I believe Jesus is God and the Trinity.
oneness pentecostalism teaches that Jesus was only on God's mind and as such no pre-existence. Logically he is not God. However, they claim he is God the Father. They say, the fullness of the godhead being the Father is in him. When we are born again, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit., but we are not God. Jesus having the Father in him does not make him the Father too. They are illogical.
What do you know about oneness pentecostalism ??? I want your input and corrections, please Daniel
I shun them.
Oneness Pentecostalism’s Beliefs on Jesus and Pre-Existence:
Oneness Pentecostal theology denies the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches one God in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Instead, they emphasize the "oneness" of God, asserting that:
Jesus is the one God manifested in flesh.
The "Son" refers only to the human manifestation of God, not to an eternal pre-existent divine person.
Before the incarnation, Jesus existed only as an idea or a plan in God's mind (sometimes called the "logos" concept, referencing John 1:1).
This leads them to claim that Jesus is "God the Father" in the flesh, rejecting the notion that the Father and the Son are distinct persons within the Godhead.
2. Critique of the Claim That Jesus is the Father:
The Oneness position introduces significant logical and theological challenges:
Scriptural Evidence of Distinction: The Bible frequently depicts the Father and the Son as distinct from one another, especially in passages like John 1:1-14, where "the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The preposition "with" (Greek: pros) indicates distinction. Similarly, Jesus prays to the Father (e.g., John 17), speaks of the Father sending Him (e.g., John 5:37), and submits to the Father’s will (e.g., Luke 22:42). These interactions strongly imply relational distinction.
Logical Inconsistency: If Jesus is God the Father, then many of His actions (e.g., praying, being sent) become nonsensical. Oneness Pentecostal theology must either reinterpret these interactions as metaphorical (which lacks textual support) or accept that the Son and Father are distinct (contrary to their premise).
The Nature of Indwelling: Oneness adherents argue that Jesus had "the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (from Colossians 2:9) because the Father indwelt Him. However, this does not logically mean that Jesus is the Father. If believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are not equated with being the Holy Spirit, then Jesus being indwelt by the Father does not equate to Him being the Father.
3. The Fullness of the Godhead in Jesus:
When Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," the traditional Trinitarian understanding is that:
Jesus, as the incarnate Son, fully embodies the divine nature (the fullness of deity) while remaining distinct from the Father and the Spirit.
The fullness of the Godhead does not mean Jesus is the Father, but that the entirety of God's divine essence was present in the Son, consistent with the doctrine of the Trinity.
Oneness theology misinterprets this verse by conflating Jesus' divine nature with the Father's personhood.
4. Oneness Claims About the Holy Spirit and Believers:
Oneness Pentecostals teach that when believers are born again, they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is consistent with broader Christian teaching. However, their reasoning about Jesus and the Father becomes problematic in comparison:
If having the Holy Spirit indwell believers does not make them the Holy Spirit, then having the Father indwell Jesus does not make Him the Father. By their own logic, Jesus having "the Father in Him" does not mean He is the Father.
5. Logical and Theological Issues:
Identity of the Son: If the Son is merely a human manifestation, then Jesus' role as mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), His prayers, and His distinct will become unnecessary or illogical.
Denial of the Trinity: Oneness theology rejects the historic, biblical doctrine of the Trinity, which resolves these tensions by affirming one divine essence in three distinct persons.
Diminished Christology: By reducing the Son to a mere human manifestation, Oneness theology risks undermining the biblical affirmation of Jesus' eternal divinity (e.g., John 8:58, Philippians 2:6-7).
J
