The Christian Perspective

Indeed there are numerous portions of scripture that proudly proclaim that there is only one God. However, remember that this is not in conflict in any way, shape, or form with Trinitarian doctrine, which likewise demands that there is only one God.

Trinitarians are monotheists. We believe that there is only one God. Let's go over the three planks of Trinitarianism:

1. There is only one God.

2. This one God is revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. These three persons are eternally distinct.

Thus, any scripture that can be cited to prove that there is only one God agrees wholeheartedly with Trinitarianism.

There are several other views about the nature of God that individuals and groups who claim an adherence to the Bible will hold to.

Jehovah's Witnesses claim that there is only one God and that the Son is not Him: rather, the Son is a created being and not the One Uncaused Creator God. So they would agree with Trinitarians on point number one, but disagree on point two.

Mormons claim that the Father and Son are distinct persons and distinct Gods. Thus, they would agree with Trinitarians on point three, but disagree on points one and two.

Those who hold to Oneness doctrine claim that there is only one God and that the Father is the Son. They would agree with Trinitarians on point number one but not points two or three.

Modalists will claims that there is only one God, and He is revealed in three persons. However, they will argue that the Father becomes the Son and the Son becomes the Father, and thus these three persons are not eternally distinct. So they would agree with points one and two, but not point three.

We've already seen in a previous column (see the link at the end of this article) that there is no logical contradiction in the concept of the Trinitarian God. This alone does not make Trinitarianism true or accurate. In order for any Bible-believing individual to accept Trinitarian claims, the doctrine must be not only logically coherent, it must also be the clear claim of scripture.

I believe that it is.

Let's go over each of the individual points and examine some of the scriptures that make these claims.


1. There is only one God.

It seems the questioner agrees that scripture teaches that there is only one God, but there may be others reading (perhaps of the LDS persuasion) who would disagree with this point, so we will examine the scriptures on the subject.

God Himself declares in Isaiah 46:9-11, "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it."

Isaiah 44:6 makes a similar declaration.

In Exodus 8:10, Moses declares to Pharaoh that "there is no one like the Lord our God". The clear context is that no one, including magicians or the false gods of ancient Egypt, can perform the miracles that God alone can perform.

Deuteronomy 6:4, also known as the "Shema Yisrael", states ""Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!"

In Galatians 3:20, Paul announces that "God is one".

In Ephesians 4:6 Paul again states that there is "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all".

In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul says it again, "there is one God".

James states in James 2:19 that it is good to believe "that God is one".

In 1 Samuel 2:2, Hannah the mother of Samuel states "There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God".

Solomon's blessing over Israel in 1 Kings 8:60 includes the declaration "the LORD is God; there is no one else".

In 2 Chronicles 14:11, good King Asa prays "LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God".

In good King Jehoshaphat's prayer to God, he acknowledges "Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You" in 2 Chronicles 20:6.

These examples should be sufficient to demonstrate to the reader that the scriptures clearly teach from beginning to end that there is only one true God. Let's move on.


2. This one God is revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To demonstrate this, we will need to see if the scriptures claim that (2A) the Father is God, (2B) the Son is God, and (2C) the Holy Spirit is God, and further, that each of these three are persons.

2A THE FATHER

With respect to 2A, I'm not aware of anyone who will claim that the Bible is authoritative, yet the Father is not God. So I'll keep this brief.

In Ephesians 4:6 Paul states that there is "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all".

In John 17:1-3, Jesus calls His Father "the only true God".

In 1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul teaches that the Father is the one God.

2B THE SON

In Isaiah 44:24, the one God declares that He Himself, by Himself, created the heavens and the earth. However, in John 1:3 and Colossians 1:15-17, we see that it was Christ, the Son, who did both of these things.

The Son of God is the Word of God (John 1; Revelation 19:13), and the Word of God identifies Himself as Yahweh (Genesis 15:1-7).

Isaiah declares in Isaiah 9:6 that Jesus Christ is Mighty God.

John 5:26 teaches that the Son is self-existent, and therefore not a created being, and that this is the case by the will of the Father, demonstrating that the Son is distinct from the Father.

Hebrews 1:8-12 not only calls the Son "God", but also insists that He is unchanging.

Ephesians 1:20-22 and Matthew 28:18 declare that the Son is all-powerful.

John 1 not only claims that Jesus, the Son, is in fact God, but also tells us that He created all things and that nothing was made that was not made by Him.

Combining Genesis 15:2 with 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Romans 10:12-13, we see that there is one Lord, and that He is both God and Jesus.

We also see that in Isaiah 44:6 and Revelation 1:17-18 both God and Jesus are referred to by the title "The First and the Last".

When we consider 1 John 1:2 in light of 1 John 5:20, we come to the conclusion that the Father is the eternal life, and that Jesus, the Son, is the eternal life.

We see that in 1 Timothy 6:14-15 and Revelation 17:14, our blessed and only sovereign is in fact the Son, referred to as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords".

2C THE HOLY SPIRIT

In Acts 5:3-4, Peter declares that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, then reiterates that Ananias lied to God.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, the Holy Spirit is identified as being the Lord, and again, there is only one Lord according to 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Romans 10:12-13.

In Matthew 28:19, in what is known as the Great Comission, Jesus commands his disciples to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit", thus identifying and uniting the three distinct persons of the trinity.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, we again see all three persons of the Trinity distinctly identified and also unified.

In 2 Corinthians 13:14, we see the Trinity repeated again in blessing.

In John 14:26, we see the Son claiming that the Father will send the Holy Spirit, thus again distinguishing between the three persons of the triune Godhead.

Ephesians 4:30 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, and is thus a personal entity and not simply an impersonal force.

John 15:26 (and 16:7, 8, 13) calls the Spirit "him", identifying the Spirit as a person and not an impersonal force.


3. These three persons are eternally distinct.

This is established by their varying roles within the Godhead.

In John 14:26 and John 15:26, the Son claims that the Father will send the Holy Spirit, thus distinguishing between the three persons of the triune Godhead.

In John 17:1, Jesus the Son prays to the Father, not to Himself.

In John 5:20, the Father loves the Son, demonstrating the subject-object distinction between the two.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, we again see all three persons of the Trinity distinctly identified and also unified.

In 2 Corinthians 13:14, we see the Trinity repeated again in blessing.

John 16:8-10 lists all three persons of the Godhead, uniting them in divinity yet distinguishing between them personally. Other scriptures providing fairly clear testimony to the "Trinitarian formula" (three distinct persons united in divinity) include the following: 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 1:1-6, 5:5-6, 7:4-6, 8:3-5, 8:9-11, 8:26-29, 14:17-18, 15:16; 1 Corinthians 2:7-10; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 3:2-4, 5:5-10; Galatians 3:1-5, etc.


Thus we see, rather clearly and unarguably I believe, that the the Bible teaches that there is only one God, that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and that these three persons are eternally distinct.

This is nothing other than the doctrine of the Trinity.

God bless.

Is the Trinity a Logical Contradiction?