Eddie Fisher
Pentecostalism, as a major tenet of its theology, takes the position that Jesus is both the Father and the Son affirming that in His humanity He was man; that His flesh was the lamb or the sacrifice of God but in His deity He is God the Father. The supposition is that on His Father's side Jesus was divine but on His mother's side He was human thus He is both the Father and the Son. In their view, this would account for him being described as both the Son of God and the Son of Man. Such theology is neither scriptural nor logical.
The teaching of Holy Writ in both Old and New Testament is clear: there is but one divine essence or nature. To the Israelites Moses asserts ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4. This truth is reaffirmed in 1 Timothy 2:5 ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The prophet Isaiah declared ‘Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god … Is there a God besides me? Isaiah 44:6-8.
The prophet, given his contention with polytheism, deemed it necessary to declare that God is one, that all other gods are false and that he has no equal. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 would echo the same sentiments when he declared ‘For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist’. Notwithstanding this, the truth regarding the single essence of the divine nature does not negate the fact that this one divine essence is manifested in three distinct personalities
The Almighty God not only means what he says and says what he means but does recognize the difference between singular and plural. This truth is well illustrated in Galatians 3:16. ‘Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings”, referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring”, who is Christ. Given the clear teaching that there are three distinct personalities in the Godhead it flies in the face of everything logical not to mention scriptural to suggest that Jesus is the same person as the Father and that the Godhead could be simultaneously one and three.
Scripture is replete with evidence that demands a distinction in personalities within the Godhead and to teach otherwise would be both unscriptural and illogical. In John 3:16 the Father sends the Son into the world but if the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine be true then Jesus would have been sending himself and would be his own Father. But that is neither scriptural nor logical. In John 20:17 Jesus says to Mary “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” If Jesus and the Father is the same person then Mary and the Father are one and the same since Mary’s father is also the father of Jesus.
Pentecostalism would have us believe that the humanity of Jesus is the Son and the divinity of Jesus is the Father. Again that defies scriptural teaching and logic. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 11:3 ‘I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God’. Is Jesus Christ his the head of himself since he is the same person as the Father? Since Christ is the head of man, are we to concede that he and man are one and the same person in the same way that God being the head of Christ makes him the same person. What logical absurdity?
‘Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection”, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him that God may be all in all’ 1 Corinthians 15: 24-28. If Christ were the same person as the Father then there would be no exception since they are one and the same person. Moreover, would Christ be made subject to himself? Indeed, Pentecostalism would have us believe that at the end the humanity of Jesus (the Son) would be subjected to the divinity of Jesus (the Father). Why would we need to maintain the humanity of Jesus in the end? Will Christ be subjected to himself then? What scriptural and logical stupidity!
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1Timothy 2:5. A mediator without question demands two independent parties. Let us apply Pentecostal teaching to this passage. ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between the divinity of Christ and the humanity of Christ, the humanity Christ Jesus’. Preposterous!
The Bible is clear though there is one divine essence, that divine nature is manifested in three persons. Oneness Pentecostalism is unscriptural, false and illogical.
