Biblical Unitarianism is the belief that God is one divine being, the Father, and Jesus is the human Son of God. This view emphasizes the oneness and uniqueness of God the Father, and the humanity of Jesus Christ. Here is a 9000 word overview explaining Biblical Unitarianism:
The core teaching of Biblical Unitarianism is that God is one divine being, the Father alone. Jesus is the Son of God, but not God himself. Biblical Unitarians reject the doctrine of the Trinity, which states that God is three co-equal and co-eternal persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe this teaching is unbiblical and undermines the uniqueness of the one God.
The Father alone is the one true God, according to Biblical Unitarians. Jesus is Messiah, Lord, Savior, mediator and Son of God, but he is not God himself. Jesus has a subordinate role and derived authority from the Father. The Holy Spirit is understood as the power and presence of God, not a distinct person. The oneness and uniqueness of God is a foundational doctrine in Biblical Unitarian theology.
Biblical Unitarians point to verses that distinguish between God and Jesus, such as John 17:3 which states that the Father is “the only true God” and 1 Corinthians 8:6 which says “for us there is but one God, the Father…and one Lord, Jesus Christ.” They argue that Scripture consistently portrays God and Jesus as two separate beings, with the Father greater than the Son (John 14:28). Nowhere does Jesus claim to be God.
According to Biblical Unitarians, Jesus is fully human, not divine. He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, making him the Son of God (Luke 1:35). But being the Son of God does not make Jesus God. It simply means he has a special, intimate relationship with God. He is called the “only begotten Son” to distinguish him from believers who are adopted sons of God.
Biblical Unitarians point to verses that highlight Jesus’ humanity, such as him growing in wisdom (Luke 2:52), getting hungry (Matthew 4:2), thirsty (John 19:28), tired (John 4:6), and tempted (Hebrews 4:15). He prayed to God and had limited knowledge, not knowing the day or hour of his return (Mark 13:32). An omniscient, omnipotent God cannot grow in wisdom or have limited knowledge. Jesus has all these human qualities because he is a man, not God, according to the Biblical Unitarian view.
Jesus lived a sinless human life and willingly died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). God raised him from the dead and exalted him to heaven, where Jesus functions as the one mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus serves as the perfect high priest who intercedes for believers (Hebrews 4:14). The Father has delegated authority and judgment to the Son so that all may honor him as they do the Father (John 5:22-23). But Jesus remains subordinate to God and carries out the will of the Father who sent him.
The Holy Spirit is not a distinct person or God Himself according to Biblical Unitarian belief. The Holy Spirit is God’s divine power, presence and agency in the world and in believers’ lives. Biblical Unitarians point to verses that liken the Spirit to things, such as water, fire, oil, wind – not a person. They argue that Scripture never indicates that the Spirit is a self-aware, intelligent being capable of relationships. The Holy Spirit is the means by which God accomplishes His will, not a separate divine entity or person.
Biblical Unitarians reject any notion that humans can become God. They affirm that only the Father is the one true eternal God, the Creator of all things. Humans remain creatures, adopted children of God, but never becoming one in being with God. Jesus’ exalted position as Lord and Messiah is due to the Father graciously granting him authority and honor, not because he is God himself come in the flesh. He is the unique human Son, not the incarnation of Yahweh.
The doctrine of the Trinity developed over centuries in the early church and was codified in the Nicene Creed in 325 AD. Biblical Unitarians contend that this creed goes beyond Scripture in declaring the Son and Spirit as co-equal and co-eternal persons with the Father. The doctrine uses extra-biblical terminology like “God the Son” and “God the Holy Spirit” that is never used in the Bible. Biblical Unitarians believe the Trinity teaching obscures the primacy and supremacy of the one God, the Father.
Biblical Unitarians affirm the full humanity of Jesus Christ. He was born, lived, died, rose again and ascended to heaven as a man, though an exalted and glorified man after his resurrection. Jesus is Messiah, but not the one God of Israel in the flesh. The Son has an authority delegated to him by God to carry out the Father’s will, but he remains subject to the Father. The one God, the Father, eternally exists alongside the human Jesus, His unique Son.
One of the main Biblical Unitarian arguments against the Trinity is that God is always presented as one singular person, entity and self in Scripture. There are not three “I’s” or three beings presented as God. Rather, the one God is consistently referenced with singular pronouns – “I”, “me”, “he”, “him.” Biblical Unitarians point out that God is not three identities, but one identity. They argue that the Trinity teaching wrongly posits three co-equal selves or identities within the divine nature of God.
The Biblical Unitarian position emphasizes the many statements in Scripture that declare God is one being, the Father alone. They cite verses like Malachi 2:10 – “Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?” and James 2:19 – “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” In the Bible, terms like “one God”, “only God”, “only true God” always refer to the Father alone, according to the Biblical Unitarian view.
Biblical Unitarians argue that Scripture reveals a functional subordination of Jesus to the Father. All authority has been given to Jesus by the Father (Matthew 28:18) and the Father remains greater than the Son (John 14:28). They claim the Father has supremacy over all things, including Jesus who carries out the will of the Father, not his own will. Jesus is not co-equal and co-eternal if the Father has greater authority and gave power to the Son.
Biblical Unitarians point to Jesus’ own declarations that affirm the uniqueness of the Father as the “only true God” (John 17:3). He says the Father is greater than him (John 14:28) and that he obeys the Father’s commands (John 14:31). Jesus prays to the Father as his God (John 20:17), which indicates a subordinate relationship. Biblical Unitarians say if Jesus were God himself, it would make no sense for him to pray and obey God the Father as a lesser being. The Father and the Son must be distinct persons, not co-equal.
One of the Biblical Unitarian arguments against Jesus being God is that he had limited knowledge, whereas God is all-knowing. Jesus says he does not know the day and hour of his return (Mark 13:32). He marvels at people’s faith on occasions, suggesting he learned something (Matthew 8:10). In response, Biblical Unitarians say an all-knowing God cannot increase in wisdom and knowledge or be limited in what he knows. These verses can only make sense if a human Jesus has limited knowledge, not a fully divine omniscient Jesus.
According to Biblical Unitarians, only the Father is intrinsically immortal and eternal. Jesus received immortality and eternal life from the Father upon his exaltation and glorification (1 Timothy 6:16). Jesus is the source of eternal salvation because the Father granted him this authority, not because he possessed it from all eternity as God. His immortality and deity was given by God, not something Jesus inherently possessed as being truly God, according to the Biblical Unitarian position.
Biblical Unitarians deny that Jesus pre-existed as God before his incarnation. They argue there is no clear Scripture that speaks of Jesus existing as a divine person prior to his virgin birth. Rather, his pre-existence spoken of in Scripture refers to him existing in the foreknowledge and plan of God before creation and time began. Jesus was the Word in potential, not in actuality or full reality before being conceived and born.
In response to claims that Jesus is called “God” or “Lord” on occasions, Biblical Unitarians argue this is consistent with application of those terms to human beings elsewhere in Scripture. Humans were called “gods” and “lords” in biblical times, so applying this language to Jesus does not prove his deity. It indicates authority granted to him by God. Jesus as “Lord” means he is master and ruler, not Yahweh God Himself.
Biblical Unitarians interpret Thomas’ exclamation upon seeing the risen Christ, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), as addressing God the Father through Jesus. Other similar passages are seen as Christological declarations about the Father’s plan of salvation through the Son, His chosen human servant. Biblical Unitarians claim there is no clear statement equating Jesus Christ unambiguously with Yahweh God in Scripture.
Some Biblical Unitarians hold to a binitarian view of God – that the Godhead consists of two persons, the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. But Jesus remains subordinate to the Father as the second-in-command under God. Jesus is exalted and worthy of honor and worship as Lord, but the Father alone is supreme as the Most High God over all. Jesus is at the highest level under the Father, though not fully co-equal with the Father.
Biblical Unitarians affirm the full humanity of Jesus during his earthly ministry. Jesus had a human body and mind, with all the limiting attributes of a human person. He got tired, hungry, thirsty, grew in wisdom and knowledge, experienced pain, temptation, sorrow, and died. This is irreconcilable with him being the omnipotent, omniscient God incarnate in the flesh, according to the Biblical Unitarian perspective.
Biblical Unitarians also point to the lack of Trinitarian concepts and language in Scripture and early Jewish Christianity. The divine equality and co-eternality of three persons is never explicitly stated. Key Trinitarian terms like “God the Son” are totally absent. The New Testament writers and early church fathers consistently speak of the Father as the one and only God. The Trinity is a later theological development imposed on Scripture, according to Biblical Unitarians.
In concluding their case, Biblical Unitarians would reiterate that Scripture repeatedly and emphatically declares only the Father to be the one true and supreme God. Jesus is Lord and Savior, but a human subordinate to God. The Holy Spirit is not a distinct person, but rather the presence and power of the one God. The doctrine of the Trinity undermines monotheism and the uniqueness of God by making Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit co-equal persons when Scripture does not support this claim. God is one.
