42:8), which shows that the glory that the Son had was in together in the presence of the Father. We now consider and refute all Pentecostal Objections to the fact that the Bible teaches spiritual gifts ceased at the end of the apostolic age around 100AD Conclusion Summary: No longer any need for gifts: Apostles have been led into all truth: Jn 16:13 + Jude 3 The Bible has been written and confirmed to be inspired Phillip asked him, Show us the Father, Lord, and it will be enough for us. Jesus replied that Phillip should not need to ask this question, because, He who has seen me has seen the Father. Oneness Pentecostals will argue that Jesus was saying that he is the Father. If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. In 1906, the Pentecostal experience of speaking in tongues burst on the scene during a revival in an African-American Baptist church on Azuza Street in Los Angeles, Calif. 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. Yadon: and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism, Our God is Triune: Essays in Biblical Theology. Paul said these things are spiritually discerned. They believe that Jesus and the Father are one essential person, though operating as different modes. Specifically, in John 1:3;1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2 and 2:10, the Greek preposition dia (though) is followed by a pronoun (autou, Him)in the *genitive* case (or possessive case). The trinity is found even earlier especially the writings of Jesus being God as the son pof God.The trinity was udsed before Tertullian or Irenaeus debated with Oneness . 1:6-7; etc.). . "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. John 10:30: I and the Father are one. If Jesus were the Father, as Oneness believers contend, one would expect to find a clear example of thisat least one passage (cf. Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021. 5. First and third person personal pronouns: Throughout chapter 14, Jesus clearly differentiates Himself from the Father by using first person personal pronouns (I, Me, Mine) to refer to Himself and third person personal pronouns (He, Him, His) to refer to His Father (e.g., John 14:7, 10, 16). Recall what I said regarding what Oneness Pentecostals believe about being born again. The Bible teaches that the one God exists eternally in three separate and distinct Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Forty times in Johns Gospel, Jesus refers to himself as sent by the Father, but never does he refer to himself as the Father who sent the Son, Further, Isaiah 9:6, is no help for Oneness advocates trying to prove Jesus is the Father- See Isaiah 9:6: Oneness Refuted, 1. Michael Burgos is a Bible teacher at Northwest Hills Community Church in Torrington, CT, and has a Master of Theological Studies from Andersonville Theological Seminary. 8:6; 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 15:33? They will see that because he lives (he was raised from the dead), they too will live (be raised from the dead). But they would simply amend their argument by saying, But this is clearly what early Christians believed because it is here. So I am willing to grant the long ending of Mark for the same of argument. First, it is not an assumption- For nowhere did Jesus ever state that He was the same person as the Father, nor did anyone in the NT ever call him Father. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. The nature of the Trinity can be better understood If they do not do that, then they are probably not saved. Wallace, BBGG, 350-51; Robert Reymond, Systematic Theology, 263. [3] BDAG defines allos here as pert[aining] to that which is other than some other entity, other . Unable to add item to List. The Son said that He *HAD* glory *before* timewith (para) the Father. These false doctrines can affect teachings about justification, sanctification, the role and work of the cross and an understanding of the nature of God. Further, the idiom in the name of does not always refer to a reciting of the name. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Well, in verse 18, Jesus is talking about the resurrection. Closed-Mindedness How To Be A Good Agnostic Skepticism is Not Worthy of Belief Faith Has Its Reasons A Balanced Perspective on Reason and Faith Investigating Faith: Placing Religious Truth Back Into the Arena of Knowledge Eternity is Not Forever: An Argument for Theism Responding to the Jesus' Words There are tongues for edification (this one is necessary for salvation) and the gift of tongues (this one is not necessary for salvation). 2. What arguments do they use to support this proposition? Jesus was claiming absolute unity with the Father. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. They accomplish this by adhering to modalism, more commonly referred to as oneness theology. In speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus tells them, I will come to you. Is this not a clear identification of the Holy Spirit with himself? Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Before time. [4] This grammatical rule is also know as Granville Sharp rule #6: when multiple personal nouns in a clause are each preceded by the article ho (the) and linked by kai (and) each personal noun denotes a distinct person as in Matthew 28:19 (esp. 2:6-11). 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. His will is one with the will of the Father. JWs, and unstudied Oneness advocates) chiefly utilize the pagan-triquetra arguments against it. He was making claims that no mere human could make. Pentecostal Oneness, also known as the Jesus Only movement, is a particular charismatic Christian movement that combines some sound doctrines with ideas that are close to right but create problems. If you are interested in learning, I recommend you view my series Oneness Pentecostal Heresy. 3:11; 1 John 1:3; 2:22-23; Rev. Unless you are going to say that Jesus only had one disciple, I do not think this can be used as a proof-text for Oneness theology. So, what is Oneness Pentecostalism? Biblical Response: The Oneness Pentecostal view of God is similar to the ancient heresy of Modalism. No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from [the] heaven [ek tou ouranou]: the Son of Man (John 3:13). Oneness author W. L. Vincent writes "The argument against the "Son being his own Father" is a red herring. In Isaiah 9:6, the text says, His name shall be mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace, wonderful counselor. This is his name, despite that Oneness Pentecostals would identify them as titles. 6:16). Oneness theology is the doctrine that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not distinct persons. Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique by Michael Burgos Jr. - A second book by the author addressing Oneness beliefs, released in July 2016. Note that while Boyd offers sound arguments against Oneness Pentecostalism in this book, he elsewhere expresses belief in open theism, an unorthodox view. While they may be anti-trinitarians, they are committed to the truth that Jesus is God. It is a symbol of ones identification with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 32 To illustrate their arguments against Oneness groups, the following quotes from a book on cults by Bruce Tucker, an evangelical author, are Third, how could we recognize tongues for edification as opposed to the gift of tongues? PO Box 2128 Winnetka, CA 91396 | 818-377-5272 | edward@christiandefense.org, Site Prepared and Built by ChurchWebPresence. He also has a good section on . Also, John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17; and Hebrews 1:10-12 teach exegetically that the Son was God, the agent of creation, the Creator, thus preexisting with the Father. : This is agreed by recognized Greek Grammars and recognized Lexicons of the NT such as BDAG, 757. This is the greatest weakness of the Oneness position: For if the Son created, then, He eternally existed with the Father. That the Son was the Creator clearly disproves the Oneness position. Nonetheless, historic Christianity maintains that the doctrine of the Trinity (or tri-unity of God) is taught in Scripture. If you were to ask a Oneness Pentecostal to provide a proof-text for Oneness Theology, it is very likely that first passage that you will hear is Deuteronomy 6:4, which is Israels shema, essentially the thesis statement on the paper of the Jews. The fact is, in the NT, Jesus is explicitly referred to as the Son over two hundred times in the NT and never as Father or Holy Spirit. 31; A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, 4:478-79; and cf. Thus, the person of the Son of Man was in heaven prior to being sent. At the 1986 Oneness Symposium, Robert Sabin addresses the charge of whether the UPCI is Christian group or a cult. , Language Do not get sidetracked defending your denomination. 4200 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022, Employment Media & Public Relations NAMB Store. 12-14). How can they ask him to Show us the Father when he is the Father? So I want to provide a resource for understanding Oneness Pentecostalism, some of the arguments that they will use and how to respond to them. Throughout the passage, it is clear that Jesus is speaking of someone else. The Son is and has been eternally subsisting as the perfect and exact representation (charaktr) of the very nature (hupostases) of Him (autou, of Him, not as Him; Heb. Praxeus taught a doctrine know as patripassionisma belief that says that the Father died on the cross. And you are pretexting the passage with no consideration of the context of chap. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. If you read on, however Jesus goes on to say, The Father is greater than I. clearly establishing the Trinitarian concept. How would anybody understand what he is saying? He claims the symbol used by trinitarians is demonic. $22.00. [2] Cf. There are many more biblical objections that could be mentioned. Be prepared to explain biblically why you do not believe these are necessary ingredients for salvation or eternal security. 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. In this piece he critically interacts with the following argument of mine ( from this blog post ). Further, turning to 1 John 1:3, not only does John show that believers have fellowship with both the Father and the Son, but the Father and the Son are clearly distinguished as two persons by the repeated article tou (the) and the repeated preposition meta (with): We proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with [meta] us; and indeed our fellowship is with the [meta tou] Father and with [kai meta] His Son [tou huiou], Jesus Christ (see esp. [5] Beisner, Jesus Only Churches, 34. John 3:5: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The Hidden Cult of Oneness Pentecostalism. Speaking in tongues is listed among several other practices, including casting out demons, resisting a snake bite and healing the sick. that that calendar in your office and/or house and/or in the rooms of your children, are filled with symbols of pagan gods (all days and names of months were named after pagan gods). 5. In John 1:18, John wrote, No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. Jesus is the only begotten God and he is at the Fathers side, and he explains him. In response, Oneness Pentecostals will tell us that there are different kinds of tongues. If Oneness doctrine is biblically true, why then do the biblical authors use grammatical features that personally distinguish between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? . Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. 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. Acquire a basic knowledge of Oneness Pentecostals' beliefs and practices. Modalism rips the heart out of Christianityit denies Christ by misrepresenting Him. Oneness theology rejects the doctrine of the Trinity, for they are unitarian (i.e., believes that God exists as one personunipersonal). biblical case against Oneness unitarianism. These arguments against Acts 2:38 demonstrate a holistic ignorance of how the OT is fulfilled in Jesus and the NT death, burial and resurrection is performed in repentance . But I thought that it would be useful to assimilate many of the arguments into one post so that you may have a quick reference. But typically, God became a man. 7. This is an important reminder of the need to respond to contemporary . Christian Life College-Stockton, Calif. 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. They do not know how to deal with the texts that are often cited. In spite of the (unclear) origins, the Triquetra has a rich meaning that has been used by the early church to signify the Trinity. 6. One possessed the gift of tongues and the other possessed tongues for edification. 5:13 et al. He comes from a United Pentecostal, or Oneness Pentecostal, background. 4:4). In my opinion it is better than Burgos' Against Oneness Pentecostals, Boyd's Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity. But in verse 5, he says that he wishes everybody spoke in tongues, indicating that everybody does not speak in tongues. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Have a clear understanding of your faith and the Bible. This movement first emerged in America around 1914 as the result of doctrinal disputes within the nascent Pentecostal movement and claims . Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Answer: Before time. 32, 33, 41, 42, 50, 51-ek tou ouranou;verse 38 apo tou ouranou;and verse 58 came downex ouranou). In terms of the triquetra (Trinitarian symbol), you should not base an argument on ignorance, and unaccredited internet articles. The largest oneness movements today are the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). Pentecostals hold that believers do gain saving faith when they come to Christ. They had come to love their Messiah over the years. ", ASIN In point of fact, The triquetra is a very old symbol and dates back perhaps to around 500 BC. In this theology, the Father embodies the divine attributes of the Godhead and the Son embodies the human aspects. 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. Further, the Father is spirit. 3:7.). However, the Oneness Pentecostal could grant that it is not really Scripture. Exegetically, it cannot refer to the Father thinking of the Son or having the Son in view or in His mind, for Jesus uses the imperfect tense [eichon, *had*), which shows that the Son had or possessed it, not in the Fathers mind. After that time, a number of oneness sects formed, most of which were predominately African-American. But they gain the "Spirit baptism" in order to be used powerfully in ministry. This is from where most Christians derive their baptismal formula, actually reciting the words, In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, Oneness Pentecostals think that in reciting those words, they are not obeying the command. Oneness Pentecostals take issue with the Trinity doctrine chiefly for its use of the term "person." . (BDAG, 46). John 17:5: Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself [para seaut] with the glory which I had/possessed [eichon] with You before the world was., John 19:25: Therefore the soldiers did these things. Answering A Few Common Oneness Pentecostal Arguments 6:8; 54:5; Prov. 2:7, the participle labn,(taking as in taking the nature of a servant) is a participle of means (cf. He has exgsato [lead out, unfold, declare, Thayer, 1996: 223] Him (the Father). There are four exegetical features, which provide a cogent refutation to the Oneness handling of this passage. Different prepositions: Throughout John chapter 14 (and chaps. Check out John 14:8-9, Philip said, Show us the Father and that will be enough. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me Philip? I do not think so. Biblical Response: The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God (see 2 Tim. This is an excellent refutation of Oneness Pentecostals. First, that seems to be an ad hoc measure to circumvent the meaning of the text. The AmazonSmile Foundation will automatically donate 0.5% of the purchase price to your selected charitable organization. Nowhere in the New Testament, however, is it said that Jesus sent the Son. Anyways, I would change that symbol. 2:16-17; 1 John 2:22-23). They place much emphasis on the name of God. Hence When Jesus said, He who has seen Me has seen the Father, the only thing His disciples literally saw was Jesus physical body. 1986 Oneness Symposium Tape 7- "UPCI: Christian or a Cult?" Robert Sabin Watch on First, there are no good reasons to think that obedience to this command necessarily entails that those words are recited. 1:20-21). If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. While this is not a good argument that Jesus is the Father, it is a good argument that Jesus is God. Well, there are a number of reasons that I think that interpretation is implausible. I found this web page, looked promising to refute Oneness theology. 3. Publish Date: Jul 20, 2016. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.. Trinitarians could easily affirm that they are one God, they share the same essence. United Pentecostals, also called Oneness Pentecostals, are known for their rejection of the Trinity, which is a hallmark doctrine in orthodox Christianity. By 1916, oneness views were being expounded by some ministers in the Assemblies of God (AOG) denomination. For example, the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world, has 16 Fundamental Truths. Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel! The church has branded Oneness theology as heretical since the days of Noetus at the end of the second century. Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Trinitarian who is struggling with the Oneness doctrine. 8. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. The proper mode is immersion in the triune name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Grammatically, when dia is followed by the genitive (as in these passages), the preposition indicates agency (cf. Some Pentecostal denominations, often referred to as Apostolic Pentecostals, Oneness Pentecostals or Jesus-Only Pentecostals, take the . However, some advocates of Oneness Pentecostalism have responded to this point. So Christians should strive to do the objective research, in order that they not provide bad untruthful arguments and appear unread. 1:2). 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. It does not seem at all implausible that Jesus was referring to living water in John 3:5. Zen is the ultimate self-help because it helps you see that the self does not exist. What does it mean, then? The PAW formed in 1918, but split along racial lines in 1924. But again Only by removing this passage from the document and immediate context can Oneness teachers posit a modalistic Oneness understanding. Thus, because God is tri-personal He can be described as both Maker and Makers and as Creator and Creators. He is one Being, not one persona point that is repeatedly brought to bear by the OT authors. I am beginning to suspect that, since Christianity is unique in . Bowman, Robert M., Jr. Oneness Pentecostals and the Name of Jesus, paper. the parallels in Mk. If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. John 9:39) the invisible Father (cf. Important Question: If Jesus is the Father, why is there not a single passage that states this in the NT or the OT? Pentecostal Church of Apostolic Faith (PCAF)-25,000 Baptism is not essential to ones reception of salvation. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Still not understanding (i.e., by knowing Jesus they know and see the Father), Philip says to Jesus, Show us the Father (v. 8). 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. to the one sittingthe Father]) and the Lamb (kai t arnithe Son) are grammatically differentiated by the repeated article t (the), which precedes both nouns and are connected by the one conjunction kai (and).