Example, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:14, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Also see passages such as Matthew 3:17-17; 28:19;Luke 10:21-22; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:3-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:2-3; and Jude 1:20-21 where all three persons of the Trinity are referredin the same verse or context. The Bible Way News Voice (Bible Way) Skylar McManus shares about being raised Oneness Pentecostal and moving from Oneness to Orthodoxy. Indiana Bible College-Seymour, Ind. The Oneness Pentecostal movements generally teach that to receive and maintain salvation, a person must adhere to four essential requirements. This volume has practical implications beyond the debate that exists between trinitarians and Oneness Pentecostals because if popular piety is any indication, then many professing trinitarian Christians are Oneness in practice and Burgos' work will help to show how such thinking is wrong as well as offering an exegetical alternative that is including terms like Trinity, Unitarianism, Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017. Pentecostals are Christians who believe that God is still doing the same things he did on the first Day of Pentecost after Jesus rose from his grave. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, an event that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of . There are three problems with this worth pointing out. One cannot have the Father except through the Son, Jesus Christ: Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also (1 John 2:23; see also John 17:3). Apostolic Missionary Institute-Oshawa, Ont. PO Box 2128 Winnetka, CA 91396 | 818-377-5272 | edward@christiandefense.org, Site Prepared and Built by ChurchWebPresence. This is an important text for Oneness Pentecostals because it seems to use parlance that they are familiar with. Edited by Daniel G. Reid. Wallace, GGBB, 368; Greenlee, A Concise Exegetical Grammar of New Testament Greek, 5th ed. Thus, they are often referred to as the Jesus Only Movement. (Robertson, Word Pictures, 5:275-76). Oneness folks like yourself typically cherry-pick passages (esp. : There are tongues for edification (this one is necessary for salvation) and the gift of tongues (this one is not necessary for salvation). the Father (in the vocative case, Pater. They place much emphasis on the name of God. Noted Greek grammarian, A. T. Robertson says of the passage that This is not just ideal pre-existence, but actual and conscious existence at the Fathers side (para soi, with thee) which I had (h eichon, imperfect active of ech. While they may be anti-trinitarians, they are committed to the truth that Jesus is God. The answers do not represent a *full exegetical presentationrather it simply and basically demonstrates (a) the fundamental Oneness unitarian assumptions (viz. Isa. 32 To illustrate their arguments against Oneness groups, the following quotes from a book on cults by Bruce Tucker, an evangelical author, are Notice John 14:16: I will ask [kag erts, first person] the Father, and He will give [dsei, third person] you another Helper, that He may be with you forever (John 14:16; also cf. He argues throughout for . Again, in its proper sense, a mediator is one who is other than or distinct from the parties, which are being mediated. How To Implement Apologetics into the Church, The Differences Between the Prosperity Gospel and the Biblical Gospel. The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! In spite of the (unclear) origins, the Triquetra has a rich meaning that has been used by the early church to signify the Trinity. 3:7.). God, according to United Pentecostals, is not three distinct persons, as in the Trinity doctrine, but three "manifestations" of the one God. In this theology, the Father embodies the divine attributes of the Godhead and the Son embodies the human aspects. Encyclopedia of American Religions. McAlister of Toronto, Ont., began teaching that the Trinity doctrine was untrue and that baptism should be done correctly in Jesus name only-not in the traditional trinitarian formula. . His knowledge of living water from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 2:13, Isaiah 12:3, 58:11, etc) should have informed him. 5:13 et al. Example, Theodotus (the first known dynamic monarchianist) was excommunicated by Victor, the bishop of Rome, around A.D. 190; Noetus (the first known modalist) was condemned by Hippolytus and by the presbyters around the same time; Praxeas was marked as a heretic by Tertullian; Paul of Samosata was condemned at the Third Council in Antioch (A.D. 268); Dionysius of Alexandria and Dionysius bishop of Rome along with many important church Fathers condemned Sabellius and his teachings as Christological heresy. The Trinitarians won the majority and a "Statement of Fundamental Truths" was adopted that affirmed the Trinity. Try again. Both Oneness believers and Trinitarians agree that the Father is invisible and does not have a physical body. Granville Sharps grammaticalrule #6: Specifically, the repetition of the article tou (the) before each noun and the conjunction kai (and) that connects the nouns clearly denote a distinction between all three persons named.4 Note Matthew 28:19: in the name of the [tou] Father and of the [kai tou] Son and of the [kai tou] Holy Spirit. Further, Paul clearly presents the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, not as three modes of a unipersonal deity, but rather as three distinct persons. Is there an argument that you would like to see addressed? 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Well, first, you need to be baptized with the baptismal formula, In the name of Jesus. They will re-baptize you if you were baptized In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Second, you will need to receive the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. Both of these are essential ingredients to salvation. Because I live, you also will live. Oneness theology rejects that the Son was the actual Creator. I. It is an idiom for authority, like if I say in the name of the king. This is firmly established in Acts 4:4, which reads, By what power or what name did you do this? Power and name are parallel. He said that God the Father was the One True God of the Old Testament. I am going to [pros] the Father (v. 12; cf. He does so by using first person personal pronouns (I, Me, Mine) and verb references to refer to Himself and third person personal pronouns (He, Him, His) and verb references to refer to His Father. All of the arguments both for and against Oneness beliefs seem valid and to me come down to se It is extremely well written, but wasn't the best choice for my needs. Read the entire account. Use Amazon Smile for all your purchases to support the Department of Christian Defense. So there are good reasons to think that the disciples were not concerned with the words that were recited but with the power and authority of the Trinity. Focus the discussion on the essential elements of the Christian faith. Lastly, There has never been a recognized biblical scholar, commentator, NT Greek grammar, nor Lexical source that has ever interpreted John 14:9 in a Oneness-unitarian way as you do.- because neither this text, nor Johns entire theology supports the Oneness idea that Jesus is the same person as the Father. His will is one with the will of the Father. "Against Oneness Pentecostalism -- An Exegetical-Theological Critique," by Michael Burgos, is a must-read for any serious-minded Christian who wants to be better informed and better equipped to sanctify Christ as Lord whenever the opportunity is presented to defend the biblical doctrine of Trinitarianism. also Walter Bauers, A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd ed. However, this doesn't fit with this passage, because these still hadn't received the Spirit at all. Oneness author W. L. Vincent writes "The argument against the "Son being his own Father" is a red herring. Unable to add item to List. 5:18). Nowhere in the New Testament, however, is it said that Jesus sent the Son. . Zen is the ultimate self-help because it helps you see that the self does not exist. The context is obvious: by knowing and seeing Jesus (as the only way to the Father; cf. Note: in passages such as John 1:3, 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16-17, Hebrews 1:2, 10-12, the Son is clearly presented as agent of creation, the Creator Himself. The Bible indeed teaches the existence of only one God (Deut. distinguished fr. There is no indication that it, or any other spiritual gift, is required to receive Gods gift of salvation by grace or to be filled with His Holy Spirit (see Eph. There are many more biblical objections that could be mentioned. If they do not do that, then they are probably not saved. Jesus and the Father are both God. All Rights Reserved. The Holy Spirit is not regarded as a person at all, merely a manifestation of Jesus power or a synonym for Him. Christian Outlook (PAW), AOHCG: Berean Christian Bible College-Birmingham, Ala. The church has branded Oneness theology as heretical since the days of Noetus at the end of the second century. References of the Son coming down from the heavenappear eight times in John chapter 6 alone! This is agreed by recognized Greek Grammars and recognized Lexicons of the NT such as BDAG, 757. First and third person personal pronouns and verb references: Throughout John 14 and 16 Jesus clearly differentiates Himself from the Father. Nicodemus was perplexed by what Jesus said to him. John 9:39) the invisible Father (cf. When we hear a Oneness Pentecostal claiming that everybody speaks in tongues throughout the Bible, we immediately go to 1 Corinthians 12:29-31, for Paul recognizes that not everybody possesses all of the spiritual gifts, and tongues are listed among them. The Nicene Creed has defined historical orthodoxy for centuries. Does the long ending of Mark vindicate the Oneness Pentecostal position about speaking in tongues? is a must-read for any serious-minded Christian who wants to be better informed and better equipped to sanctify Christ as Lord . However, since in Oneness theology Jesus is both Father and Son, Jesus cannot be properly Mediator between two partiesGod the Father and man. 31 They justify their actions by referring to the rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity by Oneness believers. Thus, those churches adhering to its basic doctrines cannot be regarded as authentically Christian. Paul was referring to the latter, not the former. I will come to you. They refer first of all to the biblical passages that speak of this baptism, namely, John the Baptist's words about the work of Christ, Matthew 3:11 (cf. Oneness Pentecostals have a distorted notion of the Trinity and need someone to show them the scriptural teaching of the Trinity, David Kowalski writes. But the Son, they say, was not really there with the Father before the world was. However, consider the following: First, note that the glory that the *Son* said that He possessed or shared (eichon) was when? It is very well organized. plural nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositions) to describe the one God? Second, when did the Son have this glory (which only God has, Isa, 42:8)? If Jesus were the Father, as Oneness believers contend, one would expect to find a clear example of thisat least one passage (cf. This is an excellent refutation of Oneness Pentecostals. It is knowing The Bible endorses slavery and oppression. Has anyone ever heard this before? Regardless, handling snakes or drinking poison is a misuse of that Scripture and has resulted in the deaths of many practitioners. The only thing that keeps me from fully accepting Oneness at this point is Christology. Oneness Pentecostals are vehement anti-trinitarians who commonly maintain that the doctrine of the trinity states that there are three gods. The Peoples Mouthpiece (AOHCG) Speaking in tongues, like all other gifts, is distributed sovereignly by the Holy Spirit to those He wills for the equipping and edification of the whole body of Christ (see 1 Cor. Is that the case? However, the Oneness Pentecostal could grant that it is not really Scripture. What Michael Burgos Jr. has produced in Against Oneness Pentecostalism is a helpful book for pastors or churchmen needing a polemical approach against the anti-Trinitarians embedded in our communities and occasionally, our churches. The Holy Spirit is God applying ISBN-10: 0692644067. : Disagreement over the Trinity vs. Oneness of God and water baptism caused the original split of Oneness Pentecostals from the Assemblies of God in 1916. However, some advocates of Oneness Pentecostalism have responded to this point. However, this seems to be far too simplistic of a reading. Its pagan, with pagan origins. John 10:30: I and the Father are one. That specific doctrine was foreign to the Old Testament. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. If God is unitarian, why is it that there are so many places in the Bible where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are clearly distinguished from each other in the same verse? But what good reasons are there to think that? With thanks to Baker Academic for this review copy! Why is snake-handling not a criteria for salvation? One of the key verses to which they will appeal is Mark 16:17, which tells us that those who have believed will speak in tongues. $22.00. Of course, this is a mischaracterization. For this reason, many Christians have difficulty seeing anything wrong with the Oneness position. Anyways, I would change that symbol. That is why he went on to say in verses 19 and 20, Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . Modalism rips the heart out of Christianityit denies Christ by misrepresenting Him. It would be to cherry-pick the verse that fits into ones doctrine. Note: Nowhere in Scripture is God defined as one person, but rather as one Being: mono (from monos, meaning, alone or only one) and theism (from theos, meaning, God). Arguing unipersonalism (unitarianism) assumes a conclusion that is meant to be proved. Also, throughout chap 14 Jesus distinguishes Himself from the Father. 1:33): 'I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he . : In sum, John 17:5 the Son first commands/asks (doxason, aorist impart.) First they argue that certain prooftexts directly identify Jesus as the Father. 9. [hereafter BDAG], 225). In doing so, they will think that they have mounted a proper argument against trinitarian theology because they believe that the doctrine of the trinity states that there are three gods. This new anti-trinitarian belief needs to be understood and addressed, and it must be done so differently than Unitarianism of a by-gone day. The Son said that He *HAD* glory *before* timewith (para) the Father. . (BDAG, 46). 4200 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022, Employment Media & Public Relations NAMB Store. Speaking in tongues is listed among several other practices, including casting out demons, resisting a snake bite and healing the sick. 4:30; Heb. Pentecostals are so certain of this logic that many consider it to be a key teaching of the Christian faith. Your confusing Jesus perfectly representing the Father with His identity. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2020. , Publisher 8. Recently, a few evangelicals have tried to label Oneness Pentecostal churches as cultic. Nonetheless, historic Christianity maintains that the doctrine of the Trinity (or tri-unity of God) is taught in Scripture. But in spite of where or when it first appeared, it has been associated to a vast number of meanings through time. Oneness theology is the doctrine that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not distinct persons. (see above). Answer: Before time. Oneness theology distorts and thus rejects the biblical concept of the Son being Mediator (Intercessor) between the Father and men (cf. Further, the idiom in the name of does not always refer to a reciting of the name. 2. Further, the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus should not be overlooked. Just as they often say that God is one, Jesus also says that he and the Father are one. 45:6-7; Hos. One way white evangelical Protestants say their faith is against the vaccine is by talking of eternal life, like Mississippi Gov. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW)-1,000,000 reported Further, how do you know that you do not merely possess the gift of tongues? The Hidden Cult of Oneness Pentecostalism. Oneness Pentecostals take issue with the Trinity doctrine chiefly for its use of the term "person." In many debates and particularly in his book The Oneness of God, Dr. David K. Bernard argued that the declarations in the Old Testament are so powerful that they dismiss any conception of plurality within the Godhead. While many studies have been written to provide a critique of other heterodox Christian groups (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses, the LDS Church), there is a general lack of careful scholarship examining the theological claims of Oneness Pentecostals. By promoting the Son as a temporary mode or a role of the unitarian deity whose life started in Bethlehem, denies the Son, as well as the Father. Well, this would be to ignore all of the prepositions of this passage. United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI)-500,000 (1.5 million worldwide), Other Designations: Jesus Only churches; Apostolic Pentecostals; The Oneness Movement; The Jesus Name Movement, Pentecostal Herald (UPCI) dual nature of Christ," but my heart sank when I found nothing which properly explained these things against a Trinitarian argument. 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, The Shortcoming of Christian Apologetics From An Apologist. Some Pentecostal denominations, often referred to as Apostolic Pentecostals, Oneness Pentecostals or Jesus-Only Pentecostals, take the . In verse 17, he refers to the Holy Spirit as he and him. Is it really coherent to think that in the next verse, he would refer to the Holy Spirit as himself? . The Contender for the Faith (COLJF) Oneness Pentecostals believe that the trinity is ONLY one entity. But these do suffice in showing that the Bible affirms that God is triune, and militates against Oneness unitarianism. When Peter obeyed the command of Matthew 28:19, he recited the words, In the name of Jesus. From this cross-reference, it will follow that the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is Jesus. Does this not seem to vindicate Oneness theology? In 1913, one popular teacher, R.E. Hence, exegetically these passages do not indicate that the Son was a mere instrument of creation (as Jehovahs Witnesses and Mormons believe), nor, as Oneness teachers argue, these passages indicate that the Son was only a thought or plan in the Fathers mind when the Father (Jesus divine nature) created all things. Oneness Pentecostals will point to John 3:5 as evidence of that. They are not three distinct persons. In conclusion, the Triquetra has been used historically by all kinds of groups to mean different things. What's the best argument against oneness Pentecostals, people who believe Jesus is the father, son and Holy Spirit? Many Oneness churches especially the UPCI rejects justification through faith alone by teaching that one must be water baptized (in the name of Jesus only) to be savedwith the evidence, as the UPCI teaches, of speaking in other tongues. Some scholars believe it to be Celtic in origin, and it is sometimes called the Irish Trinity Knot. How Can a Pastor Stay Engaged in Apologetics?