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What Do Oneness Pentecostals Believe?
Official Doctrines
& Teachings Of The UPCI
Many
people do not know who Oneness Pentecostals are or what they believe.
Oneness Pentecostals are of the United Pentecostal Church International, and
they have many un-Biblical doctrines and teachings contrary to the Christian
faith. What are the main doctrines of the UPCI that are un-Biblical?
The UPCI rejects the doctrine of the Trinity; rejects God revealed in three
distinct personages; rejects salvation by grace through faith alone apart from
works; and they state those who believe in such man-made doctrines are not
saved. (Christians) The UPCI holds to a oneness view of God, which
means they believe God has been revealed through three manifestations not
personages. The UPCI teaches that a person must not only believe in
Jesus (the oneness view) but also be water baptized (in Jesus name only) and
speak in other tongues in order to be saved. (as the evidence of being baptized with the Holy
Spirit) Official Teachings and
Doctrines of the UPCI on the doctrine of the Trinity The United Pentecostal Church
International rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. They believe that
God is three manifestations: Father in creation; the Son in
redemption; the Holy Spirit in regeneration.
"the UPCI reflect most
of the beliefs of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement, with the exception
of the "second work of grace," the historic doctrine of the Trinity, and
the traditional Trinitarian formula in water baptism. It embraces the
Pentecostal view that speaking in tongues is the initial sign of receiving
the Holy Spirit." (from
www.upci.org/about/index.asp)
"In distinction to the doctrine of the Trinity, the UPCI holds to
a oneness view of God. It views the Trinitarian concept of God,
that of God eternally existing as three distinctive persons, as
inadequate and a departure from the consistent and emphatic biblical
revelation of God being one...Thus God is manifested as Father in
creation and as the Father of the Son, in the Son for our redemption,
and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration."
(from
www.upci.org/about/index.asp)
Additional references from
Oneness Pentecostal websites on the nature of God & the Trinity.
"God is manifested as
Father in creation and as the Father of the Son, in the Son for our
redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration...Rather
than affirm the man-made doctrine known as the Trinity, we adhere to the
wonderful, biblical revelation and doctrine that God is one...God is not
a committee of three persons, and neither is He schizophrenic" (Apostolic
Church of Clarksburg/ www.clarksburgcac.com/about.us/)
"We believe the Bible
teaches that there is only one true, ever living, eternal God, infinite in
power, holy in nature, attributes and purpose, and possessing absolute,
invisible deity. The One true God has revealed Himself as Father, through
His Son in redemption, and as the Holy Ghost, by emanation. This one true
God manifested Himself in the Old Testament in various ways; in the Son
while he walked among men; as the Holy Ghost after the ascension."
(Bethel United
Pentecostal Church/
www.bethelupc.org/faith.html)
"we see that the doctrine of the trinity is nonbiblical both in
terminology and in historical origin. It has its roots in
polytheism, pagan religion, and pagan philosophy"
(David
Bernard/ Oneness of God/
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch11.htm)
"We believe that trinitarianism is not a biblical doctrine and
that it contradicts the Bible in many ways. The Scriptures do not
teach a trinity of persons. The doctrine of the trinity uses terminology
not used in Scripture. It teaches and emphasizes plurality in the
Godhead while the Bible emphasizes the oneness of God. It detracts
from the fulness of Jesus Christ's deity. It contradicts many specific
verses of Scripture. It is not logical. No one can understand or explain
it rationally, not even those who advocate it. In short, trinitarianism
is a doctrine that does not belong to Christianity."
(David Bernard/ Oneness of God/
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch12.htm)
"The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the trinity, and
trinitarianism actually contradicts the Bible. It does not add any
positive benefit to the Christian message. Without the man-made
doctrine of the trinity we can still affirm the deity of Jesus"
(David Bernard/ Oneness of God/
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch12.htm)
These references give the truth on what the UPCI (Oneness Pentecostals)
believe concerning the Trinity doctrine. It is clear they worship
a different God, Jesus, and Christians need to be informed. The
intention of sharing this was to expose openly the un-Biblical doctrines
of the UPCI, and give Biblical resources. The following links are
solid articles refuting Oneness Pentecostal false doctrines & teachings
of the Trinity.
A Biblical Account to, "What is the Trinity"
..\Trinity
Doctrine\What_is_the_Trinity.htm
Refuting the false doctrines of Oneness Pentecostalism on the
doctrine of the Trinity
www.spotlightministries.org.uk/oneness.htm
What does the Bible teach about the doctrine of the Trinity?
..\The Bible\What_does_the_Bible_teach_about_the_Trinity.htm
Official Teachings &
Doctrines of the UPCI on "What must I do to be saved?" The official teachings and
doctrines of the UPCI for someone to be saved are: A person must
repent of their ways; turn to Christ; be water baptized in Jesus name
only; speak in other tongues as the evidence being baptized in the Spirit;
and live a holy life.
"a sinner must believe the
gospel; he is commanded to repent of his sinful life, to be baptized in
water in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit" (from
www.upci.org/about/index.asp#doctrinal)
"It is true that water itself does not contain any saving virtue,
but God has chosen to include it in His plan of salvation. Peter
explained, "Baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 3:21). According to Luke
7:30, "the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against
themselves, being not baptized." (from www.upci.org/doctrine/baptism.asp)
"Millions have experienced this same baptism in the Spirit. Wherever
this message is proclaimed, the question is asked, "Why did God choose
speaking in tongues as the initial, physical evidence of the baptism of
the Holy Ghost?"...One vital reason why God chose other tongues as the
initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost is that speaking in tongues is
an immediate, external evidence." (from www.upci.org/doctrine/tongues.asp)
"The initial, outward evidence is speaking with tongues, which means
speaking miraculously in languages the speaker does not know...Speaking
with other tongues has been connected with Spirit baptism since the
beginning of the church age." (from
www.upci.org/doctrine/Holy_Ghost.asp)
These references can easily be
found online. I have provided them so people will know exactly what
the United Pentecostal Church International (Oneness Pentecostals) teach
on what a person must do to be saved. The following links provide
Biblical refutations to the false and inaccurate teachings of the UPCI.
Refuting Oneness Pentecostal Doctrines & Teachings on Salvation
www.focusonthefaulty.com/Pages/oneness.html
Refuting Oneness Pentecostal Doctrines & Teachings on water baptism for
Salvation
www.gospeloutreach.net/brchap.html
The Gospel Message
..\Salvation_Doctrine.htm
This information was shared for Christians to know exactly what Oneness
Pentecostals believe and why they are not Christians Biblically,
theologically, and logically. For more information on the history
and development of the United Pentecostal Church International check out
the Watchman's Expositor profile of them at
www.watchman.org/profile/onenesspro.htm There
may be some of you who think this is being judgmental against those in the UPCI movement, and you may think that they are Christians. But
Biblically they have another God, another Jesus, another gospel, and another
spirit. The Bible warns about those who claim to be of the faith but
are not Christians. The Bible warns about being careful of false
teachings and prophets who appear to be of God but are wolves in sheep'
clothing. The bottom line is to examine yourselves to see whether or
not you are in the faith, unless you fail the test. (Matthew 7:13-27,
Matthew 24:22-24, Acts 20:23-31, Galatians 1:6-9,
2 Corinthians 11:4 & 13-15, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Peter 2-3, 1 John 2:18-23,
1 John 4:1-4) Those of the United Pentecostal Church state that those who do not hold to
their doctrines are not saved. The following is from David Bernard, a UPCI pastor and teacher:
"Sincere profession based on a faulty concept of Christ is not
enough; one must believe and obey the gospel. False
prophets and cultists profess Christ, but they are not saved.
According to Jesus, some people will sincerely profess Him, believe that
they are saved, and even profess to perform miracles in His name, but
they will not be saved because they did not obey His Word (Matthew
7:21-27). Many will profess to know Him and even to have enjoyed His
presence but will not be saved (Luke 13:25-27).
We cannot impose demands that the Bible does not support, nor can we
make exceptions that the Bible does not grant. Precisely because God is
sovereign in granting salvation, we must limit ourselves to the clear
teaching of Scripture. If God has plans that go beyond what He has
revealed to us in the Bible, that is His prerogative, but we have
authority only to teach the plan God gave to us in the Scriptures. We
have no right to offer false or uncertain hopes based on wishful
thinking, speculations, reasoning, philosophy, or doubtful
interpretations of difficult passages. We cannot make exceptions for
situations that arise from failure to follow biblical teachings and
examples.
"What must I do to
be saved?" The New Testament answer is to exercise faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, by repenting from sin, being
baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins,
receiving the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking in tongues,
and continuing to live a holy, separated life by the power of the
indwelling Spirit."
(David
Bernard/ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/New-Ch14.htm)
If you have any questions or comments concerning this information or
additional topics please send us an email. May this information be
clear and useful for the body of Christ, and help lead people out of the
non-Christian affiliation of the UPCI into a genuine relationship with the
God of the Bible and be set free from their sins.
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