Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018. SeeWas the Trinity Conceived in the 4th Century? 7. Behind this question lay a criticism of the commonly-held Trinitarian Pentecostal argument that the name of Jesus in baptismal texts from . 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.. 12:11; Eph. 6 If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. Publish Date: Jul 20, 2016. It is noticeably absent. Something went wrong. 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. 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). 15:33? 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. . There are three problems with this worth pointing out. John 3:5 does not explicitly say that one must be water baptized before entering the kingdom. Good works and holy living are the natural responses of salvation already received-not its cause (see Eph. [1] Glen Davidson, Questions Oneness Pentecostals Don . Does The Old Testament Favor Oneness Pentecostalism? If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. Oneness Pentecostals have an anti-trinitarian view of God, an unbiblical doctrine of Jesus Christ, and unbiblical requirements for salvation (speaking in tongues, water baptism in Jesus name, and a legalistic moral code). Oneness Pentecostal Sources of Authority: Oneness Pentecostals of all branches affirm the authority of the Bible for doctrine. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. Oneness View Seriously Flawed I also recommend that you read the series that I linked to at the beginning of this article. Also, only that the Son was God can He God make this request/command to the Father, not mere man. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Accredited. 1:20-21). Further, how do you know that you do not merely possess the gift of tongues? 4. 2:7, the participle labn,(taking as in taking the nature of a servant) is a participle of means (cf. Share your personal testimony of Gods grace and your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. In addition, many Oneness advocates rely on the unbiblical revelations received by various Oneness leaders whom they regard as divinely inspired or anointed interpreters of the Bible. . In 1918, Oneness adherents, needing to develop their own organization after effectively being ousted from Pentecostalism, founded the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, headed by African . so thre argument of development for the trinity is weak if it is already being defemnded in the church in different locations. Oneness Pentecostalism (also known as Apostolic or Jesus' Name Pentecostalism [citation needed]) refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness. 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 . It is never used apart from God's incarnation, however; it never refers to deity Read the entire account. ", ASIN Why is snake-handling not a criteria for salvation? comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . II. Hence, it is God the Son who is the very image of the invisible Father (cf. 3. 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. "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. Oneness Pentecostals are vehement anti-trinitarians who commonly maintain that the doctrine of the trinity states that there are three gods. Does this not seem to vindicate Oneness theology? While pastors generally understand apologetics, we often misunderstand the apologist. Oneness Pentecostalism have discounted, distorted or dismissed the Three-in-One doctrine of the Trinity, as found in classical Christian theism. Yadon: and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism, Our God is Triune: Essays in Biblical Theology. John 14:23: Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and we will make Our abode with him [par aut]. If we were in the Court of Law, it would be dismissed as evidence. Thus, when He died, only His human nature died. Yes, the Jesus of Oneness theology is a false Jesus. 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? 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. But you have the symbol!!! 3:11; 2 Thess. 15-16), Jesus distinguishes Himself from His Father by using different prepositions. 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. Have a clear understanding of your faith and the Bible. In 1913, one popular teacher, R.E. He doesnt fully understand the Christology or Godhead. Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique. In this piece he critically interacts with the following argument of mine ( from this blog post ). Wallace, BBGG, 350-51; Robert Reymond, Systematic Theology, 263. How would anybody understand what he is saying? They will see that because he lives (he was raised from the dead), they too will live (be raised from the dead). They are one in being but distinct in person. The name of the Holy Spirit is Jesus. Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021. In this article, I will be answering a few common Oneness Pentecostal arguments. First they argue that certain prooftexts directly identify Jesus as the Father. In sum, John 17:5 the Son first commands/asks (doxason, aorist impart.) Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique by Michael Burgos Jr. - A second book by the author addressing Oneness beliefs, released in July 2016. Privacy Policy & Copyright Notice. That may be the case. If you were to join a Oneness Pentecostal church, what would your experience be? How would you be able to tell the difference? (see above). 5. This movement first emerged in America around 1914 as the result of doctrinal disputes within the nascent Pentecostal movement and claims . 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.. While they may be anti-trinitarians, they are committed to the truth that Jesus is God. Pentecostal Christianity has more than 700 denominations. What sets Oneness Pentecostalism apart from other anti-Trinitarian heresies is its seeming orthodoxy. 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. The modern Pentecostal movement is generally regarded to have begun in 1901 in a chapel prayer meeting in Topeka, Kan., led by Charles Parham, a teacher at Bethel Bible College. But that position seems untenable. 1:33): 'I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he . Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998. Against the Oneness notion (and v. 9), Jesus specifically used two first person PLURAL indicative verbs (eleusometha, We will come and poisometha, We will make Our) abode with him. This is part of chap. At the time Boyd was full of zeal and all sorts of emotion, which comes out on nearly every page of Oneness . 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. 1986 Oneness Symposium Tape 7- "UPCI: Christian or a Cult?" Robert Sabin Watch on The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Nowhere in the New Testament, however, is it said that Jesus sent the Son. Acts 2:38 must be read in context and in light of Jesus clear command in Matthew 28:19. It is a symbol of ones identification with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 3:13; 6:38, 46, 62; 8:23, 38, 42; 16:28). 1:6-7; etc.). 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. Acquire a basic knowledge of Oneness Pentecostals beliefs and practices. 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. And when did the Son have this glory? distinguished fr. 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. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. Is there an argument that you would like to see addressed? PAW: Aenon Bible School-Indianapolis, Ind. 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? Jesus is said to have two natures: human and divine. This is clearly a reference to baptism in water and baptism of the Spirit, right? [1] In Phil. What arguments do they use to support this proposition? If the Son has not eternally existed with (personally distinct from) the Father why then is the Son presented as the agent of creation, that is, the Creator Himself? We work hard to protect your security and privacy. In the Gospels, Jesus referred to the Father over two hundred times as someone other than Himself, thus, as a distinct person. With thanks to Baker Academic for this review copy! United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) (UCJC-A)-100,000 Modern Oneness Pentecostals garner support for their modalistic view by interpreting Matthew28:19 in conjunction with Acts2:38. . Note the Context: In verse 6 Jesus says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. In verse 7, He explains to His disciples that if they had known Him they would have known the Father also. However, some advocates of Oneness Pentecostalism have responded to this point. 5. The following chapters are spent systematically refuting the Oneness doctrine of God as well as their arguments against the doctrine of the Trinity. 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. also John 4:40; 14:17, 25). The above example is typical of Questions Oneness Pentecostals Don't ask. 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 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. 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) . Today it is predominately African-American and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Oneness adherents (along with Muslims and Jehovahs Witnesses) wrongly assume that the concept or word one when referring to God (e.g., Deut. I wont give him this web page..too bad. If you are going to claim that there is a pattern in the book of Acts wherein everybody who is filled with the Spirit also speaks in tongues, you have a problem, because that pattern is broken on two occasions. Michael Burgos builds upon his book "Kiss the Son" and provides an almost exhaustive study, and refutation, of the Oneness (Jesus Only) movement. If an individual believes that there are three gods, then they have, in effect, denied the doctrine of the trinity. Indiana Bible College-Seymour, Ind. . 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. They could also cite many of the various declarations of monotheism throughout the Old Testament, thus establishing that there is only one God. . Other preachers, such as Frank J. Ewart and John G. Scheppe, joined McAlister in his non-trinitarian perspective. That the Son was the Creator clearly disproves the Oneness position. Praxeus taught a doctrine know as patripassionisma belief that says that the Father died on the cross. Is there any practical difference at all? This is an important reminder of the need to respond to contemporary . Note also that in 14:10, Jesus clearly differentiates Himself from the Father when He declares: The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. To reiterate, the undisputable fact is this: not one time in the New Testament does Jesus (or any other person) state that He Himself is the Father. During the Last Supper, the disciples were distraught. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1990. There are some who are trained very well in Oneness theology and know how to maneuver through the various arguments and counter-arguments. Colossians 2:9 does not teach that the totality of the Godhead was in the body of Jesus, but rather that Jesus embodied the totality of the divine nature and God is totally revealed in Him. After all, it says that one must be born of water and Spirit. Some scholars believe it to be Celtic in origin, and it is sometimes called the Irish Trinity Knot. 4200 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022, Employment Media & Public Relations NAMB Store. A better work to understand the balance between " oneness" and "trinitiarisism" is the works of Thomas Fudge. [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. Its pagan, with pagan origins. 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. Atlanta: Atlanta Christian Apologetics Project, 1994. Please try again. 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. 6. 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. asserting that God is one person) and (b) the basic theological errors of Oneness theology (e.g., denying the deity of the Son). Nevertheless, the requirements for outward adherence to a strict moral code in order to maintain salvation inevitably leads to legalism and a lack of assurance of eternal life. 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 . Let's look at the Foursquare Church and United Pentecostal Church International and see how hey differ. 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. Now I will switch gears from Oneness to their view of water baptism. 7. Why is drinking poison not a criteria for salvation? His insight is edifying. Some Pentecostal denominations, often referred to as Apostolic Pentecostals, Oneness Pentecostals or Jesus-Only Pentecostals, take the .