And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. – John 17:3

Many Arian cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Christadelphians, and Unitarians, have used this passage from John 17:3 to deny the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They argue that because the Lord Jesus Christ used the word “only,” this directly implies that the Father, not the Son Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, is the only person who is entitled to be called God. They will ask these types of questions in many Iglesia Ni Cristo debates, and I believe that a Christian should never mince words when answering them because we know where they are going with these no-brainer inquiries. This is a conversation below between an Iglesia Ni Cristo and a Christian.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Is God the Father the only true God?

Christian: If you are referring to John 17:3, my answer to that is yes.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Does Jesus Christ always tell the truth?

Christian: Yes.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Did Jesus Christ ever lie?

Christian: No. Jesus Christ did not lie. Not even once.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Did Jesus use deceptive language?

Christian: No. Jesus Christ did not use any of those. Not even once.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Can I read this passage in John 17:3 that says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Did the Lord Jesus Christ use the phrase “the only true God?”

Christian: In John 17:3 and that occasion yes in reference to the Father.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: When you say “only” does it mean “only one” or “only two?”

Christian: To be clear, I am not the one who says “only,” but the Lord Jesus Christ. And, to dispel any notions of polytheism, what he means by “only” in John 17:3 refers to the Father being “the only true God.”

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Does the one and only true God refer to Jesus Christ or the Father? 

Christian:The sentence “only true God” refers obviously to the Father in John 17:3.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: In John 17:3, did Jesus Christ use the pronoun “me” or “you”?

Christian: In John 17:3, the Lord Jesus refers to the Father with the pronoun “you.”

Iglesia Ni Cristo: So Jesus did not say “us?” 

Christian: It is clear that Jesus did not say “that they know [us], the only true God” in John 17:3 to avoid being misunderstood as endorsing polytheism.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: So Jesus is praying to the Father?

Christian: Yes, Jesus is praying to the Father in John 17:3.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Did Jesus say to the Father, you are the one and only true God?

Christian: Yes, in John 17:3, Jesus refers to the Father as the only true God.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Did Jesus Christ say that He was sent by the one and only true God?

Christian: Because neither of us denies that the Father is the only true God, according to John 17:3, I believe that the Father, who is also referred to as the only true God by Jesus in the same passage, sent Jesus Christ, His Son, into the world. However, this does not negate Jesus’ divinity.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Does the fact that Jesus Christ was sent by the one and only true God, and that He is God, imply that God sent God, is that only one God?

Christian: Yes, indeed. This is because the term one God does not limit itself to one person alone but it could be applied to the three Persons in the Godhead. Allow me to elaborate so you can understand. “For God so loved the earth, that he gave his only Son,” Jesus said in John 3:16. As explained by Greek scholar Dr. Spiros Zhodiates: “The term ‘begotten’ comes from the Greek word μοvογενη. This can be seen in John 3:16, where the said Greek word is actually a compound word consisting of the words “μονο” (one) and “γενη” (race, stock, and family).” This suggests that Jesus has the same “genetic lineage” (for lack of a better term) as God Himself. We learn here that the One who came to reveal God—Jesus Christ—comes from the same family, stock, and race as God. He is no less God than His Father in every way. If this is true, then the Son, who is God, was sent by His Father, who is also God. Let me explain this with an analogy: a father, who is a man, can send his son, who is also a man. However, we cannot simply say they are two men; they can also be regarded to as one man or human because this term can also refer to more than one person. You might want to look at the following passage:

And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” – Judges 6:16

Now Let me ask you, how many persons of Midianites are there in the one man? 

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Obviously, many persons are being referred to in that one man.

Christian: If that’s the case, is it possible to also say “one God” in three distinct divine Persons?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Well, if you take the logic of Judges 6:16 then it’s possible. But my question is why did Jesus Christ refer to the Father as the only true God?

Christian: In context, Jesus lived in a Greek and Roman culture with a pantheon of gods all around him. He is making a careful comparison between their polytheistic beliefs and true monotheism. Let me go back to John 17:3 because I want to point out something. Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” According to Jesus in this passage, how can a person experience eternal life?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: The passage says, “by knowing the only true God.”

Christian: Please do not stop there because it also says, “and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Am I correct?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Yes. I believe you are correct. 

Christian: What does the term “knowing” truly imply?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: It means “to know” the Father as the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Christian: Do you think there is more to just than knowing the Father and the Son? I think you are only limiting the term “knowing” to awareness alone.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Why? Do you believe that term encompasses more than an awareness of the Father and the Son?

Christian: Yes. In their native Hebrew and Greek cultures, the term “know” also refers to “relational intimacy.” You can verify what I am saying by consulting any Hebrew or Greek lexicon. If this is the case, then the verse’s true meaning becomes clear saying, “And this is eternal life, that they [have relationship with] you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” 

Iglesia Ni Cristo: So what’s your point?

Christian: I have no objection to eternal life beginning with a relationship with the Father, the one and only true God and Creator. However, I am troubled by your view of Jesus Christ because you regard Him as a creature who began at some point in time. Are you saying that by establishing a relationship between the Creator and a creature, you, as a creature created by the Creator, will experience eternal life? Is that correct?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: If that is the Father’s will, then why not?

Christian: How can a creature give eternal life to creatures if he himself has a beginning?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: We believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Christian: True. However, you believe He is also a creature created by His Father, the Creator. Is this correct?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Yes. You’re right. 

Christian: Isn’t it logical to explain that because Jesus lived in a culture where polytheistic practices were prevalent among the Greeks and Romans, He had to exercise caution in introducing the Father and Himself in order to avoid giving the impression that He was promoting polytheism?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: You are correct. That is possible. So are you saying Jesus is also God like His Father? 

Christian: This is what I see from what He is saying from the Scripture.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: But, what can you say about 1 Corinthians 8:6, “yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist?” Is this not proving that God is the Father? 

Christian: This passage, like John 17:3, is a careful explanation of how the Father and Son are placed on equal footing through the words God and Lord without promoting polytheism. The Father and Son distinguishes clearly that their essence has not been compromised. If we say that the Father alone can be called “God,” then can you say that Jesus alone, but not the Father, can be called “Lord”?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: I suppose not. I see what you mean now. If we apply the same logic to other passages, the Iglesia Ni Cristo interpretation of John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6 will be illogical.

Christian: I hope you can see the Son’s equality with His Father now. Furthermore, in John 17:5, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” The Lord Jesus revealed that He was literally present with His Father before the creation of the world. 

Iglesia Ni Cristo: You are right! I think John 1:1 now makes sense because it says in that passage, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It clearly says, “and the Word was with God.” It’s as if a bulb was switched on suddenly. 

Christian: Yes. And the Greek word for “with” literally means “face to face” in the Greek emphasizing the distinction between the Word and [the] God. In fact, the literal rendering of that passage is “and the Word was with the God.” If you notice the word [the] which is not included in our English versions for the purpose of smooth English rendering. This is a definite article which literally translated as “the God” that refers to the Father. 

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Wow! It’s no surprise that John wrote in 1 John 1:3, “the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and we testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—” According to the Bible, the Lord Jesus is life manifested and was present with the Father. How could Jesus have a “life” of His own and be with His Father if He did not exist prior to HIs physical birth? Everything makes sense now. 

Christian: I’m glad you understand. If I may return to John 17:3, how do you interpret this passage in light of what you’ve learned today?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Lord Jesus Christ explains that eternal life can be experienced by knowing, or entering into a relationship, with the Father, who is the only true God and the Creator, and with Jesus Christ, whom the Father has sent. The emphasis on the words “only true God” in reference to the Father does not negate the fact that Jesus Christ, like Him, is also God, but this is to counteract the existing polytheism in their culture. If Jesus Christ is a creature, that is, not of the same essence as the Father, then the Lord will not attempt to equalize Himself with the Creator, His Father. His priestly prayer only demonstrates how He is identical in nature and substance to His Father. Now I am certain that Jesus is my God, Savior, Lord, and Creator.

Christian: Praise God! And if this is the case, 1 John 5:20 now makes sense as I read, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Yes, indeed! Thank you for assisting me in trying to understand this truth. I was unable to see these things before. It’s as if some spiritual blinders have been removed from my eyes just like what happened to Paul. 

Christian: This truth was revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, who is also God. This is due to the fact that 1 Corinthians 12:3 also states, “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” Would you like to receive Jesus as your Lord, God, and Savior?

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Yes. I want to have eternal life by entering a relationship with God right now through Jesus Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Christian: Praise God!

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Praise God indeed! Thank you!

Biblical Reference:

Dr. Spiros Zhodiates, “Was Christ God?: A Defense of the Deity of Christ John 1:1-18.”

Dr. Gerhard Kittel, Dr. Gerhard Friedrich, et al., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume