The Power
of One
In school we learn that 1 is the smallest number that can be
counted. 1 when multiplied by another 1
is equal to 1. There is no increment in
quantity. According to Benson’s law in
mathematics around 30 per cent of the numbers in a given data set will start
with a 1, 18 per cent with a 2, right down to just 4.6 per cent starting with a
9. In mathematics 1 is not powerful,
but in theology, the study of things pertaining to God, 1 is a very powerful
number.
One of the
scribes, who is a religious scholar, once asked our Lord Jesus Christ this
question; “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “the first of all the
commandments is; ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Mk.
12:28-29) The
commandment that Jesus identified as the most important is known in Jewish
circles as the Shema.
What
is the SHEMA?
SHMA Israel adonai elohaynu adonai echad
Hear,
O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD
Deuteronomy 6:4
Shema is
the Hebrew word for HEAR (Strongs # 8085) and means: hear intelligently (often
with implication of attention, obedience, etc.)
Shema
(Hear) is the first word in Deut. 6:4...... “Shema Yisra’el, ADONAI
Eloheinu, ADONAI echad.”......Translated: Hear, Israel, the LORD (YHWH) our
God, the LORD (YHWH) is One".
The Shema
is a confession of faith in the One True God of Israel. Pious Jews today recite an expanded or
developed version of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and
Numbers 15:37-41) twice per day, once in the morning and again in the evening.
The Shema guards the Jew from falling into idolatry, worship of false and many
other gods. The Shema appears to be a primary factor in which the Jews reject
traditional Christianity because of its Trinitarian description of three
Persons in the Godhead.
The Jews
believe in a strict monotheism and rejects the Trinity as being incompatible
with the Shema. Now we come to the
heart of the matter. If the Lord Jesus
Christ believes in the Shema and pronounced it as the most important
commandment then He would surely believe in strict monotheism just like the
Jews. He does but there is something
more about the Shema.
What
is the Truth contained in the Shema?
What does
it mean that the LORD (YHWH) is One? The Hebrew word for ONE is ECHAD (Strongs
# 259) and means: united, i.e. one; or first: a, alike, alone, altogether, one
and only. I do not believe we will ever fully understand HOW God is ONE. We must accept the truth by faith that He is
ONE. God’s Oneness is His Divine Nature
and God’s power is in His Oneness.
Judaism points to the Shema to refute the traditional Christian concept
of a Trinity.
Judaism is
monotheistic (mono = ONE and theistic = GOD). Traditional Christians have been
accused of being polytheistic (poly = MANY). My purpose in this study is not to
get into a big discussion concerning the Trinity. True Christians worship ONE God, not three gods. If He is more than One God then He is not
the True God.
In John
17:3 our Lord Jesus Christ declared the Father is the Only True God. Paul echoed this in I Corinthians 8:6. Many other scriptures may be cited to
demonstrate with confidence that the Shema supports the absolute unity of God
(strict monotheism).
I believe
that Jesus wants His followers today to hear, comprehend and ground their faith
in the belief and worship of the One True God.
We can guard ourselves from falling into the worship of false gods by
observing what our Lord Jesus Christ called the greatest commandment - the
Shema.
One
True God in the Lord Jesus Christ
One of the most astounding statements ever made by our Lord Jesus
Christ is when He declared: “I and My Father are
one.” (Jn. 10:30) Some apologetics explained the Jews had misunderstood our Lord’s
statement that this was a claim that He is God so they stoned Him. (Jn.
10:31) Others explain that Jesus
indicated He had the unity of purpose with the Father and did not claim to be
God. What is the truth of this
statement: “I and My Father are
one.”? Here is the truth. The Lord
Jesus Christ had warned the Jews, “You
are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world. Therefore I said to you that you
will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in
your sins.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Who
are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just
what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who
sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from
Him.’ They did not understand that He
spoke to them of the Father.” (Jn. 8:23-27)
Here is a clear unmistakable statement
that Jesus claimed Himself to be the One True God. His oneness with the Father is more than in aims and
purposes. Jesus and the Father is the
same Diving Being.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God
God is
Spirit. Our Lord
Jesus Christ said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) “Therefore I say to you, every
sin and blasphemy will be given men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will
not be forgiven men.” (Mt. 12:31) The Holy
Spirit is called “the Holy Spirit of God.” (Eph. 4:30) From this we understand that blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against God and lying to the Holy Spirit
is lying to God. “But
Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit
and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your
heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)
The Holy
Spirit is personal. Our Lord Jesus Christ refers to the coming Spirit as
a Comforter or Helper. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring
to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). The Holy
Spirit has characteristics of a person.
He has a mind. We read of "the
mind of the Spirit" in Romans 8:27. He has a will (1 Cor. 12:11). He can
speak (1 Tim. 4:1). He refers to himself as 'Me' and 'I' in Acts 13:2. (See
also John 15:26; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13.)
There is
one Spirit. “There is one body and one Spirit"
(Eph. 4:4). "For through Him we both have access
by one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:18). "For by one Spirit we were
all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free -
and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). The Spirit
of God and the Spirit of Christ are the same Spirit.
"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of
God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not
His" (Rom. 8:9).
The Holy
Spirit is omnipresent. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or
where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psm. 139:7).
The Holy
Spirit is all-knowing. "Who has directed the Spirit of the
Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him?" (Isa. 40:13). "For the
Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the
things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one
knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:10-11). These
scriptural verses indicate the Holy Spirit knows everything that God knows.
The Spirit
is eternal. "How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb.
9:14).
The Spirit
is the truth. "And it is the Spirit who bears
witness, because the Spirit is truth" (1 John 5:6). He is
called "the Spirit of truth" in John
14:17.
The Spirit
proceeds from the Father and is sent by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. "And
now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me" (Isa. 48:16). "But the
Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to
you" (John 14:26). "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to
you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will
testify of Me" (John 15:26).
From these
scriptural verses we have learned that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one
and the same God. The Holy Spirit is personal. There is one Spirit. HE is
omnipresent. He is all-knowing. He is
eternal. The Spirit is the truth. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and is
sent by God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The One True God manifests Himself as the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
There is only One True God who manifests Himself to mankind as:
A. The Father -
Creator (Mal. 2:10; Acts 17:28-29)
B. The Son
- Savior (Mt. 1:20-21; Lk. 2:11; 1 Tim. 4:10)
C. The
Holy Spirit - Comforter (Jn. 14:16-17, 26; Acts 9:29-31)
The
Lord Jesus Christ is YAHWEH of the Old Testament. His original Hebrew name
YAHSHUA means YAH is Savior. He is the promised Messiah, who was born of a
virgin, suffered, shed His precious blood and bore the sins of mankind on the
cross. He died, was buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven and is now
making intercession for believers here on earth. (Heb. 8:1)
Jesus prayed for the Oneness of His Believers
“Sanctify
them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also
have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they
also may be sanctified by the truth." (Jn. 17:17-19)
A. “Sanctify
them by Your truth” Sanctify
means to be set apart and exclusively for God’s special use. It implies
holiness, being distinguished from the corruption of the world and
falsehood. Jesus didn’t just leave the
disciples to sanctify themselves. He
prayed for their sanctification. This process, as the keeping process, is not
left to us alone; it is a work of God in us and through us.
B. “Sanctify
them by Your truth. Your word is truth”
The dynamic behind
sanctification is truth. The word of God must be read, heard, understood and
applied.
C.
“As You sent Me into the world, I also
have sent them into the world,” Every true disciple of Christ is
sent out into the world as His emissary.
Jesus
broadens the scope of His prayer.
"I
do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word;" (Jn. 17:20)
A. “I
do not pray for these alone,”
Jesus prayed for not only His eleven disciples, but He also had the
heart and the vision to pray beyond them.
He prayed for those who would come to faith by the testimony of these
disciples. He prayed for us.
B. “Those
who will believe in Me through their word.” Jesus had envisioned many people from all over the world would
believe in Him through their testimonies.
He knew the New Testament would be written and published and believed by
people who read it.
Jesus
prays for a unity among all believers
"That
they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also
may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (Jn.
17:21)
A.
“That they all may be one,” Jesus
knew that the Christianity would be divided into various denominations. His prayer is for the believers to throw
away their different human traditions, false teachings and doctrines and become
united in the truth that He had taught.
B. Jesus envisions
that great multitude before the throne of God, of every race, tongue, class and
social strata; and prays that they may overcome their different backgrounds and
understand their unity is based on Christian love, joy and peace.
C. “That
the world may believe” The stakes of
the unity Jesus prayed for are high. The spiritual unity of Christians is
linked to the way the church represents Jesus to the world.
“That
they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.” The foundation of the unity amongst believers
is the same as the foundation of unity between the Father and the Son – which
is to have the same Spirit.
Jesus
prays that the Church would be marked by glory
"And
the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We
are one:" (Jn. 17:22)
A. “The
glory which You gave Me I have given them.” There should be a shared glory among believers, the glory of the
present Christ. A focus on Jesus in our presence will promote unity.
B. If we have the
glory that the Father gave the Son, remember that it was a glory that often
appeared humble, weak and suffering, and was ultimately displayed in sacrifice.
Jesus
prays for a unity founded in love
"I
in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the
world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am,
that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before
the foundation of the world." (Jn. 17:23-24)
Oneness in the Marital Relationship
“And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who
made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one flesh’? So
then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mt.
19:4-6)
Marriage is a structure of human life built into the creation of male
and female in God’s image (Gen. 1:27).
Sexual differences are of God s good design, intended to bring joy and
enrichment to human life as well as to provide for procreation. The essence of
marriage is that in the act and relationships of marriage two persons become
one flesh (Gen. 2:24). In this complementary nature of the two sexes as God
created them lies the basis for marriage and each new family.
Christian
people recognize their marital union as belonging to God’s created order;
seeking also the fulfillment of their marital union in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Their marriage grow through
loving one another even as Christ has loved them; they also learn to forgive
one another in the spirit of Christ. The faith of Christian people affects,
often decisively, every aspect of their marriage.
The
Unity of Marriage
The
devotion to one another and the unity described in Genesis 2:24 are of the
essence of marriage. Husband and wife
ought to become a harmony of personalities, a couple belonging together, “So then, they are no longer two but one
flesh." (Mt. 19;5, 8; Eph. 5:31). They become a paired
unity—in sexual expression, in values and goals, and often in parenthood.
The unity that
God intends for marriage requires a lifelong commitment of husband and wife to
each other. Such commitment provides
the foundation for real freedom and growth. The oneness of husband and wife,
marked by unwavering lifetime fidelity, is compared in Scripture to the oneness
of Christ and his church. Just as love, faithfulness, and service mark the
relationship of Christ and the church, so also they should characterize the
relationship of husbands and wives. Both husband and wife are to be subject to
one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21). Husband and wife yield to each other full devotion and unselfish
consideration. It is on this exalted
level that conjugal rights and obligations are granted and accepted. Neither
lords it over the other nor insists selfishly on rights or duties. Together
husband and wife become one in love, serving one another within marriage. (See
Gal. 5:22, 23; Eph. 5:21-25; Col. 3:18, 19; 1 Peter 3:1-7).
Every
person has been created by God with gifts that make him or her a unique
personality. The strength and unity of marriage come from mutual recognition
and sharing of each other’s needs and gifts. This unity recognizes the freedoms
of husband and wife to express their own interests as well as their duty to
share in those relationships where sharing is essential to the success of the
marriage. The unique gifts of husband and wife should be utilized, within the
harmony of marriage, toward the meaningful goals and purposes of human life
assigned by God.
A Sermon based on this Article was preached by Paul Wong
to a Congregation in Houston, Texas on December 7, 2002
For comments please write first to: ark@pdq.net
May God bless you.
Updated on 01/11/04
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.
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