Godhead – Three Divine Beings or One Divine Being?

What is the Godhead?

The term Godhead as used in the new testament is defined as the state or quality of being divine.
In other words it is the essential nature and attributes which a divine being possesses. When the Bible refers to the term Godhead it is referring to the divine nature of God i.e. the qualities and attributes which are unique to God.

The Bible uses the word Godhead in three places:

These verses tell us the following about God’s divine nature:

1. No other being, created or uncreated possesses this divine nature except God.

2. The creative power of God is what separates the Godhead from the false gods.

3. Jesus possesses the Godhead or divine nature.

How many Gods does the Bible teach?

The Bible clearly teaches that there are three independent beings and each one of them is fully God.
So contrary to the trinity doctrine there are three God Beings and not one.

Click here to learn more about the Trinity

The Bible is clear that only the creator is God. So let’s see how many beings were present and participating in the creation of this world.

In this passage, God is clearly speaking to at least another being who is also God because He says let us make man in our image.

Note that only God has the power or ability to make or create, therefore the Being He is addressing has to be God as well because none of the created beings have the ability to create mankind.

Genesis 1:2, clearly indicates the presence of the Spirit of God as the other Being who was present and a participant of the creation event.

But is that it? or does scripture indicate the presence of a third being who participated in creation.

John 1:1-3, tells us that the third being with God was the Word who manifested himself as the person we know by the name of Jesus.

John 1:1-3

Therefore the Biblical scriptures are very clear that there are three divine beings in the GodHead who took part in the creation of man.

Jesus makes this clear in His last words on planet Earth when He commands his disciples to teach people about the Godhead which consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We have many other passages in the new testament which make this clear such as 1 John 5:7 and 2 Corinthians 13:14

Doesn’t the Bible teach that there is only one God?

The Bible teaches us that the oneness of God is not in relation to numerical quantity but in the sense of unity.
Unlike the unbiblical teaching of the trinity which claims that God is one anatomically and numerically, the Bible clearly teaches that the three beings are one in unity and purpose.

The New Testament verses about God’s oneness

Some people are quick to seize the two Bible passages above to claim that this supports the concept of a three-in-one God.
Nothing could be further from the truth because a quick examination of the Bible passages will make it clear that these passages nowhere claim that there is only 1 God Being who is three persons.

So what do the passages really mean?

In John 10:30, Jesus claimed that He and His Father are one.

The Greek word translated in English as one in this passage comes from the Greek word heis which can be used to mean absolute numerical oneness as in Matthew 26:21 where Jesus tells His disciples that Judas would betray Jesus into the hands of the Romans.

or heis can also mean oneness in the sense of unity as in Galatians 3:28 where the apostle Paul tells us that those who believe in Jesus are united as one in Jesus Christ.

As you can see the word one can be used to mean absolute numerical unity or it can be used to show group unity.
This brings us back to the original question, what did Jesus really mean when He said that He and His Father are one.

Well, neither the passage nor the context explains this, however, you can use a very simple and sound Biblical principle to arrive at the correct answer. When a particular passage is difficult to understand, you should look for other Bible passages that talk about the subject in question and determine the teaching from clear Bible passages. So in other words let the Bible be its own interpreter and you can be absolutely sure that you are on solid ground.

Let’s examine Jesus’s prayer to the Father in John 17

Here Jesus clearly compares the oneness between Himself and the Father to the oneness which should exist between the disciples.
Clearly, the disciples and later all Christians who believe in Jesus did not morph into one being but became one in unity, purpose, and belief in the true Gospel.
So Jesus makes it absolutely clear that His oneness with the Father is not anatomical but rather in agreement and purpose.

Doesn’t 1 John 5:7 clearly say that God is one numerically i.e. He is one Being but three in person?

Lets read the context

In 1 John 5:8, The Bible clearly explains that the three are one in agreement. So here we have another Bible verse that informs us that we have three God Beings who work in agreement and harmony.

Old Testament verses about God’s oneness

Arguably the most famous verse for the Israelites from the old testament is Deuteronomy 6:4

This verse more than any other has been the hallmark of Jewish belief in monotheism i.e one numerical God.

Well doesn’t this verse then contradict what we have been trying to establish through other scriptures that there is more than one God?

On the surface level, it does seem to mean that there is only one absolute God but let’s dig a little deeper.

The Hebrew word used here for one is echad. It occurs 952 times in the Hebrew Bible. We have to admit that in a majority of the verses it is used to denote a singular absolute one but this is not always the case. Take for instance the following passages:

In Genesis 2:24, the Bible indicates that after marriage the husband and wife become one flesh, i.e. they are united as one family in unity. Echad here definitely doesn’t mean that they morph into a single body.

It’s the same in Genesis 11:6, the people become united together as one in their rebellion against God.

Can you see how echad can also represent unity of thought, purpose, aim, belief, etc.

Hence we cannot dismiss the idea that in Deuteronomy 6:4, echad can mean oneness in unity and purpose. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because you will see shortly as indicated in our study below that the belief system prevalent during Biblical times was paganism which portrayed a myriad of gods constantly contending and battling with one other vying for position and power. This has had a significant influence on the mindsets of people who think of God as created beings who are selfish and greedy for power and control. An important point to note here is that for every Biblical truth, satan has a counterfeit to deceive people.

Hence God in his revelations wanted to establish a distinction between pagan gods and the true heavenly trio. God wants us to understand that the Godhead of the Bible is always united in their work and always operate in harmony, unlike the false pagan deities who are constantly portrayed as having malice and enmity towards one another.

Common Scriptures used to support the doctrine of monotheism:

In order to understand these old testament scriptures about God correctly we need to first realize the following:

1. Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

In these verses, Jesus clearly claimed that no one man knows the Father nor has anyone seen the Father. He declares that no man has even heard the Father’s voice! If this is the case then clearly the God who interacted with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, spoke to Moses in the burning bush, spoke the ten commandments audibly to the Israelites from Mount Sinai cannot be the Father.

So who was the God who interacted with people during the old testament times?
In order to find the answer, let us examine the Exodus story of the Israelites as this is one of the most remarkable instances when God came down to earth and interacted with humans like never before.

When the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh’s army they were outnumbered and would be destroyed if God had not intervened.
This scripture tells us that God himself came down in a pillar of cloud and fire to protect the Israelites.

In 1 Corinthians 10:4, the Bible tells us that the One who protected the Israelites was none other than Christ Himself because it was Christ who followed the Israelites in the cloud and fire.

Also during the journey through the wilderness, the Israelites spoke against God so in His anger God killed the disobedient ones by sending snakes.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:9 makes it clear that the Lord who the Israelites tempted was Christ.

2. The Father and the Holy Spirit were not explicitly revealed in the old testament.

Although enough hints were given to show that there exist more than one God. One of Jesus’s mission was to introduce the Father and the Holy Spirit to humanity.

3. God (Jesus) wanted to show the Israelites that He was different and separate from the false pagan deities.

People at that time were worshiping all sorts of created beings and non-living objects as gods. Hence they had a poor and distorted view of the Holy God. It is in this context that God was showing Himself to be God alone and hence the legitimate person to whom all worship is due. Also during the old testament times, only Jesus was revealed as God, it is perfectly reasonable for Him to claim that there is no other God to worship but Him because the Father and the Holy Spirit were not explicitly revealed yet!

When God revealed the old testament scriptures to Moses and the prophets, the surrounding nations were deeply steeped into false pagan beliefs and worship of false gods. This had considerable sway on the Israelites who were constantly influenced by the pagan deities. God wanted to correct this false misconception and bring the Israelites into the correct worship of Himself.

With this understanding let’s read the passages which proponents of the trinity and monotheists use to claim that there is only one God numerically.

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 44:6

Here God is referring to Himself with two titles: “Redeemer” and “first and the last”. You can read the entire Bible and the only one who is referred to with these two titles is Jesus. The Father and the Holy Spirit are never referred to with these two titles:

The context of Revelation 1:17 is that John is taken to Heaven in a vision and sees Jesus. Here Jesus introduces Himself by using a title that is only used attributed to God.

Redeemer and Saviour are interchangeable titles used for God:

In the new testament, only Jesus is referred to as the Saviour.

Also if Jesus is just a human, then why does the Angel Gabriel call Jesus Lord?

Now that we have established the fact that Jesus is the God speaking in Isaiah 44:6, lets read the whole context

In these verses God is clearly warning people not to make and worship idols, He is showing a clear distinction between His divine nature and the false, weak man-made gods that people are worshiping. Here God is calling people to worship Him because He is the true God and creator and not the other false deities. It is in this context that God declares that the other false gods are no match for Him and that He is the only true God deserving worship.

It is exactly the same in Isaiah 45:5-6

⁵ I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
⁶ 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 45:5-6

If we read the context in Isaiah 45:12-18, God is clarifying that He is the creator and the false gods are not divine, hence they are not worthy of worship. It is in this context that Jesus says that there is no other God. Remember that this is stated in comparison to the false pagan gods. The Father and the Holy Spirit were not fully revealed as divine until the preaching of the Gospel by Jesus, hence at that time, there was no other God to worship other than Jesus.

Let us read the context of these verses

Jesus further clarifies that He is the true Creator who made everything and the idols that people are worshiping are worthless and cannot save them. God is praising Israel because they are honoring the true creator unlike nations around them who are following false deities.

Verse 14 makes it clear that pagan nations are going to confess that Jesus is the true God and there is no other (i.e. pagan false deities) like Him.

Note two important points about God here:

♦ God declares that He is the Saviour of the world.

♦ All created beings will bow down on their knees and confess to God.

The New Testament clearly attributes both these statements to Jesus. Not once are these statements used in reference to either the Father or the Holy Spirit.

For example, the New Testament speaking about Jesus in Acts 4:12 confirms the following

Also in verse Isaiah 45:23, God is saying that every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is God.

The New Testament confirms that this God is Jesus in Philippians 2:10-11

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

Here again, if you read the below context it can be clearly seen that God is stating that He is God and none of the other so called deities are really gods. The pagan false gods can in no way be compared to the true living Creator.

Did you notice how God is contrasting Himself with the false man-made idols which people have taken up as gods?

Finally, to conclude that our understanding of scripture is correct, let us read another passage in Isaiah 48:16 which clearly dispels any misconception that anyone might have concerning the number of Gods that actually exist.

Let’s analyze these statements of God:

♦ In verses 13 and 16 God is stressing on the fact that He is the Creator and He has always existed. The question is why does He need to state the obvious? Could it be because He knows that a time will come when people will try to doubt that He is the Creator?

♦ One of the most intriguing statements that God has uttered in the Hebrew Scriptures is in Isaiah 48:16 when the Creator Himself states that He has been sent by two other Gods, The Lord God, and His Spirit! Notice how this contrasts with the Hebrew understanding that there is only one God.

♦ God says that He has been sent by the other two Gods to lead mankind in the right way.

We know that there are three persons who are referred to as God in the New Testament, The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.

Which one of the three do you think is speaking here?

Let’s rule out the Spirit because He is mentioned as one of the other two Gods. This leaves us with the Father and the Son. Did the Father send Jesus or did Jesus send the Father to the earth?

Well Jesus himself clearly stated that He was sent by the Father with a mission to save mankind.

See how this beautifully lines up with Isaiah 48:16-17, even the verse numbers are the same!

Jesus was the God who was specifically sent to save the world, therefore He is the one given the titles of Saviour, Redeemer, etc and this is why we are told that Jesus is the only way to Salvation.

The Scriptures not only confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Old Testament God is none other than Jesus Himself but the Bible also sheds light that there are three God Beings.

³⁵ Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.
³⁹Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
Deuteronomy 4:35,39

Here again at the surface level, it may appear that the passage is declaring that Yahweh is the true God and there is no one else. But if we read the context two things become very clear:

♦ The Yahweh or Lord mentioned here is not the Father nor the Holy Spirit but rather it is Jesus.

Moses in Deuteronomy 4:33 tells us that on Mount Horeb, all the Israelites heard God’s voice.

But let us fast forward 1500 years into the future and listen to Jesus’s words in John 5:37

Here Jesus is clearly stating that no one has heard the Father’s voice. So who was it that spoke to the Israelites from Mount Horeb?

Well if the Father never spoke then it had to be Jesus. This also lines up with other scriptures that tell us that it is the Lord Jesus who has been interacting with humans.

♦ Jesus is again contrasting Himself to the false pagan deities. He is making it clear that His nature is not comparable to living or nonliving created objects.

It is in this sense that God is declared to be unique and there is no earthly or heavenly created being or object that shares in his divine nature or GodHead. God alone deserves worship due to the Creator.

The context of Deuteronomy 4 makes it clear that God was telling the Israelites not to worship false gods as the pagans do. God was clear that the pagan gods are nothing like Him because He is the creator and the true God by nature, Therefore He alone is worthy of worship.