Not long ago I had inadvertently met a man that happened to be part of the UPC (United Pentecostal Church), or “Oneness” movement. Only I didn’t realize it right away. We had a lot in common. We both believed in the basic tenets of fundamental Christianity. Moreover, we are both “full gospel” believers. Meaning, that we both believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, divine healing, and that prophecy is for today. Where we parted ways was that he was a “Oneness” believer and I was a “Trinitarian” believer. I believe in “God in three persons. Blessed Trinity”.
In order to understand the difference, we first need to ask the question, exactly what makes up a “person” anyway? How do we determine what personality is? In my studies I’ve learned that there are three attributes of personality. I’ll give you the abridged version. They are intellect, sensibility and will. Simply put, I can think, I can feel, and I have a free will. I’m sharing this with you, so you’ll be able to recognize that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have individual personalities, while being one at the same time.
Oneness or “Jesus Only” believe that Jesus manifested himself as God on earth as the Son (Jesus). Jesus was Father or Jehovah in the Old Testament and God the Holy Spirit after his ascension. In other words, “Jesus only”, as opposed to three beings, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As a Trinitian, I believe the Bible teaches that there are three divine beings that are One. We can’t actually explain it. Because we can’t with our limited minds doesn’t mean it isn’t so. Paul says that “we look through a glass darkly” I Cor 13:12. Simply put, there are many things that we’re not going to understand, this side of glory.
In the beginning was The United Pentecostal Church. (Ok, I’m being facetious)
In 1945 the United Pentecostal Church merged with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church in St. Louis, MO. Which begs the question, does this mean prior to 1945 all those who received salvation from 1AD until 1945 weren’t truly saved because they didn’t have or adhere to this doctrine?
A few questions come to mind. Does the UPC consider all other denominations to be in error because they don’t follow the guidelines of the UPC denomination? Even though millions received Christ, and maybe God forbid, got baptized in the name of “the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost”, does that preclude them from entering Heaven? Will one who receives Christ as Lord and Savior not attain salvation if they’re not water baptized?
Now let’s look at a few scriptures and see if they support the “Oneness” doctrine or the “Trinitarian” point of view.. They’re quick to point out that the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, but the word “Godhead” is. Col 2:9 ” The word “rapture” isn’t either, but it says, “we who are alive and remaining will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.” I Thess 4:17.
John 1;1-3. “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
The fact that it states in vs 2 That “He was in the beginning with God.” The Word was “with” God indicates that another being was present. No?
In John 14:9 King James Version 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
The UPC interprets this to mean, “see, Jesus is plainly stating that He and God are the same person”. No, that’s taking it out of context. The point Jesus was making is that He is the perfect representation of God the Father. His thoughts, his feelings, and his actions were exactly that of God the Father.
The “Jesus only” crowd lifts John 10:30 “I and the Father are one” verse out of context to attempt to prove their point. Now let’s look at it in context.
John 10:14-25 “14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all [c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (bold, mine) Doesn’t it make better sense in context?
However, it’s not like saying “he’s a chip off the old block.” A phrase that means a son resembles their father in character or appearance. But with Jesus it was much more. No earthly son is the exact carbon copy of their father, but Jesus is. And this was his point!
Understand, one main revelation throughout all four gospels was to show the reader that Jesus is God and that he is the Son of God. During the time of Christ no one was sure. The Jews weren’t sure. The Scribes and Pharisees weren’t sure. Not even the disciples were sure. And it wasn’t until Peter made the proclamation when Jesus asked the question, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” Observe below.
Matt 16:13-17 “13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ “.
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (bold and underline, mine)
Three individual wills
Jesus and the Father had two separate wills. For that matter, the Holy Spirit had a will too. Jesus said “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 Observe, it is implied that He could speak on his own accord, but Jesus tells them that he will not. If he could, wouldn’t that indicate that he has a will too?
John 6:38-46 King James Version. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.
Jesus clearly has a will, and the Father has a will is further evidenced with this passage of scripture; “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42. Again, one being does not have two wills.
Jesus prays for his disciples. John 17:6-26. It’s too much scripture to put down here but consider this. Jesus is on earth praying to his Father who is in Heaven. Is Jesus praying to himself? Is Jesus putting on show for his disciples? Was it just a soliloquy? No! No! No! Clearly, he is praying to another being. That being is God the Father.
The pronouns in Genesis
Gen 1:26 “26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” See “us” and “our”? If it’s “Jesus only”, why the pronouns? Some other scriptures are, Gen 3:22, 11:7, Ps 2:7, 104:30, 110:1.
The Baptism of Jesus
Matt 3:16-17. I haven’t yet found a “Jesus only” believer that can explain this passage away.
“16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Observe, you have Jesus the Son being baptized. You have the Father speaking from Heaven. And you have the Holy Spirit “descending upon him like a dove”. Now I’m no mathematician, but 1+1+1=3. Or was it some kind of magic trick?
Not beside himself
Rom 8:34 ” Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” NIV (bold mine)
Jesus is now at the right hand of God. He is interceding for us. I John 1:9 tells us that he is our advocate.
Show of holiness
The UPC believes that the true follower of Christ should live a holy life. As do I, but there are some differences.
I do agree that scripture teaches that we are to be holy in our conduct, conversation and appearance. Holiness means to be separate from the world and set apart for the work of the Lord. Scripture states it plainly, “Be holy for I am holy.” I Peter 1:15. Moreover, we should act prudently, speak correctly and dress modestly. Where I part with the UPC is that I don’t believe a denomination should determine what a Christian man or a Christian woman should look like on the outside. I’m of the belief that if you’re truly being led by the Holy Spirit, you’ll know what appropriate dress is and what is not. If you are sensitive to His leading. Holiness on the inside will manifest itself on the outside. However, the reverse may not be true. If it’s just in outer appearance, Jesus would have not rebuked the religious leaders during his incarnation. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matt 23:27-28
UPC believes in modesty. I do too. Only, they demand adherence to their rules of what a Christian man and Christian woman should look like. For example, women cannot wear slacks, cut their hair, wear makeup, or wear jewelry. And dress hemlines should be below the knee. Men are to wear dress shirts with sleeves to the elbows. Additionally, men are advised that their hair should not cover the tops of their ears or touch the shirt collar and should not wear jewelry.
On a side note, the UPC man that I met seemed to have a few noticeable character flaws. But I won’t go into them. I’m not judging. I have fleshly things I deal within myself every single day. My point is simply that dressing holy has zero effect on the heart. Actually it can foster a spirit of pride. In short, a false sense of spiritual superiority. Which in and of itself is ungodly.
Here are a few things that I’ve learned along the way
1) It’s much easier to follow a list of religious rules than it is to listen to the Spirit of God and submit to His direction.
2) Never confuse cultural traditions with Bible doctrine.
3) Traditions are dependent on the cultural norms of a particular time period.
4) In order to study the Bible properly, one must make use of sound hermeneutics (rules of interpretation).
Briefly,
a) the historical context,
b) the cultural context,
c) who was it written to?
d) what type of scripture is it?
e) why did the author write it (what was the intent)? There are others, but for the sake of time, I’ll stop here.
Observe, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16. I’m not going to cut and paste all this scripture, but here are a few main points. Feel free to read it all for yourself.
1) “we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.”. Other versions translate “customs” as “traditions”. You have to take into consideration the culture of that time period. And that Paul is referring to the customs in that time period. The overall point here is that certain behaviors and dress could give the wrong impression. In the case of ancient Corinth, a woman’s uncovered head was interpreted as a sign of sexual availability, prostitution, and/or idolatry.
Some questions to consider. Why does the UPC only select certain traditions and not all of them? Why don’t UPC women have their heads covered? That’s in the Bible! Why don’t men sit on one side of the church and the women on the other? That’s in the Bible! Why are women allowed to talk in church, let alone performing up on stage in the worship team? Doesn’t the Bible say they should keep silent? (I Cor 14:34) Where does it say in the Bible that women should only wear dresses or skirts and that they should be below their knees? Who gets to decide the “Holiness” dress code? It seems to me that the UPC is taking the place of the Holy Spirit (or Jesus in their case) of what outer holiness looks like. Hence, you have a cookie cutter mold of the outer appearance of a “holy” woman and a man. Just because they dress that way doesn’t necessarily mean they are “holy” of heart. Are you not straining at gnats? (Matt 23:24)
“Twice in the Bible, braided hair is seemingly spurned. First, Peter instructs, “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear” (1 Peter 3:3–4). Second, the apostle Paul tells his co-missionary Timothy to convey to his church members “that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire” (1 Timothy 2:9). At first glance, these verses (only partially quoted here) appear to admonish against specific hair and clothing styles, but, when taken in context, they instead refer to bigger topics: humility and modesty.”
Again, holiness comes from the inside. If a man or woman is going after Holiness that should be reflected in their appearance. They don’t need a church denomination to tell them what they should look like on the outside. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job!
Lastly, let me refer you to Phil 3:1-4. Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.”
Paul was referring to “Judaizers”. Those who taught observance to the law and that circumcision was necessary for salvation. They constantly sought to sabotage his gospel of free grace. Hence, like my “Oneness” friends, they add to the gospel. How so, you ask?
1.They require water baptism as a requisite for salvation. Yes, we are commanded to be water baptized, but it’s not a requirement of Salvation. It’s an outer, public confession, of what has taken place on the inside.
What about the following possible scenario. A guy receives Christ in the morning service, but on the way to the baptism ceremony that night he gets hit by a truck and dies. Does he still get into Heaven? And how about the thief on the cross? He wasn’t water baptized, yet Jesus assures him that he will be that day with him in paradise.
2. If you don’t conform to the rules that the UPC church has established, well, frankly, you’re not welcome there.
3. Oneness believers foster a sense of spiritual superiority because they think that they are holier than the rest of us. I believe that’s called pride. And we know how God feels about pride, right?
4. The UPC believes that their church’s doctrine is analogous with the gospel. They literally have a “check list”, and if one or more of those boxes isn’t checked off; sorry but you’re out!
Conclusion
They actually have more in common with a traditional cult than they do with fundamental Christianity.
It would seem that the UPC is saying to the rest of us, that it’s our church only. And that, my friends, is just wrong.