Deuteronomy 6:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They question, "How can you accept another Lord, when Scripture clearly states, ‘The Lord our God, the Lord is one; Him only shall you serve; and there is none else besides Him’?" But I ask, to whom was this addressed? Primarily to your ignorance, O Jew. Why were such declarations not made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Moses, but rather to you alone, after your exodus from Egypt when you sacrificed a calf for yourselves? Why is that? If you are unaware, let me enlighten you. Upon leaving Egypt, you created a golden calf and worshipped Beelphegor, turning to many deities and embracing rampant polytheism. Thus, in His desire to heal your affliction, God proclaimed ‘one’ to set Himself apart from false gods and not to deny the Only Begotten.

When the sacred Scriptures refer to the Son as Lord, will you acknowledge Him as such, genuinely, or will you reject this claim? If you assert that He is not Lord, you contradict the holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit who inspired them. Conversely, if you do acknowledge Him as Lord, you must reflect on your own beliefs, for calling Him Lord yet failing to recognize His oneness with God the Father is a grave inconsistency. You may find yourself serving created beings rather than the true God. Anything that exists in a different essence than the Being of God cannot, by its nature, be considered God. This truth is affirmed by the holy Scripture, which states: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one," as there exists a singular nature within the Godhead.

Consider for a moment the scriptural passages that lead us to profess the one Lord God. What if we inquire solely about the Father? Or the Son alone? Or just the Holy Spirit? Or do we refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit collectively? Clearly, it is stated, ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord your God, the Lord is one.’ Who do you believe this refers to? If it were intended solely for the Father, then Jesus Christ would not be recognized as the Lord our God. The Apostle Thomas, upon touching Him, declared, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), and Christ did not rebuke him but affirmed his faith, stating, “Thou hast believed because thou hast seen” (John 20:29).

The Scriptures allow for the term 'man' to be utilized in the plural form without suggesting the existence of multiple people, nor leading anyone to conclude that it refers to several individual humans, since the essence of humanity is articulated in this plural manner. In contrast, the term 'God' is distinctly presented in a singular form, ensuring that the plural term 'Gods' does not imply diverse natures within the divine essence. This is why it is stated: "The Lord God, the Lord is one." Furthermore, the only-begotten God is proclaimed through the term 'Godhead,' without dividing the unity into a duality that would suggest that the Father and the Son are regarded as two distinct Gods, even though both are recognized by the saints as God.

Listen, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one; this signifies that He is eternally unchanging, consistently present in the unity of His power, and remains the same without any increase or decrease. Hence, Moses referred to Him as one.

How can we comprehend the declaration, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deuteronomy 6:4)? We have often mentioned that the titles Lord and God refer to the divine essence, rather than the distinctions among the persons; while the terms Father, Son, and Holy Spirit convey personal attributes. However, for the Jews who had limited understanding, conveying precise theological concepts was challenging, as they might have misconstrued them as advocating polytheism. Hence, the references to God in the Old Testament are presented in the singular form. Nonetheless, there are subtle hints of the Trinity within this text. The phrase, The Lord your God, the Lord is one, illustrates the unity of the divine nature and subtly reveals the multiplicity of persons.

It is evident to those who trust in the Holy Scriptures that God is singular and not multiple. As stated, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God, the Lord is one.” To those who do not accept the Divine Scriptures, we can argue as follows: God is wholly perfect without flaw in goodness, wisdom, and power—eternal, boundless, supreme, and entirely flawless in every aspect. Therefore, if we were to acknowledge multiple gods, we would need to distinguish between them. Yet, if no distinction exists among them, then it implies a singularity rather than plurality; conversely, if they are distinct, where does the perfection lie? A deficiency in goodness, power, wisdom, time, or place negates the existence of God. Consistency in all attributes suggests the existence of one God instead of many.

When the declaration is made, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one,’ it signifies that the terms “Lord,” “God,” and “Lord” indicate three distinct hypostases, while the expression “one is” pertains to the singular essence and nature of the Triune God.

Wherever you find yourself, remember that, as commanded by our Lord with authority, you have been baptized into the singular name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 28:19). Hold firmly in your heart the essential truth: that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the Holy and ineffable Trinity, is indeed One God. As stated in Deuteronomy: Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matt. 4:10; cf. Deut. 6:13). It is important to emphasize that this one God, who is the only true God, is not merely the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit but is simultaneously all three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

To begin, it is essential to outline the Jewish perspective, particularly their theological views. The Jews maintain that there is one hypostasis and one essence. They firmly reject the idea of the Trinity and do not acknowledge the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. They assert that if we refer to God as Father, it is solely in the sense of being the Creator of all humanity. They base their claim of God’s singular hypostasis on Moses’ declaration: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). However, we might respond by saying that Moses spoke of the essence, not the distinct hypostases, and the existence of the Trinity can be demonstrated in various ways.

He issued a directive, starting with the declaration, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4), intending to redirect their thoughts away from the worship of multiple deities. Furthermore, He affirms, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God ... with all thy soul, and with all thy strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5). He consistently proclaims the existence of a single God and a sole Lord, emphasizing that there is no other. In stating, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," He illustrated the reality of one God and one Lord.

The Lord your God is one (Deut. 6:4; Jn. 1:1-4, Jn. 1:15, Jn. 1:26; Heb. 1:1-10; 1 Jn. 5:7), revealed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is unbegotten; the Son, begotten—the Word—who has imparted the anointing to that which we perceive, known as Christ. The Holy Spirit is also unbegotten, but proceeds from the Father. This is the sole true God, the Lord one in three Persons, unified in essence, will, glory, authority, power, and all divine attributes. You are to love Him exclusively and serve Him alone with all your mind, heart, and strength (Deut. 6:13; Mt. 22:37; Mk. 12:29-30; Lk. 4:8, Lk. 4:10, Lk. 4:27).

The doctrine of the absolute oneness of the Lord God, revered by His chosen people and which dismisses the notion of lesser or multiple deities, stands as the foundational teaching of the Old Testament faith. The Israelites, instructed to internalize this truth (Hear, O Israel), embrace it with greater fervor than any other commandments of the Law. They recite the sacred words each morning and evening: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord.