Oneness vs. Trinity

Two Pentecostal preachers were arguing over Oneness vs. The Trinity. The first preacher insisted, “God is only One Person. His name is Jesus.” 

The other preacher said, “No, there’s the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I can prove it with Scripture. Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. What are you going to say about that?”


The Oneness preacher thought for a minute and then replied, “Well, if you’d been hit in the head with rocks, you’d see double, too.”


The triune nature of God is a topic that sparks debates within parts of the Body of Christ. Some contest the word "Trinity" isn’t found in Scripture. The word “Bible” is not part of God’s word either, but can be found on the cover and added notes by the publisher. 


Others argue, “How can three things be one?” What is one times one times one? It’s not three, but one! That equation has three numbers of equal value. I’ve also compared the Trinity to man which is also a three-part being: spirit, soul, and body. However, water is a better analogy to use. Water manifests in three forms: steam, liquid, and ice,  but are all made of the same substance. The missionary Saint Patrick reportedly used the three-leaved clover to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.


All three persons of the Trinity are equally divine but serve unique roles. The Father is the creator/source, the Son (Jesus) is the redeemer who became incarnate, and the Holy Spirit is the counselor/guide within believers. They work in perfect harmony to execute creation and salvation, with the Father sending the Son, and both sending the Spirit. 


Nevertheless, I’ve encountered believers who deny God existing as three distinct persons. One Facebook friend posted a photo of a Lutheran church defending “the Oneness doctrine” (or “Jesus only”). That sign must have been Photoshopped. I grew up Lutheran. The Lutheran Church confesses in the Apostle's Creed that they believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.


The Hebrew word for God (“Elohim”) is plural. That’s why God said in Genesis 1:26, “Let Us make man in Our image…” He didn’t say, “Let Me make man in My image.” In talking about the rapture, Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”


Other Scriptures that mention God manifesting Himself as three distinct entities include:


“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:16-17 (also repeated in Luke 3)


“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” - Matthew 28:19


“And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My [the Father’s] beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” - Luke 3:22


“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” - John 14:26


“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” - John 15:26


“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He [Jesus] has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” 

- Acts 2:33


“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” - Acts 10:38


“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” - Romans 8:9


“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” - 1 Corinthians 6:11


“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” - 2 Corinthians 13:14


“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” - Galatians 4:6


“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” - Ephesians 1:17


Muslims mistakenly think Christians worship three gods. The Trinity is a mystery to those who aren’t saved. Those who have a relationship with the Lord will appreciate the three roles in which He functions.


“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” - Ephesians 2:18


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