Who Is the One True God According to Scripture
Short answer
According to the Bible, the one true God is the Lord, the self-existent Creator and God of Israel who revealed that there is no other deity beside him. In historic Christian teaching, this single living God exists eternally as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The one true God revealed in Scripture is the Lord God of Israel, the living Creator who declares throughout the Old and New Testaments that no other god exists beside him. At Find A Prayer, we wrote this guide for readers trying to understand how biblical monotheism connects with verses that speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Scripture makes an exclusive claim from its opening chapters to its close. The biblical writers do not present God as one choice among many regional deities.
They present him as the everlasting King who formed the heavens and the earth by his own command. Learning who is the one true God requires examining how both testaments define God's identity. From ancient Israel's foundational confession to the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, the Bible consistently calls believers to abandon human idols and worship the living Lord alone.
The Old Testament Proclamation of One Lord
Monotheism stands at the center of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses delivers the foundational confession of Israel, known as the Shema. The verse declares, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" This statement was startling in the ancient world.
Israel was commanded to recognize only one sovereign Creator. The prophet Isaiah records strong statements on divine exclusivity. In Isaiah 45:5, the Lord speaks with absolute finality: "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me." Isaiah 44:6 repeats this truth: "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." The prophet Jeremiah contrasts this living Creator with lifeless wooden idols in Jeremiah 10:10, declaring, "But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king."
New Testament Confirmations and John 17:3
The New Testament maintains this strict monotheism while introducing Jesus Christ as the sent Son of God. In John 17:3, during his high priestly prayer before his arrest, Jesus prayed to the Father: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Jesus did not introduce a rival deity. He pointed his followers directly to the Father as the source of eternal life and truth.
The apostle Paul affirms this same heritage when writing to believers surrounded by Greco-Roman polytheism. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Paul reminds the church how they "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." Paul explains the daily effect of this belief in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6. He writes that "there is none other God but one." Even though surrounding cultures acknowledged many supposed gods and lords, Paul writes that "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."
How the Trinity Relates to the One True God
Historic Christian theology affirms that the one God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one. The three persons share the identical divine nature and essence without division.
The word "Trinity" does not appear in the text of the Bible. The concept emerged as early Christians harmonized passages asserting one God with passages describing the Father, the Son, and the Spirit working together in creation and redemption. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The passage uses the singular "name" for three persons.
Historic Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant communions formally articulated this understanding in the fourth century through confessions such as the Nicene Creed. These historic creeds state that the Son is of the same substance as the Father. Christians read John 17:3 alongside passages like John 1:1, which states that "the Word was God," and John 20:28, where the apostle Thomas addresses the risen Jesus as "My Lord and my God."
Differing Perspectives Across Religious Traditions
Not all monotheistic traditions interpret these biblical passages in the same manner. Distinct faiths hold differing views of God's nature. Understanding these differences helps clarify how different groups approach the question of divine unity. Judaism and Islam teach that God is strictly singular in person.
Both traditions reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity as incompatible with pure monotheism. In Jewish thought, God is an indivisible unit with no distinctions of persons. Both traditions trace their monotheistic belief to the heritage of Abraham, yet each defines divine unity differently than historic Christianity. Other religious groups that read the New Testament also reject the doctrine of the Trinity.
For example, Jehovah's Witnesses read John 17:3 as evidence that the Father alone is the true God, and do not hold the Trinity. Historic Christianity reads the verse alongside John 1:1 and John 20:28.
Why God's Identity Matters When You Pray
Knowing the identity of the true God shapes how you pray each day. Prayer is not a generalized ritual addressed into empty space. It is a direct conversation with a living person who hears your voice and holds supreme authority over heaven and earth.
The God of the Bible is the sole ruler of history. Because he has no rivals, his promises are dependable and his sovereignty is absolute. In Jeremiah 10:10, God is named as an everlasting king who cannot be unseated or replaced.
This truth provides immense peace in seasons of distress. When you bring your fears to the Father through Jesus Christ, you speak to the one who made every star and sustains your breath. You are resting your soul in the care of the only God who possesses the power to redeem and sustain you.
Turning from Idols to Serve the Living Creator
The biblical demand to recognize the one true God requires personal allegiance. An idol in modern life is rarely a carved block of wood or stone. An idol is anything in your life that takes the love, trust, and obedience that belong exclusively to your Creator. People often place ultimate trust in wealth, social approval, career success, or family status.
These earthly treasures fail when crisis strikes. They cannot forgive sins, impart spiritual life, or grant eternal peace. Only the living God satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart. Take time today to evaluate what commands your ultimate devotion.
Turn away from temporary pursuits that cannot save you. Place your confidence in the everlasting Lord who revealed himself through his written word and offers eternal life to everyone who seeks his face.
Key Bible verses
- Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: — Deuteronomy 6:4
- I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: — Isaiah 45:5
- But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. — Jeremiah 10:10
- And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. — John 17:3
- 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. — 1 Corinthians 8:6
Frequently asked questions
Who is the one true God in the Bible?
The one true God in the Bible is the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who created the universe and revealed that there is no other deity beside him. In Christian theology, this one God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Does the Bible say there is only one God?
The Bible repeatedly states that there is only one God. Passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 45:5, and 1 Corinthians 8:4 explicitly declare that the Lord is God alone and that no other gods exist anywhere in creation.
What does John 17:3 mean by the only true God?
In John 17:3, Jesus addresses the Father as the only true God in contrast to the false deities of the ancient world. Historic Christianity reads this passage alongside texts like John 1:1 and John 20:28 to show that Jesus shares this divine nature while speaking here as the sent Son.
Is the Trinity in the Bible?
The word Trinity does not appear in the Bible, but the doctrine is based on biblical passages that describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together as one God. The formal doctrine was articulated in church confessions during the fourth century, including the Nicene Creed.
Do Jews, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God?
Jews, Muslims, and Christians all claim the monotheistic heritage of Abraham and worship one Creator, but they define God's identity differently. Historic Christianity confesses God as a Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit, while Judaism and Islam reject the Trinity as contrary to strict monotheism.