Why oneness theology is wrong

The scripture will show here why oneness theology is wrong.First I will explain three views of oneness that I have found. Christ the created being (the created son, not the created angel), Christ the human with God dwelling in him (he himself is human but the Father dwells in him), and Christ the Father robed in flesh(there is no other mind or conciseness in him only the Father). I am sure there are many more, but these three are the ones I will focus on.

To the first one, Gen 1:1 kills this idea. The belief is that the Father created the Son, and the Son created everything else. If the Son was created, he cannot be God. So if he is not God, then the verse would have to say "in the beginning the Son created". I'm sure they have an answer for this, but simple logic tells us it is impossible. In all other areas it is most like the second view.

The second view is that Christ is human, with God dwelling in him. Sounds ok right? God dwelt in human form, we all believe that. The difference here is that they believe Christ had a human spirit and that the Father dwelt in him. So Christ himself is not deity, but the Father is. When Christ claimed deity, it was the Father talking. When he claimed his humanity, the Son spoke. My first question to a group of these people was "how do we know who is speaking?" They said by what is being said. If he says "before Abraham was I AM" that is the Father talking. If he says "I must be about my Fathers business" that is Christ. Now that you know the background, let's look at some verses that kill this theology.

Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

Let's dissect this verse. First we learn that the one speaking here came down from heaven. Then we learn he is not doing his own will. Then we learn he was sent by someone and that persons will is what he is doing. So is this God or the human speaking? Can't be God because he can not do another's will. Can't be the human because he was born, not come from heaven. When I presented this verse to a group there answer was "souls come down from heaven". Really? Where is that in the bible? No answer. Does the bible say Adam's soul came down from heaven? God breathed into his nostrils "and man became a living soul." Here's another.

Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

It is common for this group of oneness to separate the Father in Christ from the human in Christ by calling the human part the "Son of man" which points to his humanity. Of course this verse destroys that notion because the "son of man" was in heaven before and is going to return there. There are many verses like this but to save space here I will move on to the third group.

This group is nearest to my heart because this is the group I grew up in. The idea here is that God robed himself in flesh to live among us and to die for our sins. Sounds orthodox on the surface. But they mean that the Father robed himself in flesh, not the Son. They believe the Father became the Son when he did this. That there is no other mind in Christ but the Father(who had become the Son). So you may ask how they answer the Father speaking from heaven or who Christ was always praying and speaking to? What about in Hebrews 1 when the Father calls the Son God? Are they not having a conversation? Here is the answer(as best I can recall) given by the speaker on the radio show "there is hope for today" which is a u.p.c.i.(united pentecostal church international) radio ministry. God knowing ahead of time what he would ask and need, and knowing the miracles he would perform, pre-did these things in the past before he became the Son. So when as the Son he arrived at these events in history, God was performing these works. It's like a string of cosmic trip wires. as Christ crossed them, he triggered an event. This is not exact of course, but it gives you an overview of the theology. It answers allot of these questions. The two verses I used to discredit the second oneness view are explained by this theology. There are two problems with this theology though. The first is it does not exist. Look the bible over from cover to cover you will not find this anywhere. It is what is called "circular logic". Because God is singular, and this verse seems to deny that thought,then this must be correct. It is an attempt to justify theology rather than to explain a bible truth. Now that being said, I will give two sets of verses that clearly deny this teaching.

Joh 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
Joh 8:17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
Joh 8:18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

I am not alone, but I and the Father. Wow what a statement! Christ does not say him and his former self, but I and the Father. Now if you still believe after the first statement that God is one in person, then you make Christ a liar or a deceiver after the second statement, that He and the Father make two witnesses. If God the Father and God the Son are the same person just in different roles, then Christ lied here when he claimed there are two that bear witness. Now if you thought that was plain, read the next one.

Joh 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Joh 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

You really should read all of John 17 if you want a good picture of the relationship of Father and Son. But I want to focus on the word one. If God the Father and God the Son are the same person, and that is what he means by "one", then how are we going to be one as they are? Does that mean that we will cease to exist as individuals? Verse 11 says "that they may be one, as we". If they are the same person, then we will be absorbed into God. 23 says "that they may be made perfect(completed) in one". We will be complete when we are one with God, not absorbed by him. John 17 shows the relationship between Father and Son, not between God's identities.

To be fair, I will give an answer for the trinity in my next post.

Welcome

I am starting this blog because there is a need for the Bible to be explained by someone other than people who have let there theology get in the way of interpreting the Bible. When you view scripture through your theology, you will be wrong most of the time. We need to stop asking the Calvins, Wesleys, and Luthers for their permission to believe what the Bible says is true. Do we believe Calvinists who say that God picks and chooses who He will save whether we like it or not? Or the followers of Wesley who say we are born sinless and can live in sinless perfection? It's time we read the Bible for ourselves and come to know Christ in truth. I will begin posting as I have the time.