Continued from Part 1…
7. The Baptism of Jesus Shows the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
At the baptism of Jesus, all three Persons are manifested distinctly:
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
— Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV)
Here we see:
- The Son being baptized
- The Spirit of God descending like a dove
- The Father speaking from heaven
The Father is not being baptized.
The Son is not descending like a dove.
The Holy Ghost is not speaking from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son.”
The scene is simple if you believe the Trinity. It becomes confusion if you believe Modalism.
8. Jesus Promised Another Comforter
The Holy Ghost is also distinct from the Father and the Son.
Jesus said:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”
— John 14:16 (KJV)
That verse gives us the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in one sentence.
Jesus says, “I will pray the Father.”
The Father gives another Comforter.
That Comforter is the Holy Ghost.
Jesus did not say, “I will become another Comforter.” He said the Father would give another Comforter.
Then Jesus said:
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.”
— John 15:26 (KJV)
Again, all three are present:
- The Son sends the Comforter
- The Comforter proceeds from the Father
- The Spirit testifies of the Son
That is not Oneness. That is the Trinity.
9. The Great Commission Names All Three
Jesus commanded baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
— Matthew 28:19 (KJV)
Notice two things.
First, it says name — singular. There is one divine authority.
Second, it names the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. There is real distinction.
This verse does not teach three gods. It teaches one God. But it also does not teach one Person wearing three masks. It names three: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
10. Jesus Is at the Right Hand of God
The Old Testament prophesied this:
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
— Psalm 110:1 (KJV)
Jesus Himself used this verse when speaking of the Messiah:
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?”
— Matthew 22:44 (KJV)
After the resurrection, Stephen saw this fulfilled:
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”
— Acts 7:55-56 (KJV)
Stephen saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
If Jesus is the Father, then what does this mean? Is Jesus standing at His own right hand? Of course not.
The Son is distinct from the Father. He is at the right hand of God.
Common Oneness Objections Answered
“But Jesus Said, ‘I and My Father Are One'”
Yes, Jesus said:
“I and my Father are one.”
— John 10:30 (KJV)
But one what?
The verse teaches unity of divine nature, power, and purpose. It does not teach that the Father and Son are the same Person.
In the same chapter, Jesus also said:
“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all…”
— John 10:29 (KJV)
“The Father hath sanctified, and sent me into the world…”
— John 10:36 (KJV)
So John 10 cannot mean Jesus is the Father. Jesus distinguishes Himself from the Father in the very same passage.
The Father and Son are one God, but they are not one Person.
“But Jesus Said, ‘He That Hath Seen Me Hath Seen the Father'”
Jesus said:
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father…”
— John 14:9 (KJV)
Oneness teachers often use this verse, but they ignore the next verse:
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?”
— John 14:10 (KJV)
Jesus did not say, “I am the Father.” He said, “I am in the Father, and the Father in me.”
Jesus perfectly reveals the Father because He is the express image of God. To see Christ is to see the Father revealed perfectly. But that does not erase the distinction between the Father and the Son.
“But Isaiah 9:6 Calls the Son ‘The Everlasting Father'”
Isaiah prophesied:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
This verse proves the deity of Christ. The Son is called The mighty God. But it does not cancel the rest of Scripture.
The same verse says, “unto us a son is given.”
The Son is not the same Person as God the Father. Rather, Isaiah is giving divine titles to the Messiah. Christ is eternal. Christ is the source and possessor of everlasting life. Christ reveals the Father perfectly. But the Son remains the Son.
You cannot use Isaiah 9:6 to overthrow John 1:1, John 17:5, Matthew 3:16-17, John 14:16, John 15:26, and 1 John 5:7.
Scripture must interpret Scripture.
Why Oneness Doctrine Is a Gospel Issue
This is not a minor debate over religious vocabulary. The doctrine of God matters because the gospel itself is revealed in terms of the Father sending the Son.
The Bible says:
“The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”
— 1 John 4:14 (KJV)
The gospel is not that the Father became His own Son and then prayed to Himself. The gospel is that the eternal Son of God took upon Himself flesh, died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and is now at the right hand of the Father.
Paul declared the gospel plainly:
“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (KJV)
The Christ who died for our sins is the Son of God. To deny the Son is not a small mistake.
John warned:
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
— 1 John 2:23 (KJV)
That verse should settle the matter.
If a man denies the Son, he does not have the Father. You cannot claim to honour the Father while denying the real, personal Sonship of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: The Bible Teaches the Trinity, Not Modalism
The Bible teaches one God.
But the Bible also clearly reveals the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as distinct Persons.
- The Father sent the Son.
- The Son prayed to the Father.
- The Father loved the Son.
- The Father bore witness of the Son.
- The Father committed judgment to the Son.
- The Son had glory with the Father before the world was.
- The Holy Ghost descended at Christ’s baptism.
- The Son promised another Comforter.
- Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
- The Scripture says there are three that bear record in heaven.
That is not Modalism.
That is not Oneness.
That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
We stand with the plain words of Scripture:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
— 1 John 5:7 (KJV)
One God.
Three distinct Persons.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Anything else is not the God of the Bible.
Read Part 1 first: Is Jesus the Father? — Part 1
