What follows is an excerpt of a question and answer session as
found on Facebook:
As 'One God believers' answer points raised by an Oneness adherent:
Jesus has a God...
John 20:17 (NASB) Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
1) Where is his (Jesus') Father?
Here is 2 verses of MANY that teach that the Father was in heaven while Jesus was on the earth, as these are Jesus' words telling us exactly where HIS FATHER is:
Matthew 7:21 (NASB)
21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matthew 10:32 (NASB)
32 Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.
Therefore, Jesus himself tells us that his Father was in HEAVEN while Jesus was on the earth.
2) Where is Jesus? (Assuming that you agree that Jesus was on the earth while speaking the words above, I believe you are asking where Jesus is now, and here is the answer that the Scripture gives us concerning that question:)
Remember that Jesus already told us in the originally posted verse (John 20:17) that after his time on earth was done, he would ascend back to heaven to be with his God and Father. The Apostles confirm that is exactly what happened:
Ephesians 1:17–20 (NASB)
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
So, according to Paul, the God of Jesus Christ raised Christ from the dead, and God has seated Christ at God's own right hand in heaven.
3) Where is God? The same answer to question 1 applies here as God IS the Father, and He is in heaven.
4) God was only one? Yes, as stated by Jesus himself as he prayed to His God:
John 17:1–3 (NASB)
1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,
2 even as You gave him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given him, he may give eternal life.
3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
5) Is Jesus another God? And you referenced I John 5:20. Jesus states the same description as John in Jesus' prayer to his God in John 17:3 above, that there is only ONE TRUE GOD, and that was Jesus' Father.
Jesus then is the SON OF the one GOD, and therefore was given to us (humanity) that we might have eternal life. That is the revelation that the Apostles received: that Jesus was the SON of GOD...
Matthew 16:15–17 (NASB)
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
My question is: why do the Oneness Pentecostals have a different "revelation" of who Jesus is, that is contrary to the TRUE REVELATION that God HIMSELF gave to the Apostle Peter?
Here is 2 verses of MANY that teach that the Father was in heaven while Jesus was on the earth, as these are Jesus' words telling us exactly where HIS FATHER is:
Matthew 7:21 (NASB)
21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matthew 10:32 (NASB)
32 Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.
Therefore, Jesus himself tells us that his Father was in HEAVEN while Jesus was on the earth.
2) Where is Jesus? (Assuming that you agree that Jesus was on the earth while speaking the words above, I believe you are asking where Jesus is now, and here is the answer that the Scripture gives us concerning that question:)
Remember that Jesus already told us in the originally posted verse (John 20:17) that after his time on earth was done, he would ascend back to heaven to be with his God and Father. The Apostles confirm that is exactly what happened:
Ephesians 1:17–20 (NASB)
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
So, according to Paul, the God of Jesus Christ raised Christ from the dead, and God has seated Christ at God's own right hand in heaven.
3) Where is God? The same answer to question 1 applies here as God IS the Father, and He is in heaven.
4) God was only one? Yes, as stated by Jesus himself as he prayed to His God:
John 17:1–3 (NASB)
1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,
2 even as You gave him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given him, he may give eternal life.
3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
5) Is Jesus another God? And you referenced I John 5:20. Jesus states the same description as John in Jesus' prayer to his God in John 17:3 above, that there is only ONE TRUE GOD, and that was Jesus' Father.
Jesus then is the SON OF the one GOD, and therefore was given to us (humanity) that we might have eternal life. That is the revelation that the Apostles received: that Jesus was the SON of GOD...
Matthew 16:15–17 (NASB)
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
My question is: why do the Oneness Pentecostals have a different "revelation" of who Jesus is, that is contrary to the TRUE REVELATION that God HIMSELF gave to the Apostle Peter?
The simplicity of the scripture is not what Oneness will take.
Simply, there is no need to interpret that there is ONE GOD, when the bible clearly states there is One God. When you bring Jesus in to the equation, you will see he also agreed that there is only One God.
Mark 12:29
“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
With that being said, when Oneness look at this verse they assume Jesus is calling himself that ONE GOD. But is he? The Jewish belief is that they had to repeat the Shema to their children. The Shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, but let me put it here so you can save time.
Deuteronomy
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
It was part of the Jewish children to repeat this that is why Jesus states it in Mark 12:29.. Jesus was not calling himself Supreme God but Stating a fact that he only Worships the one true God. That is why he clearly states this:
John 4
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
A TRUE worshipper of God the Father will exalt God and he is One. Hence what Oneness Pentecostal men and woman need to understand that if they do not honor the SON , they also do not Honor the Father.
If you call Jesus God, you therefore dishonor the Son which means you are NOT Acknowledging the Father. To deny the Son is to Deny the Father therefore, you can not have one without the other.
If you say "GOD DIED" or "GOD SHED BLOOD" you are clearly removing the Son from the death of the cross.
1 John 2
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Mark 12:29
“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
With that being said, when Oneness look at this verse they assume Jesus is calling himself that ONE GOD. But is he? The Jewish belief is that they had to repeat the Shema to their children. The Shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, but let me put it here so you can save time.
Deuteronomy
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
It was part of the Jewish children to repeat this that is why Jesus states it in Mark 12:29.. Jesus was not calling himself Supreme God but Stating a fact that he only Worships the one true God. That is why he clearly states this:
John 4
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
A TRUE worshipper of God the Father will exalt God and he is One. Hence what Oneness Pentecostal men and woman need to understand that if they do not honor the SON , they also do not Honor the Father.
If you call Jesus God, you therefore dishonor the Son which means you are NOT Acknowledging the Father. To deny the Son is to Deny the Father therefore, you can not have one without the other.
If you say "GOD DIED" or "GOD SHED BLOOD" you are clearly removing the Son from the death of the cross.
1 John 2
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Sound words!
