“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
“God is one” (Galatians 3:20).
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. Despite the simplicity of this message and the clarity with which the Bible presents it, many who believe in the existence of God have not understood it.
Within the ranks of those labeling themselves Christian, there are several divergent views as to the nature of the Godhead. One view, called trinitarianism, asserts that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost—but yet one God.
Strict Christian monotheists believe in one God, but further believes that the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in Jesus Christ. They believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are manifestations, modes, offices, or relationships that the one God has displayed to humans. Church historians have used the terms modalism and modalistic monarchianism to describe this view as held by such early church leaders as Noetus, Praxeas, and Sabellius. Today, those who believe in both the indivisible oneness of God and the full deity of Jesus Christ frequently use the term “Oneness” to describe their belief.
The classic expression of the doctrine of one God is found in Deuteronomy 6:4. “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.” 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, and they often quote it in English as, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” Traditionally, a devout Jew always tried to make this confession of faith just before death.
The Nature of God
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Our small human minds cannot discover or comprehend all there is to know about God, but the Bible does describe many important characteristics and attributes that God possesses. God is a Spirit. He is invisible unless He chooses to manifest Himself in some form visible to humans. God told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18; I John 4:12). Not only has no human ever seen God, but no human can see God (I Timothy 6:16). But God has revealed His nature to humanity, particularly through visible manifestations.
Names and Titles of God
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Even though we cannot fully comprehend God, God has employed several methods to reveal Himself to us. One of these methods is the use of different names or titles to identify Himself. Yahweh (Jehovah) is the redemptive name of God in the Old Testament (Exodus 6:3-8) and the unique name by which the one true God distinguished Himself in the Old Testament from all other gods (Isaiah 42:8). It means the Self-Existing One or the Eternal One. This concept also appears in the phrases “I AM THAT I AM” and “I AM,” used by God of Himself.
In the Old Testament God progressively revealed more about Himself as various needs arose in the lives of people, and He used names to express this self-revelation. When Abraham needed a lamb to sacrifice, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-jireh, the Lord that provides. When Israel needed deliverance, God revealed that His name Jehovah had a previously unknown significance with respect to deliverance and salvation. When Israel needed protection from disease and sickness, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-rapha, the Lord that heals. When Israel needed victory over enemies, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-nissi, the Lord our banner. Thus, the names and titles described above all reveal important aspects about the nature of God.
When the fullness of time came, God did satisfy the longings of His people and revealed Himself in all His power and glory through the name Jesus. Jesus means Jehovah-Savior, Jehovah our Salvation, or Jehovah is Salvation. This is why the angel said, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus Is God
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
The fact that Jesus is God is as firmly established in Scripture as the fact that God is one. The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully human.
Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most powerful proofs that Jesus is God: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The terms child and son refer to the Incarnation, or the manifestation of “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.” The New Testament also proclaims that Jesus is God. Thomas confessed Jesus as both Lord and God (John 20:28). According to Acts 20:28, the church was purchased with God’s own blood, namely, the blood of Jesus. Paul described Jesus as “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, NIV).
God Was Manifest in the Flesh
The statement that Jesus is God necessarily implies that God took on human flesh. This is in fact what the Bible says. “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Timothy 3:16).
John 1:1-15 beautifully teaches the concept of God manifest in flesh. In the beginning was the Word (Logos). The Word was not a separate person or a separate god any more than a man’s word is a separate person from him. Rather the Word was the thought, plan, or mind of God. The Word was with God in the beginning and actually was God Himself (John 1:1). The Incarnation existed in the mind of God before the world began. In the mind of God the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8).
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter . . . even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17).
Do the terms Father, Son, and Holy Ghost identify three different persons or personalities in the Godhead? Or do they indicate three different roles, modes, functions, or offices through which the one God operates and reveals Himself? God is the Father. He is not merely Father of the Son but the Father of all creation (Malachi 2:10; Hebrews 12:9). Jesus taught many times that God is our Father (Matthew 5:16, 45, 48). He taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The term “Son of God” refers to God as manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity. The name of the Son is Jesus: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS” (Matthew 1:21). “Father” refers to deity alone, while “Son of God” refers to deity as incarnated in humanity. John 14:10 tells us that the Father is in the Son. If the Holy Spirit is simply God, why is there a need for this term? The reason is that it emphasizes a particular aspect of God. It emphasizes that He who is a holy, omnipresent, and invisible Spirit works among all people everywhere and can fill the hearts of people. When we speak of the Holy Spirit, we are reminding ourselves of God’s invisible work among humans and of His ability to anoint, baptize, fill, and dwell in human lives.
Conclusion
So, what can we say about God? First, there is one indivisible God with no distinction of persons. Second, Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Godhead incarnate. He is God the Father—the Jehovah of the Old Testament—manifested in the flesh. All of God is in Jesus Christ, and we find all we need in Him. The only God we will ever see in Heaven is Jesus Christ.
Excerpted from The Oneness of God © 2001. Published by Word Aflame Press and available at pentecostalpublishing.com.
Written by David K. Bernard.