Is the Biblical Concept of God Strictly Monotheistic or Does It Allow for a Triune Nature?

[donadams]

The word may not be in scripture but the concept or doctrine is

Matt 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 

[donadams]

Runningman,
Number 1 of your list is a nonsensical interpretation. The verse clearly states that the Word BECAME Flesh, and dwelt amongst us. It does not say the Word "created" flesh and dwell amongst us.
As for also your challenge in other posts concerning what the Lord Jesus was doing before the world was, He says Himself that He was with the Father, sharing in His Glory

When was Jesus (just the man) gathering Israel to Himself)?

Matt 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

 

[donadams]

Three persons - no matter how you slice the cake can never mean One.

Athanasius Creed!
(From the early church)
Whoever desires to be saved must above all hold to the catholic faith.

Anyone who does not keep it whole and entire will doubtless perish eternally.

Now this is the catholic faith:

That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal,
the Holy Spirit is eternal.

And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings, there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings;
there is but one almighty being.

Thus the Father is God,
the Son is God,
the Holy Spirit is God.
Yet there are not three gods;
there is but one God.

Thus the Father is Lord,
the Son is Lord,
the Holy Spirit is Lord.
Yet there are not three lords;
there is but one Lord.

Just as Christian truth compels us
to confess each person individually
as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons;
there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

Nothing in this trinity is before or after,
nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other.

So in everything, as was said earlier,
we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity.

Anyone then who desires to be saved
should think thus about the trinity.

But it is necessary for eternal salvation
that one also believe in the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Now this is the true faith:

That we believe and confess
that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,
is both God and human, equally.

He is God from the essence of the Father,
begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity.

Although he is God and human,
yet Christ is not two, but one.
He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself.He is one,
certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person.
For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human.

He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith:
one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts!

 

[donadams]

The biblical concept is that we must be taught by Jesus Christ!
Heb 1:1-2

We must believe and obey both Christ and the church He founded on the apostles (16:18-19) to teach and sanctify all men unto eternal salvation! (Matt 28:19)

(Not scripture alone)
Sacred Scripture according to the churches cannon and interpretation? Yes!
Scripture alone? No!

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things by, by whom also he made the worlds;

“Not by scripture alone”!

That’s the nail in the coffin of “Sola scriptura” it is dead and buried, “false doctrine” the doctrine of demons like all the sola’s!
It’s

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Jn 1:17

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life! Jn 14:6

And this extends to His apostolic church, Christ and His church are one and inseparable! Acts 9:4 Jn 15:5 eph 5:32 acts 2:42

One shepherd and one fold! Jn 10:16

The truth of the Christian faith and the church are of divine origin and cannot be reformed!

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world! Jn 8:12
Apostolic church the light of the world! Matt 5:14

Must Hear Jesus Christ! Matt 17:5
Acts 3:23
Must Hear the apostolic church! Matt 18:17 1 Jn 4:6

Authority of Jesus Christ! Matt 28:17
Authority of the apostles! Jn 20:21

Jesus Christ has Reconciliation!
2 cor 5:19
Apostles have ministry of Reconciliation! 2 cor 5:18

Jesus Christ have power to forgive mens sins! Lk 5:20 Jn
Apostles have power to forgive mens sins! Jn 20:23

Jesus Christ is the truth! Jn 14:6
The apostolic church is the pillar of truth! 1 Tim 3:16

For the apostolic authority in Holy church decided and decreed (bound on earth / bound in heaven) the canon of Scripture, and is the only authentic interpreter of scripture!

The Christian faith is revealed by Christ!

Jesus Christ gave His apostles the fullness of truth, the apostolic church our mother and teacher is commanded by Him to teach and to sanctify with her sacraments (the promise of the spirit) all men unto eternal salvation! We are commanded to believe and obey! Matt 28:19 1 Jn 4:6

Thks

 

[Free]

What does that have anything to do with theology?

It has to do with the understanding of "one." "One" can be used as a compound unity and still mean one.

If you say that the Father is not the Son. It's division whether internally or externally.

It is a distinction of persons, but not a division of substance.

The statement that most use "the Father is not the Son" inherently creates division within the Godhead, which contradicts the fundamental belief in God's absolute oneness.

It creates distinctness. What do you mean by "God's absolute oneness"?

Oneness of the Bible: God is Indivisible​

God is one being, without distinction of persons. God is viewed as the eternal Spirit who manifests in different ways. The Father refers to the eternal, invisible, omnipresent Spirit, and the Son refers to the manifestation of that Spirit in the flesh, Jesus Christ. These are not separate beings or persons, but different modes or manifestations of the same one God.

• Isaiah 44:6: "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
• Isaiah 43:11: “I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.”
• Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."

These scriptures emphasize the singular nature of God in both essence and being. Therefore, to assert that the Father is not the Son creates theological division by introducing multiple centers of consciousness or persons within God.

No, these verses are monotheistic only. They say nothing of whether God is one person or three. Anti-Trinitarians constantly conflate monotheism with God's self-existent nature. It's a case of fallaciously begging the question.

Trinitarianism Division of Persons​

In Trinitarian doctrine, God is described as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are said to be coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial. While Trinitarians affirm that these persons are united in one essence, they still recognize distinctions in their roles and relationships. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and so on.

The Trinitarian approach inherently creates three centers of identity within the Godhead, which, is seen as dividing God into separate entities. Even if Trinitarianism claims unity of essence, the distinctions between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as persons introduces a form of division that undermines God’s absolute oneness.

• For example, the Trinitarian formula often recites: "The Father sends the Son," or "The Son prays to the Father," and "The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son." These relational dynamics imply distinct personalities and roles that are not merely modes of expression but separate persons within the Godhead.

Oneness: Manifestations, Not Persons​

In contrast, Oneness of God, the terms Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not refer to distinct persons but to different manifestations of the one God in different capacities:

• The Father is God in His transcendent role as Creator and Sustainer of all.
• The Son is God manifested in flesh—the human nature of Jesus Christ, which began in time through the incarnation.
• The Holy Spirit is God in His immanent work, particularly in the indwelling and empowering of believers.

Because of this understanding, the statement “the Father is not the Son” would be meaningless in Oneness of God, since both refer to the same one God manifesting in different ways or in different roles.

Jesus Christ as the Fullness of God​

Oneness of God stresses that Jesus Christ is the full manifestation of the Father in human form, not a separate divine person. Colossians 2:9 states, "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." This verse emphasizes that Jesus embodies the totality of God—He is fully divine and fully human, with no division between the Father and Son.

Isaiah 9:6 prophecies of Jesus as "The everlasting Father" and "Mighty God," showing that Jesus is not distinct from the Father but is, in fact, the Father manifested in the flesh. This further strengthens the oneness argument that Jesus, as the Son, is not a separate person from the Father but is God Himself.

Jesus’ Prayers and Dependence on the Father​

One common question is: If the Father and Son are not distinct persons, how do we explain Jesus praying to the Father or expressing dependence on Him?

From a Oneness of God perspective, these actions are understood through the lens of the dual nature of Christ:

• As a human, Jesus had to pray and express dependence on God the Father because He was fully human.
• But as God, He was also fully divine, capable of performing miracles, forgiving sins, and having all the authority of the Father, because He was the Father manifested in the flesh.

This means that Jesus’ prayers were the expression of His human nature communicating with God, not the communication between two distinct divine persons. Oneness of God maintains that there is no separation or division within God; the human and divine natures of Jesus exist in perfect unity.

Unity of God, Not Division​

By asserting that "the Father is not the Son," the Trinitarian view introduces a functional division between the Father and Son, even if they claim an ontological unity. In Oneness of God, this is seen as a division in God’s being, which goes against the biblical teaching of God’s absolute unity.

• 1 Corinthians 8:6 says, "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." This verse does not imply that the Father and Jesus are distinct persons, but it shows that God, through His manifestation in Jesus Christ, is working both as Creator and Redeemer.

The Danger of Division in Trinitarianism​

From a One God standpoint, saying that "the Father is not the Son" automatically introduces division within God, which is inconsistent with the Bible’s teaching of God’s absolute oneness. Oneness of God affirms that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct persons but different manifestations of the one true God, who is indivisibly and perfectly unified. This ensures that there is no division within God’s being (internally or externally), and it preserves the biblical declaration that God is one.

If the Son existed in heaven before being born on earth by a virgin, he had to either be in a pre-existent glorified body or a corporeal one. Which he was neither.

As I have stated many times before, a unitarian/Oneness view of God leaves God deficient. Such a view means that God needed to create creatures to love and cannot be said to be love.

John twice says that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), that is, it is intrinsic to his nature; he cannot not be love. However, God cannot be love if he is only one person; that is an impossibility as love is an action that requires an object and a subject--someone to receive love and someone to express love. In it's highest form, which we should absolutely expect in God since he is love, there must necessarily have always existed at least one lover and one who is loved. And that is what we have only in the Trinity--three persons in a perfect, loving relationship for all of eternity "past."

And that is apart from the common sense use of language and grammar in the NT which continually speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as distinct persons, never stating that it was the Father who took on flesh and became the Son, nor either becoming the Holy Spirit, and the fact that a father is never his own son nor a son his own father. There are too many reasons why God is not an absolute unity and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are just manifestations of one divine person.