THE RIDICULOUS DOCTRINE OF ONENESS

Perhaps, one of the most ridiculous doctrines in the history of Christianity is the doctrine of Oneness that teaches about the SINGULARITY OF PERSON OF THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. Oneness Pentecostal members always say that the Father is Jesus Christ, the Son is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ. They keep saying that the sole name of God is Jesus as he manifested Himself as Savior in New Testament for new covenant of the people to God. According to them, God manifested Himself as the Creator during Old Testament while became Comforter (Holy Spirit) after the ascension of Jesus to heaven. Oneness doctrine rejects the truth about Trinity wherein God is being manifested by Three distinct Persons.

From non-Catholic website (Protestant website):

“Oneness theology denies the Trinity and teaches that God is a single person who was "manifested as Father in creation and as the Father of the Son, in the Son for our redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration." Another way of looking at it is that God revealed himself as Father in the Old Testament, as the Son in Jesus during Christ’s ministry on earth, and now as the Holy Spirit after Christ’s ascension.”

Source: http://carm.org/oneness-pentecostal-theology#footnote1_gfixm3z

Well, Oneness theology is not new to the Church when it comes to the history of Early Christianity which can be dated back at the third century A.D. The Early Church condemned this belief and considered this as heretical doctrine particularly by Tertullian, an Early Church father. Modalism, like Oneness theology denies the truth about Holy Trinity and accepts the idea of God transformed into different modes from different ages. God manifested as a Creator in Genesis, Savior in New Testament and Comforter after the ascension of Jesus. Oneness theology also accepts the Monarchian idea that God can manifest in many modes as what an article in Wikipedia says:

“Oneness Pentecostalism REJECTS ALL CONCEPTS OF A SUBORDINATION, DUALITY, TRINITY, PANTHEON, CO-EQUALITY, CO-ETERNITY, or other versions of the Godhead that assert plural gods, plural beings, divine "persons", individuals, or multiple centers of consciousness within that Godhead…
“. Oneness believers say that GOD CAN OPERATE USING AN UNLIMITED NUMBER OF MANIFESTATIONS, not just three. However they recognize that "the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" are the great and major roles that God has carried out in man's redemption.”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneness_Pentecostalism

To refute this ridiculous claim, let’s see and read some Bible passages:

1.)    Jesus prays “Our Father”, if Jesus Himself is not a distinct person from the Father then why did he pray to the Father and not to Himself? If He really is a Father, then what made Him pray to another Father though He Himself is the Father Almighty?

Matthew 6:9 (NIV);

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,..”

2.)    Jesus conversed with Father through prayers. If Jesus is the Father, then why is it that he did not talk with Himself alone? Instead of talking with Himself, Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven. Was Jesus crazy on that time to talk with Himself or was that because of the fact that Father is another distinct person aside from the Son?

Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

3.)    If Jesus Himself is the Father, then who is the Father in heaven being referred by Jesus? Jesus on that time was on Earth and not in heaven. If Jesus is the Father, who is this “Father in heaven” being referred by Christ?

Matthew 6:9 (NIV);

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,..”

Matthew 23:9 (KJV)

“ And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”

Matthew 18:10 (KJV)

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”

4.)    If Jesus is the Father, then He is the sole Creator, and He alone should be credited from every creation in the universe. But why is it that the words “US” and “OUR” were used in Genesis and not “I”?

Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, “LET US make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

5.)    If the Father is Jesus, the Son, then why did the Father call Jesus His Son though He [Father] Himself is Jesus?  Who is the One being called as “Jesus” and “Son” if the Father Himself is the “Son”?

Hebrews 1:5 (KJV) 

“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”

6.)    If the Father is the Son, then who is the begotten One by the Father?  Who begets the Son if the Son is the Father?

Hebrews 1:5 (KJV) 

“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?” 

John 1:18 (KJV) 

“No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

7.)    Why is it that there are THRONES MENTIONED IN HEAVEN AND NOT ONE?

Hebrews 1:3 (KJV)“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH:” 

 Mark 16:19 (NIV)“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and HE SAT AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.”

If Jesus is the Father, then there should be one throne in heaven, but why is it that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and not seated at the throne of the Father?

8.)    If Jesus is the Holy Spirit then why did He send the Holy Spirit? Did Jesus send Himself or Did He send the Holy Spirit?

Acts 1:8 

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me”

Is it the Holy Spirit that came upon us or Jesus again came back to us after He ascended to heaven?

9.)    If co-eternity is not true and the Holy Spirit was only manifested after Jesus’ ascension, why is it that the Holy Spirit was mentioned right at the moment where angel Gabriel told the news of Christ’s birth? Does it mean that God being in One Person wore two modes at the same time?

Luke 1:35 (NIV) 

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

10.) If Jesus is the Holy Spirit, why is it that the Holy Spirit needed to go down from heaven during the baptism of Christ though Christ Himself is the Holy Spirit?

John 1:32 (NIV) 

“Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.”

11.)  Oneness Pentecostal believes that:

“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.” (Wikipedia)

If the Son was only manifested right at the moment of Jesus' birth, then Who is the One with God Father  right at the moment of creation?

Genesis 1:26 

“Then God said, “LET US make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 

 Genesis 3:22 

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of US, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva- the pagan god of Hindu,
 a changing god for changing times

Again, the word “US” was used in the particular verse talking about the plurality of persons in One God. What does it mean?

12.) If Jesus is the Father, Why did He look toward heaven since according to Pentecostals, Jesus Himself is the Father? To whom Jesus was talking with? to the Father as Himself or to the another Divine Person which is the Father?

John 17:1 (NIV)
"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.""

13.) If the Son is not co-eternal with the Father as what Oneness Pentecostals say, why is it that Jesus Christ said this?

John 17:5 (NIV) 

"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

Jesus claimed Himself that He Had a "glory before the world began." Does it affirm the claim of Pentecostals that the Son was only manifested when Jesus became flesh or not?

14.) If Trinity is not true, then why is it that there are three that bear record in heaven and not one?

1 John 5:7(KJV)
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. "

15.) Why is it that Oneness theology is somewhat parallel to the pagan doctrine of Hinduism?

Hindus believe that Brahma, being "god" manifested himself in different modes as he can transform himself in different forms:

" Surya is Brahman in the morning, Vishnu in the afternoon and Shiva in the evening."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimurti 

It is exactly the same to the Oneness doctrine that talks about the transformation of God in different forms. They always explain that God manifested Himself as a "Creator" in Old testament, "Savior" in New Testament and "Comforter" in church era in which we can conclude that these Three Forms are neither co-eternal nor co-existing. Did Monarchians/Oneness derive it from pagan world?

CONCLUSION:

 THE ONENESS THEOLOGY IS CONFLICTING WITH THE BIBLICAL PASSAGES. IT IS NEITHER APOSTOLIC NOR BIBLICAL. PERHAPS, THERE IS POSSIBILITY THAT IT WAS DERIVED FROM ANCIENT PAGAN DOCTRINE. PROVEN BY THE ABOVE PASSAGES, EITHER THE ONENESS DOCTRINE OR MODALISM IS ILLOGICAL. IT IS SUCH A FALLACIOUS DOCTRINE REVIVED BY THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENTS TO MISGUIDE OUR CATHOLIC FELLOWS FROM THE TRUTH.