The central doctrine that there is one true God, who alone is the object of worship. There is none like the LORD; other gods and idols are nothing. Scripture also indicates that there is a network of relationships within the Godhead which is stated in terms of the doctrine of the Trinity.
The doctrine of monotheism
There is only one God
Deuteronomy 6:4; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5 See also Deuteronomy 4:35, Deuteronomy 32:39; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 83:18, Psalm 86:10; Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 45:18; Mark 12:29, Mark 12:32; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; James 2:19
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
There is none like the LORD
1 Kings 8:23 See also Exodus 8:10; 2 Samuel 7:22 parallel 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalm 89:6; Isaiah 40:18, Isaiah 40:25
and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
He alone is to be worshipped
Exodus 20:3–5 parallel Deuteronomy 5:7–9Jeremiah 25:6 See also Exodus 20:23, Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:14, Deuteronomy 13:6–8; 2 Kings 17:38–39; Psalm 81:9; Jeremiah 1:16, Jeremiah 19:4, Jeremiah 35:15
You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
He alone is to be served
Mark 12:30 parallel Matthew 22:37 See also Deuteronomy 6:4–5, Deuteronomy 6:13, Deuteronomy 13:4; 1 Samuel 7:3; Matthew 4:10 parallel Luke 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Other gods are nothing
Isaiah 37:19; 1 Corinthians 8:4, 1 Corinthians 10:19–20 Idols are nothing in themselves, but those worshipping them open themselves to demonic influence. See also Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36–37; Isaiah 40:18–20, Isaiah 44:9–11; Acts 14:15; Galatians 4:8
They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone — the work of human hands.
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Monotheism and plurality in the Godhead
In the OT
Genesis 1:26 See also Genesis 1:2 The Spirit of God is seen as God's agent; Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:7; Exodus 3:2–6 The angel of the LORD is identified with, yet distinct from, God; Judges 13:20–22; Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah 63:10–14
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
The Trinity in the NT
Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14 See also Matthew 3:16–17; John 14:26, John 15:26; Acts 2:32–33; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Peter 1:2
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.