Lesson - 1

Introduction to Oneness Theology

I. Definition:
Oneness theology, also known as Oneness Pentecostalism, teaches that God is absolutely one and
that the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus Christ. It emphasizes salvation through
Jesus Christ alone, encompassing faith in Him, repentance, water and Spirit baptism in Jesus'
name, and a life of holiness. This theology upholds the unity of God and rejects the doctrine of
the Trinity.
II. Core Belief:
God is a singular spirit who manifested in different ways throughout history—most fully in the
person of Jesus Christ.
III. Key Texts and Proponents:
David K. Bernard is a significant theologian and author in Oneness theology, particularly known
for his work, “The Oneness of God,” and “The New Birth.”
IV. Biblical foundation:
Heavy reliance on Scripture, with texts like Deuteronomy 6:4, I Timothy 3:16, John 10:30, and
Colossians 2:9.
V. Central Tenets of Oneness Theology
1. The Absolute Oneness of God (Monotheism): Oneness believers affirm the Shema from
Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
God is not divided into three persons; He is one indivisible being who revealed Himself in
different manifestations.
David A. Reed distinguished the Oneness view from the traditional view of the Trinity and from
traditional description of ancient modalism:
“The Oneness doctrine of God is distinguished from the classical Trinitarian doctrine primarily
in its insistence upon permitting no distinctions, especially Trinitarian ones, in the nature of God
as God exists apart from revelation. Since Oneness theologians hold to the monarchy and
transcendence of God, the basic theological principle is that the Three-In-One is a simply
dialectic of transcendence and immanence….
Oneness theology self-consciously teaches that in Christ we do encounter the real God.
Following Col. 2:9… the Oneness position is that the “fullness” of God is encountered in the one
person of Jesus Christ.” (David A. Reed, “In Jesusʼ Name”: The History and Beliefs of Oneness
Pentecostals (JPentTSup 31; Blandford Forum, U.K.: Deo, 2008), 256, 268.
2. Jesus Christ as the Fullness of God: Jesus is both fully God and fully human (Colossians
2:9): “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Jesus is the visible manifestation of
the invisible God (John 14:9).
3. Oneness theology holds that:
(i) As the Father: God is the Creator and sustainer of the universe.
(ii) As the Son: God became flesh to save humanity.
(iii) As the Holy Spirit: God works spiritually within believers and in the church today.
VI. Oneness View of the Godhead
1. Rejection of the Trinity: Oneness theology rejects the Trinitarian concept of three distinct co-
equal persons in one God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
It argues that Trinitarianism introduces a division into God's nature, which contradicts the strict
monotheism of the Bible.
2. Modalism vs. Oneness Doctrine: While Oneness theology shares similarities with Modalism
(the belief that God manifests in three successive modes, Sabellianism), it has distinct
differences:
Modalism implies that God switches between modes, but Oneness emphasizes that all of God’s
fullness is in Jesus Christ at all times.
The Oneness scholars defined their views on the Godhead as follows: ["Oneness-Trinitarian
Pentecostal Final Report, 2002-2007," Pneuma 30 (2008): 214-15; repr. in Pentecostalism and
Christian Unity, vol. 2: Continuing and Building Relationships (ed. Wolfgang Vondes Eugene,
Ore.: Pickwick, 2013).]
(a) “The Oneness Pentecostals stress that God is absolutely one (Isa 44:6, 8, 24) – that is, one
without distinction of persons. There are no distinctions in God’s eternal being, and the Godhead
does not consist of three centers of consciousness (as some Trinitarians hold). Moreover, in Jesus
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9).”
(b) “We affirm that God has revealed Himself as Father, in the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. The
one God can be described as Father, Word, or Holy Spirit before His incarnation as Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. While Jesus walked on earth as God Himself incarnate, the Spirit of God
continued to be omnipresent.”
(c) “We also affirm that the roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are necessary to God’s plan of
redemption for fallen humanity. In order to save us, God provided a sinless Man who could die
in our place the Son, in whose name we receive salvation (Acts 4:12). In foreordaining the plan
of salvation and begetting the Son, God is the Father. In working in our lives to transform and
empower us, applying salvation to us individually, God is the Holy Spirit. In sum, the titles of
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit describe God’s redemptive roles or works, but they do not indicate
three eternal persons in God, just as the incarnation does not indicate that God had eternally
preexistent flesh….”
(d) “In our understanding, all (whether Oneness or Trinitarian) who experience a genuine work
of God encounter one Spirit, not two or three. They do not experience three personalities when
they worship, nor do they receive three spirits, but they are in relationship with one personal
spirit being.”
VII. Christology in Oneness Theology
Jesus Christ is both fully divine and fully human. His dual nature is explained as:
1. Divine Nature: Jesus is God Himself—Jehovah in the flesh.
2. Human Nature: Jesus was born of a woman, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross.
3. Key Scripture: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) highlights the unity between the
divine and human aspects of Jesus.
Oneness Pentecostal described their christological views as follows: ["Oneness-Trinitarian
Pentecostal Final Report, 2002-2007," Pneuma 30 (2008): 215-16.]
(a) “We affirm the genuine and complete humanity of Jesus. Christ's humanity means that
everything we humans can say of ourselves, we can say of Jesus in his earthly life, except
for sin. Moreover, in every way that we relate to God, Jesus related to God, except that he
did not need to repent or be born again. Thus, when Jesus prayed, when he submitted his
will to the Father, and when he spoke about and to God, he simply acted in accordance
with his authentic, genuine humanity.”
(b) “We regard the terms "Father" and "Son" in the New Testament as serving to emphasize
the true humanity of Jesus, not to make distinctions within God's being. The title of
Father reminds us of God's transcendence, while the title of Son focuses on the
incarnation. Any attempt to identify two divine persons tends toward ditheism or
subordinationism. Moreover, in our view, defining the Son as a second divine person
results in two Sons-an eternal, divine Son who could not die and a temporal, human Son
who did die ”
(c) “Although we recognize both deity and humanity in Christ, it is impossible to separate
the two in him. Humanity and deity were inseparably joined in him. While there was a
distinction between the divine will and his human will, he always submitted the latter to
the former. Jesus was, and remains, the one God manifested in flesh.”
David A. Reed described Oneness Christology as follows:
“The Christology of Oneness Pentecostalism is a non-historical sectarian expression of Jewish
Christian theology. Its distinctive characteristics are a theology of the name of Jesus, a
christological model based on “dwelling” and the “Glory of God,” a zealous defense of the
monarchy and transcendence of God, and the affirmation of the full humanity of Jesus
reminiscent of the Antiochene and particularly Nestorian traditions.” (Reed, In Jesusʼ Name,
306.)
In making the identification of “Jewish Christian theology,” Reed relied on Daniélou’s threefold
classification of early Jewish believers in Jesus: (1) the Ebionites, who did not accept the deity of
Christ; (2) the Jerusalem church and its leaders, who implied the deity of Christ; and (3) people
such as Paul, who accepted the Jewish Scriptures and expressed their Christian beliefs in Jewish
forms but did not keep the Jewish law. 186 Reed concluded that Oneness Pentecostals are an
expression of the third category, as demonstrated by three characteristically Jewish Christian
themes: the name of God, the nature of God, and the presence of God as “dwelling.” (Reed, In
Jesusʼ Name, 233-36)
VIII. Salvation in Oneness Theology
1. New Birth Experience (John 3:3-5)
(a) Repentance: Acknowledging and turning away from sin.
(b) Water Baptism in Jesus' Name: Oneness believers insist that baptism must be done in the
name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), as opposed to the Trinitarian formula “in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
(c) Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Believers receive the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in
tongues (Acts 2:4).
2. Acts 2:38 as Formula for Salvation: Oneness theology emphasizes the importance of
following the plan laid out in Acts 2:38: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
3. The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is not a separate person but the Spirit of Jesus
Christ living within believers.
Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body, and one Spirit... one God and Father of all.”
The Holy Spirit empowers believers for holy living, worship, and service.
IX. Practical Implications of Oneness Doctrine
1. Worship and Prayer: All worship and prayer are directed toward Jesus Christ as the one true
God.
Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord
Jesus.”
2. Jesusʼ Name Baptism: Baptism is essential for salvation, and it must be performed by
invoking the name of Jesus, based on Acts 4:12: “There is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved.”
X. Scriptural Foundations of Oneness Doctrine
(a) Deuteronomy 6:4 – "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
(b) Isaiah 9:6 – "For unto us a child is born... and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
(c) John 14:9 – Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
(d) Colossians 2:9 – "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."
XI. Contributions to Christian Theology
Amos Yong offered "justification for engaging Oneness Pentecostal perspectives as equal
dialogue partners in the task of Christian theological reconstruction in the late modern world."
He explained that the "distinctive Oneness emphases served to reject what was perceived at the
turn of the [twentieth] century as tritheistic interpretations of the Trinity, on the one hand, and
both Arian and modern theological liberal rejections of the deity of Christ, on the other." He then
identified several ways in which Oneness theology makes valuable contributions to Christian
theology generally:
(a) It serves as a reminder that Christianity is truly monotheistic.
(b) It teaches a strong incarnational Christology, which upholds the deity of the historical Jesus.
(c) It makes an important contribution to global Christian theology by providing bridges for
Christian-Jewish and Christian-Muslim dialogue.
(Amos Yong, The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global
Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005), 204, 206, 227-28.)
XII. Contemporary Influence of Oneness Theology
(a) Denominations: United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) is the largest Oneness
organization globally.
(b) Global Spread: Oneness Pentecostalism has a significant presence in North America, Latin
America, Africa, and Asia.
Conclusion:
Oneness theology emphasizes the absolute oneness of God, with Jesus Christ being the full
manifestation of the Godhead. It promotes Jesus' name baptism and Spirit-filled living as the
keys to salvation.
The message of Oneness is rooted in the belief that all of God’s fullness dwells in Jesus Christ,
and the New Testament reveals the name of God as Jesus.