How Many Gods?

Start with a question Almost every Christian says: “I believe in one God.” So are we finished? Not at all. A Trinitarian and a Oneness believer both say it. So does a Muslim, and so does a Jew. Saying “one” doesn’t tell us which one, or what we mean by it.

The Bible says: one The first fact is simple. The Bible is a book about one God.

Notice what these verses don’t say. They don’t say “one Godhead” or “three Gods.” They say one God.

But “Elohim” is plural The Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, and it is a plural form. Two people can use this fact in different ways. A tritheist may say: “It’s plural, so there’s a plurality of Gods.” A Trinitarian may say: “It’s plural, so there’s a plurality in God.” Let’s be careful here, using Rule 3 from Lesson 6: a word on its own doesn’t prove a connection. The Bible uses Elohim for the true God, and also for other beings. In Psalm 82:6, God says to human rulers: “I have said, Ye are gods (Elohim); and all of you are children of the most High.” So the plural form can refer to one or to many. The Hebrew form alone can’t settle our question. (In Lessons 14–15 we will look at the Old Testament language in detail.) For now, notice what the New Testament, written in Greek, does with the word.

What the Greek tells us The New Testament’s word for God is theos, which is singular. The plural form is theoi. Notice how Jesus and the writers use them. Jesus said: “Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” (John 10:34) Here John uses the plural, theoi, because Jesus is quoting Psalm 82:6, where Elohim refers to people. So John translated the Hebrew plural as a Greek plural. But when Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4, he used the singular: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Mark 12:29) The same Hebrew word, Elohim, appears in both Psalm 82:6 and Deuteronomy 6:4. Yet when speaking of the true God, the writer gives us the singular theos. Paul does the same: “For though there be that are called gods (theoi, plural), whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God (theos, singular), the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Corinthians 8:5–6)

But “one” still isn’t settled Here is the catch. A Trinitarian can say “Amen” to every verse above. So can a Oneness believer. Saying “God is one” doesn’t tell us what kind of one it is: a one made of three Persons, or a single Person, or something else. So we need more than the word “one.” We need to see who the Bible identifies as that one God.

The real puzzle Here is what makes the question hard. The Bible says there’s one God. And yet both the Father and the Son are spoken of as God. Let’s put the strongest evidence on the table. Don’t skip it.

1. Thomas said to Jesus: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
2. The Father says to the Son: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8).
3. Jesus is said to be “in the form of God” and to have thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Philippians 2:6).
4. John says of the Word: “and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
5. Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
6. Jesus received worship: “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). And the Old Testament appears to agree. Isaiah 40:3. Matthew says John the Baptist fulfilled Isaiah’s words: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matthew 3:3). In Isaiah 40:3 the One whose way is prepared is called LORD (Jehovah) and “our God.” Joel 2:32. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.” Peter applies this to Jesus: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21), and concludes: “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Paul does the same in Romans 10:13. Isaiah 9:6. The promised child’s name is “The mighty God.” So the New Testament and the Old Testament treat the Son as divine.

The question this raises This is where many people conclude that the Trinity must be the answer. The reasoning goes: If the Father is God, and Jesus is God, and there is only one God, then doesn’t that mean the Trinity is the most logical answer? Others have tried a different way out: denying that Jesus is God, or describing Him as a lesser god. This course takes neither route. It doesn’t deny what Scripture says about the Son, and it doesn’t take the first conclusion simply because it sounds logical. (Remember Lesson 7: a conclusion must not be held more firmly than its evidence. A conclusion that is logical isn’t the same as one that is established.) To find the answer, we need to answer three questions from Scripture:

1. What does the Bible mean when it says there is one God?
2. Who is it referring to?
3. Why is Jesus called God?

The roadmap We will follow the Bible through five stages, asking at each: who did they worship, and what did “one God” mean to them?

1. The Old Testament. Who did the Jews worship? Did “one God” mean a triune God or a single individual God? (Lessons 14–15)
2. John the Baptist. What did the man chosen to announce the Messiah understand about God? (Lesson 16)
3. The Gospels. What did Jesus teach? What did the Jews of His day believe? (Lessons 16–17)
4. The apostles. What did they teach from Pentecost onward? (Lesson 18)
5. Revelation. What do we find about God in the book about the future? (Lesson 19) But first, Lesson 11 gives a short, direct answer to the question: who does the Bible say the one God is?