A Deeper Look at the Oneness of God Why we are monotheistic

Ephesians 4:3-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The Scriptures teach emphatically that God is one.

The monotheistic principle is the foundation of all theology. Deuteronomy 6:4-15 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Jehovah identifies Himself as the only true God. Exodus 6:2-3. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

No other gods… Exodus 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…

No graven image… A graven image compromises the essential spiritual nature of God.

Idolatry was considered an abomination to God. Genesis 35:2-4 Exodus 12:12 Exodus 23:13

The oneness concept is reiterated in the New Testament Acts 17:22-30

There is only one God. Mal. 2:10 Hath not one God created us? Mark 12:32 for there is one God Rom. 3:30 Seeing it is one God… 1 Cor. 8:6 …there is but one God Eph. 4:6 One God and Father of all 1 Tim. 2:5 For there is one God… James 2:19 …there is one God… Gal. 3:20 …but God is one.

God cannot be anything other than the numerical value of one.

Let us examine ten characteristics of the number One.

Indivisibility: God is One. The number one is a whole number. When divided, the quotient either results in a fraction or a number greater than one. If God is a trinity, each person must either be one-third of God or the Godhead must be more than one. God is not merely one in unity or agreement, but one in number. (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:32)

Essentiality: God exists as One. The whole number one is not a composite of several elements. One has integrity and uniformity throughout. God does not possess an essential threeness. Man may admire the beauty and symmetry of the triangle and try to ascribe its form to God, but the essence of God is one, not three. At Bethlehem, God manifested himself in flesh to save man, but the deity in Jesus Christ was essentially Jehovah God. (I Tim. 2:5)

Cardinality: God is the Primary One. One is the primary number. It represents the cardinal status of the subject. As Creator, Sustainer and Life- Giver, God occupies the place of foremost importance in the material or abstract universe. He possesses a sovereign, monarchial status because he is the cardinal one. (Isa. 37:16)

Ordinality: God is the First One. The number one always comes first because it is the beginning of ordinal numbers. God is not progressively, partially or interchangeably ordinal. He is first, now and always. God is first of all so-called deities, and because he fulfills every conceivable definition of God, he leaves nothing so that another deity could exist anyway. (Isa 41:4; Rev. 1:11)

Specificity: God is The One. The number one focuses on a single subject. It imposes limits of definition to remove all rivalry, duplicity or ambiguity. God is the specific focus of all glory, honor, power, worship, praise and adoration. All power emerges from him and all glory converges upon him. Any view of the Godhead that confuses or lacks specificity violates the character of the number one. (Isa. 42.8)

Exclusivity: God is the Only One. By definition, the number one disallows all pretenders or competitors. God divides absolutely nothing of His Godhead with another. While He is not isolated or lonely, God does exist in solitude and aloneness. He shares no set nor subset of divinity with angel, man, beast or contrived deity. (Col. 1:9- 10; I Tim. 6:15)

Supremacy: God is the Highest One. The number one represents the best, finest and highest in the realm of possibilities. Those who compete in any given field want to be called number one because it makes them the best in the world. Every attribute, taken to its superlative state, characterizes God. He exemplifies every virtue, wears every honor, boasts every feat and deserves every expression of worship. (Psa. 145:3)

Identicalness: God is the Unequalled One. The number one is equal only to itself. Any other number that corresponds to all its attributes cannot actually be another, but the same number! Therefore, no other so-called god, nor other supposed person of God need exist because it would only be a redundancy of God himself. (Isa. 40:25; 46:5)

Originality: God is the One Source. In its purest sense, number one may be considered self-initiating and self- perpetuating, having no precedent. God has no creator. He exists uncreated, unbirthed and uncaused. God, as the One God, originates everything else. He is the source of all that exists, the fountainhead of all knowledge and the First Cause of all effects. He owes no fealty, serves no obeisance, borrows from no other power, nor does he act in behalf of another. (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16-17)

Eternality: God is always One. In the abstract, the number one always exists, regardless of time or subject. God exists as One, transcendent over time and oblivious to circumstance. There has never been a time when God needed to be more than one. (I Tim 6:16; Rev. 1:17)

Any theology that declares God to be three… Must assume the inadequacy of one Denies a measure of deity to one or two supposed persons of the Godhead in order to necessitate the existence of three.

A triumvirate of inadequate persons represents a flawed Godhead. God is indivisibly, essentially, cardinally, ordinally, specifically, exclusively, supremely, identically, originally and eternally One! It is for this reason, therefore, that the Oneness view of God is unrivaled in importance.

God cannot be two or more. The Scriptures emphatically forbid it. (Isaiah 43:10-12) Violations of the principle of One. Proscriptions against idolatry. (Isaiah 44:15- 18) Corruption of the typology. One ark. One Door. One tabernacle.

We have a created relationship capacity Man is created for one vital relationship We have one human father One human mother One wife/husband (Genesis 2:24)

The Biblical Principle of One "If your eye is single…" A double-minded man is unstable… One greatest commandment: Love One sin (Romans 5) One man's righteousness One savior One Lord, one faith… Eph. 4:1-6

Either God is One or he is infinite in number

Some regard three as the perfect number. Three dimensions, Stability, Symmetry, Balance I John 5:7 (Textual criticism) Yet, three is also used in less than complimentary fashion: Balaams donkey. Numbers 22:32 Peters denial. Matt. 26:34

Doctrinal positions should not be based upon human fixations or obsessions about numbers except those numbers clearly stated in scripture.

Any given number may have both good and bad associations. Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet Pagan trinities Multiple personality persons are considered dysfunctional.

If God is more than one, we cant stop at three! Two? Only two, if taken as persons, represent the Godhead in most cases - Father and Son. Four? - Eze. 1:5, 28 Seven? - Rev. 3:1; 4:5 Nine? - Spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12) Ten? - Deut 4:13 Twelve? - Rev. 22:2 Hundreds? God's names

God's oneness cannot be described as a unity. Unity combines dissimilar elements. Unity of essence equals oneness. Hebrew "elohim" (A plural form regarded as an abstract plural emphasizing the concept of deity. I Kings 11:5 shows that elohim is a general term for a deity, not a plural form as a precursor of the trinity.)

The Problem of Incarnation Salvation required death, burial and resurrection. No man qualified to be this sinless sacrifice. God could not be the sacrifice because he had no body or blood. The Spirit of God could not die without ceasing to be God. Had God existed as a trinity, there would have been no need to search for a redeemer.

The problem can only be resolved by one God who incarnated himself to become the sacrifice for man.

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor. 5:19

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Col 1:15

What do the scriptures teach about the Godhead?

A Mystery Explained I Timothy 3:16 God was Manifest in the flesh God was…Justified in the Spirit God was…Seen of angels God was…Preached unto the Gentiles God was…Believed on in the world God was…Received up into glory

Jesus was God made visible for the purpose of redemption. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Colossians 1:20

The key to understanding – For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

The Godhead is clearly seen. It is not irrational. It is not incomprehensible. It is not paradoxical.

The Godhead is understood by the things that are made. The material universe testifies to oneness No trinity exists in nature. No beast is a trinity Man is not a trinity. Body, soul and spirit. Yet, one person There is no viable trinitarian model.

Missed scriptural opportunities to state the trinity John 10:30 I and my Father are three John 14:1-9 The Father is up there… Col. 2:6-10 Some of the Godhead dwells in Jesus…

As the Old Testament is monotheistic, the New Testament is Cristocentric And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 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? John 14:8-9

The Oneness Culmination in Revelation. 1:1 Revelation of Jesus Christ 1:1 Sent and signified by his (God's) angel. 1:3-18 Focal point on Christ

The ONE on the Throne Revelation 4:1-2; Revelation 4:9-11

The Lamb and the Book in Revelation 5:1-14 The Lamb stood up out of the midst of the throne and took the book out of the hand of the One who sat on the throne. Even in its symbolic context, this is a clear picture of the oneness of the Godhead. The offices and manifestations are divided, but not the person of God himself.

22:1-6The Identity of the Lord God Rev. 22:1-6 God and the Lamb have a singular pronoun. Rev. 22:12-16 I Jesus have sent my angel…

Jesus is the one central, unique personage. The mind of Deity is eternally centered in Christ. All angelic ministry is centered on Christ. All Satanic hatred is centered at Christ. All human hopes and occupations should be centered in Christ. The whole material universe in creation is centered in Christ. The entire written Word is centered on Christ.