We are told in Scriptures that God is One God and that He is unified. This daily devotional looks at what One God means in terms of God’s Sovereignty and Fatherhood.
Nuggets
- Worshiping God moved the Israelites from polytheism to monotheism.
- Sovereign God is interested in a relationship with us because He is Father of all.
- Our Sovereign God is unique in His forgiveness and His works.
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Devotions in the Finding Our Center series
When I googled attributes of God and saw simplicity, oneness, and unity, I thought, okay. Where is this heading? I figured out the monotheistic route pretty quickly. That is what the oneness meant.
The simplicity is telling us God is consistent. He isn’t divided in any way.
Let’s dig in and see what the verses tell us.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
God Alone Is Sovereign
“Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6: 4 CSB)
Worshiping God moved the Israelites from polytheism to monotheism.
Scriptures are very clear that there is only one God. The beginning of the Shema gives that as a foundation. Other verses clarify and expand that truth.
- “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god” (Isa. 44: 6 ESV).
- “Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Mk. 12: 29 CSB).
- “And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him’” (Mk. 12: 32 ESV).
- “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (I Sam. 2: 2 ESV).
- “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?” (ps. 18: 31 ESV).
- “remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isa. 46: 9 ESV).
- “Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘an idol has no real existence,’ and that ‘there is no God but one’. For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’ — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (I Cor. 8: 4-6 ESV).
- “‘To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One” (Isa. 40: 25 CSB).
- “This is why you are great, Lord God. There is no one like you, and there is no God ” (II Sam. 7: 22 CSB).
There are arguments as to why there can be only One. Boston argued that there can only be one infinite, omnipotent being that gives life to others. Griffin acknowledged that this means God has no rival or equal.
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There are also arguments that having One is beneficial to mankind. Chapman wrote that monotheism “… satisfies his intellectual, his moral, his emotional, his spiritual being.” He expanded his discussion on how monotheism impacts morality to say that only a true picture of God can be seen if there is only one God.
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Having one God brings continuity to our relationships with Him. We know we are interacting with the same God each time, and as He is unchanging, we closely know Him. We don’t have to divide our affections and service among several gods.
Moses put some verbal flashing arrows to show that the Israelites needed to pay attention to what he was fixing to say. “Listen, Israel …” (Deut. 6: 4 CSB).
We’ve talked before about how we can hear but have the information go in one ear and out the other. We really need to listen.
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What Moses was saying here was that the Israelites needed to listen to what God was saying. We shouldn’t listen thinking we know what He is going to say. We should listen to determine how He wants us to grow in His grace and our faith.
I hear the worldview people saying, “Prove it.” Adam tackled that subject. He argued that proof is all around us in creation.
Adam also noted that no proof has been given that there is more than one god. He contended that, if there were more than one god doing the creating, it wouldn’t work. Both would not be termed the Highest or the Most Excellent.
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Macmillan cautioned us about making decisions regarding God based on our limited perceptions. He noted that we may not have all of the pieces of the puzzle needed to come to a definitive answer. He does point out how interconnect nature is.
Hodges reminded us that religion began worshiping many gods. It grew into the worship of One God. This was partly through divine revelation and partly through education.
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Well, remember Genesis 1: 26 says, ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …’” (Gen. 1: 26 NLT). Us is plural.
I didn’t find any prior reference to One God before Deuteronomy 6: 4. I know some may consider Genesis 1: 26 as a reference to the Trinity (which we will talk about in another devotion).
Then we add the first commandment into the mix. “You must not have any other god but me” (Ex. 20: 3 NLT). That points to the existence of other gods — unless we look at those gods being of our own making.
It would have been a hard fought lesson to get the Israelites to believe only in One God. But they had to grow to know Him. And news flash — we are still growing in knowledge today. There will always be more to learn.
Sovereign God Is Also Our Father
“one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4: 6 CSB)
Sovereign God is interested in a relationship with us because He is Father of all.
God has set up our relationships with Him as parental in nature. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8: 15 ESV). This extends to all of His children.
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Yes, it reads that God is Father of those who are just His creation. Even if they don’t acknowledge Him, God has authority and provides care for them.
But God has a special place for those who are His children. They have ABCDed and accepted Him. Because of that, He has adopted them.
• “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1: 12 ESV).
• “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4: 6 ESV).
Glossary
The way I read Graham’s take on Sovereign and Father is it is almost like a continuum. Vaughan equated that with degrees of Fatherhood. The majesty and splendor that is on the Ruler’s side, and love and tenderness is on the Father’s side. Power is offset by love and grace.
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But it isn’t so much a continuum. God does fall at one point one day and on the other side the next. God is at all points at all time.
Our Sovereign Father Is Like None Other
“Lord, there is no one like you among the gods, and there are no works like yours” (Ps. 86: 8 CSB)
Our Sovereign God is unique in His forgiveness and His works.
No, there is no one like God. He created mankind, knowing we would disobey. The Plan of Salvation was always Plan A.
God’s forgiveness is unique. He forgives all sins when we truly repent — except for the unpardonable sin (which I think is unbelief).
Forgiveness is, when we ask, God pardons us because we have broken His laws and commandments and restores our relationship with Him. Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to changing ourselves through obedience so that we no longer do the wrong things.
Glossary
The amazing thing is that God will continue to forgive us when we sincerely repent. “Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’”
No, Jesus wasn’t saying forgive someone 490 times. Instead, He foreshadowed Buzz Lightyear and meant, “To infinity and beyond!”
That is how forgiving God is when genuinely repent and turn from the sin. He will forgive us when we are striving to be godly.
How Does Trinity and Oneness Mesh?
I am just going to say one thing about the Trinity and unity. We are going to talk about the Trinity in another devotion, but I don’t want it to be the elephant in the room in this one.
Dykes said that the Trinity assumes unity. He wrote, “The Trinity of our faith means a distinction of persons within one common indivisible Divine nature.” Dykes said that one common nature is their moral character.
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Making the Connections
Dykes wrote, “The unity of God is the only religious basis for a moral law of perfect and unwavering righteousness.
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I take that to mean, like Chapman, the moral law can only be given by God, Who is not divided in thought. This moral character can only come out of spiritual wholeness or completeness and a solid relationship of conscientious obedience.
I loved how Adam described God. He wrote that He is “… self-existent, all-wise, and independent …” God is all.
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How Do We Apply This?
God’s oneness is about his moral character. Our redo for godliness should focus on redoing the moral character.
Beyond that, we need to praise and worship God. He is worthy of all we can give Him.
Loving Heavenly Father. You are complete. You are powerful. You are loving. Help us to imitate your moral character so that, when You call us home, You will see mini You. Amen.
What do you think?
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