Deuteronomy 6:4 is one of the most important texts in the Bible. It is a central tenet of three worldwide monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. This verse is often called “The Shema” because the first word of the Hebrew text is the command hear—“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”

God’s eternal unity is one of His essential attributes that the Bible emphasizes over and over. Polytheism (exemplified in the religions of ancient Greece and Rome) proclaims the existence of many gods. Pantheism (exemplified in the religions of the Far East) proclaims that a bit of the divine is coexistent in all material things. Only monotheism declares that one sovereign God, the Creator of heaven and earth, created all things by the Word of His power.

Have you ever considered the implications of the word universe and what it implies regarding the unity of God? Universe consists of two roots: uni, which means “one,” and versa, which means “word.” Thus, the universe is “one word.”

Even with all their intellectual and academic honors, the secular world has no concept that can unite the universe together. The word universe firmly undergirds the Christian worldview that God is the Author of His Creation and that it is by “one word” that the universe was spoken into existence.

The cosmos is not a multiverse where reality differs on Mars, Jupiter, or on any other planet. It is a universe where all things are under the sovereignty of the God of heaven. This truth gives great confidence and peace to the Christian who knows that all things are in the hands of the one true and living God.

Because we live in a universe, we have a fixed standard of truth, a world of absolute right and absolute wrong, a definable purpose in life, and a sure understanding of the progression of history. In a multiverse, none of those realities exist. Thus, without a universe, the world and everything in it spins in a chaotic, wild ride with no beginning, no end, no purpose, and no fixed reality.

In the Scriptural view of the God of the Bible lies a significant unity of the singular and the plural. When Deuteronomy 6:4 asserts that “Our God is one LORD,” we see both elements blended into a united, whole divine Being Who holds the universe together. Let’s take a moment and look at each half of that proclamation.

The LORD our God . . .

The Hebrew word Elohim, generally translated “God” in the Bible, is plural in its grammatical number. This plurality reflects the divine Trinity—that one God exists in three Persons. In Genesis 1:26, the plural number is used when Elohim spoke: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

This verse is not at all a contradiction or a denial of God’s attribute of unity. Elohim speaks as three, but He acts as one. The triune God is not disjointed in His actions or characteristics. Even when Elohim speaks as plural, Elohim acts as One. The Trinity is a great mystery and is beyond our human comprehension. Yet, we must accept it by faith. God is our “Elohim” and He is our “one Jehovah.”

. . . is one LORD

“The LORD our God is one LORD.” This simple statement as given in the Hebrew language actually violates grammar. How can a plural be one? How can Elohim be one Jehovah? How can the triune God be one united?

Upon this statement hangs our faith in the God Who alone can reveal Himself to man. The universe is His universe. Creation is His creation. Men are created in His image. He has not left us to grope blindly to define and understand Him. He has graciously revealed Himself to us in a verbal and understandable way.

Because the Lord our God is one Lord, we can know for certain several facts. First, there is only one pathway to Heaven. Second, there is only one Source of truth. And finally, there is only one universe—and the one, triune God owns it, sustains it, guides it, and will one day perfect it forever!