One

The Bible is clear and emphatic; God is one. Jesus declared that the first and great commandment is; “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” Mark 12:29-31. Scripture after scripture declares the oneness of God, the Bible is replete with this proclamation and it is important that we don’t add our own non-Biblical ideas to the truth of God’s Word.

It is important also to understand that the concept of the oneness or indivisibility of God may also be reflected in other major themes of Biblical doctrine as outline by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:4-6.

There is one body - Referring to the Church, there’s only one. There may be innumerable local assemblies that gather regularly but we are all part of the one universal body of believers.

There is one Spirit - God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and God is Holy (Psalm 99:9) therefore the Holy Spirit is God and not another Spirit, there’s only one.

There is one faith - one belief system as opposed to what many in the world would espouse today that there are many roads that lead to heaven. This is a lie, there is only one way to heaven and that’s through the Gospel of Jesus Christ as preached and administered by His Apostles.

There is only one baptism - referring to the single act of being born again and realised in the dual aspects of being baptised in the Holy Spirit and baptised in water by full immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (John 3:5, Acts 2:38). There are not many modes of water baptism; where some would erroneously argue that it can be done by sprinkling water over someone’s head, by using the formula of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The disciples clearly baptised one way and that’s how we should all be baptised for salvation (Acts 10:48, 19:5, 22:16).

Finally, the absolute indivisibility of God, though not needed, yet intuitively we all recognise that it may also be reflected in the idea that we as human beings, although billions of us on this planet, are one indivisible beings. We may have different parts to us such as spirits, souls and physical bodies. We may have different relationships and sometimes we may look and act alike, yet we are indivisible creatures with individuality and autonomy. We are not part of another person but we all posses uniqueness and the knowledge of ‘self’. Why is this? Because we were created in the image of God, and there is no one else like him. Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, He is One!

Isaiah 45:5 - I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: