Is God one being in three persons?

Stated first the way its strongest advocate states it. Then your turn.

I · The steelman

Their case, at full strength

“You’re confusing being and person: God is one being in three persons, so “one God” doesn’t mean “one person.””

Oneness theology runs two different questions together. What is God? One divine being, or essence (οὐσία (ousia) (ousia)). Who is God? Three persons (ὑποστάσεις (hypostaseis) (hypostaseis)): Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each fully God and none a part of God. One what and three whos is not a contradiction. The Shema (Deut 6:4) and Isaiah’s monotheism (Isa 43:10–11; 45:5) rule out many gods; they do not tell us how many persons the one God is.

The New Testament shows why the distinction is needed. The Word is God and yet was “with God” (John 1:1). The Son is addressed as God (Heb 1:8), yet prays to the Father (John 17:5). The Spirit is “another Comforter” (John 14:16). The church did not impose a philosophy on these texts. It chose careful words to hold together what they say.

II · Drill it

Answer it. Ninety seconds.

Write what you would say if you heard this tonight. The clock starts with your first word; the ring is only a guide.

Your answer

0:00ninety seconds

0 words

Read further

Ten Objections to Oneness, Answered · this objection in the essay
Oneness Theology: A Working Compendium
A short but complete map of Oneness theology: the one God of Israel, manifested in flesh as Jesus Christ. It works through the Hebrew and Greek of the key Old and New Testament texts, the typology of the angel, the tabernacle and the priesthood, and the apostolic practice of baptism in Jesus’ name. Each contested text is set beside the strongest Trinitarian reading before it is answered.
YHWH in the Flesh: An Old Testament Map
The Old Testament says again and again that Yahweh himself will come, save, shepherd and shine, and that he gives his name and glory to no other. The New Testament applies those same texts to Jesus. This map sets out five groups of passages side by side and draws the conclusion they point to: Jesus is YHWH manifested in flesh.