One God in the Bible

 

One of the clearest teachings I found in both the Old and New Testaments is that God is One.

In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:4 contains what is known as the Shema, one of the central declarations of faith in Judaism:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

In the original Hebrew, it reads:

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.

This declaration emphasizes the oneness of God and serves as one of the most fundamental beliefs throughout the Old Testament.

When we turn to the New Testament, we find Jesus himself affirming this same principle. For example, in Mark 10:18, when someone addressed him by saying, "Good Teacher," Jesus replied:

"Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."

Rather than directing praise to himself, Jesus points to God as the One who alone possesses absolute goodness.

Taken together, these passages led me to reflect on a consistent theme throughout the Bible: God repeatedly describes Himself as One. The central message presented in both the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus is the worship of the one true God.

As I continued studying these passages, I found myself asking an important question: If both the Old Testament and Jesus emphasize the absolute oneness of God, where did later theological concepts about God's nature originate? This question became an important part of my personal journey of studying and understanding the scriptures.