top of page

Who is "the only true God"?

According to Jesus, who is “the only true God”?
John 17:1, 3 Father… And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

According to Jesus, “The only true God,” is the Father and He did not include Himself as being part of that distinction. In other words, only true God and the one whom He has sent is clearly distinguished as two separate individuals. This is emphasized by the use of the word “and” in “the only true God AND Jesus Christ…” Moreover, knowing this “only true God” and His Son is the key to eternal life. Thus eternal life is at stake in having a correct understanding of God.

Apostle John, in a few chapters later records how Jesus refers to His Father as His own God as well our God:

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.

The First Commandment-Mark 12:28-34
28 “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, WHICH IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF ALL?

29 And Jesus answered him, THE FIRST OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS IS, Hear, O Israel; The Lord (κύριος kyrios) our God (θεός theos) is one (εἷς heis) Lord (κύριος kyrios):

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: THIS IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 AND THE SCRIBE SAID UNTO HIM, WELL, MASTER, THOU HAST SAID THE TRUTH: FOR THERE IS ONE GOD; AND THERE IS NONE OTHER BUT HE:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, HE SAID UNTO HIM, THOU ART NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD. And no man after that durst ask him any question.”

Note: Jesus said, the first of all the Commandment is “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord..” The scribe also agreed with Jesus and responded with an affirmation, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he [a singular pronoun]:”

Question: Who do you suppose the Jewish scribe was referring to when he replied, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:”? Is he referring to a triune God made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost?

Jesus clearly understood the Jewish scribe’s reply to be His own Father. This is evident in John 8:54, when He spoke to the Jews on another occasion, “. . . it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:”

The Jews believed God the Father to be the one God of the Bible and Jesus affirms this without reproof by declaring, “it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:”


Did the apostles of Christ teach the Gentiles the same truth about God?

Acts 3:13, 26 “The GOD OF ABRAHAM, and of ISSAC, and of JACOB, THE GOD OF OUR FATHERS, HATH GLORIFIED HIS SON JESUS; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”

Note: Peter declared this after he healed the lame man at the temple gate. Does this passage make any sense if “God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, and the God of our fathers” is a God of Trinity, made up of Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost? Then according to this passage, that would make the Son [Jesus] and the Holy Spirit to have a son who is also Jesus. It seems pretty obvious that God mentioned here refers to the Father only. Note: there is no mention of the Holy Spirit being the father of Jesus nor having a son any where in Scripture. Same can be applied to John 3:16.

Romans 15:6 “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul identifies here that “God” is the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

bottom of page