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Perspective profile · Outside historic Trinitarian Christianity

Oneness Pentecostals

Oneness Pentecostals, who usually call themselves Apostolic or Jesus' Name Pentecostals, are a worldwide movement, estimated by scholars at roughly fifteen to thirty million adherents, who hold that God is absolutely one, without distinction of persons. They teach that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three eternal persons but titles or manifestations of the one God, who is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. The largest body is the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI); others include the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and many independent Apostolic churches, with strong growth in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Oneness believers strongly affirm the full deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, atoning death, and bodily resurrection. Their denial of the Trinity, however, renews the ancient error called modalism, and their teaching that baptism in Jesus' name and speaking in tongues are necessary for salvation departs from salvation by grace through faith.

How Theologica classifies this tradition

This movement departs from historic Trinitarian Christianity on who God is and who Jesus Christ is. We describe it from its own sources, with respect for its members, while stating our disagreement plainly.

Historical origins

Where It Came From

Oneness teaching arose within early Pentecostalism. At a camp meeting near Los Angeles in 1913, a sermon on baptism in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38) led some to conclude that the command of Matthew 28:19 was fulfilled by baptizing in the single name of Jesus. Ministers such as Frank Ewart and Glenn Cook began rebaptizing believers in Jesus' name in 1914, and the teaching spread rapidly as the New Issue. When the Assemblies of God adopted a Trinitarian Statement of Fundamental Truths in 1916, Oneness ministers withdrew. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World became a leading Oneness body, and the United Pentecostal Church was formed by merger in 1945.

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Primary sources

In Their Own Words

This profile describes the tradition from its own official documents and standard teaching:

  • Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI Manual)
  • David K. Bernard, The Oneness of God
Sharing the Gospel

Sharing the Gospel with a Oneness Pentecostal

Oneness Pentecostals, who often call themselves Apostolic, are usually zealous, joyful, and serious about holiness. They boldly affirm that Jesus is fully God, and you can rejoice in that. But they deny that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons, and most teach that a person is not saved until they are baptized in Jesus' name and speak in tongues.

Many live under strict holiness standards and fear losing their salvation. Two questions matter: who God is, and how a person is saved. Expect your friend to question your own baptism, and keep coming back to what Scripture says about faith in Christ.

Where to begin

  • Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.
  • There is only one God.
  • The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
  • Christ was born of a virgin, died for our sins, rose bodily, and will return, and believers should live holy lives.

Questions to ask

  1. When Jesus prayed in John 17, who was He speaking to, and what glory did He share before the world was?

    Read John 17:5 and John 17:24. The Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world, which shows a relationship between persons from eternity.

  2. Were Cornelius and his household forgiven before they were baptized?

    Peter preached that whosoever believes receives remission of sins (Acts 10:43), and later said God purified their hearts by faith (Acts 15:8–9). Baptism followed.

  3. Does every Christian speak in tongues?

    Paul asks, do all speak with tongues? and expects the answer no (1 Corinthians 12:30). Yet every believer has the Spirit (Romans 8:9).

  4. Do you know you are saved, or are you afraid of losing it?

    Many will admit they are afraid. Show them John 10:28–29 and 1 John 5:13.

Where Scripture challenges their thinking

The Father sent the Son.

God sent His Son into the world (John 3:17; Galatians 4:4). The Son was sent, so He was already the Son before He came. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).

Three persons at one moment.

At Jesus' baptism the Son came up out of the water, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven (Matthew 3:16–17). The one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Salvation is by faith, not a formula.

If you confess the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9–10). Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Every believer has the Spirit.

By one Spirit all believers are baptized into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13), and they are sealed with the Holy Spirit when they believe (Ephesians 1:13).

Holiness is the fruit of salvation.

We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). A holy life follows salvation; it does not earn or keep it.

What to avoid

  • Do not deny what you share. Your friend believes Jesus is God. Say so, and rejoice in it.
  • Do not use the word Trinity as a password. Show the Father and the Son relating to each other in Scripture.
  • Do not mock tongues or holiness standards. Talk about what saves.
  • Do not get defensive if your friend questions your baptism. Answer gently from Scripture.

Pointing them to Christ

Invite your friend to trust Christ alone, not a baptismal formula, the sign of tongues, or their own holiness. Jesus is the Savior, and He saves all who believe (John 3:16).

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”ACTS 15:8–9 · KJV