Page 41 - Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2010

~MAY 2010~ 41
A PROPER UNDERSTANDING

OF

“HEAR O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE!
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT.” Deut. 6:4-5

There is a deep-seated reason why Judaism and Christianity remain diametrically opposed to each
other: Judaism interprets the Shema (“Hear O Israel”) prayer stated above as containing a literal
expression that there is only one God in existence-He has no Son of divine origin. Christianity holds a
deviated concept that although the Shema proclamation speaks indeed of one God, He manifests
Himself in three equally divine personages of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Often Christian theologians
liken their view of God’s oneness to being like that of an egg: one egg comprised of three ingredients-
the egg shell, egg white and yoke. Put them all together, and you have a simple way of seeing God as
“one God” who can exist in three different manifestations.

Judaism is diametrically opposed to the idea that God has a divine son at all, for if He did, then He
would be considered equal with God. This dilemma is clearly stated as a primary purpose that the
Jews sought to kill Jesus:

“THEREFORE THE JEWS SOUGHT ALL THE MORE TO KILL HIM,
BECAUSE HE NOT ONLY BROKE THE SABBATH, BUT ALSO SAID THAT

GOD WAS HIS FATHER, MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.” John 5:18

This claim of divinity by Jesus remains the primary reason why the Jews reject the God of Christianity-
Jesus cannot be God, for the Shema (Deut.6:4-5) proves there can only be “one God.”
I would like to suggest that neither Judaism’s narrow, monotheistic view of God is biblically supported,
nor is the three-in-one “egg” view held by Christianity totally correct. Rather, the Scriptures present that
God has always existed as a triune Godhead consisting of three divine personages; the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit. All three form a divine, triune, and eternal Godhead. Although all three are
divinely God, the Scriptures do not support that they are all equal. Jesus plainly states, “The Father is
greater than I” ( Jn. 14:28). Paul the apostle also supports this concept of the eternal superiority of the
Father over the Son (1 Cor.15:24-28.) However, what I really want to accomplish in this newsletter is to
demonstrate that “The Oneness of God” of the Shema prayer speaks of UNITY in the triune Godhead
rather than either Judaism’s or Christianity’s literal, physical view of the oneness of God. If Christianity
does not seek to correct the erroneous Jewish interpretation of the Shema (as well as their own view),
then the spiritual blindness will remain a major stumbling block. The oneness of God speaks of UNITY!