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By CODY THRASH —

ONENESS EXPLANATION – LUKE 10:22

ONENESS EXPLANATION – LUKE 10:22

Luke 10:22 is one of the most discussed and misunderstood verses in the New Testament when it comes to the relationship between the Father (Spirit) and the Son (flesh). At first glance, some people read the passage and assume it teaches two separate divine persons speaking to one another. But when we slow down, examine the context, and let the whole Bible speak, the verse actually becomes a beautiful witness to the incarnation and to the revelation of the one true God in Jesus Christ.

The goal of this study is not simply to argue doctrine, but to walk honestly through the Scriptures and allow the Bible to interpret itself. We’re going to look at the context of Luke 10:22, the meaning of the terms “Father” and “Son,” and the relationship between the deity and humanity of Christ. As we do, we will see that this passage does not contradict the oneness of God at all, but harmonizes perfectly with the consistent testimony of Scripture that God is One.

My prayer is that this study strengthens your confidence in the Word of God, deepens your understanding of who Jesus truly is, and encourages you to approach the Scriptures with humility, honesty, and reverence.

Thank you for downloading, and God bless!

THE CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE

  • Jesus had just sent out the seventy disciples to:
    • Preach, 
    • Heal,
    • And cast out devils. 
  • They returned rejoicing because demons were subject to them through Jesus’ name. 
  • Jesus then rejoices that God has revealed spiritual truth to the humble rather than the proud and wise.

  • The verse is primarily about:
    • divine authority,
    • Revelation,
    • and the true identity of Jesus Christ.

THE FATHER REVEALED THROUGH THE SON

  • Jesus is teaching that:
    • all authority has been given to Him,
    • no one can truly know the Father except through Him,
    • and the Father is revealed through the Son.

  • Within the Oneness framework: 
    • The Father is the invisible Spirit of God
    • And the Son is God manifested in flesh revealing Himself to humanity.

Luke 10:22 KJV & ERV

[22] [John 3:35; 5:27; 17:2] All things are delivered to me of my Father: and [John 1:18; 6:44, 46] no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son [wills to reveal] will reveal him.

[22] “My Father has given me all things. No one knows who the Son is – only the Father knows. And only the Son knows who the Father is. The only people who will know about the Father are those the Son chooses to tell.”

  • This verse can sound like two divine persons speaking to one another. 
  • But within the Oneness framework, it becomes very consistent when we remember one foundational truth:
    • Jesus Is Both Fully God and Fully Man.

  • Oneness theology does not deny distinctions in Scripture.
    • It explains them differently.

  • The distinction is not between two divine persons.
  • But between:
    • God as eternal Spirit (Father),
    • and God manifested in genuine humanity [flesh] (Son).

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE VERSE

  • The word “Son” refers to:
    • the incarnation,
    • the human manifestation,
    • God revealed in flesh.

  • The “Father” refers to:
    • the eternal, invisible Spirit of God.

John 4:24 KJV & ERV

[24] [2 Cor. 3:17] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

[24] God is spirit. So the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

1 Timothy 3:16 KJV & ERV

[16] And without controversy great is the [hidden truth] mystery of godliness: [John 1:14] God was manifest in the flesh, [Matt. 3:16] justified in the Spirit, [Matt. 28:2] seen of angels, [Rom. 10:18] preached unto gentiles, [Col. 1:6, 23] believed on in the world, [Luke 24:51] received up into glory.

[16] Without a doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: Christ was shown to us in human form; the Spirit proved that he was right; he was seen by angels. The message about him was told to the nations; people in the world believed in him; he was taken up to heaven in glory.

  • Father = Invisible Eternal Spirit
  • Son = God Manifested in Flesh

BREAKING DOWN LUKE 10:22

    • This is not one God-person handing authority to another God-person.
    • This is the humanity of Christ receiving divine authority from the indwelling Spirit.

“All things are delivered to me of my Father”

John 14:10 KJV & ERV

[10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.


  • Jesus constantly spoke from the standpoint of His genuine humanity.
  • As a man:
    • He was sent,
    • Anointed,
    • Empowered,
    • given authority,
    • and inherited all things.

Hebrews 1:2 KJV & ERV

[2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;


  • You cannot “appoint” deity to authority He already possesses inherently.
  • The appointment belongs to the human role of the Son.

    • The mystery of Christ’s identity can only be fully understood by divine revelation.
    • Why?
      • Because the Son is not merely a human prophet.
      • The Son is the visible manifestation of the invisible God.
    • The Father alone fully comprehends the mystery of the incarnation.

“No man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father”

    • The Father is invisible and unknowable apart from revelation through Jesus Christ.

“And who the Father is, but the Son”

John 1:18 KJV & ERV

[18] [Ex. 33:20] No man hath seen God at any time; [1 John 4:9] the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

[18] No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father.

John 14:9 KJV & ERV

[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

[9] Jesus answered, “Philip, I have been with you for a long time. So you should know me. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father too. So why do you say, ‘Show up the Father’?

  • Jesus is not a second divine being revealing another divine being.
  • He is God revealing Himself through humanity.

  • Invisible God → revealed through Jesus Christ

THE ENTIRE VERSE ACTUALLY SUPPORTS ONENESS

  • Notice carefully:
    • The verse does NOT say: “No man knows the Father except another divine person.”
    • It says: the Father is revealed through the Son.
  • That perfectly fits:
    • one God,
    • manifested in flesh,
    • revealing Himself to humanity.

A SIMPLE ANALOGY

  • A man can exist simultaneously as:
    • a father,
    • a son,
    • and a husband,
  • without being three persons.

  • Likewise:
    • God as transcendent Spirit is Father,
    • God manifested in flesh is Son,
    • God active within believers is Holy Spirit.

  • Not three Gods.
  • Not three divine minds.
  • Not three eternal persons.

  • One God revealed in different ways.

THE MAIN POINT OF LUKE 10:22

  • Jesus is teaching that:
    • humanity cannot know God through philosophy,
    • Tradition
    • or human intellect alone.

  • The Father is revealed only through Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:9

[9] For [John 1:14] in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

[9] I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth.

For questions or further conversation, please email me at:cody.d.thrash@gmail.com

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