I have a lot of respect for the top Oneness Pentacostal theologian of our day, Dr. David K Bernard. In fact, God used this man's book to reveal more of Himself to me, to the point of my re-baptism. I don't say this lightly. I have loved Jesus since I was little. I have always known Him and knew He was God's Son. This is my journey in how God made sure I didn't fall into the false religion of Arianism without even knowing it in the Trinitarian movement.
It all started with being afraid that I could sin against the Holy Spirit. I already accepted Jesus as Lord into my life, so this is actually impossible. This stern warning was only addressed to unbelievers who rejected Christ. There is no unforgivable sin for the Christian (the person who has trusted by faith in Christ as Savior). However, my theology, to my humbleness, was still somewhat skewed with the Godhead. I would always seperate God and Jesus. I knew God as the Father and Jesus as the Son. This is great you might say, but when it came to the Holy Spirit, I was literally in tears and the most broken place of my life, calling out to God, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" I knew that I received God's Holy Spirit, because I accepted Christ, but I didn't understand the theology of the Godhead properly, which eventually led to my re-baptism, of which I will never regret.
I don't pretend to know everything about the Godhead, and neither should you. No Oneness theologian, nor Trinitarian can fully accurately explain the Godhead. I believe both have enough light shed from the Holy Spirit to be saved. Oneness Pentacostals, DO NOT- in my major disagreement with Blue Letter Bible and Got Questions, deny the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a lie. Don't read small excerpts to come to this conclusion, read Dr. Bernard's book, "The Oneness of God" to back up my claims. Oneness Pentacostals uplift the diety of Christ and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the most out of any denominiation I know of. They are not false Christians.
---Back to me, crying out to who the Holy Spirit was, Jesus showed me He is God. God is one. I had accidentally due to my Trinitarian upbringing, compartmentalized The Father and Son as seperate and Jesus as lesser than the Father. I read, "The Oneness of God" and though I am not a Oneness Pentacostal, and completely disagree you have to baptize in Jesus Name Only (as Jesus Himself said baptize in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) I highly respect this denominiation. If it was NOT for this denomination, I would have NEVER come to the conclusion up to that point in my 30's in Florida, that God was One. Deut 6 :4, Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is One Lord.
I finally understood God was fully One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even Trinitarians, who don't accept God is 3 different persons (I've actually heard persons isnt the best theological term as its caused much confusion) have a sense of Oneness. The Bible emphatically teaches that the One God, Yaweh, is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I got re-baptized when I was pregnant with my fourth child-- as this revelation came to me after much agony, prayer, crying out to God, and sickness, in trying to understand the Godhead.
----God delivered and God told me since I came to a proper understanding of who He was, I was to get re-baptized, I actually got re-baptized in my godly, Trinitarian church, in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Jesus commanded. However, my understanding was correct. I knew the Father was God, the Son was God, and the Holy Spirit was God---and God is One.
"The Word was with God and the Word was God." Jesus is the Word, that was with God and that is God.
I can't explain it fully, and neither can you. I am fine with that.
I believe Trinitarians and Oneness Pentacostals are saved.
I believe this because they fully acknowledge the diety of Christ, that He is Yaweh, that He came in the flesh, died on the cross for the world's sin, rose 3 days later, and saves all who put their faith in Him as Savior and Lord.
----Further, the one verse that completed my confidence in my salvation and re-baptism was when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I Am!" and later He said, "If you do not believe that "I AM" you will surely die in your sins.
I do believe you must understand Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, or you need to get re-baptized.
I also fully believe if you know Jesus, He will reveal that He is the Father. He and the Father are One. This is truly One and the same, not just like a marriage.
As Philipp said, "Lord, show us the Father." Jesus replied, " Have I been so long with you Philip, and still you don't know me?" You must know that the Father is in Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is inside you Jesus said, "In that day, you will know that I am in the Father..."
Further, Jesus plainly said He was Yaweh in the flesh. He is God in the flesh. Anyone who denies this is called the antichrist in the scriptures.
Lastly in regards to the Holy Spirit, when Jesus said "I will send another the comforter, He in the context also says, ---"I will not leave you fatherless, I will come to you.. or leave you as orphans... In this statement, Jesus declares He is the Holy Spirit come to live in us, He will not leave us as orphans (which means He will be a Father).
In the Old Testament in Isaiah, God says He will come to redeem His people Himself.
The Father did not send someone else. God died in FULL. You must know God is "Fully" in Jesus and He "Fully" died and rose again for your sins to be saved; and you must accept Him as your Savior and only hope of Heaven.
Also, I made sure my children (who chose to follow Jesus and be baptized on their own, knew these truths. That Jesus is the Father. That He is the 1 God. My husband and I also have had these talks and though his struggles were never the same, God has brought salvation and much life. The enemy wants to kill, steal, and destroy. Jesus (Yaweh) came to give life and give it abundantly to prisoners and captives lost in the darkness.
Much Love.
Briana
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