14. Unity

Unity (Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, Victor Books, 1986,) p. 44.

  1. Meaning. Unity means that there is but one God who is indivisible.
  2. Scripture. The unity of God was a major revelation in the Old Testament as epitomized in the celebrated Shema (from the first word, “Hear,” in Deut. 6:4). The verse may be translated in several ways: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is One” which emphasizes the unity of god; or “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” which stresses the uniqueness of God in contrast to the god of the heathen. The New Testament, even with its clear revelation of the Trinity, affirms the unity of God (Eph. 4:6; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Tim 2:5). This means that the Persons of the Trinity are not separate essences within the one divine essence. God is One in number and uniqueness.

One important concluding thought about the perfections of God: they describe the only true God who exists. Man creates his own false gods who he can manipulate and control. Christian people sometimes concoct a perverted or deficient concept of God for the same reason—to be able to manipulate Him or not to have to face up to the true and living God. But the only actual God who exists is the One who is revealed primarily in the Bible and revealed by these attributes or perfections of His being. To be able to know this living and true God requires a miracle of the gracious revelation of Himself. To walk in worship with that living and true God is the privilege of all who know Him.

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