Monotheism

Anthony Buzzard

Neither Paul or any writer of the Bible ever stated that “there is One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” No example out of thousands of occurrences of Jahweh (OT) and God (NT) can be shown to mean “God in three Persons.” The Triune God is foreign to the Bible. The words of Paul need careful consideration: “There is no God but one…. To us there is One God, the Father” (1 Cor. 8:4, 6) There is also one Lord Messiah, Jesus (1 Cor. 8:6), but He is the Lord Christ (Luke 2:11; Ps. 110:1), the Son of the One God, His Father.

The two major players in the Bible are described in a precious divine oracle quoted in the NT more than any other verse from the Hebrew Bible: Ps. 110:1. There the One God “Yahweh” speaks to David’s Lord, who is addressed as Adoni (“my Lord”). Adoni in its 195 occurrences never means the One God. It refers always to a human (or occasionally) angelic superior, other than God. Jesus is the Lord of David of whom Ps. 110:1 speaks. He was appointed Lord and Messiah — appointed by God, his Father (Acts 2:34-36).

Out of respect and honor for Jesus the Messiah, Christians should adopt his Jewish creed in Mark 12:28ff.: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” God is one Lord. Jesus is another Lord. That makes two Lords, but the creed knows of only one Lord who is God (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:28ff.). That is the creed of Jesus and therefore the original and authentic Christian creed. It is also the creed of Paul. May we all joyfully embrace that creed and align ourselves with the Jesus Messiah of history.