The One True God
By Eld. B. E. ECHOLS

The Jews of Old Testament times only knew and worshipped ONE God, except when they apostatized and worshipped idols. Teaching that there were THREE gods was not to be found in the Old Testament Scriptures; neither is such to be found in the New Testament Scriptures. The doctrine and teaching of there being THREE persons in the Godhead did not originate until after the Apostolic Age.

WHERE TRINITARIANISM ORIGINATED

The Nicene Council, which convened about 325 A. D., accepted and confirmed the belief and teaching of Athanasius, who taught that there were three personalities in the Godhead, equal in power. Most of the Protestant Churches today accept and hold the same view of the Godhead as Athanasius did regardless of what the Bible teaches. The Scriptures positively and plainly state there is only ONE personality in the Godhead the Lord Jesus Christ. See Col. 2:8-10; 1 John 5:7; St. John 10:30.

A VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT

So we come to one of the most important subjects in all the Bible: “The One True God,” or the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many people today are in darkness and doubt concerning the deity Christ. They are contaminated and deceived by the teaching of the mother of harlots (Rev. 17:1-18). But, thank God, many are beginning to see the truth and discard those old robes of false and deceptive teaching1 concerning TWO or THREE gods, and are coming to the truth as it is in God’s Word. Such a
revelation is no longer confined to what is known as the ONENESS Pentecostal people, but eminent Bible scholars, of a number of the Protestant Churches, have discovered this truth among these are Rev. C. I. Scofield, author of the Scofield Bible and Dr. John Roach Stratton, a former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of New York City, which is said to be the largest Baptist church in the world. Then there is Wm. Phillips Hall’s book, “A Remarkable Biblical Discovery,” discussing the deity of Christ and the name of God. (You can. order this book from us, for 35c). Mr. Hall was a Presbyterian and president of the American Tract Society; also vice president of the American Bible Society.

ISRAEL COMMANDED TO SERVE ONE GOD

It is very significant that the first commandment to the children of Israel was to serve ONE God and Him ONLY. “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is ONE Lord” (Deut. 6:4), and “Thou shalt have no other gods before (or besides) me.” Ex. 20:3. This commandment stands good for God’s people today. This is a teaching that has been confirmed by the New Testament writers and cannot be refuted by the Scriptures. Jesus said, “If ye love ME, keep My commandments,” and this is one of His commandments.

THE ONE TRUE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Let us see what God says about it Himself. Will you believe Him. and take what He says about it? God, speaking through Isaiah, said: “Ye are My witnesses,’ saith the Lord, ‘and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and UNDERSTAND that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be (one formed, born, or created) after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no Saviour (or one who can save).'” Isa. 43:10, 11. Again God says:. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, ALL the ENDS of the earth, for I am God, and there is NONE else.” The name of Jesus is Jeho-shua in Hebrew which means that Jehovah is our Saviour. Compare Isa. 45:20-22 with Matt. 1:21. So the ONE true God of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New (Isa. 9:6; 7:14; Matt. 1:21-23).

JESUS CONFIRMED THE ONE GOD THEORY

Jesus made Himself equal with God and taught that He was God (John 14: 7-9; 8:56-58; 12:45). He never taught that He and the Father constituted more than ONE person or God. Over and over He stated and affirmed that He and His Father were One and the same God. “I and My Father are ONE” were His own words. People who teach that there are TWO or THREE gods certainly ignore what Jesus said about it. Such doctrine is not founded on what the Lord Jesus Christ said.

Jesus told Phillip, “He that hath seen
me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, ‘Shew us the Father?'” The Jews threatened to stone Jesus upon several occasions because He attributed deity to Himself, and claimed to be their God (John 8:56-59; 10:30-33). So Jesus and all writers of the New and Old Testaments agree that He (Jesus) is the ONE true God.

THE SCRIBES KNEW THERE WAS BUT ONE GOD

“And the scribe said unto Him (Jesus), ‘Well, Master, thou hast said THE TRUTH, for there IS (a verb used in the present tense) ONE God; and there is NONE other but He.'” Mark 12:32. If Jesus had been another God He would have corrected this scribe right then and there.
No God BEFORE or AFTER. Some people try to take Gen. 1:26, where GOD said, “Let US make man,” and prove that TWO gods created man, but God, some 2500 years later, states positively that there was “No God WITH Him” at that time. See Deut. 32:39. We also read in Mal. 2:10, “Have we not all ONE Father? hath not ONE God created us”? Then in Isa. 43:10 and Deut. 32:39 God declares that there was NO God formed BEFORE Him, neither would there be one formed AFTER Him. So in the face of these scriptures, and many others like them, the scribe knew positively that there was but ONE God.

THE ONE TRUE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

I. According to Paul’s teaching. According to Paul, Jesus is the ONE true God of the New Testament. A few of his quotations or sayings will prove the foregoing statement to be true. Paul said that the princes of this world would not have crucified Jesus had they known that He was the Lord of Glory – the Lord from Heaven. (1 Cor. 2:8).

A great mystery. Paul knew that the deity of Christ was a great mystery to many; nevertheless he said, “God was manifest IN THE FLESH (compare John 1:14, 10), justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” I Tim. 3:16. About Whom was he speaking in this statement, if it were not Jesus? It was none other than He who died on the cross of Calvary. Paul KNEW that “God was IN Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19), and that “In Him (Jesus) dwelleth ALL the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Moffatt translates the last verse: “It is in Christ that the entire FULNESS of deity has settled bodily.” Col. 2:9. Every way Paul looked it was ONENESS (Eph. 4:4-6). So he knew and taught that there was but ONE God. Should we not do the same thing?

2. According to John’s teaching. John was a bosom friend of our Lord, and he should be a good authority concerning His deity. Turning to John 1:1, 14, 10, we read: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God. And the Word was MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us, . . . He was in the world, and the world was made by Him (Jesus), and the world knew Him not.” Let us ask John a question relative to the true God. John, can you definitely tell us who is the TRUE
God, according to your own knowledge of Him? Yes, we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding (Compare Luke 24:36,45), that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20. So John tells us that Jesus is the true God.

3. According to Thomas’ statement. When Thomas saw Jesus after His resurrection and recognized Him by the nail prints in His hands, and the pierced side, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” John 20:28. You will also notice that Jesus did not censure his statement and tell him that he was mistaken. If Jesus had not been Thomas’ God, He would have told him so.

4. According to Jude’s teaching. “To the ONLY wise God (about Whom are you talking, Jude?) our Saviour.” It is believed by some commentators that this Jude was a brother of our Lord. Again in >the fourth verse of Jude, we read: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly men, who pervert the grace of God into immortality, and disown Jesus Christ, our ONLY Sovereign (Supreme Ruler, King, etc.) and Lord” Weymouth’s translation. If Jesus is our ONLY Sovereign, He is our ONLY God. That is exactly what Jude thought about it. See again verse 25.

5. According to a devil’s statement. Some might think it strange to quote a devil concerning the deity of Christ; but you must remember that they are fallen angels, and once dwelt in heaven with God; therefore they knew Him and recognized Him. when they saw Him. So when Jesus approached a man who was possessed with an unclean spirit, the devil (cried out and said, “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I KNOW thee who thou art; the HOLY ONE of God.” By turning to Hosea 11:9, you will see that the “Holy One” was none other but God. James stated that the devils believed in ONE GOD, and also stated that every one who believed that there was just ONE God was DOING WELL (James 2:19).

GIVE GOD’S WORD PRIORITY

If people would only give God’s Word priority in their hearts and minds concerning the “ONENESS of God” and the “Deity of Jesus Christ,” they would not be so confused about this truth and doctrine. But so many folks give priority to their own opinions, and the ideas of others, in preference to God’s ETERNAL Word.
Be assured again by God’s Word that “There IS (present tense) ONE body (Col. 2:8-10), and ONE Spirit . . . ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and (ONE) Father of all.” Eph. 4:4-6. Compare Mal. 2:10 and Job 31:15 concerning there being “ONE . . . Father of all,” instead of two or three as some teach.

The ONE True God of the Old Testament is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament. By substituting Son for “The Word” and Father for “God” in St. John 1:1 you have the following literal and revealing translation of this verse: “In the beginning was THE SON, and THE SON was with THE FATHER, and THE SON was THE FATHER.” No one can deny the fact that “the Word” in this verse is THE SON and “God” is THE FATHER (St. John 14:8, 9; 10:30; Isa. 9:6).

THE TRINITY DOGMA

It might help some of you to know what the Catholic Folk have to say about THEIR “Dogma of The Trinity.”

Mr. Graham Greene, writing in Life Magazine of Oct. 30, ,1950 Vol. 29, No. 18, page 51to defend THE DOGMA of “The Assumption of Mary,” had this to say: “Our opponents sometimes claim that NO BELIEF should be held dogmatically which IS NOT explicitly stated in Scripture . . . But the PROTESTANT CHURCHES have themselves accepted such dogmas as THE TRINITY for which there is NO SUCH PRECISE (exact, definite or positive) AUTHORITY (to be found) in The Gospels.”

Don’t you think that Mr. Greene’s information concerning the Catholic Church’s “Dogma of The Trinity,” should give us and all our Protestant Trinitarian Friends something to think and pray about?

ORDER FROM
The B. E. Echols Tract Depot
Rt. 4, Box 47
Marshall, Texas

Send offering, if able, to help pay for printing and postage. Also write for prices on our books, charts, Bibles, and tracts in lots of 1,000 or more.

READ AND PASS ON TO OTHERS