Who Defines Monotheism?

Many Christians today grow up thinking that monotheism simply means this: there’s 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.

But that’s not actually where the word monotheism came from. And it’s certainly not how the Bible talks about the spiritual world.

The word itself wasn’t coined by the biblical authors, or even by the early church. It came much later—in the 17th century—as a way to respond to rising atheism and materialism in the West. The Reformers and Puritans never used it, even though they strongly affirmed that there is one true God. Their language came from the Bible itself. They spoke of the living God, the only wise God, the Triune God—not “monotheism” as a philosophical category.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the word today. But we need to understand where it came from and what assumptions it may carry with it. Defining our terms by Scripture, not by outside pressures, helps us stay rooted in truth.

This article builds on earlier pieces I’ve written: one that explains how the Bible uses the word elohim, and another that shows why idols are not the same as the spiritual beings called gods.

Now we’re asking a deeper question: Do these gods actually have power? The consistent witness of Scripture says yes—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 surrounds 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 word monotheism and reveals that its meaning hasn’t always matched how we use it today. He explains that the word was first coined in 1660 by Henry More, a Cambridge Platonist—not to describe biblical faith, but to confront rising threats of materialism and atheism in 1600s England.

More was part of a group of philosophers who believed deeply in a spiritual reality beyond the material world. As a Platonist, he saw the universe as full of souls, spirits, and divine order. His invention of the term monotheism was meant to defend belief in a spiritual, personal God against thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, who claimed that only matter exists. In More’s view, the opposite of monotheism wasn’t polytheism—it was atheism.

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

What Do We Mean by Monotheism Today?

It’s important to recognize that modern uses of the word monotheism are not necessarily built on the term’s original intent or historical usage—and that’s okay, as long as we ask the right questions: What do we mean when we say monotheism today? What assumptions have shaped that definition?

Modern Christians often assume that monotheism means, by definition, that no other spiritual beings can exist at all. But that assumption comes more from post-Enlightenment rationalism than from the biblical worldview. The Bible does affirm that Yahweh alone is the Most High, the Creator, and the only one worthy of worship. But it also consistently affirms the existence of other supernatural beings—gods, angels, demons—who are real, though created.

So the real question isn’t just do you believe in one God? It’s 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 called gods. Yahweh is not merely the highest among a group of peers; He is in 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 require denying the existence of other spiritual beings; 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 puts it, “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 just by degree, but by essence.

Before we jump into our favorite verses—often quoted to emphasize that the gods do not exist or are mere idols—pause and consider this: the biblical writers don’t flatten the supernatural world into fiction. They knew there were real spiritual beings behind the word 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 more spiritual depth than we often allow.

1. The gods oppose Yahweh by imitating His power

When Moses confronts Pharaoh in Exodus, God performs signs through Aaron’s staff. But 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 displays superior power, showing that He alone is God.

And when God brings judgment on Egypt, He doesn’t just 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)

You cannot execute judgment on something imaginary. And you don’t draw supernatural power from a block of wood. These gods were real spiritual beings—demonic powers at war with Yahweh, and Yahweh made a public spectacle of their defeat. What began as imitation ended 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 mean other spiritual beings are unreal. They are real, but created. They seek worship and influence over the nations, and they receive it through deception, imitation, and fear.

3. Jesus confirms that Baal is real

In the New Testament, Jesus has 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 doesn’t deny the existence of Beelzebul. Instead, He exposes the absurdity of Satan casting out Satan and goes on 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 mocking Beelzebul as a silly superstition, Jesus treats him as a real enemy prince in the cosmic war. And 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 gives us, Old Testament references to Baal are not just about false ideas or empty idols. They are about 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 comes 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. And something happened. The text says “great wrath” came against Israel, causing them to retreat.

Whatever the cause—demonic activity, fear, or confusion—the outcome underscores the spiritual power behind false worship. These are not dead idols. They are deadly entities.

5. Chemosh and the reality of spiritual geography

In Judges 11, we see references to Chemosh, the god of Moab. The biblical writers speak of him not as an imaginary being, but as a real spiritual power. In Judges, 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 doesn’t affirm Chemosh’s divinity, but it does affirm his reality. The idea of gods having regional authority—what scholars call "spiritual geography"—is a biblical theme. Chemosh is treated as a genuine spiritual entity who grants land to his people. Jephthah’s response assumes that such beings exist but makes clear that Yahweh is sovereign and dispossessing them.

This isn’t just theological rhetoric—it’s spiritual warfare. Chemosh is treated as a real spiritual power with actual delegated authority—real enough 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 misunderstood. They do not say Molech is fake. 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 doesn’t ask, “Why are you sacrificing your children to something that doesn’t exist?” Instead, he treats 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 powerful clue that the "gods" are real spiritual beings comes 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 word translated here as "heavenly beings" is elohim—the same word used 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 cases, the contrast is not between man and make-believe gods—it’s between humanity and heavenly beings who serve in God’s heavenly council.

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

Conclusion: Biblically Defining Our Terms

The Bible never affirms polytheism. But 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 stir up violence. Their greatest 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 didn’t just defeat sin. He defeated the gods. And one day soon, they will fall silent forever.

If we are going to use the term monotheism, we must be honest about how Scripture defines and applies it. Monotheism doesn’t mean pretending that other gods don’t exist—it means recognizing that Yahweh alone is uncreated, infinite, and sovereign over all. Biblical monotheism includes the reality of created spiritual beings who are called gods, yet who are infinitely beneath the One True God. When we ignore or flatten these biblical categories, we risk misrepresenting both the nature of God and the nature of our spiritual enemy.

In light of that, we must define our theology—including our understanding of monotheism—by the whole counsel of Scripture, not by later philosophical assumptions. These passages are not distractions from monotheism—they are part of 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 shows 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)