8. 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. 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. 1:33): 'I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he . Hence, the Son emptied Himself by means of His incarnation (cf. 1:21-22; 13:14; 1 Pet. His insight is edifying. Against Oneness Pentecostalism Archives - Therefore, God Exists Oneness Pentecostals are vehement anti-trinitarians who commonly maintain that the doctrine of the trinity states that there are three gods. Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique by Michael Burgos Jr. - A second book by the author addressing Oneness beliefs, released in July 2016. With scholarly precision, Michael Burgos has provided an incisive evaluation of Oneness exegesis and theology while accurately representing the teachings of Oneness Pentecostals. : 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. During the Last Supper, the disciples were distraught. There was a problem loading your book clubs. 2:18). . Answering A Few Common Oneness Pentecostal Arguments. They are Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. Oneness theology rejects the eternality of the Person of the Son. JWs, and unstudied Oneness advocates) chiefly utilize the pagan-triquetra arguments against it. While they may be anti-trinitarians, they are committed to the truth that Jesus is God. Oneness Pentecostalism constitutes one of the world's largest non-trinitarian expressions of Christianity. For God does not share His glory with no one (cf. UPCI: Apostolic Bible Institute-St. Paul, Minn. No amount of good works, moral living, or church membership guarantees salvation. Here's what you should know about Pentecostal Oneness. And you are pretexting the passage with no consideration of the context of chap. Other preachers, such as Frank J. Ewart and John G. Scheppe, joined McAlister in his non-trinitarian perspective. The Bible indeed teaches the existence of only one God (Deut. It is enough for the disciples to see Jesus because they share a divine essence. Following these beginnings, Pentecostal preachers and churches spread rapidly coalescing into various denominations and factions. United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) (UCJC-A)-100,000 Well, first, most Christians will point out that this verse is part of the long ending of Mark, and therefore it is not Scripture. 14:7, 10, 16; etc.). The same can be said in Ecclesiastes 12:1, where the Hebrew literally reads, Remember also your Creators (plural in Heb.). That specific doctrine was foreign to the Old Testament. John 1:18; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. And those (like yourself) who object (due to a mass of misinformation) to the Trinitarian symbol, since they do not have a problem with pagan-origins calendars in their homes, do they have a problem with the Apostle Pauls quotations of pagans writers to make a biblical pointnamely, Epimenides of Crete in Titus 1:12 and Acts 17:28 (referring to Zeus); Aratus of Cilicia in Acts 17:28 (also referring to Zeus); and Menander in 1 Cor. 1. Consider this, Trinitarians, not Oneness believers, conducted all of the major revivals worldwide. 10 Questions to ask Oneness PENTECOSTALS - Department of Christian Defense The Oneness Pentecostal view of God is similar to the ancient heresy of Modalism. Its headquarters and publishing firm, the Pentecostal Publishing House, is located at 8855 Dunn Road, Hazelwood, MO 63042. John 3:13; 6:38, 46, 62; 8:23, 38, 42; 16:28). And no time did He refer to my Son or anything of the sort as distinct from Himself! First, that seems to be an ad hoc measure to circumvent the meaning of the text. 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 Can a Pastor Stay Engaged in Apologetics? PO Box 2128 Winnetka, CA 91396 | 818-377-5272 | edward@christiandefense.org, Site Prepared and Built by ChurchWebPresence. Trinitarians could easily affirm that they are one God, they share the same essence. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Primarily, KJV Onlyists and anti-Trinitarian groups (esp. It is certainly possible that various cultures developed the basic design arrangement independently. 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). 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. To be sure, Modalism embraces another Jesus, another Gospel, and another Spirit. 1986 Oneness Symposium Tape 7- "UPCI: Christian or a Cult?" Robert Sabin Watch on But these do suffice in showing that the Bible affirms that God is triune, and militates against Oneness unitarianism. Throughout time God manifested himself in three ways or "forms" (not persons), as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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. 8. However, this doesn't fit with this passage, because these still hadn't received the Spirit at all. , Item Weight : The triquetra symbol has been found in Norwegian churches dating to the 11th century. How can they ask him to Show us the Father when he is the Father? If they do not do that, then they are probably not saved. Present the basic plan of salvation and encourage the Oneness Pentecostal to receive Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior. This case of marked distinction is also evident when Jesus differentiates Himself from God the Holy Spirit: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [allon]3 Helper, that He may be with you forever (John 14:16; also see 14:7, 10, 26). 3:7.). Today scholars estimate there are between 1.5 and 5 million Oneness Pentecostals worldwide, and they make up . 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. 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. 6:16). Does the long ending of Mark vindicate the Oneness Pentecostal position about speaking in tongues? Oneness Pentecostal Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique Author Michael Burgos Publisher Church Militant Publications, 2016 ISBN 0692644067, 9780692644065 Length 246 pages Export. 6. 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). Third, how could we recognize tongues for edification as opposed to the gift of tongues? 9. John 1:14). Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theologic 6. If there is anyone out there in a Oneness church who has questions in their mind about the truthfulness of Oneness doctrine and what the Scriptures actually teach, this is the book for them. It is our duty to go into the world, preach the gospel to all nations, make disciples, and baptize those disciples in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Note the context indicating that the Father sent the person of the Son. First they argue that certain prooftexts directly identify Jesus as the Father. No Christian used it as a pagan symbol, in the same way no Christian uses a calendar today on their wall to exalt the pagan gods of the days and months it representsthus, calendars were factually derived from pagan in origins. The only thing that keeps me from fully accepting Oneness at this point is Christology. As marked out below, Jesus also differentiates Himself from God the Holy Spirit. 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? 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 argument isn't against modesty, but that the descriptions the New Testament gives are examples from the first century and aren't universal prohibitions for every time and culture . Answering A Few Common Oneness Pentecostal Arguments Second, in 1 Corinthians 14:4-5, Paul speaks about tongues for edification. The Hidden Cult of Oneness Pentecostalism - MarketFaith Ministries Be prepared to cite (in context) and explain specific biblical passages supporting Christian doctrines, particularly the biblical basis for the Trinity, the historic understanding of the nature and work of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith. For example in the late 8th cent. He said that God the Father was the One True God of the Old Testament. People who have had negative encounters with Oneness Pentecostals usually complain about: Legalism. (as seen above). Customize your subscription to get the latest of what matters most to you! Significantly, there are two instances in which that pattern is broken. The reason that I am doing that is because Oneness Pentecostalism is often not understood by trinitarian Christians. Modalism is the belief that one God existed in time in three distinct modes of being: first as the Father in heaven; second, bodily as the Son on earth; and finally as the Holy Spirit. Melton, J. Gordon. Hence, Jesus could not have meant that by seeing Him they were literally seeing the Father. (vv. In Revelation 5:13, the Lamb and the Father are presented as two distinct objects of divine worship, as they are clearly differentiated by the repetition of the article t: To Him who sits (t kathmen [lit. Few religions are against COVID vaccine based - The Columbus Dispatch 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. 13:14; also cf. In this episode I interact with " A Solution to Dale Tuggy's Argument against Oneness Pentecostal Christology " - a blog post by Skylar McManus. Please try again. 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). Note, that over two hundred times, the Father is referred to by Jesus or someone else as being clearly distinct from Jesus. How would you be able to tell the difference? Father) to glorify Him together with Him (para seaut, thus, a shared glorification, a glory that only God can have, Isa. What sets Oneness Pentecostalism apart from other anti-Trinitarian heresies is its seeming orthodoxy. 2. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. 1:2). Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique Michael R. Burgos 16 Paperback 1 offer from $24.99 Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism Thomas A. Fudge 51 Paperback 16 offers from $22.99 All modern writings or revelations must be analyzed in light of sound principles of biblical interpretation. This is because in Acts 2:38, we see a manifestation of this command. 14. Modalism rips the heart out of Christianityit denies Christ by misrepresenting Him. . In sum, John 17:5 the Son first commands/asks (doxason, aorist impart.) If Oneness Pentecostalism is true, how do we avoid the absurd image of Jesus asking himself permission and then sending himself? Further, in the Gospels, almost one hundred and eighty times, Jesus referred to the Father as the Father, my Father, or your Father- thus, as a distinct person from Himself. 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. PAW: Aenon Bible School-Indianapolis, Ind. One possessed the gift of tongues and the other possessed tongues for edification. : plural nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositions) to describe the one God? 31 They justify their actions by referring to the rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity by Oneness believers. 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. Charles R. Koester . Well, I think so. . Of course, this is a mischaracterization. Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique Paperback - March 17, 2020 by Michael R. Burgos (Author) 15 ratings Hardcover $35.00 1 New from $35.00 Paperback $24.99 1 Used from $19.04 2 New from $22.99 Oneness Pentecostalism constitutes one of the world's largest non-trinitarian expressions of Christianity. 7. Dividing Over Oneness | Christian History | Christianity Today Thus, those churches adhering to its basic doctrines cannot be regarded as authentically Christian. For example, many in UPCI consider the writings of Frank Ewart and John G. Scheppe as authoritative. They believe that the name of the Lord Jesus is, under the new covenant . Many, however, utilize only the King James Version to proof text their unique doctrines. It is never used apart from God's incarnation, however; it never refers to deity So he broaches the subject from an intellectual concept. There are two basic strategies that Oneness Pentecostals use for arguing for the conclusion that Jesus is God and Father. 6:4). What's the best argument against oneness Pentecostals, people who believe Jesus is the father, son and Holy Spirit? Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Nowhere in the New Testament, however, is it said that Jesus sent the Son. 2. A better work to understand the balance between " oneness" and "trinitiarisism" is the works of Thomas Fudge. And hey, while we're doing that, let's look at Southe. Nonetheless, historic Christianity maintains that the doctrine of the Trinity (or tri-unity of God) is taught in Scripture. This view of the Trinity is connected with Oneness Pentecostals' Christology. Note that while Boyd offers sound arguments against Oneness Pentecostalism in this book, he elsewhere expresses belief in open theism, an unorthodox view. It is noticeably absent. Further, the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus should not be overlooked. Oneness Pentecostals believe that the title "Son" only applied to Christ when he became flesh on earth, but that Christ was the Logos or Mind of the Father prior to his being made human, and not a separate person. In this article, I will be answering a few common Oneness Pentecostal arguments. Jesus then reiterates (as a corrective) that by seeing Him they can see, that is, know or recognize the invisible Father (v. 9). After all, it says that one must be born of water and Spirit. At the 1986 Oneness Symposium, Robert Sabin addresses the charge of whether the UPCI is Christian group or a cult. 4. I found this web page, looked promising to refute Oneness theology. the subject who is speaking or who is logically understood. Modalism is the belief that one God existed in time in three distinct modes of being: first as the Father in heaven; second, bodily as the Son on earth; and finally as the Holy Spirit. Second, when did the Son have this glory (which only God has, Isa, 42:8)? Further, the Father is spirit. . However, since in Oneness theology Jesus is both Father and Son, Jesus cannot be properly Mediator between two partiesGod the Father and man. How can you use Mark 16:17 to establish tongues as a criteria for salvation without using an absolute double-standard? So, what is Oneness Pentecostalism? 51: I am the living bread that came down ek tou ouranou, 58: This is the bread which came down ex ouranou; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.. The doctrine of the trinity states that there is one God who is eternally present in three persons. 5. Unlike Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, Oneness Pentecostals teach both that there is one God and that Jesus is fully God. (PDF) Boyd, Gregory A. Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity. Grand comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . The Pentecostalism Controversy This study was published by the Central Bureau Press, 3835 Westminster Place, St. Louis, MO 63108, in 1973 with the Imprimatur of the Most Rev. This use of different prepositions shows a relationship between them,5 and clearly denotes essential distinction, e.g., no one comes to [pros] the Father but through [dia] Me (John 14:6); he who believes in [eis] Me . 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. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1990. They accomplish this by adhering to modalism, more commonly referred to as oneness theology. (for in Oneness theology *only Jesus as the Father mode existed prior to Bethlehem). 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. Great book with in depth analysis about the Oneneness movement faults both historically and biblically. An Antichrist who denies the power thereof, that The Apostle Paul warned us to turn away from! 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. I will come to you. Oneness Pentecostals honestly believe that their view of the Godhead is the true doctrine . Any group or church that claims to be Christian yet deviates at any point from historical Christian faith is, by definition, a cult. If you are interested in learning, I recommend you view my series Oneness Pentecostal Heresy. Dan. The Nicene Creed has defined historical orthodoxy for centuries. Revelation 2:13: I know where you dwell, where Satans throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you [par humin], where Satan dwells (cf. ISBN-13: 9780692644065. They maintain that God exists in two modes, as the Father in heaven, and as Jesus the Son on earth. Research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues . In John 4:14, talking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. In John 7:38, Jesus referred to Rivers of living water. This is a theme throughout the book of John. Better books written by an ex UPC theologian, Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018. Today it is predominately African-American and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. They do not know how to deal with the texts that are often cited. In my opinion it is better than Burgos' Against Oneness Pentecostals, Boyd's Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity. Try again. Bishop Thomas Dexter "T.D." Jakes (born in 1957) is a popular black preacher and evangelist who is the main pastor of The Potter's House church in Dallas, Texas (founded in 1996), with a congregation of over thirty thousand members. Every time somebody is saved throughout the book of Acts, we will see them speaking in tongues. 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.. Cults - APOSTOLIC INFORMATION SERVICE - INDIANA BIBLE COLLEGE 9780692644065: Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical PDF Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity - isca-apologetics.org John 3:5 does not explicitly say that one must be water baptized before entering the kingdom. If God is unitarian, how do you explain passages such as Genesis 19:24 where Yahweh (LORD), rained brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven? I also recommend that you read the series that I linked to at the beginning of this article. Noted Greek scholar Daniel Wallace provides the precise meaning of the preposition para followed by the dative: In general, the dative uses suggest proximity or nearness. Now revised, updated, and expanded. They had come to love their Messiah over the years. 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). 3. But you have the symbol!!! Also, throughout chap 14 Jesus distinguishes Himself from the Father. century, by a man named Praxeus, who is known from Tertullian's Against Praxeus. Wallace, BBGG, 350-51; Robert Reymond, Systematic Theology, 263. This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. This doctrine is called Oneness of God or Jesus Only.