Why I'm No Longer a Oneness Pentecostal: Part Three

by E.L.

To be Oneness Pentecostal is to be against the world. The whole world. That world includes atheists and all Christians who are not Oneness Pentecostal. To Apostolics there is no difference.

This is true because Oneness Pentecostals preach Water/Spirit doctrine. They interpret the following verse as evidence that water baptism and speaking in tongues is necessary to be saved....

Apostolics interpret "water" as baptism and "Spirit" as tongues. This interpretation is a gross error, especially when one reads all of John 3 and discovers that Jesus never mentioned the word "baptism" to Nicodemus, nor did he command him to speak in tongues. In fact, it would have been impossible for Nicodemus to speak in tongues, the baptism of the Holy Ghost hadn't yet been poured out and wouldn't be until much later.

While Apostolics (Oneness Pentecostals) interpret John 3 as a missive in favor of water baptism and tongues, almost all other Christians correctly read that Jesus mentioned variants of the word "believe" to Nicodemus seven times.

Where other Christians focus on faith, Apostolics focus on effort.

Here again exclusivity rears its ugly head. "We have FULL truth." "The WHOLE gospel to the whole world." That last phrase is the official motto of the United Pentecostal Church International. The words "full" and "whole" point to something supposedly missing among all other Christians. That something is the Oneness Pentecostal interpretation of John 3:5 and Acts 2:38.

Consider the enormous implications of this very exclusive doctrine. To be Oneness Pentecostal, and to hold their doctrine of salvation, is to literally believe that everyone who has ever lived, from shortly after the first century to the early twentieth century, died lost! This is true because no record exists of any movement that believed Water/Spirit doctrine during that period.

To be Oneness Pentecostal is to believe that the English translator of the Bible, John Wycliffe, is in hell. All early church fathers are in hell. Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Edwards, Charnock, Augustine....all in hell.

It's also to believe that all other current Christians are headed for hell. There's a healthy dose of ignorant arrogance involved. Apostolics have evidences to prove they are better. The chosen. Those evidences are the experiences of properly administered baptism and speaking in tongues, along with the way they look.

I am no longer Oneness Pentecostal because I am no longer arrogant enough to be. I am not comfortable holding my efforts up to God as proof that I've earned His grace. I am not comfortable placing anyone in hell. I've realized that I am in the same sin boat as everyone else and we are all sinking. We need His help. We can't save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

I've stopped efforting. Now I trust.

Read part four.

This writing is the copyright of E.L. and is reprinted on this site by permission. View all of his available articles here.

Page added February 10, 2015

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