“You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that
—and tremble with fear.” The NET Bible (Jas 2:19).
God is One! So reads the NASB, NET, ASV, BBE, Darby, ESV, HCSB, Weymouth, YLT, CBE, AMP, RSV, NRSV, Lexham, and NAB. Other translations read "there is one God" or something similar. The underlying Greek clearly allows for both, but context is always king. The word in Greek is eis, which is a cardinal number meaning one (1)! While there are certain texts which translate eis as alone, only, or even first, the word simply means one! It can also be translated by the word "single" or the preposition "a" which is used before nouns and noun phrases that denote a single but unspecified person or thing, ie. a region; a person. That it has the meaning of one singular person, or being, in the text above, is in sync with the sh’ma as recorded at Deut 6:4, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (NASB). There, the Hebrew word is echad, also a cardinal number. Like eis, it may be translated in a variety of ways depending on context, but the primary meaning is ONE!
Although it can be understood in the sense that there is only one God, even in Deut 6:4, it is equally true that, that one God has a name... Yahweh! This fact precludes any thought that He is plural in nature, or that “one” means anything other than "one person"! Also, He is called not only by His Name, but also by the term elohim (God) using singular personal pronouns thousands of times in the Hebrew Scriptures. This should be of great significance to anyone who understands the importance of words as a means of communication.
I am by no means a master of the English language, but I understand this: I must choose the correct words to convey my meaning. If I use the pronouns he, she, it, him, his, my, mine, etc; I expect to be understood as referring to a single person, place, or thing. These pronouns as used in the the Biblical texts all support the idea of one person or one thing, it's not complicated! If the Scriptures were written for our benefit, for our instruction (2Tim 3:16), and they are truly inspired by God, it would be inappropriate and unseemly to use words that cause confusion. Certainly, “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33)
Further, the sh’ma was endorsed by Jesus himself in Mark 12:29, where he is asked by a scribe of the law "which is the greatest of all commandments?". Jesus then quotes Deut 6:4, and notice how it reads in the NASB:
“Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD ;” --Mark 12:29 (NASB)
He (God Almighty) is one Lord, not two or three!
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The whole of the bible proclaims the central truth, that God is One! Jews and Christians both claim to be monotheists, but the majority of christianity has adopted and long held the notion that monotheism can be supported by the view that God is three persons in One being. Or “three who’s in one what” as one modern day theologian has stated. This idea is really a stretch from what the Bible actually teaches. There can be no distinction between a person and a being. It breaks every rule of logic and of language!
The apostle James writes his letter to "the 12 tribes in the dispersion" (James 1:1), very similar to Peter who writes to "elect exiles of the dispersion" (1Pet 1:1), both referring to Jewish people; yet these letters are clearly written to christian believers. My argument is that ALL christians in the early church, Jew and Gentile alike, were taught from the Hebrew Scriptures which adamantly demanded that God is One Person.
Acts 15 records the first church council, long before Nicea, in which the church leaders led by Peter and James, excused the gentile believers from being circumcised and, presumably, from all the "traditions of the fathers". But this very exclusion strongly suggests that the gentile church was instructed in Torah (the Law of Moses), as well as the Writings and the Prophets. While certain “traditions” may not have been incumbent on gentile christians, the all important creed of the Jews from Deut 6:4 remained central in the teaching of the Jewish christians, and certainly would not have been bypassed in the instruction of gentile believers!
But James and Peter are not the only New Testament writers to attest to the unity of God as one single Person. In Rom 3:30 Paul speaks about God being the God of both Jew and Greek and says, “Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith." Again, a strong reference to the sh’ma of Deut 6:4. Here, it should perhaps be understood that Paul means it primarily in the sense that "God alone" is God, but this does not negate the reality that He is One Person. At 1Cor 8:5-6 Paul writes:
“For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (NASB - emphasis mine)
Paul states that the one true God is "the Father"! This underscores what I've been saying, that God is one single person!
In Matt 19:17 Jesus himself is recorded as saying "...there is only one who is good". Who is that one? Can there be any doubt that Jesus' reference was to God the Father? This is the fundamental belief of every Jew. There is no God but one, and He is the One singular Person,Yahweh, the Father (the creator of all). Although we can’t rely on the veracity of everything the pharisee’s are reported to have said, there can be little doubt about their correctness on this point! The pharisee’s knew well that
"...We have only one Father, God himself." - John 8:41 (NET)
Also, take note of Paul’s words in Eph 4:4-6:
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (NET - emphasis mine)
In this verse, Paul is not ambiguous about who the "one God" is; He is the Father. But who is the one Lord? Well, this should be apparent also, he is Jesus! And if words mean anything, this one fact should also be apparent: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, and one baptism are not the same thing! If that is true, then neither are one lord and one God the same person. Further, if there is one God and He is the Father, then the one lord is not the Father, nor can he be God. They are not the same!
The Greek language has only one word for “lord”. It is kurios. (see comment on this for correction) Therefore, its referent must be understood from context. This fact has led to some confusion. At times, the New Testament writers refer to God as lord, and other times the term is a reference to Christ Jesus as lord. The Lord God has always been THE Lord of all, the Lord God Almighty, but Jesus was given the title of Lord and Christ by God!
“For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,
‘The Lord said to my lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’
Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” -- emphasis mine, The NET Bible (Acts 2:29–36)
The reference in verse 34 is from Psalm 110:1 where two distinct Hebrew words are translated as lord. The first (Lord) is from the Hebrew adonai (pronounced adonay” which is always used for God Almighty, the Lord. The second lord is a variation, adoni (pronounced adonee) found 195 times in the Old Testament, and always referring to a human master (lord). This distinction is not clear in Strong’s Concordance or the Greek language, but the NASB correctly makes the distinction using capital “L” for the first Lord, and small “l” for the second. It is the Lord God Yahweh who says to his Messiah (David’s lord), the human lord, “sit at my right hand”!
“As a result God exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow
—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord (should be small “l”)
to the glory of God the Father. -- emphasis mine, The NET Bible (Php 2:9–11)
It is the Lord God who exalts Jesus (the lord Messiah), and this exaltation is meant to bring glory to God the Father! How far the christian church has fallen from its Judaic roots and understanding of who God and Jesus are as proclaimed in God’s holy book, the Bible.
Jesus said he came not to destroy the Torah but to fulfill it! In other words, he came to correctly interpret and act it out. Look again at the primary text:
“You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that
—and tremble with fear.” The NET Bible (Jas 2:19).
James point here is that if you profess this fundamental teaching that God is One, as all orthodox Jews did and continue to do, as Jesus did, and as all christians -Jew and gentile alike - are called upon to do, then you are doing what is good and right! Monotheism has always been and continues to be the foundation of Hebrew theology, and to believe correctly about God - that He is one Divine Person and there is no other besides Him is the right way, the orthodox way, of believing. And notice that he says, even demons have this understanding and belief about God - they know it to be true - yet they tremble, presumably out of fear, because they know what their end will be. Correct doctrine by itself is of no value without faith, and a proper response to that doctrine. And yet, who can deny that good doctrine is vital to the outworking of our faith?
I hope this short article will spark some deeper interest in you to research the matter for yourself. For me, it has been over six years since I came to this new understanding (which is really the old), and each day since, I never cease to be amazed at how clear the Bible really is on this subject. Yet, most christians have a blind spot on the issue of the trinity, as I did for many years. My prayer is that many more will begin to read their bibles with “new eyes”. I will end this writing with the words of Paul in Eph 1:17-23:
“...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (NASB)
