A Bible Challenge for Oneness Believers

Chapter 17 – Another Jesus whom we have not preached

3But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different “good news,” which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”; 7and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. 8But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. 9As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)

These sound like pretty serious warnings! We’ve already shown how important it is to let the Bible explain itself without jumping to conclusions, without creating false dilemmas, and without negating what is explained somewhere in the Bible. Now, on the topic of “preaching Jesus,” we’re just going to quote all the instances in the book of Acts where Jesus was preached.

As you read these, try to resist the temptation to jump to conclusions, and instead, just listen and hear what they were openly explaining. And while you are reading, ask yourself if these incidents are explaining the view of Jesus that you would openly proclaim in order to bring someone to the understanding of your Oneness view, or, whether they support the “son of God” doctrine that is being presented and upheld in this study. In other words, which view would someone walk away with if these words were all they heard.

Here is the full list of scriptures below: Acts 2:22-36, 3:22-23, 4:10, 5:29-30, 7:37, 10:38-40, 13:38, 17:31 and 26:8, 23.

22“Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know, 23him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

25For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

26Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;

27because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your holy one [saint] to see decay.

28You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29“Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay. 32This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.

34For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord [Yahweh] said to my lord [adoni], “Sit by my right hand,

35until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ 36“Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2:22-36)

Please note how verse 31 provides a Holy Spirit inspired, biblical interpretation of verse 27. By using a couplet (a phrase meant to convey a synonymous thought in two ways) Peter has provided a scriptural, Holy Spirit-anointed interpretation of the meaning of “Holy One” (Hebrew ḥāsîḏ) as it was used in Psalms 16:10. Biblically, it explicitly means the human flesh; that is, the humanity of Jesus Christ. Thus, according to Peter’s clear interpretation, it is definitely not referring to God the Holy One (qāḏôšh). To receive God’s word is to receive this interpretation of God’s word from Acts 2:31. Peter simply reiterated God’s vow that David’s seed would be the Savior.

20…Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. 22For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. 23It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. 25You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26God, having raised up his servant, Jesus, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness.” (Acts 3:20-26)

10be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole. 11He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’ 12There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!” (Acts 4:10-12)

30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. 32We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:30-32)

37This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’… 39to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt… 51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. 52Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.” (Acts 7:37, 39, 51-52)

36The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— 37you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree. 40God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed.” (Acts 10:36-40)

26Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you. 27For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn’t know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed. 29When they had fulfilled all things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people. 32We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33that God has fulfilled the same to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your father.’ 34“Concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has spoken thus: I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your holy one [saint] to see decay.’ 36For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay. 37But he whom God raised up saw no decay. 38Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins, 39and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40Beware therefore, lest that come on you which is spoken in the prophets: 41‘Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.'” (Acts 13:26-31)

24The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, 25neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. 26He made from one blood every nation of men… 27that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. 30The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, 31because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:24-31)

6Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, 7…Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa! 8Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?… 22…I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, 23how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:6-23)

In not one of these passages did anyone ever preach “Jesus is God incarnate” as part of the salvation message that they delivered. Now that’s an amazing thing if they were as excited about “god come to earth in the form of man” as Onenessians and Trinitarians are. Particularly since the scripture is very adamant not to preach another Jesus than they preached.

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