead . 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. But in the Bible, a name is definitional. If it were a formula, it would be consistent throughout. They deny that the Father died on the cross. 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. 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. However, Oneness theology denies the Trinity. Can Muslims provide a list of Jesus sayings that are true and false? The Messiah of prophecy is a human agent of God the Son of Man. There is no place at all. The Hebrew term for an agent or legal emissary isShaliachwhich is comparable to the Greek worldApostolosand the English word Apostle. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is because in Jewish thought, a title and a name are inextricably linked. 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. The mediator is a man. Thus, if you have been baptized in a trinitarian formula, you must be re-baptized into a oneness formula. They often say that Jesus is one person, but when cross-examined, they affirm two persons in one body. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. 13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 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. For clarification, the Trinity is one God in three distinct simultaneous, coeternal persons. Did He ascend to His OWN right hand? Often when engaging in dialogue with a Oneness Pentecostal, they will refer to God in every context in the Old Testament as Jesus. The eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. Understanding how Jesus identifies himself in the Gospels Read More Jesus is the Model for Us They believe that if you are saved, you must speak in gibberish tongues. Oneness theology is false. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. The answer would be no, because if he knows everything already, how could he think about what He knows? 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. (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? Please note, though, this is not saying there are three competing and separate gods (polytheism). How does this issue reflect on the personhood of God, who is supposed to be self-sustaining and completely self-dependent from eternity past? Many numerous scriptural references (15x) say that God raised Jesus from the dead, indicating a distinction between Jesus who was raised, and God who raised him. This means that when God says in Isaiah 43:10 There is no other Godthere never has been, and there never will be, God the Trinity is talking. (John 17:1-3), Why does Jesus refer to God as His God and his Father if he himself is the Father? American Christianity teaches people that if they are sprinkled with some water, then they are saved. Examples of verses for examination if you have discussions with Oneness adherents, you might consider referencing the verses below and asking them which nature is speaking a different times. Since they believe that Jesus was, and is, the Father, then when he took a drink, the Father was thirsty. Jesus is just part of God. The threefold answer given by Peter to those who sought to know how to respond to the good news repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is interpreted within the multi-tiered "full gospel" theology inherited from the Wesleyan tradition. While there may be some Christians in Oneness churches, the movement as a whole is non-Christian. Modalism erupts today in what is known as Oneness Pentecostalism. In Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily. Who is the Son? Were all three of these distinct persons who do something Jesus? I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Nicene Creed has defined historical orthodoxy for centuries. If god is one person, then how does that affect his ability to contemplate? But upon close examination, nowhere does the New Testament suggest that we have to believe that Jesus the one God and Father. The main problem is the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine implicitly denies this absolutely fundamental truth. 4. As formulated by Doctor Bernard, it logically entails that there are two Gods. Let me explain. (1 Cor 15:24-27). The book of Acts chronicles exactly what those chosen by Christ proclaimed about who Jesus is. If you want to know who the trinity is, you look to Jesus. Who is God? Over the years, Ive spoken to many people within the oneness Pentecostal movement. It should be noted that the phrase in the name of, is an idiom for power and authority. I will elaborate on them in this article. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. The solution is found in the next section. Shaliach); The main point of the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, a persons agent is regarded as the person himself (Ned. We might pull our cars over for a police officer in the name of the law. Does God need to learn anything? ' The relationship and communication between the Father and the Son become incoherent if we say that Jesus is identical with the Father. Is he but one-third, 33% of God? The author of Hebrews clearly applied this creation psalm intended for YHWH to the Son, and even added the word YHWH so that there would be no misunderstandings. 5 They think that we are still in the apostolic age. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. So the idea from oneness theology that God is a single eternal person means that from forever ago, he had no one with whom to fellowship and no one to love or be loved by. But the Oneness theology poses problems by restricting Gods ability in and of himself to have fellowship and to love and be loved until something other than himself exists. 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. These "forms" are not three distinct persons, but one person who occupied consecutive modes. So when he told his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, he was telling them to baptize under their authority and power. 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. It would mean that God was eternally knowing and experiencing the mutual contemplation of the three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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.. To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. The Bible is God's inerrant word. Agent (Hebrew. 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. is an important topic related to the Trinity, Oneness presents a potential problem which deals with the apparent inability of the oneness god to contemplate. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. The Apostolic testimony of Jesus is that the Christ is Jesus (Acts 2:36, Acts 3:18-20, Acts 5:42, Acts 9:20-22, Acts 17:1-3, Acts 18:5, Acts 18:28) It is apparent that the core Apostolic teaching is that Jesus is the Messiah (not that he himself is God), 22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Jesus could be seen not as the Lord of Glory, but as an asinine individual with serious mental deficiencies, for if he is the Father, it comes unthinkable that he would say, The Father is greater than I.. Justification by faith. How can you say, Show us the Father? The Trinity is one God in three distinct simultaneous, coeternal persons. Similarly, Isaiah 7:14 says that his name shall be Immanuel. monotheism, belief in the existence of one god, or in the oneness of God. 4 They condemn other denominations for their baptismal formula. 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. (See The Christian Trinitarian God Examined In Depth). 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. What is this? This is an impossible to solve problem for . 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. To explain the doctrine as saying that one person is three people, or that there are three separate, competing deities is a misrepresentation of the doctrine. This is problematic because the very nature of God is love (1 John 4:8). In Hebrews 1:10, the author quotes Psalm 102:25, and says that this is an example of the Father talking to the Son. 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. An apostle is an agent commissioned by a principal. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. He was not establishing a baptismal formula. (Acts 2:36), If Jesus is God, why doesnt say that Jesus gave himself according to his will, rather than the will of our God and Father (Gal 1:3-4). God cannot give himself as a ransom, as God is immutable and cannot die. The Father and the Son manifest at the same time (Isaiah 9:6; Matt. 15 And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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. On pages 98-99 of The Oneness of God by Doctor David Bernard, he writes, [God the Son] is not a correct term because the Son of God refers to the humanity of Jesus Christ. Oneness theologians would argue that if the Father and the Son were separate, then the Godhead could not fully dwell in Christ. Again, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each exemplify attributes of personhood. There are numerous scriptural references (13x) that refer to Jesus being at the right hand of God indicating a distinction of God and Jesus who is at his right hand. On October 1, 1915, 525 delegates met in St. Louis, ready for a confrontation. First, trinitarians do not believe that in the Son resides 33% of God. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Jesus had a totally human nature and a totally divine nature. (Luke 3:22), If Jesus is himself, God, why would an angel be needed to strengthen him? Since Oneness theology and the doctrine of the Trinity are in agreement on these points, these have been omitted. The Father is relaying that he will say these things to the Son in the future. They think that the words that you recite over the baptismal tank make or break salvation. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ., 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.. 72B; Kidd, 41b) Therefore, any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principal, who therefore bears full responsibilityfor it. If there are two persons in the body of Christ then only the human person died. Oneness Pentecostal theology affirms that there exists only one God in all the universe. The table below shows the supporting scriptures. How can God be both the mediator and the God he mediates for? 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.. The text says that these are names. Passages are quoted in the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed. A key point of reference will be how Jesus is identified by the Apostles in the book of Acts. This means that Jesus would say, I am thirsty (John 19:28)and I will be with you always, even to the end of the age (Matt. The Son of Man is destined to judge the world in righteousness. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet., 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Also, Paul indicates that while he wishes everybody could speak in tongues, they cannot, and he would prefer that they prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:4-5). What is this core truth? God is dependent on nothing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool. 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.. Bernard, Essentials in Oneness Theology, p. 21. [2] [3] It is most commonly associated with Oneness Christology and the movement of Oneness Pentecostalism; however, some Trinitarians also baptise in Jesus' name and interpret it as on the authority of Jesus' name which most of mainstream Christendom justifies as referencing the existence of a Trinitarian Christian deity through the Great 3:21), separate wills (Luke 22:42), and Jesus is now presently at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 7:56; Heb. Yet they speak of each other and to each other designating separation among persons. 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. 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. Was Jesus praying to Himself? 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. Why does Paul say blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ rather than blessed be our God and Father Jesus Christ? 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. If there is only one person in the Godhead, why does Jesus say to the Father (who is in Heaven) let your will, not mine, be done?
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