The Ancient Scriptures

God is One.
The God of the Bible is one in two senses. Many critics, of the Bible including LDS apologists, argue that Christians simply can’t add. Maybe. Unfortunately, if LDS apologists would take the time to really see what the Scriptures teach they would see there is no contradiction.LDS apologists teach that the LDS Gods are three separate and distinct Gods and yet still one. The Prophet stated “I have always declared [that] . . . these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods." (TPJS, 370). So, Heavenly Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate persons which distinct essences so that they can be called separate Gods. Nevertheless, all three is one in purpose. The Prophet, referring to Nephi’s oneness, said, “Father, I pray for them which Thou has given me out of the world, and not for those alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be agreed, as Thou, Father, are with me, and I with Thee, that they also may be agreed with us," and all come to dwell in unity, and in all the glory and everlasting burnings of the Gods; and then we shall see as we are seen, and be as our God and He as His Father.” (TPJS 372-373). So, the LDS Gods are three distinctly separate Gods who are one only in unity or purpose.

The God of the Bible is very different. To begin to understand God’s oneness we must understand that the term one is used to refer to the Triune God not only being the only Deity in the universe but it is also used to refer to the unity of their essence.

Lets examine whether the Triune God of the Bible is the only God in the universe. In this case the word one refers to the cardinal number 1 and refers to 1 not 2 or 3 or 4 or more. The Hebrew word is yahad. LDS apologists teach that Heavenly Father had a father, a grandfather, ad infinitum and a mother, a grandmother, ad infinitum. They also teach Heavenly Father has a number of wives and through one of them he gave birth literally to Jesus, his son. Jesus is also married and through one of his wives he too has children. So, Heavenly Father also has children, grandchildren, ad infinitum. Yet, Heavenly Father, in his former self-revelation, the Bible, says that he does not know of the existence of any other God (Isaiah 44:6). Please remember that the Bible argues that God has always been Deity from “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalms 90:2). This means that he is infinite in essence and there has never been a time in the past, present, or future when God has not been Deity. Also, remember the Bible states that God is infinite in knowledge (Psalms 147:5). So, according to the Bible Heavenly Father has always existed and knows all there is to know. Yet, Heavenly Father emphatically argues that he does not know of the existence of any other God. Therefore, the Triune God is one in the sense that no Gods proceeds him nor do any follow in his time. There is only one God - the Triune God of the Bible.

Now, lets turn to God’s triunity. In this case, one refers to a unity of essence. In Hebrew it is echad (Deuteronomy 6:4). In Greek it is hen (John 10:30). The Greek word hen is neutral and refers to unity of essence. To understand how this works we need to understand God’s essence. Theologians like to use a lot of Latin words but the Bible uses only one word to describe God’s essence - infinite. Because the essence of the Triune God is infinite there is no difference between their Deity or essence and therefore, this means that they are one or united. LDS apologists teach that the essence of the LDS Gods is finite and therefore they are unified but each is very different from another. The amount of Deity each LDS God has depends on the amount of time that being has been a God. Since each God becomes a God at a different time than any other God then no two LDS Gods have the same amount of Deity and therefore, they are not one or unity in essence. Also, every LDS God is first a human on some planet. So, as a being he may be infinite according to Eternal Progression but as a God he has a starting point. Therefore, no LDS God can claim to have always been Deity in the past. Also, Eternal Progression reveals that no one God should ever be able to catch up with another God and for this reason, no two Gods will or can ever become one. So, Eternal Progression leaves worthy LDS with Gods who are separate in essence, finite, and incapable of ever becoming one with each other. The Heavenly Father of LDS apologists is not the Heavenly Father of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, Matthew, or Peter. The LDS Heavenly Father is not the true Triune God (Isaiah 43:10, NIV). My friend, do you see the difference?