problems with oneness theology
They deny the Trinity and teach that there is one person in the Godhead whom they call Jesus. If Christ is God, how can it be said that Christ has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf? Rather, in the dawn of its history, it received no small criticism from Tertullian. Doctor Bernard is merely propounding that the consciousness of the Father was duplicated into the person of the Son, and hence, on page 99, he argues that the Son can be thought of as God in one sense because he is the human image of the invisible God. In fact, twice in the book of Acts, people are filled with the Spirit without speaking in tongues (4:13,8:17). 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. Christians have classically said that there is only one God who is eternally present in three persons. Oneness doctrine teaches that the one God reveals Himself in various forms: sometimes as the Father, sometimes as Jesus, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. Corresponding to these criteria, Jesus cannot be God in a literal ontological sense: 1. Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and . Is Jesus His own Father? Thus he appeals to the distinct natures within Jesus. One of the problems that many Oneness believers have when they hear the word "person" (as used by Trinitarians) is that . This implies a static mind of simple knowledge without the action of contemplation. Solomons name was Jedidiah (2 Samuel 12:25). If He werent, He would not qualify to be our High Priest. For the purpose of this article, I aim at the core of the oneness doctrine. the interpretation of the psalms given by the author of Hebrews seems to disconfirm any insight that would suggest the finitude of the Son. How can you say, Show us the Father? 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. In this, Jesus, the single person designated by the word I claims the attributes of both natures. Atonement is through the flesh and blood of the human Messiah (Christ). But this makes little sense of the biblical data concerning the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son, such as the messianic statements in the psalms, like God, your God has anointed you. (Psalm 45:7). The Problem. Try, If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. 28 So Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. The following points of doctrine are generally held to by the Oneness Pentecostal groups. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. What is wrong with the Oneness view of God? The Son did not send the Father. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. The Oneness Pentecostal believes that Jesus is the proper name of God, something like the name Jehovah or YHWH. The apostolic age, in addition to all of these signs and wonders, entails that there are apostles. If He is still fully human (and in Heaven, how can He be the same person as the Spirit, who is on the earth ( )? 1:3). (https://carm.org/oneness-pentecostal/the-distinction-of-persons-between-god-the-father-and-jesus). How does this issue reflect on the personhood of God, who is supposed to be self-sustaining and completely self-dependent from eternity past? Does God need to learn anything? Amen. (Phil 2:8-9), Does it make any sense to say that God exalted himself? 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. This is terrifying because while God is good, we are not. (Heb 5:8), If Jesus himself is the Father, wouldnt it be pointless to say I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:10), Does God raise himself up as a servant? They problem is that when the apostles did acted in the name of Jesus, it was not a formula. In short, oneness theology is not Christian since it denies the True God, the True Incarnation of Christ, and the True Atonement. The Father even died on the cross and rose from the dead. God is one substance, a triune substance. 44. Oneness Pentecostalism teaches what is known as modalism. 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. 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.. That is why John 1:18 says that he explains the Father. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, A PSALM OF DAVID. Man is dependent on oxygen, food, and water. As formulated by Doctor Bernard, it logically entails that there are two Gods. Don't get me wrong, I love questions. Baptism must be by immersion. 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. Instead, they ignore the facts of distinction and force scriptures into a oneness interpretation while ignoring the very nature of personhood. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. They think that the words that you recite over the baptismal tank make or break salvation. The primary problem with theology is that it asks questions. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world? 23 Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The trinitarian would object to that on the basis that sometimes the Father is talking, others the Son is talking, and others the Holy Spirit is talking. (John 14:12, John 14:28, John 16:17, John 16:28), How can God be tempted in every way we are and also sympathize with our weaknesses? 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. The Bible defines the Son of God as the child born of Mary, not as the eternal Spirit of God (Luke 1:35). One page 87, he says that it is the Son who died, but not the Father. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. But his name was not Immanuel. Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. It was a time in which Jesus promised that the Father would answer all of their prayers for the growth of the church (John 14:13-14), people would instantaneously learn other human languages so that non-believers would be convinced (1 Corinthians 14:22), people would be able to handle snakes and drink poison (Mark 16:17-18), and perform many miraculous signs. This problem, sometimes called the 'threeness-oneness problem' or the 'logical problem of the Trinity', is the focus of this interdisciplinary volume. It is just a traditional doctrine. Why would Jesus need to be anointed by God with the Holy Spirit? Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. 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. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I would like to suggest that what the Oneness Pentecostal has misunderstood is that a title is a name. The main problem is the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine implicitly denies this absolutely fundamental truth. 4. 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. When the apostles were on trial, the Jewish court asked them, by what power, or in what name do you do this? (Acts 4:7). 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. Many past oneness believers have come to the realization the doctrine is inconsistent with the balanced testimony of scripture. I will elaborate on them in this article. 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. The book of Acts chronicles exactly what those chosen by Christ proclaimed about who Jesus is. Jesus is totally God. 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. In other words, oneness theology does not recognize the distinct persons of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It entails that people can speak authoritatively, in inerrancy and inspiration, and write Scripture. They were in different locations at the same time (Matt. God our savior exalted Jesus at his right hand as leader and savior. 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? If you act in somebodys name, you are acting under their authority. The problem is that a group's denial of an essential biblical teaching excludes that group from Christianity. When somebody is born again, they must speak in angelic tongues. Yet they are clearly titles. (Luke 22:41-42). Problems with oneness theology by Matt Slick | Mar 13, 2023 | Oneness Pentecostal, World Religions Over the years, I've spoken to many people within the oneness Pentecostal movement. 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. Quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. Passages are quoted in the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. If they do not do that, then they are not really born again and do not really have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He can only represent fully in His nature another person that exists. This verse, then, would be expressing that Jesus is totally God, not that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit. This would mean that there was no relationship between the Father and the Son from eternity, for there was a time when the Son was not. (i.e., according to Gods predestined plan), Jesus is the mediator between God and men, How are Jesus and the Father two witnesses? 9 Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. In Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily. Who is the Son? Yes, people do speak in tongues (which are probably foreign human languages) in the book of Acts. They teach people that they saved when in fact, they are not. Ephesians. The Trinity is not the teaching, in spite of some of its critics, that there are three gods, nor is it the teaching that one person is three persons. 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
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