problems with oneness theology

Why is the Father referred to as the one God and source of all things, while Jesus is referred to as the one Lord (as a distinction between him and God) in 1 Cor 8:5-6? What is wrong with the Oneness view of God? 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. That is, a mediator is a third party. The Father was tempted. When one speaks in tongues, then we can say that they are born again. 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. Please note, though, this is not saying there are three competing and separate gods (polytheism). Ephesians. 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. So rather from descending from heaven and residing with him, wouldnt it rather emanate from him? In the case of Oneness theology, the full expression of personhood, fellowship, and love would be dependent upon the creation of something else. Jesus came from the Father (John 6:38; 17:1-5); the Father did not come from Jesus. We'd love to keep you up to date with what is happening at CARM. Why not just say that he is Greater than all? Jesus is presented in Heaven in His glorified human state in Revelation 1. Jesus is said to have two natures: human and divine. That is what this article seeks to explore. Pay attention to my reasoning, because this is important. talk like me! Once they do, they are declared to be saved. It is based upon a misunderstanding of Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38. Understanding how Jesus identifies himself in the Gospels Read More Jesus is the Model for Us 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. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. This entails that there is one God who is one person. Oneness promotes Nestorianism, which attributes to Jesus the quality of two persons in one body. This is not social trinitarianism with three separate centers of consciousness. Indeed, if you were to deny that there is one God, then you have effectively denied the doctrine of the trinity. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. This is the heresy of Nestorianism, which teaches two persons in the body of Jesus. The Son did not send the Father. 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. For the purpose of this article, I aim at the core of the oneness doctrine. Solomons name was Jedidiah (2 Samuel 12:25). We might pull our cars over for a police officer in the name of the law. Similarly, the Father is totally God and the Spirit is totally God. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. by Matt Slick | Mar 13, 2023 | Oneness Pentecostal, World Religions. There are not three gods. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me., These verses provide the strongest distinctions between God and Jesus not only in reference to them being separate persons but also provide distinction with respect to ontology (the Father is identified as God who is greater than all). Fair use is use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. As formulated by Doctor Bernard, it logically entails that there are two Gods. 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.. If they do not do that, then they are not really born again and do not really have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This known as patripassionism and it is the pervasive view among many Oneness Pentecostals. The principal and agent remain two distinct persons. In his masterful critique of patripassionism, Against Praxeas Tertullian wrote, Quoting Psalm 110:3 If you want me to believe Him to be both the Father and the Son, show me some other passage where it is declared, The Lord said unto Himself, I am my own Son, today I have begotten myself. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. The one God and Father is the God and Father of Jesus. 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. (John 20:17). He is self-aware and aware of others. The Oneness Pentecostal would agree with Arius who said that "there was a time when the Son was not." These formal arguments are based on rules of deductive reasoning, not fallacious syllogism. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 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: And the word that you hear is not mine but the Fathers who sent me. If God is only one person, why did Jesus say in John 14:23, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Is this belief true? They must be different considering that the Father sent the Son (Matt. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. The mediator gave himself as a ransom for all. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, He is our God., 14 I am the good shepherd. the interpretation of the psalms given by the author of Hebrews seems to disconfirm any insight that would suggest the finitude of the Son. Despite that, the Bible teaches that it pleased the Lord to crush Jesus (Isaiah 53:10), and that Jesus entrusted his Spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46). 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. It reads, You, LORD, In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth. What is wrong with the oneness view of God? Is he only part of the Godhead? 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence., 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 18 Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. Oneness Pentecostal theology affirms that there exists only one God in all the universe. Does this make any sense if Jesus is Lord to begin with? And the word that you hear is not mine but the Fathers who sent me. I am afraid that this emanates from a misunderstanding of trinitarian theology. The solution is found in the next section. If God is only one person, why does Jesus say, "we"? This will raise the question of why Peter and the apostles baptized in the name of Jesus. These "forms" are not three distinct persons, but one person who occupied consecutive modes. The Oneness Pentecostal would agree with Arius who said that there was a time when the Son was not. The central difference is that they do not deny the deity of Christ but rather affirm that Jesus is the Father from eternity and took on the extrinsic property of sonship. Is Jesus His own Father? The Father is relaying that he will say these things to the Son in the future. Love is other-centered (John 3:16; 15:13) and requires fellowship in its expression. 6 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him. 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. Was Jesus praying to Himself? 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. They go to a Oneness Pentecostal Church, have no repentance in their heart, do not know anything about Christ or the Bible. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each exemplify attributes of personhood. How can this be if they are the same person? That is to say, the principal is not always clearly distinguished from the agent (the one commissioned to carry out an act on behalf of another). But this raises the question, whose wrath was satisfied on the cross? Well, if you say that the Father died on the cross, you are led instantly into absurdity. But the Oneness Pentecostal church teaches that we are still in the apostolic age. The hypostatic union is the teaching that in the single person of Christ are two distinct natures: divine and human. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. Any time God says something, it is Jesus speaking. OnenessRefutation.com | The problems with Oneness doctrine (Modalism) Oneness Refutation Understanding Logos Understanding the true meaning of the Logos in the Prologue of John Read More I am Statements Who do you say that I am? 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.. How so? How does this issue reflect on the personhood of God, who is supposed to be self-sustaining and completely self-dependent from eternity past? 6 It has been testified somewhere, What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? In this, Jesus, the single person designated by the word I claims the attributes of both natures. (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? But typically, God became a man. The apostolic age, in addition to all of these signs and wonders, entails that there are apostles. 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. (Phil 2:9, Eph 1:17-21), A high priest works on behalf of God in relation to men, so how is it that God designated himself a high priest? Amen. The table below shows the supporting scriptures. Contrary to the impression one might get from Atterton's essay . 54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is based upon a faulty conception of the trinity. 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. 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. In a strict sense, 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. Hence, there is just no contradiction when Peter baptizes in the name of Jesus because it is the same authority. They deny the Trinity and teach that there is one person in the Godhead whom they call Jesus. Often when engaging in dialogue with a Oneness Pentecostal, they will refer to God in every context in the Old Testament as Jesus. The primary problem with theology is that it asks questions. I will elaborate on them in this article. The objections to patripassionism are far too obvious. On October 1, 1915, 525 delegates met in St. Louis, ready for a confrontation. 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. 3 They condemn anybody who does not speak in angelic tongues. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Yet they are clearly titles. A mediator between God and man is a separate party from God and the men he mediates for. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. What is wrong with the oneness view of God? Accordingly, it only the one God and Father who is literally God, and Jesus acts on behalf of God as Gods right-hand man. But every time they said to baptize in the name of Jesus, they said it differently, whether in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38) in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16) or even without invoking the name, just in the name of the Lord (Acts 10:48; 22:16). They are different roles that he takes in the world. Corresponding to these criteria, Jesus cannot be God in a literal ontological sense: 1. They believe that if you are saved, you must speak in gibberish tongues. 1 Timothy 2:5-6, summarizes the Gospel in one sentence, For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. It is this which Paul refers to as the knowledge of the truth in verse 4 that God wants all people to come to and be saved by. The trinitarian believes that there is only one God. 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. The eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. The focus here is on the main area in which Oneness theology and the doctrine of the Trinity are in disagreement, namely, whether the one God exists as one Person or as three Persons. God is infinite, man is finite. These references include Romans 1:7, Romans 15:6, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 1:2-3, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Galatians 1:1-3, Ephesians 1:2-3, Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 5:20, Ephesians 6:23, Philippians 1:2, Philippians 2:11, Colossians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:2-3. Similarly, Isaiah 7:14 says that his name shall be Immanuel. The truth of who Christ is is found in these two doctrines, known as the hypostatic union and the communication of the properties. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. The apostles directed their prayer to the Father and in doing so, they referred to Jesus as your holy servant Jesus. They understood that Jesus is an agent of God. 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. 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? (John 17:1-3), Why does Jesus refer to God as His God and his Father if he himself is the Father? 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. It affirms the deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus came into existence 2000 years ago when He was born. Both Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal traditions have proceeded somewhat in parallel lines, both affirming their own position independently of criticism of the other, at least academically. Then the Father speaks from Heaven, saying, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at [emailprotected], by Luke Wayne | Jan 6, 2023 | Islam, World Religions. Peter said that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ. 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. The Bible is God's inerrant word. He is totally God. This is because in Jewish thought, a title and a name are inextricably linked. How can you say, Show us the Father? 56 And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God., 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. What can we know about the nature of God? . Muslims routinely claim that the Bible has been corrupted. He was the full expression of the trinity. Zechariah 12:10, I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, A PSALM OF DAVID. First, trinitarians do not believe that in the Son resides 33% of God. 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. But the author suggests that this psalm is referring to Jesus. In fact, twice in the book of Acts, people are filled with the Spirit without speaking in tongues (4:13,8:17). 1:17). 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. This means that the name of Jesus is Immanuel, Son, everlasting father, prince of peace, wonderful counselor, mighty God, and YHWH. This is problematic because the very nature of God is love (1 John 4:8). 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. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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. 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. 24 they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? (1 Peter 2:23), Did God highly exalt Christ and give him the name that is above every name because he was obedient to himself? Modalistic Monarchianism, also known as Modalism or Oneness Christology, is a Christian theology upholding the oneness of God as well as the divinity of Jesus; as a form of Monarchianism, it stands in contrast with Trinitarianism.Modalistic Monarchianism considers God to be one while working through or existing as the different "modes" or "manifestations" of God the Father, God the Son, and . It is tongues. God is not a man, but the Messiah of prophecy is necessarily a human servant of God his anointed as Jesus is the Son of Man of the messianic prophecies. Instead, they ignore the facts of distinction and force scriptures into a oneness interpretation while ignoring the very nature of personhood. Christian/Church Of Christ. . 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. It is simple. While most parishioners are unaware of this, the leading Oneness Pentecostal organization, the United Pentecostal Church International, denies patripassionism. They each had a will, and Jesus submitted his will to the Father, whose will was different than His. 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. In Oneness Pentecostalism, there is no distinction between the Father, Son and. Since Oneness theology and the doctrine of the Trinity are in agreement on these points, these have been omitted. 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.. 34 Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. 307K views 1 year ago Oneness Pentecostalism rejects the orthodox view of the Trinity and teaches a heretical doctrine that Jesus is the ONLY member of the Godhead. Jesus can be called God because he represents God. If you want to know who God is, you look to Jesus. However when the Oneness Pentecostal see messianic statements in the Psalms that seem to regard the Son as existing presently, they are viewed as prophetic. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Oneness risks denying the sufficiency of the atonement of Christ. He is totally God. It is not a contradictory notion. 21st-century reformation has a website directed specifically to those who are of a oneness background of oneness persuasion. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you., Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I would like to suggest that what the Oneness Pentecostal has misunderstood is that a title is a name. How can Jesus ascend to the right hand of God if He is the only person of the godhead? This implies a static mind of simple knowledge without the action of contemplation. 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? As we read through the New Testament, we will encounter what boggled on Why Calvinists And Catholics Share The Nicene Faith, on Why Charismatics Should Cut Glossolalia (Tongues) Out of Their Theology, on Why Christians Should Empty Themselves of Kenotic Christology, 5 Things Christians Can Do About Abortion. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. If the baptizer says anything other than the formula, in the name of Jesus, you cannot be saved. 15 And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. Box 1353 |Nampa, ID 83653 USA1-800-803-8093, own will, but the will of Him who sent Me, 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me. 2 They teach people that they are saved when they are not. If Jesus is the Father, how could someone else, who is called the Father in the text, speak from Heaven? This passage shows they are two separate, simultaneous persons who each have their own will. This doesn't sound like a problem, until you realize the danger of questions. 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. It entails that people can speak authoritatively, in inerrancy and inspiration, and write Scripture. 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. The main problem is the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine implicitly denies this absolutely fundamental truth. (1 Cor 15:24-27). So, when oneness adherents say that the name of God is Jesus or that there is one God is Jesus, they are making a mistake in theology and logic. Anybody reading the gospels will see that there is some sort of distinction between Jesus and the Father. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love. When Jesus said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit, (Luke 23:46), what in the world was he talking about, if in fact, he is the Father? It negates Nestorianism, which states that in the body of Christ are two distinct persons. ' The relationship and communication between the Father and the Son become incoherent if we say that Jesus is identical with the Father.

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