Oneness Pentecostalism theology takes some truth from the Bible and convolutes it. Their theology denies the doctrine of the Trinity. As much as the Oneness Pentecostalism cult properly discerns that there is only one God they are confused about who He is and incorrectly teach and believe that God is a single person when the true biblical doctrine of the Trinity teaches there is one God–who exists in three separate persons; yet still one God. Oneness doctrine teaches that the one person in the Godhead is named Jesus and that Jesus is also the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is not what the Bible teaches.

We need only to refer to when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed to the Father, making the distinction that the Father’s will and Jesus’ will are two separate wills, one of the Son and one of the Father.

Oneness theology also relegates baptism into a strict “must do” which must be adhered to in order to achieve salvation. They essentially discard the doctrine of grace and add on works and rituals as most cults do. This group teaches that the baptism by immersion must be executed exclusively by a: Oneness Pentecostal minister to be valid and it must be done in the name of “Jesus” and not “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” They also teach that it is possible to lose one’s salvation.

Oneness Pentecostals teach that without speaking in tongues that the Holy Spirit is not present and since the Holy Spirit must be present in order to be saved, then according to the Oneness Pentecostals those who do not speak in tongues are not saved. The Oneness groups encourage speaking in tongues to show “evidence” that they are saved. Tongues as referred to in the book of Acts was done to translate literal languages so others could understand what was being said when someone spoke in tongues, i.e., known human languages, not gibberish as in what some call a “prayer language” or “heavenly language.” In fact Paul placed the gift of interpretation of tongues more highly as it would edify the entire church (1 Corinthians 14:4-5).

The Oneness Pentecostal adherents are varied and have many followers. The two most well known that fall under the Oneness Pentecostal umbrella are the United Pentecostal Church International, the United Apostolic church, theAssemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible Way Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ and countless others dispersed throughout the United States.

On a positive point, The Oness people try to maintain a holy and discreet lifestyle but legalistic tendencies to judge a person by certain standards override their good intntions. For example, there are strict dress codes for acceptance into a Oneness Pentecostal church. And if you a ttend any movies or watch television you might be considered not “really Christian.” There seems to be no happy medium, only extreme aberations of the Scriptures.

Following is a list of some of the problematic beleifs that the Oneness Pentecostals teach: [1]

1. Denies the doctrine of the Trinity.

2. Denies justification by faith alone by stating that baptism is also required for salvation.

3. Jesus is God the Father.

4. Jesus is the Holy Spirit.

5. Denies pre-existence of the Word as the Son. Teaches that the He existed as the Father.

6. Being born again means repentance, baptism, and speaking in tongues.

7. Speaking in tongues is a necessary requirement to demonstrate that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and is, therefore, saved. It is claimed to be the initial sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

8. Women may be pastors.

9. Only Oneness adherinsts will go to heaven

What makes this and many other cults especially confusing is that some of their teachings are inline with the Scriptures and initially their off-the wall teachings may be camoflauged because some of the valid teachings of the Bible are mixed in with their altered versions.

Notes:
[1] http://carm.org/oneness-pentecostal-theology

The Roman Catholic Church is often confused with true biblical Christianity. Many distinct and serious differences exist between the two entities. What are the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that distinguish it from biblical Christianity? Lengthy books have been written on this subject, but as an overview some of the differences in doctrine are outlined below with Scripture references to validate the biblical teaching. [1]

The differences are great and for the most part the Catholic Church would fall into the false religion category. This analysis is not intended to offend good Catholic people, but rather to point out how vastly different the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is from the gospel of Rome. It is up to each individual to study what they are being taught in light of the Bible, God’s inerrant Word.

Roman Catholicism Teaches:      

The Bishops, with the Pope as their head, rule the universal church.

God has entrusted revelation to the bishops.

The Pope is infallible in his teaching.

Scripture and tradition together are the Word of God.

Mary is the co-redeemer, for she participated with Christ in the painful act of redemption.

Mary is the co-mediator, to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions.

Initial justification is by means of baptism.

Adults must prepare for justification through faith and good works.

Grace is merited by: good works.

Salvation is attained by cooperating with grace through faith, good works, and participation in the sacraments.

No one can know if he will attain to eternal life.

The Roman Catholic Church is necessary for salvation.

Christ’s body and blood exist wholly and entirely in every fragment of consecrated bread and wine in every Roman Catholic Church around the world.

The sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Each sacrifice of the Mass appeases God’s wrath against sin. The sacrificial work of redemption is continually carried out through the sacrifice of the Mass.

Biblical Teaching

Christ, the head of the body, rules the universal church (Colossians 1:18).

God has entrusted revelation to the saints (Jude 3).

God alone is infallible (Numbers 23:19; Acts 17:11).

Scripture alone is the Word of God  (John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 peter 1:20-21), Mark 7:1-13).

Christ alone is the Redeemer, for He alone suffered and died for sin (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Christ Jesus is the one mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions (1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:13-14; 1 Peter 5:7).

Justification is by faith alone (Romans 3:28).

God justifies ungodly sinners who believe (Romans 4:5). Good works are the result of salvation, not the cause  (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Grace is a free gift (Romans 11:6).

Salvation is attained by grace through faith apart from works  (Ephesians 2:10).

The believer can know that he has eternal life by the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers  (1 John 5:13; Romans 8:16).

There is salvation in no one but the Lord Jesus Christ, “for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”  (Acts 4:12).

The bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Christ, and He is bodily present in heaven (1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Hebrews 10:12-13).

The sacrifice of the cross is finished (John 19:30).

The once-for-all sacrifice of the cross fully appeased God’s wrath against sin (Hebrews 10:12-18).

The sacrificial work of redemption was finished when Christ gave His life for us on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 1:3).

No amount of self-punishment or efforts can atone our sins. Our sins have already been punished fully in the body of Jesus. Only His finished work satisfies God. One must let go of the false teaching that God needs our help to wash away your sins. Jesus alone is the propitiation for our sins.

In many instances the doctrines of the Catholic Church were slowly adopted over many years as various popes issued decrees. In most cases, the doctrines are not even based on Scripture, but on a document of the church. Most Roman Catholics consider themselves to be Christians and are unaware of the differences between their beliefs and the Bible.  Tragically, the Roman Catholic Church has championed that ignorance by discouraging personal study of the Bible and making the people reliant on the priests for their understanding of the Bible, which is the direct opposite of what the Holy Bible teaches, not the altered Catholic “bible.” God commands us to study his Word and correctly interpret it.

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Notes
[1] http://www.gotquestions.org/Catholic-Biblical.html