The One True God & Jesus His Son

‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ ~ John 17:3

Most all of the churches today hold to the false doctrine of the Trinity. They teach that the Father is the One True God, Jesus is the One True God, and the Holy Spirit is the One True God but that they are three separate beings but one. Others falsely teach the doctrine known as Oneness. These teach that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit, that they are not separate persons but the same being manifested in different persons.

It is one thing to hold a belief in these teachings [as many sincere true Disciples do and we will see why below] but it is another to make them a cardinal statement of faith one must accept in order to be saved and accepted into fellowship. And this is exactly what these organizations do. Usually their teaching, either Trinity or Oneness, stands right at the top of their belief statement and if one wants to become a part of their organization they must confess belief to these false teachings.

Remember, Satan’s work of deception is to twist the truth to make it look repulsive. He has surely done his job well with the doctrine of the Trinity and Oneness. Through these teachings, Satan has successfully prevented millions of Jews, Muslims, and thinking people from converting to the truth. If only they knew what the Bible really teaches.

Who and what does the Bible say Jesus is? What has Divine Revelation or spiritual sources revealed about who Jesus is? Is Jesus equal to God? What do we need to believe and confess in order to be saved? Why is there so much confusion about this topic?

Jesus Is The Son Of God – The Messiah – Mediator & Lord

All through the New Testament the teachings are simple and clear. Jesus is the Son of God and the great Messiah that was promised to come.

John 3:16 ~ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The most popular verse in the world declares plainly who Jesus is. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God!

John 1:18 ~ No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Many use John 1 to teach Jesus is the Father but John makes it very clear that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the only one who has seen God and declares him to us.

Hebrews 5:5&8 ~ Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

God says that Jesus was his son and was brought to birth through him. He is revealed as the Son of God.

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Jesus is not only the Son of God but he is revealed to be the mediator between God and man.
It is Christ who bridges that gap between people and God and makes a relationship with him possible.

Revelation 1:5 ~ 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, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus is declared to be a mighty Prince and a savior who has washed us from our sins by his sacrifice and reconciled us to his God!
The result of this reconciliation is that we are now made Kings and Priests to God his Father.

Divine Revelation Reveals Jesus As Christ, The Son Of God

There were instances in the scriptures when Divine Revelations of who Jesus was occurred. These were the most perfect opportunities for God to fully reveal to us who Jesus was.

What and who did these Divine Revelations reveal Jesus to be?

Luke 1:35 ~ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The Angel who appeared to Mary to give her the description of who Jesus would be said only that Jesus would come as a result of the Holy Spirit and therefore he would be the Son of God.

Mark 9:7 ~ And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

There was a point when Peter, James, and John were able to witness a special transformation of Christ and hear a voice from heaven declare to them who Jesus was.
What more perfect time for God to teach man the Trinity or Oneness. Is this what he did?
No, God simply said ‘this is my beloved Son’. No further explanation of who Jesus was. He took that moment to confirm to us that Jesus was his Son.

Matthew 16:15-16 ~ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

How marvelous! Here we have Jesus asking Peter to make a confession of who he believes Jesus to be.
Peter had sat under the Master’s teachings more closely than anyone and Jesus said not only this but that he was divinely taught by the Father himself about exactly who Jesus was.
After all this Divine teaching from Christ and the Father, who does Peter understand that Jesus is? He says ‘thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God’.
That’s it? That’s all? What about 3 in one or 1 in three? Or at least say that you know that Jesus is God Peter! This would surely not be acceptable to today’s churches.
This is more than enough for Jesus. He gives Peter a hearty confirmation that he has a perfect understanding of who he was and that he must have received this teaching by Divine Revelation.
Jesus goes much further and reveals to us that it is this understanding of who Jesus is that will actually serve as the foundation stone of the true church.

Acts 9:5&20 ~ And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes… And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Paul had a divine encounter with Jesus in which he was saved and called to be a mighty preacher of truth!
After this Divine encounter and teaching of God who did Paul go and tell everyone Jesus was? He simply preached that Jesus was the Son of God. This is the result of being taught by God!

The Demons Knew Jesus As The Christ, The Son Of God

There is another supernatural source we can look at to get an understanding of who Jesus was and that is the testimony of demons.

Mark 1:34 ~ He… cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

The reason we can rely on the testimony of demons about Jesus is that Jesus told us that they knew who he was and that he needed them to be quiet because it was not time for this truth to be revealed to everyone.

Luke 4:41 ~ And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

As the devils came out of people they made a confession of who Jesus was. They clearly said that he was the Messiah, the Son of God.
These demons knew exactly who Jesus was and if they thought he was the Father or part of some triune god they would have said so.
Jesus kept these demons quiet because they were accurate in their assessment of who he was.

Luke 4:33 ~ In the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, 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.

The devils knew exactly who Jesus was. He was ‘the Holy One of God’!

Mark 3:11 ~ And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

The unclean spirits when coming out continued to make confession not that Jesus was the Father but that he was the Son of the Father!

Mark 5:2&7 ~ There met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit… And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure [horkizo: to force to take an oath] thee by God, that thou torment me not.

First, as usual, the demon calls Jesus the Son of the Most High God.
Second look what the demon says. ‘He says swear to me by God!’ Now why would Jesus be asked to swear by a greater power if Jesus was that greater power? This would make now sense.

Matthew 8:28 ~ There met him two possessed with devils… And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?

The devils again cried out and addressed Jesus as ‘thou Son of God’.
Why, with all the chances the Devils had, did they not call Jesus the Father or the One True God?

Jesus Is And Always Will Be Lower Than The Father

The fundamental lie that both Trinitarian and Oneness teachers hold to is that Jesus was equal with the Father.

They must hold to this truth because of the very nature of the word ‘God’. You see the word ‘God’ means the most high almighty supreme being in existence. If Jesus was lower than any other being, including the Father, he could not be the One True God these teachers profess him to be.

That being so, the following scriptures make it very clear that Jesus was definitely not equal with the Father but was in a lesser position of total subjection to the Father.

John 14:28 ~ If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Jesus himself declared that the Father was a greater being more powerful and able to do more than himself.
Do we need further testimony?

Matthew 12:32 ~ And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

If Jesus was equal to the Holy Spirit of God then why would those who spoke against the Spirit not be forgiven but those who spoke against the him would be?

Matthew 20:23 ~ To sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Jesus said that he did not have the power to choose who would sit next to him in the Kingdom but that the Father alone could make this choice.

John 5:26-27 ~ As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Jesus said that all the authority and power that he had been given he received from the Father. He could not have this power unless it was given to him and as Hebrews 7:7 says, the lesser is blessed by the greater!

2 Corinthians 13:4 ~ For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.

After Jesus death and resurrection the Scriptures still declare that the only way Christ continues to live is by the power of God.
God is the ultimate source of all life and even the Son of God himself is dependent upon this source to live.

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.

Notice here that not only does the Bible say that God is the head of Christ, but if you look carefully you will see that it makes a clear distinction between the two as it puts one over the other.
Christ as the lesser is and always be in subjection to God.

I Corinthians 15:24-28 ~ Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

The Bible teaches that in the end times Jesus will hand the Kingdom over to God, even the Father. This is very precise clarification to us of who God is. God is the Father!
Now also look how almighty and powerful Jesus is! He is the number 2 in command. All things will be put under his feet and bow to him as Lord and Master!
But notice that the Bible goes to great length to ensure that we understand that God himself is not put under Christ but that the Son will always be subject to God.
Why? So that God may be all in all! This is why this teaching is so important! All the Apostles and Christ himself lived to bring glory and honor to the Father and his name. In the last day, everything that Christ has and is will be given to the Father and the purpose is so that this supreme being and Father will be known to all as the One True God, the all in all.

The Father Almighty Is The Only One True God

The Bible does actually tell us quite clearly who the only almighty most supreme One True God is.

John 17:3 ~ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Jesus himself gave the most sure testimony of who the One True God was in his prayer before his death and resurrection.
In his prayer Jesus testifies that it is the Father alone who is the Only True God. He separates himself from being included in the statement ‘the Only True God’ when he says ‘and Jesus whom you have sent’. By using the word and Jesus meant for us to know that the One True God and Jesus were two separate beings!
Jesus clearly presents the Father as the One True God and himself as the one who has been sent by that One True God. What further testimony is needed?

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.

Wait, Jesus had a God? Yes he did and if the Father was the God of Jesus than he also alone must be regarded by us as the most high supreme being.

Ephesians 1:17 ~ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

The New Testament uses this statement frequently when referring to Jesus. It often states ‘the God of our Lord Jesus’.
By saying that the Father was the God of Jesus the Scriptures are teaching us that the Father is the greatest supreme being and the only True God.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 ~ 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.

Here is one of the plainest statements in the New Testament that there is only one God and that One God is the Father!
Paul clearly separates Jesus from being included in the statement One True God just as Jesus himself did in his prayer. Notice how Paul actually states this almost like a creed. ‘To us, there is’ he says. This is the statement of the true church. To us there is Only One God, The Father!
True, Jesus is Lord and there is no power under heaven greater than his other that God’s. And yes, every knee will bow before him and confess that he is Lord, but for us there is only one ultimate supreme being, only One True God, and that is the Father.

Ephesians 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.

Another creed like statement comes from Paul to the Ephesians where he here says that there is only One God and that One God is the Father!

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Once more, there is only one God! Jesus is not that one God but he is the mediator between mankind and that One God.
Speech does not get much plainer than in this text.

What Confession Of Jesus Is Needed In Order To Be Saved?

Romans 10:9 ~ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The scriptures are clear that a confession of the Lord Jesus is mandatory in order for someone to be saved.
If so, what confession is it that we must hear from a person before we can baptize them and count them as a true born again Disciple?

1 John 4:14 ~ We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

God tells us in the 1^st Epistle of John that the confession that we must make in order to dwell in God and be saved is that ‘Jesus is the Son of God’.
This means that yes, there absolutely must be a confession of Christ but it is not that he is God. The confession is simply that he is the Son of God!

John 20:31 ~ But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

After John finished writing the entire Gospel message about the life of Jesus [which many twist to teach that Jesus was the True God] he finishes the book with a conclusive statement.
He says that everything he wrote in this Gospel was so that we might come to the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Should we not take the simple words of John himself to form our conclusions as to what he meant by all his statements of who Christ was in this Gospel? He says that he simply wanted us to understand that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God. Why go further?

Acts 2:36 ~ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The very first Gospel message declared to the Jews exactly who Jesus was. Paul preached this message to them knowing that if they would believe this teaching that they could be saved.
What was the teaching? That Jesus was the Father? That Jesus was the One True God? No, it was that the One True God had put Jesus in the position of Lord and Savior!
The confession in and of itself recognized the supreme authority of God the Father over all things including Christ.

Acts 8:36&38 ~ The eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Here we find the beautiful story of Philip the Evangelist leading a person to salvation. There is none other like it in the Bible.
Philip was a true righteous man who surely knew how to save souls. What does he here require the Eunuch to confess before he will baptize him and count him a Disciple?
Does he tell the Eunuch that he must believe Jesus is the Father or that Jesus is the One True God? No, Philip says that if the Eunuch will simply believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God he will baptize him and he will be saved.

1 John 5:1&5 ~ Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

John, one of the closest friends and Disciples of Jesus shares with us one last time what belief is required in order to be born of God and overcome the world.
And who is he that does both of these things? It is he that simply takes God at his word and believes that Jesus is the Son of God!

With so many scriptures that clearly speak to what is required, why on earth would we ever require more than God required?

Sadly, it has happened because men have chosen to go beyond the word of God and promote their creeds and theology rather than the pure truth passed down to us by God’s Apostles.

Do you believe Jesus is God? Do you believe he is the Father? You have the right to believe that and you may believe that in ignorance and be saved. You absolutely do not have the right to enforce this belief upon others and demand it before you will count them as brothers.

Jesus Was The Perfect Image Of God – Hence The Confusion

If there are so many of these plain scriptures declaring that Jesus is a separate lesser being than the Father, and that there is only One True God who is the Father, why is there so much confusion? Why do so many people readily believe the false doctrines of Trinity and Oneness?

Hebrews 1:1 ~ God… Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son… Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image [charakter: the exact expression [the image] of any person or thing, marked likeness] of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The scriptures declare that as Jesus was the only begotten Son of God he was therefore the exact image and representation of the Father.
The word Greek word here used for image is charakter and conveys to us that Jesus is as the exact expression or likeness of God the Father.

Colossians 1:13&15 ~ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

Imagine a hand drawing pencil sketch of a person. Can you tell the difference between it and the person it is a picture of? Now imagine a color hand drawing of a person. Now imagine a 3d model statue of the person. Now imagine a perfectly shiny mirror without flaw reflecting the image of the person! Can you now tell the difference between what you see in the mirror and the person that it is a reflection of? It would be very difficult!
Have you ever seen a son who looks exactly like his Father? In these cases, many times you can view pictures of the Father at the same age the son is currently and can almost not tell them apart.
Now imagine Jesus, the very Son of God. Him who has the DNA of the One True God if you may. He is a spitting image of his Father and it is extremely difficult to tell him and his Father apart.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ~ Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Again, Jesus Christ is the image of God the Father.
That being so, who in their right mind would say that the image of something is actually the thing it is an image of? An image is an image, not the thing it is an image of.
By going to such great lengths to teach us that Jesus is the image of God we are clearly taught that Jesus is not God because the image is not the thing that it is an image of.

John 12:45 ~ And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

Jesus told people that if they have seen him that they have also seen him who sent him.
In this one verse he both proves that he is so like God that no one needs look any further to see what God the Father looks like and he also shows that that he is separate from the one who sent him.

John 14:9 ~ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Jesus is such an exact image and representation of God the Father that if we see Jesus we should not ask to see the Father.
By seeing this exact image and representation we have a clear view and understanding of what the Father looks like.

Now it should be much clearer to us why many sincere true Disciples [because they do confess Jesus is the Son of God] of the past and current hold to the teachings of either the Trinity or Oneness.

For many it is an honest and understandable mistake made because they simply fail to discern the difference between the exact image and the thing it is an image of. When they look not only at Jesus [who in a sense contains the very DNA of the Almighty-God] but all the god-like descriptions of him in the Bible, they come to the conclusion that he is the True God or that he is the Father.

This is why we should always be patient with these Disciples. It is true that if they dogmatically require these beliefs from others for salvation that they are going beyond the scriptures and we may need to rebuke them and even part ways, but we should never dis-fellowship or look down on those who in true righteous love for God and his word simply have not yet come to understand the truth on this subject!