Understanding the biblical and creedal confession that God is one.
Let's start by considering how central monotheism, the belief in one God is, to Christianity. Gerald Bray, in his book God Has Spoken, states it this way:
"If Christians had been forced to choose, they would always have put the One ahead of the Three. The doctrine of the Trinity might be complicated to the point of being incomprehensible, but however it was expressed, it never involved the abandonment of biblical monotheism."
For instance, consider how the Nicene Creed begins: "We believe in one God…"
Bray provides many reasons for this strong monotheistic commitment, but one reason is that God is a spirit.
Unlike the idols, who are physical, and can be multiplied, or a pagan pantheism, with many gods working to guard their turf, the first Christians were habituated to worship a God who is Spirit. God is light. There is no division in God. God is one.
Another reason that God is one is… well, to be almost tautological, is that God is simple. He is unified… not composed of parts. That is, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit do not have their own natures. Rather, the three Persons of the Trinity share one divine nature.
The theologian Scott Swain explains:
"God's unity of simplicity means that God is one with himself, selfsame and indivisible in his being and operations, and God is not composed of parts. God is pure God, and nothing but God is God."
We know God is one because he is simple.
We also know God is one because God is the Creator. Again, Scott Swain puts it nicely:
"The God who created all things transcends the categories of all created things. Indeed, he transcends categorization altogether."
The implication from this is that God is unique, he is incomparable, he is one. He is not part of the multiplicity of the creation, but he is the singular Creator.
And because God is One, we cannot divide up the work of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. God is one and so his will, his activity, is one.
As Augustine taught: "As the Father and Son and Holy Spirit are inseparable, so do they work inseparably."
So God is one. This is the Biblical confession. This is the creedal confession. We can look at this from different angles: God is a Spirit, God is Simple, God is the Creator, and God's works are inseparable.
But at the same time, we confess that this one God is Triune!
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
These theological truths have been taught for centuries. Do you think they are neglected today? If so, why?
The inseparability of the Trinity's operations is highlighted, with the idea that 'every act of God is the single act of the triune God.' How does this principle challenge the way we sometimes think or speak about the roles of the Father, Son, and Spirit?
As you seek to hold these two truths together—that God is one AND Triune—what questions or tensions arise for you?
Read the Nicene Creed and note how it affirms both the oneness of God and the distinct persons of the Trinity.
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