Questions Jews Ask

Response 01: Does Jewish Monotheism Exclude the Trinity and Divine Messiah Claims?

Outreach Judaism's Argument

Outreach Judaism's argument on the Trinity and the Shema is that the Shema and the wider Tanach exclude the Trinity and the worship of Jesus. Deuteronomy 6:4 confesses that the Lord is one. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man. Isaiah 43-45 says there is no other God and no other savior. Therefore, the Christian confession that Jesus is divine is said to violate biblical monotheism rather than fulfill it.

Christian Response

Christian faith must begin by agreeing with the Shema, not by weakening it. The New Testament does not proclaim a second god beside the God of Israel. Jesus and the apostles worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The question is whether Israel's one God can reveal himself in a richer way than a flat, unipersonal model allows.

Deuteronomy 6:4 excludes rival gods, polytheism, idolatry, and divided covenant loyalty. It does not by itself answer every question about God's own self-revelation through his Word, Wisdom, Spirit, Glory, Name, and finally Messiah. Christians should not claim that echad proves the Trinity. Outreach Judaism is right that echad simply means "one" and does not, by itself, establish compound unity. The Christian case is not built on that word alone. It is built on the total biblical pattern and on the resurrection of Jesus.

Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man in the sense that God does not lie, repent, or fail like a mortal. The verse is not a metaphysical denial that God could ever take human nature by his own initiative. The immediate contrast is between divine faithfulness and human unreliability. Christian incarnation doctrine does not say God stopped being God or became a deceitful mortal. It says the eternal Son assumed real humanity without ceasing to be divine.

Isaiah 43-45 is central. The Lord alone is God and Savior. Christians agree. That is precisely why the New Testament's inclusion of Jesus in divine functions is so striking. Jesus is not presented as a creature competing with God, but as sharing God's rule, glory, judgment, worship, and saving work. John 1:1-18 identifies the Word as both with God and divine, then says the Word became flesh. Philippians 2:6-11 places Jesus within Isaiah's language of universal homage to the Lord. Revelation 5 portrays worship directed to God and the Lamb in one heavenly scene.

The decisive issue is resurrection. If Jesus remained dead, worshiping him would be idolatry. If the God of Israel raised Jesus, exalted him, and gave him the divine name and authority, then Christians are not adding a second god; they are responding to God's own revelation.

Hebrew and New Testament Considerations

The Hebrew Bible already distinguishes God's transcendent essence from his self-expression. God's davar creates and comes to prophets. God's ruach acts in creation and renewal. God's kavod appears. God's shem dwells among Israel. These are not a proof of Nicene doctrine by themselves, but they show that biblical monotheism is not philosophically simplistic.

Daniel 7:13-14 is especially important because the "one like a son of man" comes with the clouds of heaven and receives universal service and everlasting dominion. Jewish interpreters debate whether this figure is corporate, angelic, or messianic. Christians read it in light of Jesus' resurrection and exaltation. The claim is not that Daniel 7 alone proves the Trinity, but that it provides biblical categories for a heavenly, human-like figure sharing in divine rule.

Bottom Line

The Christian answer is not that Judaism's monotheism is too strict. The answer is that the one God of Israel has revealed himself through the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Trinity is meant to protect monotheism while doing justice to Jesus' resurrection, divine authority, and worship in the New Testament.

References

  • Outreach Judaism, "Trinity and the Shema": https://outreachjudaism.org/trinity-shema-prayer/
  • Sefaria, Deuteronomy 6:4: https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.4?lang=bi
  • Sefaria, Numbers 23:19: https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.23.19?lang=bi
  • Sefaria, Isaiah 43:10-11: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.43.10?lang=bi
  • Sefaria, Isaiah 45:5-6: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.45.5?lang=bi
  • Sefaria, Daniel 7:13-14: https://www.sefaria.org/Daniel.7.13?lang=bi
  • Bible Gateway, John 1:1-18: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A1-18&version=NRSVUE
  • Bible Gateway, Philippians 2:6-11: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2%3A6-11&version=NRSVUE
  • Bible Gateway, Revelation 5: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+5&version=NRSVUE
  • Bible Gateway, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15%3A3-8&version=NRSVUE