Who Defines Monotheism?

Many Christians today grow up thinking that monotheism simply means this: there is one real God, and every other so-called god is just a myth or superstition. When we come across words like "gods" in the Bible, we tend to assume they must be poetic exaggerations or ancient misunderstandings. However, this understanding does not accurately reflect the origins of the term monotheism or the biblical portrayal of the spiritual realm.

The word itself was not coined by the biblical authors or even by the early church. It emerged much later—in the 17th century—as a response to the rising atheism and materialism in the West. The Reformers and Puritans never employed this term, even though they strongly affirmed the existence of one true God. Their language was rooted in Scripture. They spoke of the living God, the only wise God, the Triune God—not “monotheism” as a philosophical category.

This does not imply that we should refrain from using the term today. However, it is crucial to understand its origins and the assumptions it may carry. Defining our terms based on Scripture, rather than external pressures, helps us remain anchored in truth.

This article builds upon earlier pieces I have written: one that explains how the Bible uses the wordelohim, and another that elucidates why idols are not the same as the spiritual beings called gods.

Now we are confronted with a deeper question: Do these gods actually possess power? The consistent witness of Scripture affirms that they do—not sovereign, infinite power, but real, created, and sometimes terrifying power. They are not mere human inventions; they are enemies of God, powers of darkness, and participants in the spiritual war that envelops us all.

History of the Word Monotheism

In his book Deuteronomy and the Meaning of Monotheism, biblical scholar Nathan MacDonald traces the origins of the term monotheism and reveals that its meaning has not always aligned with contemporary usage. He explains that the term was first coined in 1660 by Henry More, a Cambridge Platonist—not to describe biblical faith, but to confront the rising threats of materialism and atheism in 1600s England.

More was part of a group of philosophers who held a profound belief in a spiritual reality beyond the material world. As a Platonist, he perceived the universe as teeming with souls, spirits, and divine order. His invention of the term monotheism aimed to defend belief in a spiritual, personal God against thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, who asserted that only matter exists. In More’s perspective, the antithesis of monotheism was not polytheism—it was atheism.

Thus, while monotheism today often refers to belief in one God (as opposed to many), MacDonald illustrates that the term originally emerged from philosophical debates, not from Scripture. It was shaped more by Enlightenment concerns than by biblical ones.

What Do We Mean by Monotheism Today?

It is essential to recognize that modern interpretations of the term monotheism are not necessarily grounded in the term's original intent or historical usage. This is acceptable, provided we pose the right questions: What do we mean when we say monotheism today? What assumptions have influenced that definition?

Contemporary Christians frequently assume that monotheism signifies, by definition, that no other spiritual beings can exist at all. However, this assumption stems more from post-Enlightenment rationalism than from the biblical worldview. The Bible affirms that Yahweh alone is the Most High, the Creator, and the only one worthy of worship. Nevertheless, it also consistently acknowledges the existence of other supernatural beings—gods, angels, demons—who are real, albeit created.

Thus, the pertinent inquiry is not merely do you believe in one God? but rather what kind of God do you believe in—and how does He relate to other powers in the spiritual realm?

Biblical Monotheism and the Uniqueness of Yahweh

Craig Carter, in his book Contemplating God with the Great Tradition: Recovering Trinitarian Classical Theism (foreword by Carl R. Trueman), defines biblical monotheism as "transcendent monotheism"—the conviction that Yahweh is the one, unique, uncreated Creator of all things, utterly distinct from and sovereign over all creation, including the spiritual beings often referred to as gods. Yahweh is not merely the highest among a group of peers; He occupies a category all His own.

“For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” (Psalm 97:9, ESV)

“Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.” (Isaiah 43:10–11, ESV)

According to Carter, biblical monotheism does not necessitate denying the existence of other spiritual beings; rather, it requires affirming that only Yahweh is uncreated, infinite, and worthy of worship. The gods may exist, but they are created, contingent, and ultimately accountable to the One who made them. As Carter articulates, “The LORD is not an instance of a class of beings... He is one of a kind.”

This vision of biblical monotheism aligns not with Enlightenment rationalism but with classical Christian theism. It distinguishes Yahweh from every other power—not merely by degree but by essence.

Before we delve into our favorite verses—often quoted to emphasize that the gods do not exist or are mere idols—let us pause and reflect: the biblical writers do not flatten the supernatural world into fiction. They were aware of the real spiritual beings behind the term gods. What follows are passages that demonstrate their existence, activity, and hostility toward Yahweh. These texts challenge the modern impulse to interpret the supernatural away and remind us that Scripture speaks with greater spiritual depth than we often permit.

1. The Gods Oppose Yahweh by Imitating His Power

When Moses confronts Pharaoh in Exodus, God performs signs through Aaron’s staff. Yet Pharaoh's magicians—servants of Egypt’s gods—are able to replicate several of those miracles:

“Each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” (Exodus 7:12, ESV)

“The magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 8:7, ESV)

These were not mere illusions. The Egyptian gods—through their human agents—demonstrated real supernatural acts. Yet each time, Yahweh displayed superior power, illustrating that He alone is God.

When God brings judgment upon Egypt, He does not merely punish Pharaoh—He executes judgment on the gods of Egypt themselves:

“On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12, ESV)

One cannot execute judgment on something imaginary. Nor does one draw supernatural power from a block of wood. These gods were real spiritual beings—demonic powers engaged in warfare against Yahweh, and Yahweh made a public spectacle of their defeat. What began as imitation culminated in humiliation. The gods were exposed and overthrown.

2. These Gods Are Demons in Disguise

In both the Old and New Testaments, the gods of the nations are explicitly identified as demons—real spiritual beings:

“They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread.” (Deuteronomy 32:17, NASB)

“They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons...” (Psalm 106:37)

“What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20)

The Bible affirms a monotheistic worldview—there is only one Creator God—but this does not imply that other spiritual beings are unreal. They are real, but created. They seek worship and influence over the nations, receiving it through deception, imitation, and fear.

3. Jesus Confirms That Baal Is Real

In the New Testament, Jesus engages in a dramatic confrontation with Israel’s religious leaders when they accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul—a name directly linked to Baal-Zebul, the ancient Canaanite deity:

“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” (Matthew 12:24, ESV)*

Jesus does not deny the existence of Beelzebul. Instead, He exposes the absurdity of Satan casting out Satan and proceeds to speak of a kingdom ruled by this prince of demons. Baal, once worshiped on the high places of Israel, now reappears under a new title—Beelzebul—synonymous with Satan himself.

“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:26, ESV)*

Far from dismissing Beelzebul as a trivial superstition, Jesus treats him as a real enemy prince in the cosmic war. In that moment, He declares that the strong man (Beelzebul) is being bound, and his house (the nations) plundered (Matt. 12:29).

Through the lens Jesus provides, Old Testament references to Baal are not merely about false ideas or empty idols. They pertain to a real spiritual being—one of the rebellious powers at war with God. Baal is real—and defeated.

4. The Gods Demand Worship Through Blood and Terror

The gods of the nations are not passive. They actively draw worship to themselves, often through horrific means. One chilling example emerges from 2 Kings 3:

“Then he [the king of Moab] took his eldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they withdrew...” (2 Kings 3:27)

The Moabite king sacrificed his son—likely to Chemosh, the god of Moab. The text indicates that “great wrath” came against Israel, prompting them to retreat.

Regardless of the cause—demonic activity, fear, or confusion—the outcome underscores the spiritual power behind false worship. These are not lifeless idols; they are deadly entities.

5. Chemosh and the Reality of Spiritual Geography

In Judges 11, references to Chemosh, the god of Moab, illustrate that the biblical writers regarded him not as an imaginary being, but as a real spiritual power. Jephthah appeals to Chemosh’s territorial authority without hesitation or correction:

“Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess.” (Judges 11:24, ESV)

This statement does not affirm Chemosh’s divinity, but it does affirm his reality. The notion of gods possessing regional authority—what scholars term "spiritual geography"—is a biblical theme. Chemosh is treated as a genuine spiritual entity who grants land to his people. Jephthah’s response presupposes the existence of such beings while making clear that Yahweh is sovereign and dispossessing them.

This is not merely theological rhetoric; it constitutes spiritual warfare. Chemosh is regarded as a real spiritual power with actual delegated authority—sufficiently real that Yahweh’s covenant people must confront and dispossess him. This is not theological poetry; this is spiritual warfare.

6. Molech and the Horror of Real Idolatry

The Old Testament commands against Molech worship are often misconstrued. They do not assert that Molech is fictitious. Instead, the warnings treat him as dangerously real—a rival spiritual power:

“You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:21)

“I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech.” (Leviticus 20:3)

The prophet does not inquire, “Why are you sacrificing your children to something that does not exist?” Instead, he regards Molech as a real spiritual power—so real that God brings the full weight of covenant judgment upon those who serve him. Israel was offering true worship to a real demonic being. The Lord responds not with mockery, but with wrath.

7. Lower Than the Gods: A Biblical Clue

Another compelling indication that the "gods" are real spiritual beings arises from Psalm 8:

“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [elohim] and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:4–5, ESV)

The Hebrew term translated here as "heavenly beings" is elohim—the same word employed for God and for other spiritual beings elsewhere in the Old Testament. The writer of Hebrews quotes this verse and interprets it not as referring to idols or metaphors, but to real, supernatural beings:

“You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor.” (Hebrews 2:7, ESV)

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, renders elohim as angels (angeloi), and the New Testament author accepts that understanding. In both instances, the contrast is not between humanity and fictitious gods—it is between humanity and heavenly beings who serve in God’s heavenly council.

Psalm 8 teaches that humans are created just a little lower than these powerful spiritual creatures, yet crowned with glory as image bearers of God. This only makes sense if those other beings are real. The biblical worldview perceives us as part of a vast spiritual order—not isolated, but surrounded by rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).

Conclusion: Biblically Defining Our Terms

The Bible never affirms polytheism. However, it also never suggests that the gods of the nations are harmless fictions. They are real, rebellious spiritual beings—demons—masquerading as deities. They seek worship, imitate power, enslave souls, and incite violence. Their most potent weapon is deception.

Yet all their might falls before the risen Christ.

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)

Jesus did not merely defeat sin; He triumphed over the gods. And one day soon, they will fall silent forever.

If we are to employ the term monotheism, we must be candid about how Scripture defines and applies it. Monotheism does not entail pretending that other gods do not exist; it necessitates recognizing that Yahweh alone is uncreated, infinite, and sovereign over all. Biblical monotheism encompasses the reality of created spiritual beings who are referred to as gods, yet who remain infinitely beneath the One True God. When we neglect or oversimplify these biblical categories, we risk misrepresenting both the nature of God and the nature of our spiritual adversary.

In light of this, we must define our theology—including our understanding of monotheism—by the whole counsel of Scripture, rather than by later philosophical assumptions. These passages are not distractions from monotheism; they are integral to how the Bible defines it.

This does not contradict our creeds and confessional understanding that we have affirmed for centuries. I have written an article here that illustrates how one can believe the gods are real and remain fully confessional.

“The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth.” (Zephaniah 2:11)