The One True Living God

Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV 1900

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mark 12:28–29 KJV 1900

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Title: The One True Living God

The subject of one God is the treasure chest that houses all other gifts from God and opens up other great gifts as well.

Every morning the Jews were to hear, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one LORD” (Deut.6:4).

A few thousand years later Jesus is asked, “What is the greatest commandment of all?”

He answered, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one LORD” (Mark 12).

There’s no disputing this One God doctrine.

The entire Bible refers to God as only being One.

“Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?” (Mal.2:10)

God, and God alone, created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1

1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

3 – And God said, Let there be light. -y dios dijo

6 – And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters. -y dios dijo

9 – And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let dry land appear.

11 – And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree yielding fruit.

14 – And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of heaven.

20 – And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly.

24 – And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind.

The work of creation was done by God, and Him alone…but then we come to vs.26:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen.1:26).

This passage has confused some… …

Who was God speaking to? Some say the trinity but we’re not sure. It could’ve been the angels (Job 38:7).

We do know the only one wise enough to counsel with God is God Himself.

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will” (Eph.1:11).

After God said, “Let us make man in our image”:

27 – So God created man in his own image.

28 – And God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply.

29 – And God said, Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed.

31 – And God saw everything that he made, and it was very good.

One God did it ALL! - ¡Un Dios lo hizo TODO!

Had creation been the work of more than one God it would’ve read, “So they created, they blessed, they said, they saw.”

The O.T. declares one God:

Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the Lord (Jehovah), that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

Isaiah 43:10-11 – “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 after me. I, even I, am the lord; and beside me there is no Savior.”

Isaiah 44:6 – “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Isaiah 44:8 – “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.”

Isaiah 44:24 – “Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee form the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”

Isaiah 45:5-6 – “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.”

Isaiah 45:21b-22 – “…and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 46:5 – “To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?”

Isaiah 46:9-10 – “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.”

The N.T. also speaks of only one God: El Nuevo Testamento habla SÓLO de un Dios:

Rom. 3:30 – Seeing it is one God which shall justify.

1 Cor.8:4 – There is none other God but one.

1 Cor.8:6 – But to us there is but one God, the Father.

Gal.3:20 – “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.”

Eph.4:4-6 – There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

1 Tim.2:5 – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Jam.2:19 – “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Nowhere does the Bible teach that there are three separate, co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent beings, but rather declares He is one!

Moses, Isaiah, Paul, James, and Jesus all declared that there is only One God.

This is important because the doctrine of One God is the cornerstone of Christianity, and in order for other treasures to be opened you’ve got to understand who this one God is.

I. God Is Spirit… Dios es Espíritu…

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn.4:24).

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1Tim.1:17).

Jesus said God is a Spirit.

Paul said God is an invisible Spirit, and this God, as the invisible Spirit, fills all time and space.

Because God is Spirit, He’s invisible and cannot be seen with the naked eye.

“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1Jn.4:12).

No man hath seen God, but if we love one another then we have manifested God. For God to be seen by man there must be a manifestation, expression, and demonstration of God.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he (Jesus) hath declared (confirmed) him” (Jn.1:18).

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” (NLT)

Notice, we are not using the words like “first”, “second”, and “third person” because nowhere in the Bible is God described as such.

“And without controversy (debate, argument) great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest (made visible) in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1Tim.3:16).

The “mystery of godliness” is not that God is one, but that God came, revealed, and made Himself known in human flesh.

If there is one God, and this one God is Spirit and cannot be seen with man’s eye, but this one God manifests Himself in the man Christ Jesus, then we must conclude that this man is the eternal, invisible God manifest in flesh.

Jesus is the image, picture, figure, likeness, reflection and exact copy of the invisible God.

God is not three separate persons, He is just one. The apostles understood who Jesus was and that is why the word trinity is not in the Bible.

The trinity didn’t come into existence until 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea.

Jesus came to reveal God to us and make Him known.

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II. Jesus Is The Image Of The Invisible God…

How was God manifest in the flesh?

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Mat.1:23).

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus…

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa.9:6).

This Mighty God and everlasting Father Isaiah talked about was the same “Emanuel, God with us” that the angel said would be born to Mary.

The reason God became man was because He needed a body to shed perfect blood to redeem an imperfect world.

So, God created a body through a miraculous conception in Mary.

From that conception we have the Son, which is not another God but the flesh of God.

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image (reflection, representation) of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Col.1:12-15).

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.” (NLT)

Jesus existed before anything was created. Since we know when Jesus was born, there is only one way that could be possible…if the Spirit of God dwelt in Him as God.

Many don’t understand that Jesus was fully man and fully God. His flesh came from his mother but His Spirit came from His Father.

In Jesus Christ we have the perfect blending together of deity and humanity. He was human and yet He was divine.

Jesus was not another God but the same God that was in the O.T. That is why Jesus could tell the Pharisees, “Before Abraham I was, I am” (Jn.8:58).

When God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt he asked, “Whom shall I tell them hath sent me?” God answered, “I am that I am” (Ex.3:14).

The Jehovah of the O.T. is the Jesus of the N.T. come to live in flesh. Jesus is the image (representation, personification) of the invisible God.

“For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him (Jesus) and for him (Jesus). And he (Jesus) is before all things and by him (Jesus) all things consist. And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he (Jesus) might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus) should all fullness dwell” (Col.1:16-19).

It pleased God, Jehovah, this invisible God, that in the man Christ Jesus all the fullness of the Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) should dwell.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him (why do we want to change Him? If He was one God in the old and new testament, why get to the 4th century and cause Him to be three?); Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil (ruin, mess up) you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (What would the world try and take from us? The knowledge of One God. What philosophy was Paul trying to tell us to stay away from? The idea of the trinity. The devil knew if he could mess up the Godhead, he could keep us from receiving all God has for us). For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:6-9).

III. The Godhead Is In Jesus… La Divinidad está en Jesús…

Jesus is not in the Godhead; the Godhead is in Jesus! He was the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

In the Bible there is only one scripture that uses the word “three” in reference to God.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1Jn.5:7).

In John 14 Jesus is telling His disciples that He had to go away.

“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also, and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Phillip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Phillip? He that hath seen me hath seen the father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (Jn.14:4-10)

Jesus stood there as a man and said, “God the Father dwells inside of me and you have seen what I am doing you have seen the Father. I have raised the dead, healed the sick, opened blind eyes, walked on the water, and forgiven sin.”

“I and my father are one” (Jn.10:30).

While there are three manifestations of God, there are not three persons in the Godhead.

I am a father, son, husband, and pastor but there is only one of me. To make me more than one would not be accurate.

The devil is the “father of lies”, the “son of perdition”, and an “evil spirit” but there is only one devil.

It is the same with God. He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost but there is only one.

God is the FATHER of all creation!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (Jn.1:1-3).

He made everything, thus making God the Father.

This one God moved on the face of the waters and spoke and light shined, waters gathered together, animals were created, then after six days God became the Father of creation.

God is the SON of redemption!

“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn.1:14).

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (NLT)

This same God (not another) who created us saw us in our sin and overshadowed Mary and planted deity in the womb of humanity.

“That which was conceived in Mary was of the Holy Ghost” (Mat.1:20).

If God and the Holy Ghost are not the same then the Father is not the father.

The trinity does not make sense because if the Father is the father of the Son then what was the role of the Holy Ghost?

God is the HOLY GHOST in regeneration!

God is holy and He is a Spirit, thus God is the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Holy Spirit), that he (Holy Spirit) may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him (Holy Spirit) for he (Holy Spirit) dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (Jn.14:15-18).

As a man, Jesus said He had to leave and that He would pray the Father and He would give them another comforter. “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.”

The same deity that created the universe and caused the conception in Mary is the same deity we receive when we are filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (Jn.14:26).

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he (Holy Spirit) shall testify of me” (Jn.15:26).

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (Jn.16:7-8).

If you do not see One God in all this it gets confusing.

You have the Father sending the comforter and then you have Jesus sending the comforter. Then the Father is going to send it in His name and Jesus says, “Don’t worry, I will be the one that comes to you.” Then you have the Holy Spirit that is going to teach them all the things that Jesus said.

If the Holy Spirit were another God, he would come and teach his own thing. Yet, the Holy Spirit is going to come and remind them of what Jesus said? Because the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all one.

Closing…

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God (not thrones) and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants (not their) shall serve him (not them): And they shall see his face (not their); and his name (not their) shall be in their foreheads” (Rev.22:3-4).

In eternity, there is only one throne, and one God sitting on the throne…Jesus Christ!

If, when we see Jesus, we ask to see the Father, the words of Jesus to Phillip will still apply… “If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father…I and my father are one.”

Philippians 2:5–11 KJV 1900

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.