Some scholars believe it to be Celtic in origin, and it is sometimes called the Irish Trinity Knot. Note: there are many places in the OT where God is presented as multi-personal (e.g., plural nouns, verbs, nouns, prepositions, and plural adjectives were used of God, i.e., Us, Our, in Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; 11:7-9; Isa. While they may be anti-trinitarians, they are committed to the truth that Jesus is God. We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. A Concise Look at Oneness Theology | Department of Christian Defense, John 1:29: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 6:16). 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. Further, the idiom in the name of does not always refer to a reciting of the name. It may be that is the name under which we are baptized. Suppose that modalism is true about the Son. Oneness/Jesus-only proponents will often say that this is a new revelation that came sometime during or after the Azusa Street Revival of 1906, which is generally regarded to be the birth of modern Pentecostalism. [3] BDAG defines allos here as pert[aining] to that which is other than some other entity, other . ISBN-10: 0692644067. The Holy Spirit is not regarded as a person at all, merely a manifestation of Jesus power or a synonym for Him. After all, he did not say, I am the Father, in this verse. Charles R. Koester . 1:2). Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021. 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 Its pagan, with pagan origins. Many small Oneness groups formed after 1916, though many have remained independent. Thus, they are often referred to as the Jesus Only Movement. Just as they often say that God is one, Jesus also says that he and the Father are one. asserting that God is one person) and (b) the basic theological errors of Oneness theology (e.g., denying the deity of the Son). also John 4:40; 14:17, 25). [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. I also could see many of the arguments used against Praxeas by Tertullian . 15-16), Jesus distinguishes Himself from His Father by using different prepositions. SeeWas the Trinity Conceived in the 4th Century? Well, this would be to ignore all of the prepositions of this passage. 2022 Department of Christian Defense Third, it may be that Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the one name under which we are baptized. 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. Concerning the baptismal view of the most rigid Oneness Pentecostals, he states, "It is on this issue, theologians say, that Oneness Pentecostals have drifted dangerously toward spiritual elitism and heresy." 14 Indeed, the Oneness view of baptism is lethally flawed. ISBN-13: 9780692644065. This is far, far more plausible than thinking that Jesus switched between him and I.. the Father (in the vocative case, Pater. The answers do not represent a *full exegetical presentationrather it simply and basically demonstrates (a) the fundamental Oneness unitarian assumptions (viz. Behind this question lay a criticism of the commonly-held Trinitarian Pentecostal argument that the name of Jesus in baptismal texts from . 2. However, to early Christians (and many today), the triquetra symbolized the Trinity (one God, three persons). For this reason, many Christians have difficulty seeing anything wrong with the Oneness position. a. Spatial: near, beside, b. I wont give him this web page..too bad. If they do not do that, then they are probably not saved. . Recently, a few evangelicals have tried to label Oneness Pentecostal churches as cultic. 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. , Item Weight 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 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 . (Robertson, Word Pictures, 5:275-76). 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. Oneness Pentecostals will point to John 3:5 as evidence of that. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim. Here's what you should know about Pentecostal Oneness. Most of them encourage their members to dress and live modestly, but do not have specific teachings about hair and skirts. Further, almost one hundred and eighty times, Jesus is presented as referring to the Father, My Father, or your Father in the Gospels as distinct from Himself, and at no time does Jesus refer to my Son. Forty times, in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to Himself as Sent by the Father, but never does Jesus refer to Himself as the Father who sent the Son (cf. Why is snake-handling not a criteria for salvation? 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. Of course, this is a mischaracterization. The Peoples Mouthpiece (AOHCG) 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. There are three problems with this worth pointing out. . There was a problem loading your book clubs. 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. First, that seems to be an ad hoc measure to circumvent the meaning of the text. . The largest oneness movements today are the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). 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) Publish Date: Jul 20, 2016. Clarence L. Haynes Jr. . . Nicodemus was perplexed by what Jesus said to him. Note, of all the times para is followed by the dative in Johns literature (10 times), not once does para indicate with/in the mind, but rather, a literal association or in the presence of someone else or others, unless one (as Oneness advocates do) makes John 17:5 the exception to Johns usage: John 1:39: He *said to them, Come, and you will see. So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him [par aut] that day, for it was about the tenth hour, John 8:38: I speak the things which I have seen with My Father [para t patri]; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.. The first two chapters of the text outline the basis for the Oneness Pentecostals' disbelief in the Holy Trinity - and their belief that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are simply . So when a Oneness advocate says that the Son did not exist before time, remember, that assertion is not based on biblical exegesis, but rather on what he or she has been taught by Oneness pastors/teachers. The Oneness Pentecostal is making the claim that everybody who was filled with the Spirit also spoke in tongues. 9. He said that God the Father was the One True God of the Old Testament. Texas Bible College-Houston, Texas. [1] In Phil. They are Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. 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. . 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. 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 . Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. So, if you are going to mount an argument on the basis of Mark 16:17 for the necessity of tongues, you would have to mount an argument for the necessity of resisting a snake bite. This movement denies the Trinity, arguing instead that Jesus is himself the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 15:33? Please give me some verses that challenge this thought? The Oneness Pentecostal view of God is similar to the ancient heresy of Modalism. Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38 Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Further, the triquetra has been found on Indian heritage sites that are over 5,000 years old; found on carved stones in Northern Europe dating from A.D. 8th cent. Oneness Pentecostalism, or Jesus-only teaching, is a modern recycling of the old Sabellianism and modalism of ages past. Some Pentecostal denominations, often referred to as Apostolic Pentecostals, Oneness Pentecostals or Jesus-Only Pentecostals, take the . One way white evangelical Protestants say their faith is against the vaccine is by talking of eternal life, like Mississippi Gov. If you have a friend who is trying to understand the Trinity, first the worst thing you can you is to confuse him with unclear and erroneous information. There are many other passages where this construction applies clearly denoting distinction between the persons in the Trinity (e.g., 1 Thess. 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? 6 Matthew 28:19 includes the marching orders for Christians. This is clearly a reference to baptism in water and baptism of the Spirit, right? Oneness Pentecostals take issue with the Trinity doctrine chiefly for its use of the term "person." also John 15:26; 16:28). Of course, this is a mischaracterization. And over two hundred times, Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit and Jesus as distinct persons- and Never once does Scripture call Jesus the Father or the Holy Spirit.. The same grammatical distinctions are observed in 2 Corinthians 13:14:The grace of the [tou] Lord Jesus Christ, and [kai] the love of God [tou theou (lit. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW)-1,000,000 reported For example, the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world, has 16 Fundamental Truths. . plural nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositions) to describe the one God? Oneness movements emphases on personal holiness and healthy lifestyles are commendable. Thus, any objection to the triquetra as use by Christians would be inconsistent and historically ignorant lacking any meaningful basic research on the triquetra and its origins in religious and non-religious usage. "When you believe in eternal life. 4:30; Heb. , ISBN-13 "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. 4. Now, I want to use an argument that the Oneness Pentecostals use all the time in this vein of thought, who will often counter the argument opposing Acts 2:38 (Salvation) . Is this even a good argument that Jesus was God? Brother Burgos carefully and respectfully dismantles the misguided half truths of Oneness doctrine. For example in the late 8th cent. The same can be said in Ecclesiastes 12:1, where the Hebrew literally reads, Remember also your Creators (plural in Heb.). References of the Son coming down from the heavenappear eight times in John chapter 6 alone! , Dimensions 31 They justify their actions by referring to the rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity by Oneness believers. The arguments can get a bit technical for people who do not know Greek, but Dalcour communicates so well that one is able to follow him. Paul said these things are spiritually discerned. sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). Still not understanding (i.e., by knowing Jesus they know and see the Father), Philip says to Jesus, Show us the Father (v. 8). 5:13).As NT scholar Harold Greenly points out, When the article is used before each member, each is to be considered separately (Greenlee, Exegetical Grammar, 23). Baptism is not essential to ones reception of salvation. [5] Beisner, Jesus Only Churches, 34. How does He now say, I have come down ek tou ouranou?. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. John 3:13; 6:38, 46, 62; 8:23, 38, 42; 16:28). Today scholars estimate there are between 1.5 and 5 million Oneness Pentecostals worldwide, and they make up . God, according to United Pentecostals, is not three distinct persons, as in the Trinity doctrine, but three "manifestations" of the one God. Previous page of related Sponsored Products. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 2:18). , Paperback biblical case against Oneness unitarianism. It is very well organized.