Polytheism is the worship of many gods. It comes from the word poly meaning, “many,” and theism where we get the word “God.”
Polytheists Spread Around The Worship
Polytheism is based upon the idea that the universe is governed by more than one force. Therefore there may be a water god, a mountain god, a desert god, etc. Each of these gods must be appeased. Therefore these different forces receive some type of worship.
The Bible Is Monotheistic – There Is Only One God Who Exists
Scripture, from beginning to end is monotheistic. A monotheist believes only one God exists - no other so-called gods have any real substance. Isaiah the prophet recorded God saying the following.
Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods”
and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live (1 Corinthians 8:5,6).
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.
For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
Paul wrote to Timothy
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5) No one can be compared to the Lord.
Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11).
There is no doubt that Scripture presents only one God who exists. This one God cannot be compared to the non-existent gods of the other nations.
The Polytheistic Background Of The Biblical World
In the world in which the Bible was written, polytheism was the rule. Ancient religions are characterized by the worship of a number of gods. The founder of the Hebrew race, Abraham, was called out from a polytheistic culture by God to be a witness to the one, true God. Joshua recounted this later when
Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac’” (Joshua 24:2,3).
The Mission Of Israel: Testify To The One, True, God
The mission of the nation Israel was to witness to the world about the only God who existed and who can save.
“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no Savior (Isaiah 43:10,11).
When the true God was rejected, people invented their own things to worship. Rather than worshipping the one, true God who is over all, they divided up the power and worshipped a number of forces. Paul wrote.
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1:25).
We should not assume that polytheism was only prevalent in biblical times. Today we find polytheism in many cultures such as those who worship the spirits of their dead ancestors.
THE PROBLEMS WITH BELIEVING IN MANY GODS (POLYTHEISM)
There are a number of problems with believing in many gods. They include the following.
1. Polytheism Undermines God’s Character And His Claims
The idea many gods existing undermines the character of the God of the Bible. Instead of being the only God as the Bible says, He is now one of many.
Polytheism also destroys the exclusive claims of the God of the Bible as the only God who exists.
This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God (Isaiah 44:6).
When a person says they believe in God of the Bible, they are also saying something about themselves.
They are admitting that there is something greater than them in the universe. God has their continuance and destiny in His power. This cannot be true if many gods exist.
2. There Is A Lack Of Power Among The gods
The gods in any polytheistic system lack the power to do everything. By definition, in a world that believes that many gods exist, the power among them is shared. Not one of the gods is able to do everything.
Therefore each one of them is subject to limitations of power. In the system of polytheism, there is no god who can ultimately save.
3. Worship Has To Be Spread Out
Because more than one god supposedly exists, worship must be spread around to all the different deitie s.
This does not allow any one god to receive the worship of everyone.
Therefore Polytheism, with its belief in many gods falls short in couple of ways. First, it is in contradiction to the God of the Bible. In addition, those who are polytheists cannot have any confidence in the god they are worshipping.
Summary
In the ancient world there were no atheists. Ancient religions worshipped many gods instead of the one, true God. The worship of many gods is called polytheism while the worship of one God is called monotheism. Polytheism distorts the true picture of God – it undermines His character. Polytheism creates many gods but misses the one true God. In addition, it also destroys His exclusive claim. Gods in the polytheistic system lack absolute power – no single god has the ability to save. Furthermore worship must be spread among them. In a polytheistic system no one can be certain if the god they worship is powerful enough to grant their desires. Consequently those who are polytheists can have no real security in their beliefs.