When we begin an honest study of the scriptures we will often be challenged to think "out of the box." In other words, could it be that what we’ve been taught, or what we’ve always thought might not be entirely accurate? To study the scriptures with an open mind would never be a bad thing. On the other hand, we would never want to think out of the "scriptures." In a past article we found the holy scriptures to be wholly inspired of God. It is from the written scriptures that we must derive our doctrine and our conclusions on which we base our faith. Let’s see what the scriptures tell us about God.

The title of this article is a direct quote from the Old Testament scriptures, from Deuteronomy 6:4, and it states unequivocally, "The LORD our God, the LORD is one!" This would seem to fly in the face of the popular doctrine of the trinity, that the LORD is three. We have often heard the titles, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It’s suggested that these three are coexistent, coequal, and coeternal. It’s thought that they exist in the form of three persons, and that somehow these three are one. However, if you do the simple math, it adds up to three. We’re sometimes told that our finite minds cannot comprehend an infinite God. While that is true, we certainly should be able to comprehend that which God has revealed about himself, that which he expects us to comprehend.

What does God himself say about how many of him there are? He makes it very clear in Isaiah 45. Read the entire chapter if you have time, however because of limited space we’ll here quote from verses 5,6,18,21,22. All quotes in this article are from the NIV. "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is no other. For this is what the Lord says – he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – he says: ‘I am the Lord, and there is none other.’ Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."

If there was no other evidence or explanation in the scriptures, the above passage alone would emphatically declare that God is one, and that there is none else! However this is not the only passage. Over and over he inspired his writers to clearly teach his oneness.

Moses was uncompromising in his belief in the one true God. In Deuteronomy 4 he reminded the Israelites of the creation and the workings of God. In verse 35 he explained, "You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other." Job, in 9:8 proclaimed, "He alone stretches out the heavens." David, in Psalm 86:8-10 declared, "Among the gods there is none like you O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God." In 2 Kings 19:15 & 19 King Hezekiah prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his (the enemy’s) hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. " In Malachi 2:10 the prophet made a statement when he asked the question, "Did not one God create us?"

We find the same emphasis on the oneness of God from Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament as well. In fact, consider Jesus’ own words in John 17:3. He was praying to God, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Evidently Jesus believed it was a matter of salvation to know the God to which he prayed, whom he identified as "the only true God." He also declared it to be essential to know himself, Jesus, whom God had sent. It is clear that the only true God is separate and distinct from Jesus whom he had sent.

For further study, read the following passages and discover what they teach about who God is, and how many of him there are: Mark 12:28-34, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Galatians 3:20, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Timothy 1:17, & 2:5. As we said earlier, this may challenge you to think "out of the box." We welcome your responses and questions. Join us this Sunday as Pastor John addresses this teaching about the oneness of God.