**One God… But How?

Oneness, Trinity, and the Divine Family in Light of Daniel 7**

Introduction

The Bible clearly affirms that there is one God. Yet a crucial question remains:

👉 What kind of “oneness” does God have?

Throughout history, three main perspectives have attempted to answer this:

1. Oneness Theology → God is a single person
2. Trinitarianism → God is three persons in one essence
3. Divine Family → God is a unified, relational plurality

Daniel 7:9–14, along with insights from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, provides a powerful framework to evaluate these views.

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1. The Starting Point: Daniel 7

In Daniel’s vision, two distinct figures appear:

• The Ancient of Days
• The Son of Man (kebar enash)

They are:

• Distinct from one another
• Engaged in interaction
• Both associated with divine authority

The Son of Man receives:

• everlasting dominion
• glory
• worship (pelach)

This is critical, since pelach is used for service or worship given only to deity.

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⚖️ 2. Comparing the Three Views

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🟦 A. Oneness Theology: God as a Single Person

✔️ Claims:

• God is absolutely one person
• Father, Son, and Spirit are modes or manifestations

❗ Biblical Challenges:

1. Real Interaction in Daniel 7
The Son of Man “comes to” the Ancient of Days
👉 This suggests two subjects, not one person

2. Divine Worship
The Son receives worship
👉 If He is merely a human manifestation, this creates a theological contradiction

3. Logical Tension
God would be:

• giving authority to Himself
• interacting with Himself

👉 Conclusion:
Oneness theology struggles to account for real relational distinction within the Godhead.

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🟪 B. Trinitarianism: Three Persons, One Essence

✔️ Claims:

• One God
• Three distinct persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
• Same divine essence

✔️ Strengths:

• Explains relational distinctions

• Affirms the full divinity of Christ

• Aligns with passages like:

  • John 1:1 (pros ton theon — “with God”)
  • Matthew 28:19

Scholars such as argue that Jesus is included within the unique identity of God without violating monotheism.

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❗ Limitations:

1. Philosophical Language
Terms like “three persons, one essence” are not explicitly biblical formulations

2. Conceptual Complexity
Difficult for many to grasp clearly

3. Less Relational Emphasis
Often framed more as metaphysical structure than relational reality

👉 Conclusion:
Trinitarianism is theologically robust, but conceptually abstract.

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🟩 C. The Divine Family: A Relational Unity

✔️ Claims:

• God is one (echad — a composite unity)
• There is more than one divine being
• The Father and the Son are distinct, yet share the same nature
• God is a Family

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✔️ Linguistic and Biblical Basis:

Hebrew

• Elohim → plural form
• Echad → composite unity

Aramaic

• Pelach → divine worship given to the Son of Man

Greek

• Pros → relational orientation (“face-to-face with”)
• Logos → distinct yet fully divine

Early Christian devotion, as noted by , included Jesus within monotheistic worship without abandoning belief in one God.

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✔️ Strengths:

1. Naturally explains Daniel 7
Two divine figures in real relationship

2. Preserves monotheism
One divine family, not competing gods

3. Aligns with Second Temple Judaism
“Two powers in heaven” tradition

4. Deeply relational
God as Father and Son—not merely abstract persons

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✔️ Unique Implication:

👉 Humanity was created not just to reflect God
👉 But to ultimately participate in the Divine Family

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🧠 3. Summary Comparison

Topic	Oneness	Trinity	Divine Family
One God	✔️	✔️	✔️
Real distinction	❌	✔️	✔️
Relational interaction	❌	✔️	✔️
Biblical language clarity	⚠️	⚠️	✔️
Fits Daniel 7	❌	✔️	✔️
Relational emphasis	❌	⚠️	✔️✔️

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🛡️ 4. Common Objections Answered (Briefly)

• “The Son of Man is symbolic” → The text presents a personal, worship-receiving figure
• “This breaks monotheism” → Biblical unity (echad) allows complexity
• “Two divine beings = two gods” → Shared divine nature, not independent deities
• “The Spirit proves three persons” → Linguistically and functionally, the Spirit aligns more with divine power/agency

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🔥 Conclusion

Daniel 7 reveals something profound:

👉 God is not solitary
👉 God is relational

Oneness theology cannot fully explain the distinction.
Trinitarianism explains it, but in abstract philosophical terms.

👉 The biblical data points to something more organic:

God is a Divine Family

• One in nature
• Multiple in identity
• United in relationship

And ultimately:

👉 a Family that is meant to grow

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