The belief that there is only one God. It is different from:
Polytheism (the belief in more than one god)
Henotheism (the worship of one god among many gods)
Atheism (the denial of any god)
The main monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
What Does Monotheism Say About God?
If there is only one God, the God must be personal, sovereign, infinite, eternal, perfect, and almighty. Scripture describes God this way. Biblical revelation is the only way we can clearly know who God is and what he is like.
God is distinct from the world (unlike pantheism, the belief that god is the universe). He is the only Creator and sustainer of the universe.
He is beyond his creation (transcendent).
He enters into time and human affairs (imminent).
Monotheism is known through:
Historical events: “The God who acts” affects history to save the human race.
Verbal communication: “The God who speaks” communicates through prophets to teach and help his followers.
Monotheism allows for a direct relationship between God and humans. The New Testament shows that this happened because of Jesus Christ.
What Does the Bible Say About Monotheism?
The Bible teaches that humans were originally monotheistic. This is confirmed through Genesis 1–3. Polytheism was a result of sin. Polytheism existed by the time of Abraham. God called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees to travel to Canaan, the land God had promised him and his children. This resulted in a rejection of his family's polytheism (Genesis 11:31–12:9).
When Abraham arrived in Canaan, the people in the land were polytheistic. Every culture in Palestine had many gods (Genesis 31:3–35; Judges 11:24; 1 Samuel 5:2–5; 1 Kings 11:33). The descendants of Abraham often strayed from God and worshipped the gods of the Canaanites. They would also mix pagan practices with their worship of God (Genesis 35:2–4; compare Joshua 24:2; 1 Kings 16:30–33).
The role of the prophets was to call the Israelites back to monotheism, worshiping “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6, 15–16; compare 1 Kings 18:17–18). The Israelites needed to be reminded of their monotheism because of the polytheistic beliefs of their neighbors. Even David needed these reminders (1 Samuel 26:19), as did Solomon (1 Kings 11:1–7) and later kings (12:28–32; 2 Kings 10:31; 22:17).
Early prophets did not argue for monotheism. Rather, they rejected the pagan gods (1 Kings 18:24). Eighth-century BC prophets asserted the importance of monotheism in response to persistent polytheism. The exile cured the Israelites of their temptation to polytheism. Their enemies destroyed their idols and showed that they were powerless (Psalm 115; Isaiah 46). Then, Israel learned that only God could help them when they needed him. He is the true and living God who can save his people when they repent and obey him.