Oneness vs. Trinity

One could bring you to the baptism of Jesus were you would see Jesus being baptized, the Father Speaking, and the Holy Spirit descending, but for know, I'll steer away from the Gospels.

Instead lets go to Acts. I know a lot of Oneness people like using the book of Acts since it's "historical", and a practical way of walking out the gospel truths.

In Acts 7 we read about the first martyr of the Church. What we know of Stephen is little. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, He was of a good repute, and was willing to serve in the daily distributions of the church as was needed.

We also know from Acts 6 the he was full of grace and power, doing great wonders and signs among the people. We also know that his opponents could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Luke gives Stephen a lot of space in Acts, he gives Stephen a chapter and then some. Stephen also gives the longest ‘sermon’ in the book.

Summary: Stephen was a man of God who was able by the Holy Spirit to do great miracles and preach/refute those who apposed the Gospel of Christ.

Now we come to the end of this godly mans life, he just finished a historical overview of Israel history, and then rebukes the Jews, which in a way, sentenced him to death. It is here we pick up.

Acts 7:54-60
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Remember this is a Historical account. Stephen is full of the HOLY SPIRIT, he looks up into heaven and sees the glory of God. JESUS is standing at the right hand of GOD, and then Stephen repeats this SON of MAN standing at the right hand of GOD.

There is three different ‘persons’: The Holy Spirit is in Stephen, Jesus/Son of Man (a term Jesus applied to himself in the Gospels) is Standing. Were is he standing? In heaven next to and at the right hand of God.

Remember this his a historical account of the Gospel being walked out in every day life within the early church. Stephen sees both the Son, and the Father in heaven, and is at the same time filled with the Spirit.

We see all three of the God head. The Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Notice All three are present at the first martyrs death. Stephen doesn’t see just God, or just see Jesus, he sees both.

Also notice the singular usage of the word God “Glory of God” and then the other Nouns used. Either this is a picture of God, filled with the Spirit, Jesus, God the Father, or you left to believe that the Spirit is just a force, Jesus isn’t really God since he only stands next to him in heaven.

Yes I agree that the word Trinity is not used in the bible, but what it represents is. Sometimes one needs to use extra biblical words to help frame a correct meaning of a biblical concept because words can be slippery things. For example: if I asked a Mormon, Catholic, Pentecostal, or a Jehovah witness are you a Christian the all would say yes. It’s only till they say Mormon, Pentecostal, or catholic that I now were their coming from and if they really are “in” the faith.

Psams 107:23-29 & Mathew 8:23-27

"Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
for he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed."

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

"they Cried to the Lord in their distress" vs. "They went and woke him, saying 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing'".

"He made the storm be still" vs. "he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, an there was a great calm".

In the Psalms the word for Lord is the supreme title for God (Adonia, which means sovereign one). Hence in the Psalms you have the Sovereign One calming the storm when his people call unto him, and in the N.T you have Jesus calming the storm when his disciples call out to him.

The disciples probably would be at least familiar with the Psalms, especially this one, since it deals with their livelihood (fishing, being in a boat, etc.). What they once memorized and had to recite became a reality in their lives.

No wonder the Disciples were more fearful after the threat of the storm was past, Adonia was in the boat with them...

Trinity vs. Oneness

"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning
with God."

The Word, the Logos, was in the beginning, yet he was present. John in John 1:14 tells us "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... the only Son from the Father." Jesus, son of God, the only Son from the Father. If we just take basic logic... now that we know that Jesus was the Word that was made flesh, we can insert Jesus back into John 1:1.

In the beginning was Jesus
and Jesus was with God
and Jesus was God
Jesus was in the beginning
with God.

Moses says, "in the beginning God created."
John Says, "in the beginning was Jesus"
Moses says, "Let US make man in Our image."
John Says, "Jesus was with God."
Moses says, "I am who I Am"
John says, "Jesus was God"

Trinity vs. Oneness

When it comes to the doctrine of God, That is the doctrine of the trinity, I affirm Deuteronomy 6:4 "hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one." But I also affirm Acts 7:54-60. Stephen is about to be the first martyr of the Church and as he's coming to a close with his rebuke of the religeous of his day he looks upwards and sees an incredible sight.

But he (Stephen)
full of the HOLY SPIRIT, gazed into heaven
and saw the glory of GOD,
and JESUS standing at the right hand of GOD.
and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of GOD."

Notice Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is standing at God's right hand. All three are independently mentioned at the same time... Here you see a clear picture of the three persons of the Trinity, yet brining in Deut. helps to balance this. Three persons who are one, just like the old creeds of the Church confessed. Coming from a oneness background who only believed in different modes of God: Father, Son and H.S. they were all the same just different manifestations of God (like an actor putting on a different costume). Yet this chapter in the book of acts wont allow for it. You see Three at the same time.

A Theologians job isn't to make up ideas, their job is to explain what they read in the scriptures. "I see three persons in the one God." this isn't something man made, and godly men of old grappled with the text to fit the revelation of God in the O.T. with the further revelation of God in the N.T.

Why History?

One reason I believe history is so important, is the fact it has the ability to help us not fall into theological darkness of our own age. One of the great truths of the Christian faith is that truth has always been truth. What was true 2000 years ago is still true today. History becomes helpful when we look back and see what other men of God have said in the past about God and his revelation of Himself in scriptures. One way it helps is that if church history for the last 2000 years has denied a certain doctrine, then it's a good chance that doctrine is wrong. Or if it has embraced a doctrine for the last 2000 years, it's a good chance that it's Orthodoxie, that is correct teaching. One example of this is the Trinity. For 2000 years is has been fought for and confirmed time and time again. Yet there is still people who deny the Biblical concept. Some on the basis that it doesn't making any sense, yet others on a misconception that the early church didn't believe in the Trinity and that it was a latter concept invented 300 years after the birth of the Church.

This is were history can at least to some extent come into play. It's true that the term Trinity wasn't used by the early Church (The Apostles), but that's not to mean the concept wasn't believed and embraced. The early church was birthed in a time of persecution, both from the Jews and from the Romans. False doctrines came both from outside and from with in the church. False views of Christ arouse, false views of the "God of the Old Testament" arouse, the heretics were undermining the faith by undermining the person and nature of Jesus. It was out of this that the Church Fathers arouse to defend what the scriptures reveled about God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Studying History shows that the early Church Fathers didn't come up with the idea of the Trinity, they just defended what the scriptures had already revealed.

Trinity vs. Oneness

Growing up I heard a lot of the evil trinitarians and how they believe in three Gods. This was only confirmed when I went to Collage down in Dallas, Tx. The class was on the Holy Spirit and yes he, that is, the teacher did border heresy in his theology of the Godhead. So my early childhood convictions stayed in-tacked and unharmed. Later on when I was in YWAM doing a DTS one of my leaders was a oneness (All-thou non pentecostal) none Trinitarian believer. This again seemed to only strengthened my beliefs in the oneness of God. Life seemed to go one just fine. As time went on I was married and together we decided to attend a Inductive Bible Study school out in Mt. The school teaches Inductive Method and then takes you through the whole bible. Imagine studying 66 books of the bible, in depth, six days a week and spending on average 10 hours a day... wow. But one of the problems i faced was one of Beliefs. what I mean is, the bible confronted some of the false beliefs I learned growing up. Some of these beliefs went without a fight, while others seemed to linger long after the school was over... Some of the beliefs like, how is one saved, perseverance of the saints, what it really means to be justified... I latched onto, and threw out the idea that a true believer could lose there salvation or Jesus plus something equaled salvation. One of the beliefs that I held onto the longest was Oneness theology. Over time and with much prayer and studying I have slowly come to believe in the Trinity, not the three separate Gods I heard about growing up, but the three persons within the one Godhead. So once again this is why these articles are being posted, to look into scripture and see what they tell us about this God who created us, came down in the form of flesh to redeem us and by His ever present Spirit reveals Himself to us.

Here are a couple more verses to ponder in our pursuit of the Godhead.

This one is known as the Shema of Israel:

Deut. 6:4
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord Is One."

This one is and interesting couple of verses out of the book of Daniel.

Daniel 7:9-13
As I looked, thrones where placed,
and the Ancient of days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of this head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire....
...and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man.
and he came to the Ancient of days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed...

Trinity vs. Oneness

In the beginning God Created the heavens and the earth... And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters...Then God said, "Let US make man in our image, after our likeness"...So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them.(excepts from Genesis)

Questions to consider:
1) The bible never tries to prove that there is a God, It just assumes that He is. Why?
2) Why is the Hebrew word Elohim, Plural instead of singular?
3) When Moses says the Spirit of God was hovering, what did he mean? Was it God or was it His Spirit, and are these the same or different?
4) Who is the "US & Our" in creating man? Only God creates, not angels. The bible says man was made in the image of God, not in the image of angels?
5) In Hebrew literature if one wants to put emphases on a subject it's mentioned twice. Moses mentions that man was created in God's image twice and three times that man was created...why?

It's helpful to have some kind of grasp on the Godhead in these verses. In the next (Trinity vs. Oneness) post we will look more in-depth into these verse and a hand full of others in the Old Testament before we move of to the New Testament.

Trinity vs. Oneness

Up and coming post will deal with the Godhead. Is it three in one or one in three. Many may wounder why even talk about this since the historic confessions confess that there is one God but within the one God there is three "persons". One reason I'm going to post this is that fact that there is a huge following of what some call a heretical movement of "Oneness People", in which most of my Family would consider them selfs to be apart of, and proud to be so called. The second reason is to just once again take a fresh look at scriptures and see what the Bible has to say about the character of God, and who He is.