The One God in Three Persons
The Unity of the Godhead
One God, One Divine Essence
Description
The foundational truth of biblical monotheism declares that there is one and only one God. This is the Shema of Israel, the creed recited daily by devout Jews: 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.' Yet this unity is not mere mathematical singularity but a rich, complex unity—the Hebrew word 'echad' can denote a composite unity (as in 'one flesh' of husband and wife). The New Testament affirms this monotheism while revealing that within the one divine essence exist three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each fully and equally God, yet not three Gods but one. This mystery transcends human comprehension yet is consistently revealed throughout Scripture.
Key Verses
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.
I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me.
We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.