One God?

Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Reflection

The doctrine of the Trinity does not begin by moving away from the oneness of God. It begins by holding tightly to it. The earliest Christians were not people casually adding more gods to their faith. They were rooted in Israel’s confession: “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.”

That matters because Christians do not believe in three gods. We do not worship a committee of divine beings. We do not believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate sources of power competing for attention. There is one God. The Trinity deepens that confession, but it does not deny it.

The early Christians had to hold this truth together with what they had experienced in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. They knew there was one God. And yet they had encountered Jesus as more than a teacher, prophet, or messenger. They had worshiped the risen Christ. They had experienced the Spirit as the living presence of God among them.

So the church did not abandon the confession that God is one. The church learned to speak more carefully about the one God who had revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There is something grounding about that. In a world that often feels scattered, divided, and chaotic, Christian faith confesses that reality is held together by one God. Not many competing powers. Not random forces. Not spiritual confusion. One living and true God, whose life is holy love.

Application

Today, pray the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 slowly: “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” Let that confession steady you. Notice where your own life feels divided or scattered, and ask God to draw your heart back toward love and trust.

Prayer

One living and true God, gather my divided heart. Teach me to love you with heart, soul, mind, and strength. In a world full of competing voices, help me listen for your voice and live with deeper faithfulness. Amen.

Songs – “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”