Why is the Father called the “only true God” in John 17:3 if Jesus is also God?

The Father is the “only true God,” but this does not deny the deity of Jesus Christ. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus distinguishes Himself from the Father as a distinct Person, yet the Gospel of John at the same time clearly testifies to His eternal and full divinity.

John 17:3 is sometimes used to argue that only the Father is God, and that Jesus is an inferior or created being. However, such a conclusion arises when a single verse is ripped out of its prayerful context and isolated from the full witness of Holy Scripture. Jesus does not say, “You are God, and I am not God.” He addresses the Father as the only true God while revealing His unique, eternal relationship with the Father.

“The only true God” in contrast to idols

In biblical thought, the phrase “the only true God” primarily contrasts the God of Israel with all the false gods of idolatrous nations. There is only one Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth; pagan “gods” do not possess His nature, power, and glory.

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

“For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” Ps 96:5

Therefore, the word “only” does not mean that the Father is the sole divine Person. It affirms biblical monotheism: there are not many real gods. The Christian faith does not recognize three gods, but worships one God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus prays as the incarnate Son and the Sent One

John 17 is not a theological treatise, but Jesus' prayer before Calvary. The Son is speaking to the Father. Therefore, the text naturally demonstrates a real distinction of Persons: the Father sends, and the Son comes into the world, fulfills the saving mission, and returns to the Father.

Yet in this very same prayer, Jesus speaks of the glory He shared with the Father before the world was created. No prophet, angel, or created being could truthfully claim to have shared God’s glory before the world existed.

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” John 17:5

Jesus also refers to the Father as His God because He truly became human. In His humiliation, Christ willingly assumed the role of Servant and Mediator. This does not nullify His eternal nature; rather, it displays the depth of His love: the One who was equal with the Father entered human history for the sake of our salvation.

The Gospel of John explicitly calls the Son God

To properly understand Jesus’ words, one must read the entire Gospel of John. Its opening prologue proclaims two truths simultaneously: the Word was “with God,” meaning distinct from the Father as a Person, and the Word “was God,” meaning possessing the fullness of the divine nature.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

John goes on to identify this eternal Word with Jesus, who became human. Thus, Jesus did not begin to exist in Bethlehem, nor is He merely a creature elevated in a special way by God. He is the eternal Son who took on human flesh.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

After the resurrection, Thomas did not merely call Jesus a great teacher. He addressed Him with words of worship that Christ did not reject.

“And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” John 20:28

If Jesus were not God, accepting such a confession would have been blasphemy. Instead, Christ accepted Thomas’s faith and leads His disciples into saving faith in Himself.

Unity of nature, distinction of Persons

The Bible does not teach that the Father and the Son are the same Person. Jesus prays to the Father, is sent by Him, and loves Him. Yet Scripture also reveals their perfect unity in divine nature, will, glory, and the work of salvation.

“I and My Father are one.” John 10:30

This unity is not merely the agreement of two created beings. The reaction of the listeners demonstrates that they understood Jesus' words as an extraordinary claim to equality with God. Christ did not correct them by claiming He was only an angel or a prophet; instead, He validated His unique oneness with the Father through His works.

Seventh-day Adventists embrace the biblical doctrine of the Trinity: one God exists in three co-eternal Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Ellen White also underscored that the life of Christ was not borrowed or derived, for He is the eternal Son of God. This harmonizes with the witness of the Gospel: Jesus is the One sent by the Father, but at the same time, He is God, worthy of the very same honor.

Conclusion and practical application

John 17:3 does not deny the deity of Christ. This passage proclaims that the Father is the only true God in contrast to idols, and presents Jesus as the Son whom the Father sent for our salvation. In the context of this same prayer and the entire Gospel, John teaches that the Son existed with the Father before the creation of the world, shares God’s glory, and receives the confession, “My God.”

Practically, this means we can approach Jesus with complete trust. He is not merely a great moral Teacher, but our Creator, Savior, and Lord. Knowing the Father is impossible without the Son, for it is through Christ that God has revealed His love, His character, and the gift of eternal life to us.