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Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 5:19:24 PM
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stmatthew
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Just wanted some opinions here.
There is a group of believers that do not believe in the trinity, but believe in the Oneness of God. They also believe that we are not to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but are to baptize in the name of Jesus Christ. They teach that baptism is for remission of sins.
Are these people saved??
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RE: Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 5:47:30 PM
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oneness_youth
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God is the judge. They can be saved.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 5:50:03 PM
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Nesher
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No, they cannot. The Trinity is an essential aspect of Christianity - without it, we cannot have any other aspect of the faith.
At some point, all true Christians must come to believe in the Trinity.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 5:55:57 PM
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figmentPez
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stmatthew
Are these people saved??
As Nesher said, the triune nature of God is essential to faith. As Jesus said:
John 8:24-25
24"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
25So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is. What Jesus says about the nature of God reveals that He is triune. Those who believe in "oneness" have made up an idol that is not the God of scripture. This is not to say that it is impossible to be in a oneness church and come to true faith, but if someone does find faith in the real God, they will leave a oneness cult to find a church that proclaims the true God.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 7:04:59 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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quote:
ORIGINAL: figmentPez
quote:
ORIGINAL: stmatthew
Are these people saved??
As Nesher said, the triune nature of God is essential to faith. As Jesus said:
John 8:24-25
24"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
25So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is. What Jesus says about the nature of God reveals that He is triune. Those who believe in "oneness" have made up an idol that is not the God of scripture. This is not to say that it is impossible to be in a oneness church and come to true faith, but if someone does find faith in the real God, they will leave a oneness cult to find a church that proclaims the true God.
Interesting to note your boldness of words...You know...Jesus never shouts...
_____________________________
~For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ~
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RE: Oneness Believers - 9/30/2007 7:11:51 PM
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figmentPez
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CherishedbyGod
Interesting to note your boldness of words...You know...Jesus never shouts...
Never?
Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
However, that's off topic. My bolding of the word "must" was to provide emphasis, I'm sorry you took it as a shout. It's so hard to put the proper tone of voice in short posts (I'm sure you don't want me to get long winded simply to establish tone without typographic tricks.) For future reference, which of these would give the impression of heavy emphasis to the word without a raise in volume? _must_ , must or must. If you have any better suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'm rather at a loss without speech cadence or hand gestures to help and I'm used to all caps being shouting (or OT quotations in the NT), and all other typographical alterations being used for various forms of more polite emphasis.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:17:29 AM
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oneness_youth
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Nesher
No, they cannot. The Trinity is an essential aspect of Christianity - without it, we cannot have any other aspect of the faith.
hmm, what about a person whos is saved without ever being taught of a triune God, and dies before he finds out about who the triune God is?
At some point, all true Christians must come to believe in the Trinity.
where does it say that in the bible
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:28:48 AM
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stmatthew
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quote:
ORIGINAL: figmentPez
quote:
ORIGINAL: stmatthew
Are these people saved??
As Nesher said, the triune nature of God is essential to faith. As Jesus said:
John 8:24-25
24"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
25So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is. What Jesus says about the nature of God reveals that He is triune. Those who believe in "oneness" have made up an idol that is not the God of scripture. This is not to say that it is impossible to be in a oneness church and come to true faith, but if someone does find faith in the real God, they will leave a oneness cult to find a church that proclaims the true God.
So you really believe that salvation is based on ones understanding of the Godhead??
You quoted this verse....
John 8:24-25
24"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
Who is being referred to when Jesus states "HE"?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 12:15:23 PM
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Nesher
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quote:
hmm, what about a person whos is saved without ever being taught of a triune God, and dies before he finds out about who the triune God is?
Then he never was saved, he never believed in the true Christ.
Secondly, are you advocating that God is so weak He can't possibly bring someone to the true belief in His triune nature?
quote:
where does it say that in the bible
Words are not empty in the Bible. They are not shallow caves that we fill with our own context and meaning. Each word has its own meaning. Thus, when it says we are to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, the packed meaning behind "Jesus" is "God" (amongst other things) and the idea behind "God" is "One." Thus, we have two separate persons, but one being. This is Trinity.
If one calls on the name of "Jesus" in order to be saved, but that Jesus is not divine, then the person cannot be saved.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 12:44:36 PM
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oneness_youth
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Nesher
quote:
hmm, what about a person whos is saved without ever being taught of a triune God, and dies before he finds out about who the triune God is?
Then he never was saved, he never believed in the true Christ.
Secondly, are you advocating that God is so weak He can't possibly bring someone to the true belief in His triune nature?
quote:
where does it say that in the bible
Words are not empty in the Bible. They are not shallow caves that we fill with our own context and meaning. Each word has its own meaning. Thus, when it says we are to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, the packed meaning behind "Jesus" is "God" (amongst other things) and the idea behind "God" is "One." Thus, we have two separate persons, but one being. This is Trinity.
If one calls on the name of "Jesus" in order to be saved, but that Jesus is not divine, then the person cannot be saved.
So... a person must be presented with knowledge of the triune God before he can be saved. So then, if a person feels conviction, repents of his sin, and becomes born again and has never heard of the trinity, or has no knowledge of it, and has not even read a bible before, he cannot be saved. Interesting. This does not line up with biblical teaching. I see nowhere in the bible where any doctrine needs to be accepted in order to be saved, it seems like to say that one must believe in the trinity, when the bible teaches ONLY the necessity of being born again, is adding to the biblical plan of salvation.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 12:49:05 PM
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Nesher
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quote:
So... a person must be presented with knowledge of the triune God before he can be saved. So then, if a person feels conviction, repents of his sin, and becomes born again and has never heard of the trinity, or has no knowledge of it, and has not even read a bible before, he cannot be saved. Interesting. This does not line up with biblical teaching. I see nowhere in the bible where any doctrine needs to be accepted in order to be saved, it seems like to say that one must believe in the trinity, when the bible teaches ONLY the necessity of being born again, is adding to the biblical plan of salvation.
Once again, I'll repeat what I said since you side-stepped it to attack a strawman:
Words are not empty in the Bible. They are not shallow caves that we fill with our own context and meaning. Each word has its own meaning. Thus, when it says we are to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, the packed meaning behind "Jesus" is "God" (amongst other things) and the idea behind "God" is "One." Thus, we have two separate persons, but one being. This is Trinity.
If one calls on the name of "Jesus" in order to be saved, but that Jesus is not divine, then the person cannot be saved.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:03:09 PM
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oneness_youth
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Nesher
quote:
So... a person must be presented with knowledge of the triune God before he can be saved. So then, if a person feels conviction, repents of his sin, and becomes born again and has never heard of the trinity, or has no knowledge of it, and has not even read a bible before, he cannot be saved. Interesting. This does not line up with biblical teaching. I see nowhere in the bible where any doctrine needs to be accepted in order to be saved, it seems like to say that one must believe in the trinity, when the bible teaches ONLY the necessity of being born again, is adding to the biblical plan of salvation.
Once again, I'll repeat what I said since you side-stepped it to attack a strawman:
Words are not empty in the Bible. They are not shallow caves that we fill with our own context and meaning. Each word has its own meaning. Thus, when it says we are to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, the packed meaning behind "Jesus" is "God" (amongst other things) and the idea behind "God" is "One." Thus, we have two separate persons, but one being. This is Trinity.
If one calls on the name of "Jesus" in order to be saved, but that Jesus is not divine, then the person cannot be saved.
I understand what you are saying; however, you did not mention the first part of my post, you only dealt with the second. Secondly, I thank God that my Jesus is divine. Let me ask you this since you beleive that belief in the trinity is a requirement for salvation.
An uneducated homeless man comes to Christ. He repents, and is born again. No one EVER presents him any doctrine of any kind. His life is transformed before his and other people's very eyes. But, it appears there may be a problem, why didn't someone tell him about the trinity!? What if these are Oneness people that are witnessing to him, and no doctrine is ever presented, he still cant be saved can he? Why not?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:06:09 PM
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Nesher
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quote:
An uneducated homeless man comes to Christ. He repents, and is born again. No one EVER presents him any doctrine of any kind. His life is transformed before his and other people's very eyes. But, it appears there may be a problem, why didn't someone tell him about the trinity!? What if these are Oneness people that are witnessing to him, and no doctrine is ever presented, he still cant be saved can he? Why not?
I'm ignoring your hypothetical because it's already been answered:
Then he never was saved, he never believed in the true Christ.
Secondly, are you advocating that God is so weak He can't possibly bring someone to the true belief in His triune nature?
If someone witnesses to a homeless man and says that Jesus was a mere human but died for our sins, and the homeless man accepts that, does this mean he's still saved? Of course not - we must come to a knowledge of the TRUE Christ in order to be saved. Though a new convert may not be able to explain the Trinity, he must know that the Father and Jesus are separate persons, but also one God.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:11:38 PM
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oneness_youth
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Nesher
quote:
An uneducated homeless man comes to Christ. He repents, and is born again. No one EVER presents him any doctrine of any kind. His life is transformed before his and other people's very eyes. But, it appears there may be a problem, why didn't someone tell him about the trinity!? What if these are Oneness people that are witnessing to him, and no doctrine is ever presented, he still cant be saved can he? Why not?
I'm ignoring your hypothetical because it's already been answered:
Then he never was saved, he never believed in the true Christ.
Secondly, are you advocating that God is so weak He can't possibly bring someone to the true belief in His triune nature?
If someone witnesses to a homeless man and says that Jesus was a mere human but died for our sins, and the homeless man accepts that, does this mean he's still saved? Of course not - we must come to a knowledge of the TRUE Christ in order to be saved. Though a new convert may not be able to explain the Trinity, he must know that the Father and Jesus are separate persons, but also one God.
Umm, if the person doesn't believe that Jesus is God, then your answer is no. However; nothing was ever said other than Jesus is God. He MUST know the Father and Son are two separate persons? even if he cant understand it, or even comprehend it, but he still has to believe it, I see. Secondly, i don't see how you can say that he is or wasn't saved. You are not God, at best you could say that he could have been saved, not he couldn't have been saved. God never says that you must believe the Father and Son are separate persons in order to be saved. You think they are separate persons, but you don't know. No one on this Earth does.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:25:15 PM
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figmentPez
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stmatthew
So you really believe that salvation is based on ones understanding of the Godhead??
No, I believe that one's understanding of the Godhead is dependent on faith. The same faith that saves will lead a person to the truth. The truth of God is that He is triune, and it's a pretty basic truth of scripture. While it's not necessary to understand God's triune nature (indeed, full understanding is impossible) it is not possible to have faith while rejecting the truth, and it requires continual rejection of truth to maintain a "oneness" doctrine.
quote:
You quoted this verse....
John 8:24-25
24"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
Who is being referred to when Jesus states "HE"?
First, it's quite interesting that you would highlight "He". See, that word is implied by the original text, in the Greek it says "I am", with the He implied. See, this is one of the "I AM" statements where Jesus Christ claims to be the LORD, the name God gave for Himself when He told Moses "I AM WHO I AM".
Second, I already told you who is being referred to. Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?" One of the things that Jesus Christ told people about Himself from the beginning was that He is the Son of Man. Oneness believers always come to false doctrine when dealing with the Son of Man. See this post by oneness_youth to see where he denies that the Son of Man is Jesus Christ, denies that the Son of Man is God.
This is the Son of Man that Jesus Christ declared Himself to be, and this is who "oneness" believers deny that He is.
Daniel 7:13-14
13"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14"And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
Since oneness believers reject who Jesus Christ says He is, they cannot be saved until they change their beliefs.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:26:08 PM
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Nesher
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quote:
Umm, if the person doesn't believe that Jesus is God, then your answer is no. However; nothing was ever said other than Jesus is God. He MUST know the Father and Son are two separate persons? even if he cant understand it, or even comprehend it, but he still has to believe it, I see. Secondly, i don't see how you can say that he is or wasn't saved. You are not God, at best you could say that he could have been saved, not he couldn't have been saved. God never says that you must believe the Father and Son are separate persons in order to be saved. You think they are separate persons, but you don't know. No one on this Earth does.
He must know they are two separate persons, or at least have an understanding of it. His knowledge may not be perfect on the issue, it may have holes in it, he may be wrong - but so long as he doesn't buy into the Oneness heresy, he is saved. The reason for this is the Trinity is one of the central doctrines of Christianity - without it, we lose almost every other doctrine, including the divinity of Christ.
This is not to say he has to write a dissertation on the issue when he comes to Christ. He must have a very basic understanding of it though. How can he accept Christ if he believes the wrong thing about Christ? Does that make sense?
I can also say he isn't saved - it's very easy; he's not saved. I can say a Hindu isn't saved. I can say a Mormon isn't saved. I can say someone who denies the Trinity isn't saved. I know this because the Bible has clearly laid out that God is triune and that we must accept who Christ is in order to be saved. You can't marry a girl without having an idea of who she is and you can't accept Christ without having an idea of who He is.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:29:23 PM
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figmentPez
Posts: 2287
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From: TX
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quote:
ORIGINAL: oneness_youth
and no doctrine is ever presented, he still cant be saved can he? Why not?
If no doctrine is ever presented, then there was no teaching about anything at all.
Romans 10:14
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
All teaching is doctrine. The simple declaration that Jesus Christ is LORD is doctrine. If no doctrine is presented, then nothing has been said.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:31:14 PM
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figmentPez
Posts: 2287
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quote:
ORIGINAL: oneness_youth
You think they are separate persons, but you don't know. No one on this Earth does.
I do know, because scripture teaches that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct persons (they are not separate, they are in unity). If you would read scripture and seek after God with all your heart, you would see that too.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 1:57:34 PM
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oneness_youth
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quote:
ORIGINAL: figmentPez
quote:
ORIGINAL: oneness_youth
You think they are separate persons, but you don't know. No one on this Earth does.
I do know, because scripture teaches that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct persons (they are not separate, they are in unity). If you would read scripture and seek after God with all your heart, you would see that too.
Separate is a perfectly acceptable word to use when describing the trinity. You assume I don't read scripture and that I don't seek after God with all my heart, but you know nothing of my walk with the almighty.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 3:13:13 PM
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figmentPez
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From: TX
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quote:
ORIGINAL: oneness_youth
Separate is a perfectly acceptable word to use when describing the trinity. You assume I don't read scripture and that I don't seek after God with all my heart, but you know nothing of my walk with the almighty.
You don't believe in a triune God, so who are you to say what is acceptable in describing trinitarian doctrine? The very words triune and trinity come from the word unity, God is united, God is one. God is not divided or separate.
As for your walk with the almighty, I know what you have told me yourself. You don't even know enough of scripture to know who the Son of Man is, which means you need to study scripture more and accept the truth. That said, all of us need to study scripture more, some knowledge is more pressing, though.
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 3:14:09 PM
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TheoJunkie
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From: Death to Life
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I think there are two different concepts going on here (without categorizing anyone presently on this thread):
1) Whether a person who ACTIVELY DENIES the trinity is saved...
2) Whether a person who DOES NOT UNDERSTAND the trinity is saved.
There is a difference.
The first describes a person who will REFUSE a God who is triune... this type of person is manufacturing his own god to his specifications. As such, he has not thrown himself at the mercy of God, but at his own idol.
The second describes a person who is merely ignorant that God is triune. This type of person is seeking The One True God, but may simply not know, or may be in a season of being under the influence of bad teaching. But this person is OPEN to God being However God Is.... in other words, this type of person has thrown himself at the mercy of God according to his best understanding, and as he grows, he will accept the truth whatever that may be.
I do not agree that "understanding the trinity" or even "being aware of the trinity" is a necessary component of saving faith.
However, I DO affirm that all doctrinal errors find their root in a misunderstanding of the nature of God. So... while believing in oneness ITSELF is not fatal, there is a dangerous spillover effect that ultimately will impact your walk with God. It is not to be taken lightly.
Nevertheless, there is a difference between ignorance/misunderstanding... and active heresy.
Edit: In short... the question we ALL must ask ourselves is, will you still accept God if he turns out to be something other than what you think of him right now?
< Message edited by TheoJunkie -- 10/1/2007 3:21:58 PM >
_____________________________
-John
God is God. Get used to it.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 3:17:07 PM
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Nesher
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quote:
ORIGINAL: TheoJunkie
I think there are two different concepts going on here:
1) Whether a person who ACTIVELY DENIES the trinity is saved...
2) Whether a person who DOES NOT UNDERSTAND the trinity is saved.
There is a difference.
The first describes a person who will REFUSE a God who is triune... this type of person is manufacturing his own god to his specifications. As such, he has not thrown himself at the mercy of God, but at his own idol.
The second describes a person who is merely ignorant that God is triune. This type of person is seeking The One True God, but may simply not know, or may be in a season of being under the influence of bad teaching. But this person is OPEN to God being However God Is.... in other words, this type of person has thrown himself at the mercy of God according to his best understanding, and as he grows, he will accept the truth whatever that may be.
I do not agree that "understanding the trinity" or even "being aware of the trinity" is a necessary component of saving faith.
However, I DO affirm that all doctrinal errors find their root in a misunderstanding of the nature of God. So... while believing in oneness ITSELF is not fatal, there is a dangerous spillover effect that ultimately will impact your walk with God. It is not to be taken lightly.
Nevertheless, there is a difference between ignorance/misunderstanding... and active heresy.
I agree with the way you separate the two. I would, however, say that a person must have some understanding of the Trinity, even if they do not know it by that name. Such as:
A person must accept that Jesus was fully human, fully Divine, had fellowship with the Father while on Earth, etc. This is, afterall, the Jesus of the Bible. Though they would not know this belief as the Trinity, they would certainly hold a seed of such a concept.
I admit I am doing a horrid job of explaining my position on this, so if there is confusion, please feel free to ask.
_____________________________
"Acceptance of the current [physicalist] views is motivated not so much by an independent conviction of their truth as by a terror of what are apparently the only alternatives." John Searle
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 3:54:54 PM
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TheoJunkie
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Nesher,
I agree that in time (through the work of the Holy Spirit and His human instruments in the church), a person who has saving faith WILL finally/eventually accept these things. -- I agree that there is only one Jesus of the Bible-- ... I don't agree that they need to understand all these things (even in "seed") right off the bat.
Paul says simply, "Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." If you trust that God saved you by the work of his Christ, you are good to go and all else will follow. (Note: I didn't say irrelevant... I said that it shall follow).
I understand that you are not saying people need to know what "trinity" means or call it that, or even wrap their brains around it... any more than you are saying people must call Jesus "Jesus" and not "Yeshua" or put a spanish accent on the J, rendering him "Haysus".
I think I understand you to be saying that a person is not saved unless they understand that the Father is not the person who came to earth, but only the Son did, and that the Son mediates to the Father. (I presume also, you would be saying that we need to understand that the Spirit works in us, etc). Truly, this is indeed the very basis for our salvation... but it is the "behind the scenes basis".
At the root core, the bottom line point of the Gospel is that you deserve hell, and God "has sent His Redeemer" so that his grace alone saves you from this if you trust Him to do so. The mechanics are important, and needed (and will come)... but they don't seem to be a part of this simple message to "trust Him".
Here is an example/analogy... see if it fits...
My house is sitting on a cinderblock foundation. The cinderblocks are glued together with mortar, and if any component of this system fails, my house will collapse into a heap and I will be destroyed.
But do I need to know this, in order to live in my house and trust it to protect me from the elements? No... I just need to know that my house is my only refuge from the rain, cold, lightning, and snow. I don't need to know how it protects me and stays standing... I just need to know that it does.
I can "have in my mind" that I don't even have a basement/foundation, but that my house is on a solid concrete slab. But my main thing, is that I trust that I will die of exposure and my house is my only refuge.
Now... at the same time, if I declare to myself, "If I ever find out that my house has a cinderblock basement, then I am going to leave." Well... now we have a problem. Because now I am rejecting (or threatening to, should I find out the truth) the very system that is actually working and is actually my only refuge.
_____________________________
-John
God is God. Get used to it.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 4:05:50 PM
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treeclimber48
Posts: 129
Joined: 8/25/2006
Status: offline
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What is oneness? How are you one with God and other believers? Oneness begins through the work of God the Holy Spirit. Many Books of the Bible go into this, in the Book of John are verses on the work of the Holy Spirit. Another Book is Epehesians, after studying these Books one will have a better understanding.
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RE: Oneness Believers - 10/1/2007 4:14:09 PM
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TheoJunkie
Posts: 2253
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: Death to Life
Status: offline
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"Oneness" in this context refers to a doctrine that describes God as one person only... namely Jesus... saying that Jesus plays three different roles or appears in three "manifestations" (Father, Son or Holy Spirit) depending on the situation at hand. It denies that one Being could be any more than one Person.
It is in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity, that says that God by nature is three Persons in one Being (or Essense). These three eternal Persons are in perfect relationship with each other and are distinct but not separate. It is the hardest of the two doctrines to understand, but is the way scripture describes God, and indeed (as Nesher says), the only way that all bible statements regarding salvation can be true.
_____________________________
-John
God is God. Get used to it.
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