Rediscovering the Bible’s Original Worldview: Henotheistic Christianity (revised regarding the Holy Spirit)
Most Christians today understand God through the lens of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but this doctrine developed centuries after the Bible was written. After the Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, Jewish leaders emphasized strict monotheism, rejecting any notion of multiple divine agents. Before this, during Jesus’ time, Judaism was henotheistic: YHWH was supreme, but other divine beings—angels, spiritual powers, and what the Bible calls “gods”—were real and active.
Early Christians sought to honor Jesus as Messiah while navigating a Jewish world that was moving toward this strict, abstract monotheism. Over time, doctrines like the Trinity arose to reconcile Jesus’ exalted status with the emerging idea that God must be absolutely singular.
Reading the Bible on its own terms today reveals a different picture. God (YHWH) is supreme, but the universe is full of other real spiritual beings. Angels, archangels, and other powers exist and act in the world, though none rival God’s authority. Jesus is God’s appointed Messiah and Lord, exalted by God, with authority over creation and the spiritual realm.
The Holy Spirit, too, is more than a mere impersonal force. While it carries out God’s power and presence in the world, the New Testament presents the Spirit as a distinct, personal agent. It guides, teaches, and reminds believers, intercedes with the Father in prayer, and reveals the deep things of God. The Spirit acts with intentionality and interacts relationally with both humans and the Father, yet always remains subordinate to YHWH.
Switching from a Trinitarian perspective to this henotheistic vision means seeing God as supreme among many real spiritual beings, with Jesus as the Messiah exalted by God, focused on his appointed role and authority. Angels, demons, and other powers are active participants in life’s spiritual drama, and faith includes recognizing this reality.
Salvation is trusting God, following Jesus as Lord, and living faithfully within God’s plan, aware that the spiritual world is alive and active. Worship is directed solely to God, but the cosmic reality of angels and powers is acknowledged, giving life a sense of wonder and awe.
Today, centuries have passed since the pressures that shaped Trinitarian theology—particularly the need to conform to post-Temple Jewish strict monotheism—were first felt. Modern Christians can focus on being faithful to Scripture and to Christ and the apostles, allowing the Bible’s original henotheistic framework to guide faith. Shifting to this perspective today is not about rejecting centuries of theological reflection, but about reading Scripture on its own terms and allowing the biblical worldview itself to shape faith, worship, and understanding of God’s cosmic plan.
In short, returning to this biblical henotheism doesn’t discard Scripture—it takes it seriously. It restores the cosmic drama, the real spiritual world, and Jesus’ role as God’s appointed Lord, while honoring the Holy Spirit as a distinct, relational agent of God. It’s a way to connect with the faith of the earliest Christians, seeing God as supreme, Jesus as Messiah, and the spiritual realm as alive and real. For anyone who wants to read the Bible on its own terms, this framework brings it vividly to life.
