One God is the source of our oneness or unity. As God the Father, He sent His only Son to be our one Lord. This one Lord sent His one Spirit to reveal the one faith and one hope. They include the one baptism by which believers enter Christ’s one body, the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23; 1 Corinthians 12:13). These six realities on which our unity rests—one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism—all rest on the seventh and ultimate reality, the one Creator-God Himself.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 cf. Mark 12:29).
To Israelites, this verse in Deuteronomy was the most famous in the Hebrew Scriptures. Called the Shema, it was the cornerstone of the Law of Moses. In a world filled with idolatrous nations, Israel was set apart by belief in one God called YHWH (Exodus 3:13-16). This name may be pronounced Yahweh, though Hebrew does not give the vowel sounds. The name refers to God as the self-existing One, the “I AM.” English translations often represent the name by the capitalized word LORD.
Out of respect, many Israelites avoided saying God’s name. They seldom referred to God in familiar ways. Jesus, however, trained us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). He taught us to know God and to share His unending life, as Jesus said in His prayer for our unity:
This is eternal life, that They know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3).