Oneness Pentecostals claim that the Godhead (the state of being God) consists of only one Person who has simply manifested Himself in various ways and with different identities (as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). What does the Bible teach about the composition of the Godhead?

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all referred to as "God" in the Scriptures (John 6:25; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:3-4). All of the attributes of being God are found in each One. That is to say, each One is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, eternal, etc.

However, each One also displays a personality. Personality is defined as "the quality or fact of being a particular person; personal identity, individuality" (Webster’s New World College Dictionary). All three display the qualities of being an individual. The Father wills (Matt. 7:21), speaks (Matt. 3:17), works (John 5:17), knows (Mark 13:32), sees (Matt. 6:6), hears (John 11:41), etc. The Son wills (John 5:21), works (John 5:17), knows (John 10:14), judges (John 5:22), reveals (Luke 10:22), etc. The Holy Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11), knows (1 Cor. 2:10-11), reveals (John 16:13), speaks (1 Tim. 4:1), appoints (Acts 20:28), etc.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate and distinct personalities. The Godhead is composed of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (that is, all three are identified as God). Therefore, the Godhead is composed of three separate and distinct persons.

A plurality of individuals being referred to as "one" is not unheard of in the Scriptures. Jesus prayed that all believers would be "one" (John 17:20-21). Paul said that members of a local church are "one" (1 Cor. 12:12-13). He also said that a husband and wife become "one" (Ephesians 5:31). Are we to understand that all believers give up their individuality? Do all members of a local church cease being individuals? When we look at a married couple, do we see one person or two? There is a sense in which these people are one, yet they are still individuals with their own personalities. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one, but they are not one person. They are separate persons within the one Godhead.

Deuteronomy 6:4 is sometimes quoted as proof that there is only one person in the Godhead: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" However, the purpose of this verse is not to deny a plurality of persons in the Godhead. The Hebrew word for "God" is itself a plural or group term, stating plainly that the Lord Jehovah is a plural being. The context of this verse shows that the children of Israel were being warned against adopting the gods of the nations that they are going in to possess: "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you." (verse 14). Israel had only one God. Their devotion was not to be shared with a plurality of different gods like the pagans around them. Anytime a verse is used to prove there is one person in the Godhead, look at the context and see if it isn't warning against idolatry.

Anyone can grab a few verses and attempt to make the Bible teach just about anything. However, if that teaching contradicts the obvious meaning of plain passages of Scripture, it must be rejected as false. Next week, we will show you a few of the many passages that contradict the Oneness doctrine.

Oneness Pentecostals claim that the Godhead consists of only one Person whom the Bible sometimes identifies as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Last week we showed that the Godhead consists of three different individuals with their own personalities. This week we will consider how the Oneness doctrine contradicts some plain passages of Scripture.

The Bible begins with an affirmation of the plurality of the Godhead. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). The word "God" in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word ELOHIM, the plural form of ELOAH, which is the Hebrew word for "God." The fact that this noun is in the plural tense is confirmed by the pronouns used for it later in the chapter. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). Again, after the fall of man, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us" (Gen. 3:22). Why would this word for God be in the plural tense? Why would God use plural pronouns when referring to Himself? Logic tells us that there was more than one person present within the Godhead.

The three persons of the Godhead were present and active at the baptism of Jesus. "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: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16-17). If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the same person, as Oneness doctrine says, then I have one question: Where was He on this occasion? Was He really on earth throwing His voice back into heaven, or really in heaven projecting a false image upon the earth? Either way He was deceiving John by making him believe He was in both places.

"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32). Only the Father knows when the Second Coming will be. The Son does not. How would this be possible if the Father and the Son are the same person? Is there anything that you don't know but also happen to know? Does that make sense to you? That’s the reasoning of the Oneness doctrine.

"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46). If the Father and the Son are the same person, then here we have Jesus saying to Himself that He commends Himself to Himself. This doesn't make sense, does it? Thus we see the dilemma of the Oneness doctrine.

"It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me" (John 8:17-18). Jesus is appealing to the statement in the law that two witnesses are necessary in order to support a fact. He then says that His two witnesses are Himself and His Father. Yet, if Jesus is His Father, then He doesn't have two witnesses, He only has one.

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55). How many individuals did Stephen see when he looked into heaven? If Oneness doctrine is correct, he should have seen only one, but he didn't.

The passages we have considered in this short article could be multiplied, but these will suffice. The Bible teaches that the Godhead consists of three persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We may not understand everything about God, but our failure to understand does not give us the right to support a doctrine that calls the integrity of the Son of God and the logic of the Scriptures into question.

The Kingdom of God is a confusing subject to many people. This confusion should come to us as no surprise. The Lord's own disciples often expressed their confusion and misunderstanding about the nature of the kingdom.

In order to identify what the Kingdom of God is, we need to understand what a kingdom is. The word "kingdom" has reference to the territory or people over whom a king reigns. It is the extent of a king's reign. Thus, the Kingdom of God is defined by the things over which God reigns.

In a broad sense, the Kingdom of God has always existed and includes all of creation. "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations" (Psalm 145:13). "The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all" (Psalm 103:19).

However, the world, as a whole, has rejected the rule of God. So, in a more specific sense, the Kingdom of God refers to those who acknowledge God as their King and submit to His rule in their lives. In this sense, the Kingdom of God is not identified as a physical territory, but as a people. Notice what Jesus says about the nature of the Kingdom: "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21, emphasis mine).

The Kingdom and the Church. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus used the terms "church" and "kingdom" interchangeably. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Jesus promised to give Peter the keys to what He would build. It is evident that Jesus is speaking to Peter of only one institution, not two. Thus, the church is the kingdom.

The word church is translated from the Greek word EKKLESIA, which literally means "called out". The church is made up of those who have been called out from the world. Those in the church have separated themselves from the rebellious, sinful world around them by submitting to the reign of Christ as their King. "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). In this sense, the church is identified as the Kingdom of God.

Some preach that Jesus was unable to establish His Kingdom when He came to earth 2,000 years ago. They anxiously await its appearance at His return. In the next two articles, we will show that the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish was established in the first century and is present in the world today.

In last week's article we showed that the Kingdom of God is not a physical territory, but the body of people who have submitted to the reign of God in their lives. We also showed that the church is identified as the Kingdom. This week we will notice that the Bible tells us exactly when the Kingdom was established.

Daniel chapter two records the interpretation of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream. In his dream, the king saw a great image with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, and feet of iron and clay. He watched as a stone struck the image on the feet and brought it crashing down. The stone then became a great mountain that filled the whole earth (vs. 31-35).

In his interpretation, Daniel said the image represented four earthly kingdoms that would succeed each other in dominating the world. Daniel identified the head of gold as Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon (v. 38). Although Daniel did not identify the kingdoms represented by silver, bronze and iron/clay, scholars have almost universally understood them to be the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires.

Concerning this fourth kingdom, Daniel says, "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (v. 44). So, according to this prophecy, God would establish a Kingdom that will stand forever during the days of the Roman Empire.

Jesus' earthly ministry took place during the Roman Empire. On one occasion He told a crowd, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power" (Mark 9:1). According to Jesus, the Kingdom would come during the lifetime of those individuals who were present on that occasion.

Notice that Jesus said the Kingdom would come with power. After His resurrection, His apostles asked a question concerning the establishment of the Kingdom. He replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8). Jesus told the apostles that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Acts 2:1-4 we read of the apostles receiving the Holy Spirit. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the first gospel sermon and the church was established as 3,000 responded in baptism (v. 41). In his preaching, Peter used the keys to the Kingdom that the Lord had promised him (Matthew 16:19), thus establishing the Kingdom. This certainly fits the time frame set by both Daniel and Jesus.

Some believe that Christ has yet to establish His Kingdom, that He will accomplish this upon His return. On the contrary, the Bible clearly shows that the Kingdom was established on the first Pentecost after the Lord's resurrection. To teach otherwise makes Daniel and Jesus false prophets.

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