Study Guide: One God, the Father
Quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB); please check each one in your own Bible.
The Big Idea
The big idea: There is one God, and Scripture names him: the Father, whom Jesus himself called “the only true God” (John 17:3).
Read Aloud
Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.
— 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he; and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.
— Mark 12:28–34
Jesus said these things, then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you; even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him. This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
— John 17:1–3
Where We Stand
Scripture says
- There is one God, and there is no other (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; Mark 12:29–32; 1 Corinthians 8:4).
- To us there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6).
- Jesus calls the Father “the only true God” (John 17:3) and “my God” (John 20:17).
- The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob glorified his Servant Jesus and raised him from the dead (Acts 3:13–15).
- There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
- Jesus counts his own testimony and the Father’s as the testimony of two (John 8:17–18).
- Scripture plainly rules out the teaching that Jesus is the Father (John 20:17; 17:3).
- No verse says that God is three Persons, and no verse calls the Holy Spirit a third Person.
We conclude
- Our conclusion: the one God whom Israel confessed and called Father is the God whom Jesus called his Father (Isaiah 63:16; John 8:54).
- Our conclusion: the Father living in Jesus does not make Jesus the Father (John 14:10; 17:21; Ephesians 4:6).
- Our conclusion: John 10:30, John 14:9 and Isaiah 9:6 do not teach that Jesus is the Father (John 17:22; 14:10; 12:45; Isaiah 9:6–7).
- Our conclusion, stated plainly: the Bible does not teach the Trinity. No verse says that God is three Persons, and Scripture names the one God as the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 17:3).
The Hard Questions
- How can there be only one God when Scripture itself speaks of many gods (1 Corinthians 8:5; Deuteronomy 10:17; John 10:34–35)? See The strongest objection under There Is One God, and There Is No Other.
- Does naming the Father as the one God leave out the Son, since Paul also names one Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8:6)? See The strongest objection under Scripture Names the One God: The Father.
- Is Jesus the Father himself, come in the flesh, so that when Jesus prayed, the man prayed to the God within him (John 14:10; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16)? See The strongest objection under Jesus Prays to the Father, the Only True God.
- Does John 10:30 mean that Jesus is the Father? See The strongest objection under Jesus Is Not the Father.
- Does John 14:9 mean that to see Jesus is to see the Father because Jesus is the Father? See A second objection under Jesus Is Not the Father.
- Does the title Everlasting Father in Isaiah 9:6 make Jesus the Father? See A third objection under Jesus Is Not the Father.
- Is the one name of Matthew 28:19 the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), so that Jesus is the Father? See A fourth objection under Jesus Is Not the Father.
- Must a teaching be stated in a single verse, and which texts do those who hold the Trinity cite? See No Verse Says That God Is Three Persons.
- How are the Trinity’s texts to be read, and who is the Word of John 1? See The Trinity’s texts, and what the Word of John 1 is under Questions Answered.
- What do the titles of Isaiah 9:6 mean? See What Isaiah 9:6’s titles mean under Questions Answered.
- What part did the Son have in creation? See The Son’s part in creation under Questions Answered.
- Did Jesus exist before his conception (John 17:5; Luke 1:35)? See A second objection in Article 3, Jesus Is the Christ, the Son of God, Come in the Flesh.
- What is the Holy Spirit? See What the Holy Spirit is under Questions Answered.
- Does salvation depend on these questions (John 8:24; 2 John 9)? See Whether salvation depends on these questions under Questions Answered.
Discussion Questions
- When the scribe asked which commandment is the greatest, what did Jesus answer? (See the opening.)
- In 1 Corinthians 8:6, whom does Paul name as the one God, and whom as the one Lord? (See Scripture Names the One God.)
- Whom does Jesus call “the only true God” (John 17:3), and what does he say knowing him is? (See Jesus Prays to the Father.)
- Why does Jesus count his own testimony and the Father’s as two? (See the objection under Jesus Prays to the Father.)
- How does John 17:22 help in reading John 10:30? (See the objection under Jesus Is Not the Father.)
- What does it mean for you that the risen Jesus called his Father “your Father” (John 20:17)? (See Hope.)
Hope
Jesus told his disciples, “the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:27). And on the morning he rose, Jesus sent word to his brothers: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17).
For the Leader
Allow about 45 minutes for one session. Read 1 Corinthians 8:4–6 first, then Mark 12:28–34, then John 17:1–3. Invite everyone to open and check each verse in their own Bible.
© 2026 Elvis Lucas, Open the Text. Original: https://openthetext.com/series/the-good-news/02-one-god-the-father-study-guide/
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