The answer
Yes, Christianity believes in the oneness of God, and that there is no other god than Him. In this, it rejects the principle of shirk (association, such as that of the pagans, who believe in polytheism). There is an abundance of verses from Holy Scripture, with its two testaments, that support this, amongst which are:
✣ Old Testament:
- ❖ “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4 LXX).
- ❖ The Lord says, “Behold, behold that I am He, and there is no god beside Me” (Deut. 32:39 LXX).
- ❖ And says again, “I am the first, and I am hereafter: beside Me there is no God” (Is. 44:6 LXX).
✣ New Testament:
- ❖ “[There is] none good but One, [that is], God” (Matt. 19:17, Mark 10:18).
- ❖ “[It is] one God” (Rom. 3:30).
- ❖ “But to us [there is but] one God” (1 Cor. 8:6).
- ❖ “It is the same6 God Which worketh all in all” (1 Cor. 12:6).
We affirm this reality every time we seal ourselves with the Sign of the Cross by saying at the end, “...One God. Amen.”
The Fathers used the expression “One God” in order to put an end to the error of polytheism, and subsequently to stress the belief and affirmation that God is one, distinct by nature and in truth. Thus, they proclaimed their Faith in One God.
Note that the devils do not fall into the delusion of polytheism, for it is written, “Thou belie vest that there is one God; thou does well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). The devils, however, entice humans with the sin of polytheism.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Notes
6 Translator’s note: In Arabic, “It is One God Which worketh all in all.”
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 19–21.
The pages in the book (19–21)
