Biblical Evidence That God Is One Being, Not A Trinity

Evidence that God is One Being

Some doctrines in the Bible are minor and there is only minor evidence for them. But, critical doctrines are attested to by at least one clear, “Thus saith the Lord”. One of the most critical things for us to understand, if we wish to worship God, is what it is that we worship.
Of the three Abrahamic religious traditions, only Christians generally believe that God is a Trinity, rather than a single being. Jews and Muslims both consider this a terrible blasphemy. If God really is a Trinity, then the evidence in scripture should point to that. And, if God is only one, the evidence in scripture should point to that.
There are quite a few different views on exactly how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit form a Trinity. I will not attempt to examine the veracity of each of these. Rather, I will simply ask, “Is Jesus, in some manner, the eternal God who created everything in the universe? Or, did God bring Jesus into existence and give him power and authority?”
Let us begin with what Jesus said concerning God and his relationship to God.
Jesus said God is One: Mark 12:29-30, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment”. Therefore, Jesus begins his declaration of the greatest commandment with the statement that God is one.
The Bible states that Jesus received life from God: John 5:26 “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” There are two key features of this statement. The first is that the Son is given life.
The second key feature is that the life is described as “life in himself.” Does this indicate a Trinitarian or Anti-Trinitarian idea? Take a look at Colossians 1:15-17
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Take note that to be the image of something is to reflect the qualities of that thing, not to actually be that thing, similar to how Adam and Eve were made in the image of God.
Now, many people will latch onto the fact that this says that all things were created by him and they will say this means Jesus is God. But they forget 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, "As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, 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."
This passage explicitly states that there is one God, the Father. It refers to Jesus as Lord (a word often used as a sign of respect, not necessarily worship). It also says that all things are of the Father and by Jesus. This seems to indicate that all the power and life come from the one God, the Father. Jesus acts as a servant who is given authority and power, by which the will of God is carried out.
This is clarified in Ephesians 3:9, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:" interestingly, many of the Greek manuscripts do not support the “by Jesus Christ.” They show Ephesian 3: 9-11 to be, “to enlighten all men as to what is the dispensation of the mystery that has been hid from the ages in God, who created all things; that there might be made known now to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenly regions, through the church, the much-diversified wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages, which he established in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You can see an example of this at http://codexsinaiticus.org .
Jesus confirmed this relationship in Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” In John 5:19-22, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." And in John 5:30, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." And in John 6:38, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
In addition, Peter referred to this type of relationship. Acts 2:36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Not only did Jesus say that the Father was greater than him, he also said that the Father was his God. Look first in John 14:28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.” Jesus denied having the same goodness as God (before you stop reading, I don’t mean that Jesus was sinful) in Mark 10:17-18, "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God." And he referred to the Father as his God in John 20:17, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
Let’s return to Jesus’s conversation with the scribe. Mark 12:29-34, "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question."
Jesus was not omniscient: Mark 13:32, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
Here Jesus plainly states that his understanding of the future is limited because he does not know the day or the hour of his return. But God’s understanding is infinite according to Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” I have heard it said that Jesus changed when he took on humanity. He lost his omniscience. But, God doesn’t change, according to James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." And since Jesus is the image, or perfect reflection of, the Father, he also does not change, according to Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Jesus referred to himself constantly as the Son of Man. There are two big implications for using this phrase. The first is that this is the same term that God used when He addressed the prophet Ezekiel, starting in Ezekiel 2:1, "And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee." This would connect him with the role of a prophet.
However, God is not a Son of Man: Numbers 23:19,
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
The book of Daniel clearly differentiates the Son of Man from the Ancient of Days (God). Daniel 7:13-14, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."
Here, Jesus uses a phrase that at once both connects him with the line of the prophets, and it differentiates him from God. Notice also that the Son of Man in Daniel receives his dominion and glory from God.
James 1:13-14, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."
Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Now, let’s spend some time in the book of Revelation and how it relates to the Trinity doctrine. Many Christians will quote from it to try and prove the Trinity, but I believe that a careful examination will reveal that it denies the Trinity.
Let’s start with the origin of the book. God (one person) gave Jesus (another person) the Revelation which Jesus would have known already if he was God: Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.”
Revelation 1 gets very interesting and is often used to prove that Jesus is God. Let’s look at verses 4, 5 and 8.
Revelation 1:4-5, “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”
Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Notice that verses 4, 5 say “Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come…And from Jesus Christ,” making them separate entities. Since the Alpha and Omega in verse 8 is identified as the one “which is, and which was, and which is to come”, it is a separate entity from Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:10-13, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
Now this is often used to show that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. However, it only states that John saw Jesus after he turned to see where the voice what coming from, leaving the possibility that it was not Jesus speaking.
Also, many of the oldest manuscripts don’t contain the phrase “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” in verse 11. For an example of this look at http://codexsinaiticus.org. There you can see the oldest nearly complete Bible in the world. It simply reads: “I was in-spirit on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a voice great as that of a trumpet, saying: What thou seest write in a book”. This makes it questionable whether the speaker is the Alpha and Omega, regardless of whether or not it is Jesus speaking. I don’t believe major doctrines should be derived from questionable texts, especially if there are other texts that contradict said doctrine. For example, Revelation clearly states that the Lamb is not the one that sits on the throne. And it states that the one who sits on the throne is the Alpha and Omega.
Revelation 4:2, “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
Revelation 5:1-2, “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’”
Revelation 5:6-7, “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”
Revelation 7:10, “And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:5-6, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
A lot of people read Revelation 22:13 as a reference to Jesus as the Alpha and Omega. But let’s look at the whole context.
Revelation 22:8-16
(8) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
(9) Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
(10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
(11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
(12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
(14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
(15) For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
(16) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Now, either Jesus is the angel that told John not to worship him, or there is more than one speaker here. I believe scholars universally agree that there are multiple speakers. The question is, is Jesus the Alpha and Omega speaker. Verse 16 says, “I Jesus.” But notice that immediately after the Alpha and Omega phrase it says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments.” Whose commandments? God’s, of course. And it refers to God in the third person. So, either we have switched speakers (before the “I Jesus” in verse 16), or this Alpha and Omega is not God. And note a few verses earlier. Verse 9 is undeniably the angel speaking, who protests being worshiped. In verse 12 we either have the same angel saying that he is coming quickly or we have abruptly switched speakers and Jesus is speaking, which is what all red letter Bibles indicate. So we have abrupt switches between verses 11 and 12 and between 13 and 14. Now, the question is, is there any evidence for a break between verses 12 and 13? The sudden breaks immediately before and after it lend to the possibility, while remaining consistent with the rest of the text.
There still remains the question of Jesus being the First and the Last and if that makes him God. It says in
Revelation 1:17, “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.”
God can certainly be rightfully called the First and the Last. But God is also called love. Does this mean that everyone that loves is God? No. People generally assume, however, that “the first and the last” must be a sign of divinity. Maybe we should let the Bible interpret itself.
Isaiah 41:4, “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”
The phrase, “the first and the last” is used several times in Isaiah and Revelation. However, this is the only time an explanation is given. In this verse we see that it does not always mean first and last in existence. Sometimes it refers to calling the generations to God. Does this description fit Jesus? Might this be what he meant in Revelation 1:17?
Here is a sampling of verses that clearly speak of God and Christ as separate beings. I know that most people will agree that “God” in these texts refers to the
Father. The question they always ignore is, if Jesus is also God, why say God and Christ? Why not God the Father and God the Son.
Mark 16:19, "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
Luke 23:35, "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God."
John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Acts 2:30, "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;"
Acts 4:10, "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole."
Romans 2:16, "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."
Romans 5:15, "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."
Romans 8:16-17, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
1 Corinthians 3:23, "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."
1 Corinthians 11:3, "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
1 Corinthians 15:15, "Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not."
2 Corinthians 1:3, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;"
2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Don’t forget Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
Galatians 4:7, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
Ephesians 5:5, "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Philippians 2:11, "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Colossians 3:1, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."
2 Thessalonians 2:16, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,"
1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Titus 2:13, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"
Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
Here are some other declarations that God is one.
Isaiah 45:18, "For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the LORD, and there is no other." (ESV)
Isaiah 45:21-22, "Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (ESV)