God Is One and Only

In my last post, we began a series on the doctrine of God, and we began with the "that God" question of God's existence. We also noted that this series would continue to move from the "that God" question of His existence to the "what God" question of His nature and attributes, to the "who God" question of His persons.

With that in mind, it's good at the outset of this post to see that the categories of nature (what) and person (who) are not merely philosophical categories which have no grounding in the Scriptures themselves.

So concerning God's nature (what God is), the Scriptures speak expressly of the category of "nature" (Gal. 4:8); they speak of the "Godhead," which is a term that refers to the divine nature (Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9); and they speak of the "form of God," which likewise refers to the divine nature (Phil. 2:6-8).

Then, concerning God's persons (who God is), the Scriptures speak of Christ being the express image of the Father's "person" (Heb. 1:3).

So we see that we are on solid biblical ground when we talk about the "what" of God's nature and attributes, as well as when we speak about the "who" of God's persons.

With that in mind, as we begin to discuss the nature and attributes of God, it is good to start with His unity or oneness. When theologians speak of God's unity or oneness, they typically mean it in two ways. In one way, God's unity and oneness refer to His exclusivity of existence, that He is the only God that exists. In the other way, His unity and oneness refer to His unity of essence or nature: He is not the sum of parts added up, nor can He be divided. He's simply and indivisibly one.

This twofold sense of God's unity or oneness is itself rooted in the teaching of Scripture. For in Deuteronomy 6:4 we read, "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one." But if you look in your bible at this passage, you might have a footnote that offers an alternative translation, something like, "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord alone (that is, the only one)." So you can see the word for "one" seems to imply the above-mentioned twofold theological sense or perhaps application, namely that God is one (unity of essence) and that He is the only one (exclusivity of existence).

This implied twofold sense is then made clearer later in Scripture. For referring to God's unity of essence, Jesus says in John 10:30, "I and My Father are one." But then in Mark 12:29-32, in response to a question about the first commandment of all, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4, and the scribe who asked him the question responds by saying, "Well said, Teacher, You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He."

So we see from various passages that the notion of God's unity does in fact have this twofold theological sense, referring to both His unity of essence and His exclusivity of existence.

In the rest of this post, we will look briefly at His unity from the angle of His exclusivity of existence, and next time we will address His unity of essence by looking at His spirituality and simplicity.

So, having looked in our first post at the question of God's existence, and seeing that all men know that God exists, and that both Scripture and Nature show that God exists, now, after a long introduction, we will look at the issue of whether or not God is the only God that exists, whether or not He is one and only.

On this point, while there are compelling philosophical and theological arguments for the exclusivity of God's existence, nonetheless, the God that exists and who cannot lie speaks so clearly in His word on this issue that there can be no doubt that He is the one and only God that exists.

In the Law of Moses we read in Deuteronomy 4:39, "Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other."

In the Prophets we read in Isaiah 44:6, 8, "I am the First, and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God ... Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one."

In the Psalms we read in Psalm 86:10, "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God."

Then in the New Testament we read in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, "Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."

So from the Old to the New, across the pages of God's holy word, we see His infallible testimony to the exclusivity of His existence, to the fact that He is one and only.

But sometimes at this point, objections or questions arise.

Objection or Question: Aren't there a great variety of divine names and even some that are in the plural? Doesn't this call into question the exclusivity of God's existence?

Answer: The Scriptures above and elsewhere teach clearly that there is only one God. Therefore, we are to understand the variety of divine names in a manner like we understand God's attributes, which is to say that they do not reveal to us many Gods but rather they reveal to us the singular divine nature and perfection from many angles so that we can better grasp something of His infinite perfection. Further, the name "God" often in the plural has been historically understood to refer to the fact that there is a plurality of persons within the one nature of God.

Objection or Question: Don't the plurality of persons called God in Scripture call into question the exclusivity of His existence? Are there not at least three Gods?

Answer: As we saw above, the Scriptures distinguish between the nature of God and persons in God. So, as we will see in later posts, the nature of God is one and only, while the persons of God are three. There are three co-equal and co-eternal persons in the one divine nature. So while there are three fully divine persons in God, nonetheless they all possess and share the one, same, and only divine nature, and therefore while there are three divine persons, there is only one God, one divine nature.

Objection or Question: Don't the Scriptures expressly speak of other gods in multiple passages (Gal. 4:8; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; Ex. 12:12; Ps. 82:6)? If so, it seems that God's existence is not exclusive after all.

Answer: In Galatians 4:8, Paul refers to the so-called gods of the world as, in fact, those which by nature are not gods. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 Paul only refers to them as "so-called" gods. Further, in 1 Corinthians 10:19-20, Paul says these so-called gods and idols which the nations worship are in fact demons and no gods at all. So, regarding these passages, we see that when other "gods" are mentioned in Scripture, they are often referring either to sinful creations of man's imagination or, in fact, to demons whom the people worship as if they were gods. Lastly, Jesus makes clear in John 10:34-35 that the reference to "gods" in Psalm 82:6 is a reference to men in official positions of authority who especially image God in their exercise of that authority, and so they are referred to as "gods".

So, dear believer, I hope you have seen that the God whom you believe in and the God whom you love is, in truth, the one and only God. He is your Rock, and the only Rock.

In closing, one good use you can make of this Scriptural teaching on the exclusivity of God's existence is to use it in your life to help you fight against any idols of your own heart. Idols of our hearts demand and draw us after their service and, in so doing, cause us to sin against our God and to practically deny that He is the one and only God. So, if you are struggling with any "gods" or idols in your own heart, consider memorizing and meditating on Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and praying to the one and only God, asking Him to use His word in your heart to cast down and destroy whatever idol you may have set up in it.

In this way and many more, let us believe and live in light of the great truth that our great God is one and only! Blessings!