Who Is God?
There is only One the Most High
Deuteronomy 6:4 (CJB)
4 “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad.”
Hear, O Israel! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one.
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
1 Corinthians 8:6 (HSV)
6 Yet for us there is but one God: the Father, from whom all things are, and we for Him,
and one Lord: Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through Him.
In-depth summary
The Bible teaches that there is only one true and Most High God: God the Father. Lord Yeshua (Jesus) Himself calls His Father the “only true God” and makes a clear distinction between Himself and the One who sent Him.
The Father is the invisible God. He is Spirit and has revealed Himself to humanity through His Son, Lord Yeshua. Lord Yeshua is therefore the Image of the invisible God. He reveals the Father, speaks the words of the Father, and does the works the Father performs through Him.
This biblical line shows that we must distinguish between the invisible God the Father and His Son, through whom the Father makes Himself visible and knowable. Lord Yeshua did not come to make known some other Most High God, but to declare the Father to humanity and to make known the way to Him.
From this truth, the world’s various religions must also be examined. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity give different answers to the questions of who God is and how man attains salvation, liberation or eternal life. Some religions recognize multiple deities or an impersonal highest reality; others confess one God. Their views on salvation also differ fundamentally.
The biblical message departs from this: man is not saved by karma, rebirth, attaining enlightenment, or by accumulating sufficient human merit (a good life and good works). Eternal life is tied to knowing the only true God, the Father, and to knowing Lord Yeshua the Messiah, whom He has sent.
The various religions therefore change nothing about this fundamental biblical truth. There is only one Most High, one Creator and one true God: the Father. And there is one Lord: Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom the Father has revealed Himself to humanity and through whom man is led to the Father.
Key conclusions from this study
- There is only one true God.
- This One God is the Father (The one Who protects, provides, and is good.)
- God is Spirit and is therefore invisible.
- No one has ever seen the Father.
- Lord Yeshua is the Image of the invisible God.
- The Father works through His Son.
- Lord Yeshua distinguishes Himself from the Father and calls the Father His God.
- Lord Yeshua will ultimately subject Himself to the Father.
- In the end, God will be all in all.
- God the Father is to be worshiped through the Son.
FATHER GOD …
IS THE ONE TRUE GOD,
THE MOST HIGH.
(The one Who protects, provides, and is good)
In-depth explanation
1. There is only one God
The foundation of this truth is already found in the Torah. Israel was not taught that three divine persons together form one God. The confession is simple: ADONAI is one.
Deuteronomy 6:4 (CJB)
4 “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad.”
Lord Yeshua confirms this truth when He prays to His Father:
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
Here Lord Yeshua calls His Father the only true God. He then names Himself as the One sent by this God.
Paul confirms the same distinction:
1 Corinthians 8:6 (HSV)
6 Yet for us there is but one God: the Father, from whom all things are, and we for Him,
and one Lord: Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through Him.
The biblical line is therefore clear:
one God, the Father, and one Lord, Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
2. God is Spirit and is invisible
A second fundamental point is that God Himself is invisible.
John 4:24 (HSV)
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
God is Spirit. Therefore, we may not picture the Father as if He has a human body.
Luke 24:39 (HSV)
39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see,
for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.
After His resurrection, Lord Yeshua had flesh and bones. In doing so, He distinguishes His bodily appearance from a spirit.
John 1:18 (HSV)
18 No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has made Him known.
The Son thus came to make the invisible Father known to man.
1 Timothy 6:16 (HSV)
16 He who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light;
whom no man has seen or can see.
The Father is the invisible God.
3. Lord Yeshua is the Image of the invisible God
If the Father is invisible, how then does God make Himself known to man? Through His Son.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (HSV)
4 … Christ, who is the image of God…
Colossians 1:15 (HSV)
15 He is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation.
Lord Yeshua is the Image of the invisible God. This image must not be understood as though the Father literally has hands, feet, and a human body. It concerns the visible revelation of God’s character, authority, dominion, power and working in a human body.
The Father Himself remains the invisible God, but His character and
works are made visible through the Son.
4. The Father works through the Son
Lord Yeshua Himself declared that His words and works are not independent of the Father.
John 14:10 (HSV)
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words
I speak to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, who remains in Me, does the works.
The Father thus works through His Son. Yeshua does not reveal some other Most High alongside the Father. He reveals precisely the Father.
That is why we can come to know the Father by
listening to His Son.
5. The revelation of the Father through Yeshua
Because the Father Himself is invisible, He has revealed Himself to humanity through His Son. In line with this study, the visible revelation of YHVH in the Old Testament is connected to Lord Yeshua.
This means that the visible appearance is not the invisible Father Himself, but the way in which the Father is made visible and knowable through His Son.
We also see this line in the New Testament. The Son comes in the flesh and walks visibly among men. He reveals the Father and makes known His character and will.
After His resurrection, Lord Yeshua says:
John 20:17 (HSV)
… I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.
When Yeshua speaks of “My God,” the
distinction between the Son and the Father is again made visible.
6. The Father and the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit must likewise be understood within this biblical line. At Yeshua’s birth we read:
Matthew 1:20 (HSV)
20 … for what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Yet in Scripture, God the Father is identified as the Father of Yeshua. Within this interpretation, this means that the Holy Spirit (in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity) should not be understood as a separate person alongside God the Father, but as God’s own Spirit, presence and working. After all, if, according to the doctrine of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is a separate Person within the Godhead, and the Son was conceived by the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit would be the Father of Lord Yeshua. But the Bible teaches that God the Father is the Father of Lord Yeshua. This shows that the Holy Spirit cannot be placed as a separate Person alongside God the Father.
God is Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is therefore not a second God alongside the Father.
God the Father and the Holy Spirit are not separate entities,
but one and the same entity.
7. The God of the various religions and the way to salvation
If there is only one Most High God, an important question arises: Who, then, is the God behind the world’s various religions, and how, according to these religions, is a person saved?
The various religions give very different answers to this. Some speak of redemption, others of liberation, enlightenment, attaining a certain spiritual state, or maintaining a certain way of life. The biblical message departs fundamentally from this.
According to the Bible, man is not saved by reaching a certain state of consciousness, by successive lives, by following a religious law, by his own merit or by living a good life. Salvation comes through the grace of God and is tied to faith in His sent Son, Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Grace means that you yourself have done nothing to be saved; salvation is a gift from God, something you have done nothing to earn.
Hinduism
Hinduism encompasses various traditions and conceptions of God. Some traditions speak of many deities, while others speak of a highest reality, such as Brahman.
From a biblical perspective, however, the existence of various names for God does not mean that multiple Most High Creators exist. Scripture holds firmly to one Creator above all things.
Therefore, Brahman, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva cannot simply be regarded as the same Person as the God the Bible calls the Father.
The path to liberation also differs fundamentally from the biblical gospel. Within various Hindu traditions, karma, knowledge, meditation, devotion to a deity, and following a particular way of life are, among other things, connected to liberation, often referred to as moksha.
An important part of many Hindu views is the idea of rebirth: the present existence is part of a cycle of birth and rebirth, in which karma has consequences for future lives. The ultimate goal is liberation from this cycle.
The biblical message, however, knows no cycle of successive human lives from which man must ultimately free himself. Man has one life and afterward stands before God’s judgment.
Biblical salvation is therefore not the result of accumulating sufficient karma or attaining a certain spiritual state. Salvation comes from God, out of His grace, and is given to man through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Islam
Islam confesses one God and rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. In that respect there is a clear difference from the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
But the Islamic conception of God and the biblical revelation of the Father are not identical. Islam, for example, rejects the biblical meaning of Yeshua as the Son of God and rejects His crucifixion as proclaimed in the New Testament.
Within Islam, salvation is tied to faith in Allah, submission to Allah, performing good works, and observing religious precepts. Ultimately, judgment over man’s eternal fate belongs to Allah.
The biblical message lays the foundation differently. Man is not justified because his good works are ultimately sufficient. Salvation comes from God, out of His grace, and is given to man through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom You have sent.
According to Lord Yeshua, it is therefore of essential importance to know the only true God and to know His sent Son.
Buddhism
Buddhism is different in nature. In many Buddhist traditions, the worship of one Creator-God is not central; rather, the questions concern suffering, the cause of suffering, and the way of liberation from it.
The Buddhist concept of God, therefore, cannot simply be equated with the biblical concept of God as Creator and Father.
Within Buddhism, the path to liberation is generally connected to overcoming the causes of suffering, following the teaching, and attaining enlightenment. The ultimate goal is often referred to as “nirvana,” whereby man is freed from the cycle of rebirth.
Here too we see a fundamental difference from the biblical gospel. The Bible does not teach that man must free himself from a cycle of rebirth through spiritual practice or enlightenment. Biblical hope is tied to God, resurrection, and eternal life. Salvation comes from God, out of His grace, and is given to man through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Judaism
Judaism occupies a special place because the biblical origin of Israel, the Torah, and the prophets are directly connected to the people of Israel. Judaism confesses one God and likewise rejects the traditional doctrine of the Trinity held by church systems.
Judaism, however, does not recognize Lord Yeshua as the Messiah for whom it itself waits, and likewise does not recognize Lord Yeshua as the Son of God, as He is proclaimed in the New Testament. There is therefore a fundamental difference here between the Jewish faith and faith in Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Within Judaism, the covenant, the Torah, repentance, prayer, good works, and keeping God’s commandments play an important role in one’s life before God. The various Jewish movements place different emphases here. Here too, the emphasis lies on what man himself does.
The biblical message, as proclaimed by Yeshua and His apostles, builds on the Jewish Scriptures yet goes a step further: the Father sent His Son, and eternal life is tied to knowing the Father and believing in His sent Son.
John 14:6 (HSV)
6 Jesus said to him: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me.
According to Yeshua, then, the way to the Father runs through Him. He does not point away from Himself, as though His coming were unimportant. He is precisely the One who makes the Father known and opens the way to the Father. Salvation comes from God, out of His grace, and is given to man through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Christianity
Christianity is inseparably connected to Judaism. The Christian faith did not arise apart from Israel, the Torah, the prophets, and the covenant. It builds on these and presents Lord Yeshua as the Messiah announced in the Hebrew Scriptures. In that sense, Christianity, according to its own claim, forms the completion and fulfillment of what was promised and expected within Judaism.
Yet within Christianity, various views arose on the question of how a person is saved. Most traditional churches connect salvation to faith in Lord Yeshua, His death and resurrection, and God’s grace. At the same time, significant differences exist between Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions regarding the relationship between faith, works, sacraments, the church, and grace.
Christianity is therefore not one fully uniform doctrine of salvation. Precisely for this reason, the question must repeatedly be asked within Christianity as well: What did Lord Yeshua Himself teach about God, salvation, and the way to the Father? The starting point of this article is that not church tradition, but the words of God and His Messiah, must be the decisive starting point.
Within the biblical approach of this article, the foundation lies in faith in God the Father and His sent Son. Good works are not a substitute for faith, but belong to the life of one who truly follows Yeshua.
John 3:16 (HSV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Here lies an essential difference from other religious systems in which man himself must attain ultimate salvation through a certain spiritual development, rebirth, religious precepts, or his own achievements.
Salvation comes from God, out of His grace, and is given to man through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
The core of the difference
The various religions give different answers to the same fundamental human questions: Who is God? Why does man exist? What is wrong with man? And how can man ultimately be saved or liberated?
The difference can be summarized as follows:
| Tradition | Path to liberation/salvation | Biblical difference |
|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | Various paths, including knowledge, devotion, meditation, and karma; ultimate liberation from the cycle of rebirth. | The Bible teaches no cycle of rebirth and no self-liberation through karma or spiritual development. Salvation is a gift from God; man does nothing. |
| Islam | Faith, submission to Allah, good works and observance of religious precepts; ultimately God’s judgment. | The Bible ties eternal life to knowing the Father and believing in His sent Son. Salvation is a gift from God, man does nothing. |
| Buddhism | Overcoming desire and suffering, following the teaching, and attaining enlightenment/nirvana. | The Bible teaches salvation through God and His Messiah, not self-liberation through enlightenment. Salvation is a gift from God; man does nothing. |
| Judaism | Connected to God, Torah, repentance, prayer and living by God’s commandments; various movements place different emphases. | Yeshua is concealed within the Jewish Scriptures and revealed in the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures contain the promises and prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, while the New Testament reveals their fulfillment in Lord Yeshua, the sent Messiah and the way to the Father.
The biblical message of the New Testament proclaims Lord Yeshua as the sent Messiah and way to the Father. Salvation is a gift from God; man does nothing. |
| Christianity | Faith in Yeshua, His death and resurrection, and God’s grace; various churches place different emphases. | According to this study, faith must be brought back to the Father as the only true God and Yeshua as His sent Son. Salvation is a gift from God; man does nothing. |
This comparison shows that the difference is not merely about what God is called. It is above all about who God is, who Lord Yeshua is, and in what way man receives eternal life.
According to Yeshua, eternal life is tied to knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
There are thus many religions and many human conceptions of God,
but according to the Bible there is only one Most High God. No one knows the Father —
Lord Yeshua came to make the Father known.
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
8. The doctrine of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one being consisting of three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The biblical line examined in this article, however, reveals a different distinction: one God, the Father, and one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
Yeshua has a God. He was sent by the Father. He speaks the words of the Father. The Father does the works through Him. He is the Image of the invisible God, and He ultimately subjects Himself to the Father.
Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity must be tested against Scripture, not the other way around.
The teaching of men must never replace the words of the Father and His Son.
9. God the Father is all in all
At the end of God’s plan, the relationship between Father and Son becomes clear once again.
1 Corinthians 15:27–28 (HSV)
27 For He has put all things under His feet. But when He says that all things are put under Him, it is evident that He is excepted who put all things under Him. 28 And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
The Father subjects all things to the Son, but the Father Himself is excepted from this. Afterward, the Son subjects Himself to the Father.
The end point is that God will be all in all.
10. Worship the Father through the Son
Lord Yeshua did not come to push the Father out of the picture. He came precisely to make the Father known to people. Man knew that there was a God, but through disobedience lost contact with Him. Satan filled the resulting void and unfamiliarity with God with false conceptions and false paths to God. From this arose all sorts of religions, offering man other paths to God than the path God Himself gave through Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Lord Yeshua knew the Father as His God. He spoke the words of the Father. He did the works of the Father and subjected Himself to the Father.
Therefore the call is simple: worship God the Father through the Son, as Lord Yeshua Himself did and taught us.
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
The True Way
The question of who God is, is no unimportant theoretical discussion. It determines whom we worship and whom we follow. If Lord Yeshua points us to the Father, we must not remain standing on human traditions. We must go back to the words of Scripture.
Lord Yeshua occupies a unique position in this. He does not claim merely to be one possible path to God, but explicitly declares that no one comes to the Father except through Him. He presents Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In doing so, He places His message above all human religious views and above every other proposed path to God.
John 14:6 (HSV)
6 Jesus said to him: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Lord Yeshua thus does not say that He possesses merely part of the truth. He says: “I am the Truth.” Where other religious systems proclaim different views of God, salvation and the afterlife, Yeshua points directly to the Father and declares that no one can come to the Father without Him.
According to His own words, Lord Yeshua is therefore not one of many paths, but the God-given Way to the Father. He is not merely a teacher who provides information about God; He is the Son sent by the Father to make the Father known and to bring man to Him.
Yeshua also connects eternal life directly to Himself and to the Father:
John 17:3 (HSV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
Therefore, against all human half-truths, Lord Yeshua does not stand as someone who merely adds another religious explanation, but as the One who makes known the truth of God. He points the way to the Father, He is the Truth, and through Him eternal life is proclaimed.
- Know the Father.
- Follow His Son.
- Worship the Father through Yeshua.
Summary
The biblical line is simple and consistent. There is one true God: the Father. He is Spirit, invisible, and the Source of all things. No one has ever seen Him.
Lord Yeshua is the Image (in character) of this invisible God. Through Him the Father makes Himself known. The Father works through the Son, and the Son receives His authority from the Father.
The world’s various religions change nothing about this truth. They represent different human conceptions of God and the divine. Scripture, however, calls us back to the only true God and to His sent Son.
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.
THE GOD AND FATHER OF LORD YESHUA
THE MESSIAH.
Therefore, worship God the Father only through His Son.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the Bible, who is the only true God?
According to John 17:3, the Father is the only true God. Lord Yeshua is there distinguished as the One sent by the Father.
Is Lord Yeshua the same person as the Father?
No. Scripture distinguishes between the Father and the Son. Yeshua calls the Father His God and speaks of Him as the One who sent Him.
Why is Yeshua called the Image of God?
Because Yeshua makes the invisible God known to man. He is the Image of the invisible God, and the Father works through Him.
Are all religions the same?
No. The various religions hold fundamentally different views on God, creation, redemption, and worship. The biblical message remains that there is one Most High God.
What, then, should we worship?
The biblical line is: worship God the Father through His Son, Lord Yeshua the Messiah.