Today we’ll look at how Ignatius taught the first tenet of Trinitarianism: that the Father is the One God.

One God

Ignatius boldly proclaimed that the One God is the Father. Observe how below he reiterates the Biblical declaration that there is One God, the Father. Ignatius writes:

There is One God, who has manifested himself through Jesus Christ his Son… (Magnesians 8:2)

A good statement. Unlike most modern-day pastors, Ignatius does not conflate or confuse the Father with the Son. On the contrary, Ignatius specifically states that the One God manifests himself through the Son. That means that the Father reveals himself through Jesus. He makes himself seen through his Son.

Of the 14 times the “One God” expression is used in the New Testament, three came off the lips of Jesus. Regarding his Father, Jesus spoke this way:

... the Lord is One (Mark 12:29)

… the Only God (John 5:44)

… you, the Only True God (John 17:3)

And Jesus praised a man who made this comment about the Father:

... God is One and there is no other but him (Mark 12:32).

Clear enough? Well, it was always obvious to Jesus that there is One God, the Father. Ignatius knew that, but he didn’t just state the obvious. He also clarified the relationship between Jesus and God.

Relationship to Jesus

Ignatius made it clear that Jesus “came forth from the One Father, remained with the One, and returned to the One.” What he meant is that Jesus passed through three phases with God’s help:

1. He came from God by taking on the human nature at the incarnation.

2. He remained with God by doing God’s will; and,

3. Jesus returned to God when he ascended to Heaven.

Here’s how Ignatius put it:

Come together… as to one altar, to One Jesus Christ—who came forth from the One Father, remained with the One, and returned to the One (Magnesians 7:2).

Ignatius’ unequivocal affirmation of the dependent relationship Jesus has with the Father aligns with the Apostles. Being a mere generation removed from them, that’s what you would expect to hear. And the central shaft of Ignatius’ theology is his confident assertion that the Father is “the One,” meaning that the Father is the One God.

It’s simple but profound. Ignatius points to the Father as the Only True God. Vital—it’s the starting point for anyone who will understand the Trinity. The Church fathers, who defended sound doctrine so well, started their Creeds with “We believe in One God, the Father.” Likewise, Ignatius started off his hearers with a definition of “the One”—the Father.

Most High

Now, let’s consider another way Ignatius packaged the reality of One God: He called God the Most High. Does that sound familiar? It will if you read the Bible. The expression Most High appears in the Bible 48 times. Here are three Old Testament references for your reflection:

The Lord thundered from Heaven, and the Most High (El Elyon in Hebrew) uttered His voice (2 Samuel 22:14).

For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the Earth (Psalm 47:2).

Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace... and said… come out, you servants of the Most High God!' (Daniel 3:26)

Now, these are very powerful, but most powerful is the first mention of the term God Most High in recorded history. It came off the lips of Melchizedek when he blessed Abraham. Reflect on the authority of Melchizedek, King of Salem in this passage:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High also. He blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of Heaven and Earth' (Genesis 14:18-19).

The author of the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews regards Melchizedek’s breaking of bread as an event worth remembering. He reminds us that:

… Melchizedek, king of Salem [was] priest of the Most High God… (Hebrews 7:1)

Lots of Names

Now, you’ll recognize that the term “the One God” is not the only term Christians use for the Father. You’ll recognize, with Ignatius and Melchizedek that God is the Most High. Ignatius preferred the term “The Most High Father” as you can see in his greeting to the Church at Rome. He wrote:

…the Church… which has obtained mercy through the majesty of the Most High Father and of Jesus Christ his only Son…

Cool. But why did Ignatius use this particular term? In the New Testament, the term “Most High” is used nine times and three of those times it’s used with the express purpose of drawing a clear distinction between the Son and the Father. Now, that’s interesting because it was the reason why Ignatius used the term. Ignatius, you see in the verse we just read, compared “the Most High Father” with “his Only Son.”

Remember that and consider the purpose of these New Testament verses:

He [Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32).

And you, child [speaking to the baby Jesus], will be called the prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:76).

Do you get it? The term God Most High is used to distinguish the Father from the Son. The Father is always the Most High, and Jesus’ relationship to the Most High makes Jesus great. In context, the Archangel Gabriel made an announcement to Mary and wanted her to be aware that he was on mission from the most authoritative Being in Heaven, God:

He [Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David… the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35; NASB).

John the Baptist’s dad, Zachariah, also used the term the Most High. He used it to put importance on John’s mission as a prophet, one who would prepare the way for Jesus. Zachariah said:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways (Luke 1:76; NASB).

The Sensitivities of Angels

Okay, then. We have seen that angels are keenly aware of God’s position as the Most High. Gabriel is an archangel, but demons too are angels. What about them? Well, not surprisingly, they also are very sensitive to matters regarding hierarchy and headship. Therefore, they too acknowledge that God is the Most High. Because of their rebelliousness, the topic of God’s headship really eats away at their consciences.

There are three examples from the New Testament when demons use the term Most High. Now, Gabriel used it twice, so that gives us a total of five times in the New Testament when angels call the Father the Most High. For example, you’ll recall the Gerasene (or Gadarene) demoniac who yelled at Jesus and called him ‘Son of the Most High God.’ Well, we get his story twice in the Bible. It says:

And crying out with a loud voice, he [a demon-possessed man] said, 'What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?' (Mark 5:7 and Luke 8:28).

Furthermore, a demon-possessed young woman who stalked Paul and Silas in Philippi continually cried out:

These men are bond-servants of the Most High God (Acts 16:17)!

Headship and Angels

So, we’ve discovered something remarkable. We have discovered that angels are extremely sensitive about matters of headship. That’s why, in order to not offend good angels, women should have something to cover their head in worship while men should not. We will not quote the entire passage, but note that Paul’s reason for head covering is the sensitivities of good angels:

… I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ… Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:3, 10).

For now, let’s leave any controversy regarding head coverings behind us. Don't want to open a can of worms.

Instead, let’s sum up our main point with a quote from Satan himself. When he rebelled against God, it’s noteworthy that he used the term Ignatius cherished, the Most High. In his defiance to God, the Devil revealed his obsession with authority and his covetousness by proclaiming:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14).

The Unity of God

Ugly and disagreeable. Let’s leave the Devil behind us and return to those who have a good heart—men like Ignatius. We can see that Ignatius put a premium on authority and headship. We have reviewed how he called the Father the One God and the Most High. That’s good, but he taught that the Father is the One God in more ways than one. Ignatius exemplified this holy faith in his struggles for unity.

Ignatius proclaimed that unity was his highest aim. Frowning upon arguments and dissention in the Church, he wrote:

I was doing my part as a man devoted to unity. Where there is division and anger, God does not dwell (Philadelphians 8:1).

So, Ignatius strove for unity in the Church. All of us should. The only question is, “How does one go about it? How does one procure unity in the Church?” Well, you might be going about it the wrong way. Ignatius did it the right way. He promoted unity by fighting for what he called “the Unity of God.”

By “the Unity of God” Ignatius meant something very simple. He meant that since there is Only One God, subjection to him produces unity. In other words, if you submit your life to God, and I subject my life to God, you and I experience unity. It doesn’t matter the different denominations we’re from or what our disagreements on a preferred worship style. You might like rap and I like country music, but the instant we decide to serve One God and Father, we immediately become brothers.

Jesus is the Way

Broadly, all those who come to God through Jesus throughout history, Jews and Gentiles, will attain to this unity. As you know, the Old Testament believers came to God through faith in the coming Messiah. Although he “was to come” in their day, and he has “already come” in ours, all people throughout history must come to God exclusively through Jesus.

That’s what Ignatius meant when he wrote:

… [Jesus]is the Door of the Father, through which Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, the Apostles, and the Church all enter. All of them come into the unity of God (Philadelphians 8:1; 9:1).

It’s precisely by the One God’s singularity—some call it his “oneness”—that Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the patriarchs and the Apostles, and you and I become one. Does that make sense to you? Our ‘unity of the spirit’ (Ephesians 4:3) is grounded upon the ‘One God and Father of all.’ Why? Because only He ‘is over all and through all and in all’ (Ephesians 4:6).

Profess or Deny

In sum, Ignatius acknowledged the Most High God. Ignatius is just a man, but the Son of God, Jesus, acknowledged the Most High too. We know that because he spoke of God with those terms. Jesus said:

… you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to the unthankful and evil (Luke 6:35).

So, are you a son of the Most High?

Jesus, the Spirit, the angels, and the Apostles consistently recognize the Father as the One God. We’ve proven that even demons acknowledge the Father as the One God—calling him the Most High. The only question now is: Will you?

Will you recognize the Father as the One God? Will you call upon the Most High? There are only two options: We either profess him or deny him.

What will you do when the heat is on?