One God
There is one God. There is only one God. This doctrine is central to the Bible message; for both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach it plainly and emphatically. The belief in only one God is called monotheism, which comes from two Greek words: monos, meaning alone, single, one; and theos, meaning God.
The classic expression of the doctrine of one God is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This verse of Scripture has become the most distinctive and important statement of faith for the Jews. They call it the Shema, after the first word of the phrase in Hebrew.
In Deuteronomy 6:5, God followed the announcement of the preceding verse with a command that requires total belief in and love for Him as the one and only God: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” We should notice the importance which God attaches to Deuteronomy 6:4-5. He commands that these verses be placed in the heart, taught to the children, bound on the hand and forehead, and written on the posts and gates of houses.
Trinity—Three In One
While the Bible teaches that there is but one God, it also presents God as a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as the Father. They are not three gods and not three beings. They are three distinct persons; yet they are all the same and only God. Each has a will, can speak, can love, etc., and these are demonstrations of personhood. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance or deity. They are co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. There is, though, a separation of functions among the members of the Godhead.
The Godhead
- The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible. “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (Jn. 1:18)
- The Son is the fullness of the Godhead manifested in human form. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).
- The Holy Spirit is the fullness of the Godhead active through His indwelling in the lives of Christians. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (Jn. 14:16-17).
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