I would like to thank Apolonio, my brother in Christ, for having this debate with me and for establishing the excellent format that we will be following throughout our discussion.

With that said, I will be affirming the position that God is absolutely and indivisibly one. As a result, I will also be refuting the belief that there are three persons in one God.

I would like to begin by recognizing areas of agreement and disagreements between the Trinitarians and Oneness believers. I am doing so to demonstrate that our differences are not merely over semantics, but over concepts.

Both Oneness and Trinitarian theologians agree that the Bible teaches the existence of only one God; both agree that the New Testament makes a distinction between the Father, Son, and Spirit; both views maintain that the Scripture speaks of Father, Son, and Spirit as God. The question that both Oneness and Trinitarians seeks to answer, then, is how to understand God as being one, and yet account for the Scriptural distinctions.

Oneness and Trinitarian theology both attempt to explain these distinctions, but do so from different starting points, and end up with two different conclusions. Oneness theology starts with the clear teaching of the Old Testament (OT) that God is one, and understands the New Testament (NT) distinctions between Father, Son, and Spirit in light of this foundational OT teaching. Trinitarians start with the NT distinctions between Father, Son, and Spirit, and understand the OT assertions that God is one in light of these. The result is that Oneness theologians understand the distinctions as arising in the incarnation, while Trinitarians understand the distinctions as being eternal distinctions of divine persons in the Godhead both prior to, and after the incarnation.

The question before us, then, is what model or starting point does the most justice to the Biblical data? While every theological position has its own difficulties, which of these positions more adequately preserves Biblical monotheism, while at the same time accounting for and explaining the distinctions we find in the NT?

I am fully persuaded that the Oneness view best represents the biblical portrait of the Godhead and will demonstrate this by establishing the following statements:

1) The Old Testament affirms the numerical oneness of God.

2) The New Testament affirms the numerical oneness of God.

3) The New Testament distinctions between the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are a result of the incarnation that occurred in time and not from an eternal distinction of persons or plurality in the Godhead.

The following Old Testament passages affirm the numerical oneness of God:

From these passages we can clearly see that God has declared Himself to be one; that there is no god besides Him; that He alone is God, that He alone is our savior; that there was no god before Him nor will there be any formed after Him; and that he will not give His glory to another. Furthermore, he is referred to repeatedly in the OT as the "Holy One". We never read about a "the holy two," "the holy three," or "the holy many."

If God is not claiming that he is absolutely one here, then what stronger language would one suggest to convey this? Why would God be so emphatic about oneness, if in reality he were three persons? Would not these passages of scripture be misleading?

The following statements further validate this point:

"When we think about it, we will realize that God used the strongest possible language available to describe absolute oneness. In the preceding verses of Scripture in Isaiah, we note the use of words and phrases such as "none, none else, none like me, none beside me, alone, by myself," and "one." Surely, God could not make it plainer that no plurality whatsoever exists in the Godhead. In short, the Old Testament affirms that God is absolutely one in number." (David Bernard – The Oneness of God, p. 19-20)

"What does the Old Testament tell us of God? It tells us there is one God, a wonderful God of life and love and righteousness and power and glory and mystery, who is the creator and lord of the whole universe, who is intensely concerned with the tiny people of Israel. It tells us of His Word, Wisdom, Spirit, of the Messiah He will send, of a Son of Man and a Suffering Servant to come. But it tells us nothing explicitly or by necessary implication of a Triune God. There is no evidence that any sacred writer even suspected the existence of a trinity within the Godhead. Even to see in the Old Testament, suggestions or fore-shadowings or veiled signs of the trinity of persons, is to go beyond the words and intent of the sacred writers." (Edmund Fortman - The Triune God, p 6)

"The doctrine of the holy trinity is not taught in the Old Testament." (New Catholic Encyclopedia)

"This sublime pronouncement of absolute monotheism was a declaration of war against all polytheism . . . In the same way, the Shema excludes the trinity of the Christian creed as a violation of the Unity of God" (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, J. H. Hertz, 1941, Vol. 1, p. 215).

Having demonstrated that the Old Testament defines God as strictly monotheistic, let us turn to the New Testament and discover the same.

So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." Mark 10:18

Jesus answered, "The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." - Mark 12:29

Lest there be any misunderstanding as to what the word "one" in this great passage means, let us continue with the response from the scribe whom Jesus was addressing:

So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other besides Him." – Mark 12:32

Please note the scribe agreed with the words of Jesus by restating that God is one and that there is no other besides Him. Any attempt to make the word "one" to mean "one in unity" instead of one "numerically" is futile in light of Jesus follow up reply to the scribe:

Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." – Mark 12:32 & 34

Once again, if God is defined as a plurality of persons, then Jesus has passed up an excellent opportunity to reveal this "new truth" to the scribe. What we find instead is Jesus agreeing completely with his words about a strict monotheistic God of Israel.

Before moving on to my next point, I will provide a brief listing of other New Testament passages that affirm the numerical oneness of God:

"since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith." – Romans 3:30

"there is no God but one." – I Corinthians 4:8

"Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one." – Galations 3:20

"You believe that there is one God. You do well" – James 2:19

"But you have been anointed by the Holy One" – I John 2:20

In I Timothy 3:16, the Apostle Paul tells us that there is a great mystery concerning the revelation of God. Trinitarians would tell us that the doctrine of the Trinity is a profound mystery that is beyond our comprehension. In fact, according to them, humanity cannot understand the nature of God. There is a now famous saying that goes something like this, "trying to understand the Trinity can make one lose their mind, while denying it will make you lose your soul."

David Bernard speaks to this issue wisely by stating:

Certainly our finite minds cannot understand all there is to know about God, but we can understand the simple truth that there is one God. God may transcend human logic, but He never contradicts true logic, nor is He illogical. He emphasizes His oneness so strongly in the Bible that He has dispelled any possible confusion or mystery on this issue. (The Oneness of God – p.289)

The question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not the Bible tells us that the nature of the Godhead is so mysterious that we cannot grasp it in this lifetime, but only in eternity. If this is so, then we should expect to find scriptural support for this theory, but the exact opposite is true. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:20 that God has revealed His nature or the Godhead to all of humanity and that we are accountable to Him for this knowledge.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (New American Standard)

The New King James version renders this verse as:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

If the nature of the Godhead is clearly revealed to us, as Romans 1:20 indicates, then what is this profound mystery that Trinitarians use as a catch-all in defending their incomprehensible plurality of persons concept? What was the Apostle Paul referring to when his spoke of this great mystery? I believe the Scriptures give us a clear answer.

By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. (I Timothy 3:16) (NASB)

The New King James, based upon the Textus Receptus Greek manuscript, reads as follows:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

In addition to this text, Paul closes the book of Romans by telling us that us God has indeed revealed the mystery and it is no longer a secret. In fact it has been made known to all the nations.

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,

but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

Once again, I must ask how much clearer the great apostle could have stated that the mystery hidden from the ages has been revealed in Christ. It is not the mystery of the man-made doctrine of a co-equal, co-eternal triad of persons in the Godhead. The great mystery is the glorious incarnation of Christ. It is the profound teaching that the God of Heaven, the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob clothed Himself in human flesh and walked among us. The great mystery is revealed to us in the life, death & resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only true mystery about the Godhead is how God could come in the flesh, how Jesus could be both God and human.

But what about the Father and the Spirit, you say? Are they not a part of this mystery too? Why all the focus on the Son? The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are biblical revelations made known to us only after the incarnation. Before the birth of Christ, such concepts are foreign to the Scriptures.

The proper starting place to build a foundation for a correct biblical understanding of any doctrine is with the Old Testament. While it is almost universally accepted that the New Testament provides us with a greater understanding of who God is and what His purpose is for humanity, we cannot properly comprehend the incarnation aside from the Old Testament. God’s revelation is progressive throughout the Scripture; however, this revelation is economical as opposed to ontological. By this we mean that God has chosen to reveal Himself in this way on behalf of humanity, not due to eternal distinctions in His nature or essence. God’s economic or experiential revelation is made know to us progressively from the Old Testament to the New in His role and function in the affairs of men.

Perhaps Paul states this best in his letter to the Galations:

So we see that the Law or Old Testament serves a purpose in our understanding of the New Testament revelation of God in Christ. We can now see that it was not a "trinity" that was concealed in the Old Testament, but rather the coming Messiah and our justification by faith in Him. These distinctions arise from the incarnation itself and not from eternity past as Trinitarians would have us to believe.

Peter also alluded to this when he wrote:

Here again we see that the focus is upon God’s relationship with us in Christ and His future revelation. That which the prophets made "careful searches and inquiries" about and that which the angels "long to look" upon is not the mystery of a triune God, but rather the salvation of God’s people through Jesus Christ.

As stated previously, our understanding of God as our Father is revealed to us in the New Testament as a result of the incarnation. Before the birth of Christ, the people of Israel did not understand God as their father except in the sense that He created all things. In fact, even as late as the 1^st century AD, the religious leaders of Israel referred to Abraham as their father, not God or Yahweh (Matthew 3:19, John 8:39).

We must also ask why, if God is eternally Father, is He never called "God the Father" until the NT? It seems strange that we never read of Father and Son until the NT when God actually fathered a son. While "Father" appears approximately a dozen times in the OT it is used in quite a different sense than it is in the NT. Father and Son are relational terms used in the context of begetting a child. Did not God beget a child? Yes, at the time of the incarnation.

The NT also shows us that God is our father by our adoption in Christ. We call Him "Abba, Father" because the Lord Jesus Christ has reconciled us to the Father (Romans 8:15, Galations 4:6). This expression or title is not found in the Old Testament.

Over 40 times in the New Testament we read about the "Son of God", never once do we read about "God the Son". Along with the word "trinity", both are man-made terms coined by Trinitarians to define their particular theological viewpoint. "Son of God" may refer to the human nature or it may refer to God manifested in flesh—that is, deity in the human nature, but never to deity alone. The Bible never speaks of "God the Son," as if Sonship were eternally inherent in the Deity, but only of "the Son of God." The Bible describes the Son in terms that could only relate to humanity, not deity existing alone. For example, the Son of God was crucified and the Son died (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 6:6). Therefore, the Son of God is not a distinct person in the Godhead but the physical expression of the one God as the writer of Hebrews so beautifully states:

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. (Hebrews 1:3 - NIV)

We discover this same truth in Colossians 2:9:

"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." – (NASB)

What about the Son of God in the Old Testament? Can we find an eternal Son there? The only mention of Christ in the OT is from a prophetical standpoint. By this I mean that all the reference to Him in the OT are concerning His future arrival as a baby born in Bethlehem, the suffering servant, the conquering king and many other messianic fulfillments of prophecy. We never read about a pre-existing Son of God in the pages of the Old Covenant.

It may not be exclusive proof that since the Son only appears in Scripture after the incarnation that it means the Son is bound up in the incarnation, but the lack of the Son anywhere else prior to the incarnation argues strongly against the position of an eternal Son. This argument, however, is bolstered by the fact that God is never called "God the Father" or "Father" (in the NT sense at least) until after the incarnation, apparently because He was not a father in the NT sense of the word until the incarnation (Heb 1:5).

What does the Bible say about the origin of the Son of God? While the deity in Christ is eternal in that God was in Christ or as Jesus said, "the Father is in me" (John 14:11), the Son of God, which refers to His humanity or the deity made flesh, was begotten in time when He was born of the Virgin Mary.

"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Galatians 4:4).

The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

Notice that Luke says "and for that reason" the child "shall be" called the Son of God. The divine Spirit who dwelt within Him was eternal and yet the Son of God was literally born in time in Bethlehem’s manger.

The Spirit is mentioned over 200 times in the OT, and never once is it understood to refer to a distinct person from God, but rather to refer to a distinct aspect of God's person, or the nature of God Himself. "Spirit of the LORD" appears twenty-six times and never once indicates a distinct person from the LORD.

For nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person. Mention is often made of the Spirit of the Lord, but there is nothing to show that the Spirit was viewed as distinct from Jahweh Himself. The term is always employed to signify God considered in His working, whether in the universe or in the soul of man. (The Catholic Encyclopedia) (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm)

The Old Testament portrays the Spirit as God in action. Genesis 1:2 is an awesome portrait of this very concept.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2 - KJV)

Other passages in the Old Testament reveal this same truth:

And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. (Judges 13:25 - KJV)

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19 - KJV)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1 - KJV)

The Spirit of God is indeed God in action.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

What about the New Testament? Doesn’t it teach that the Holy Spirit is a third person with a distinct personality and will? Once again, let us examine the Trinitarian concept of the Spirit. They teach that God is three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal persons in one God or essence. If this is so, then how do we account for the overwhelming lack of NT scriptural support that the Holy Spirit is a co-equal person with the Father and the Son?

If the Holy Spirit is a co-equal person in a triad Godhead, then why is He so often left out of the passages that mention both the Father and the Son? For instance, let’s examine the epistles written by the Apostle Paul who wrote nearly one-half of the NT.

In each of these letters written to the 1^st century Christians, the writer opens with a greeting and salutation that includes a blessing to them from God. In the thirteen letters attributed to Paul, we discover he leaves the Holy Spirit out of his opening salutations every single time.

Allow me to demonstrate:

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 1:3)

Paul, an apostle— not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:1-5)

To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Tim. 1:2)

For the sake of time and space, I will not include all 13 opening salutations. The reader can look these up anytime and confirm this to be true.

If the New Testament contains the great revelation of God in three persons, then why does the man who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write 13 of the 27 books leave the Holy Spirit out of all 13 of his opening salutations and blessings? Why does he only mention the Father and the Son? If the Holy Spirit is a distinct, co-equal person from the Father and the Son, then why doesn’t the most profound writer of the NT include Him in these passages? The answer should be obvious to all.

The real challenge before us is to identify who the Holy Spirit is according to the New Testament. Is the Holy Spirit and "it" or a "he"? Is the Holy Spirit a "person" or a "force"? Is the Holy Spirit a co-equal partner in the trinity or just a silent partner? Let’s find out.

Acts 5:3-4, 20:23-28, & 21:11 along with I Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19 affirm that the Holy Spirit is God and not an impersonal force like some groups would have us believe. So if the Holy Spirit is God Himself, why use the term "Holy Spirit" at all? Why not just say "God"? The reason is that it emphasizes a particular aspect of God. It emphasizes that He who is a holy, omnipresent, and invisible Spirit works among all people everywhere and can fill the hearts of people. When we speak of the Holy Spirit, we are reminding ourselves of God’s invisible work among humans and of His ability to anoint, baptize, fill, and dwell in human lives.

If the Holy Spirit has been shown to be one with the Father, that is, not a distinct person from the Father, then what about the Son? Are the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ two distinct beings? Not according to the Bible.

The Spirit is revealed and received through the name Jesus. He is not a different person with a different identity who comes in another name. Jesus said, "The Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name . . ." (John 14:26). So the Holy Spirit comes in the name of Jesus.

Furthermore, it must be noted that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus as John 14:18 declares. . .

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Jesus was not sending a third person of a trinity to comfort His disciples. He would be their comforter as the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19) and the Spirit of the Son (Galatians 4:6). II Corinthians 3:17 says of the one Spirit, "Now the Lord is that Spirit." In short, the Spirit that is resident in Jesus Christ is none other than the Holy Spirit. The Spirit in the Son is the Holy Spirit.

Below are some parallel verses of Scripture that further reveal that the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit.

1. The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of old (I Peter 1:10-11), yet we know the Holy Ghost moved on them (II Peter 1:21).

2. Jesus will raise the believer from death (John 6:40), yet the Spirit will quicken (give life to) the dead (Romans 8:11).

3. The Spirit raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:9-11), yet Jesus said He would raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19-21).

4. John 14:16 says the Father would send another Comforter, namely the Holy Ghost, yet in John 14:18 Jesus said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

In other words, the other Comforter is Jesus in another form—in the Spirit rather than the flesh. Jesus explained this in verse 17, saying that the Comforter was with the disciples already, but He would soon be in them. In other words, the Holy Spirit was with them in the person of Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, soon would be in them.

Jesus further explained this point in John 16:7, saying that He had to go away or else the Comforter would not come. Why? As long as Jesus was present with them in the flesh He would not be present spiritually in their hearts, but after He physically departed He would send back His own Spirit to be with them.

5. The Holy Spirit abides in the hearts of Christians (John 14:16), yet Jesus promised that He would abide with His followers to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Similarly, believers are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4, 38), yet it is Christ who dwells in us (Colossians 1:27).

6. Ephesians 3:16-17 says that by having the Spirit in the inner person we have Christ in our hearts.

7. Christ sanctifies the church (Ephesians 5:26), yet the Spirit does (I Peter 1:2).

8. The Holy Spirit is the promised parakletos in John 14:26, yet Jesus is our parakletos in I John 2:1. We should note that the same human writer, the apostle John, penned both of these verses, so presumably he was aware of the parallel.

9. The Spirit is our intercessor (Romans 8:26), yet Jesus is our intercessor (Hebrews 7:25).

10. The Holy Spirit will give us words to say in times of persecution (Mark 13:11), yet Jesus said He would do so (Luke 21:15).

11. In Acts 16:6-7, the NASB, NRSV & NIV all equate the Holy Spirit with the Spirit of Jesus.

Conclusion

In closing, we have discovered that Trinitarians and Oneness believers share many similar beliefs about the nature of God or the Godhead and yet there are legitimate differences of concepts that go beyond mere semantics.

We agree that the Bible teaches that there is only one God. We agree that the New Testament makes a distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also agree that the Bible speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as God.