Is knowing that God is one enough to shape how we live? 🤔🎉

Deuteronomy 6:4 is one of the most important verses in the Bible and in Jewish thought:

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

The law you quoted is often summarized as: “To know that God is One, a complete Unity (Deut. 6:4).”

Here’s what that means and why it matters.

What the verse is saying

“Hear, O Israel” (Shema Yisrael) is a call to listen attentively and with obedience, not just to hear sounds.

“The LORD our God, the LORD is one” declares that the God of Israel is:

Only one God (not many competing gods).

Unique and incomparable—no other being shares His divine status or nature.

This is the core confession of biblical faith: God is absolutely one, not divided, not part of a group or hierarchy of gods. God is a single, complete, perfect unity.

What “a complete Unity” means
Saying “God is One” means more than “there is one God.” It also speaks about His nature:

God is undivided in His being: He is not partly good and partly evil, or partly wise and partly foolish. His character is perfectly consistent—He is entirely holy, fully just, fully loving.

God is the only ultimate source: There is no rival power equal to Him. All “gods” of the nations are either false or created beings, completely under His authority.

God is the single object of worship: Because He is one, our worship and loyalty must not be split. No idols, no shared allegiance, no “backup” gods.

In Jewish teaching, this is why the Shema is recited daily: to remind the people that their God is one, and therefore their hearts and lives must be undivided toward Him.

How this shapes faith and life
If God is truly one, a complete unity, then:

Our faith must be exclusive: God alone is worthy of ultimate trust, not money, not success, not relationships, not self.

Our heart must be unified: Right after Deut. 6:4 comes the command, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.” Because God is one, our love should be whole—not divided between Him and other “gods” like ego, pleasure, or people’s approval.

Our obedience must be consistent: We can’t treat God as Lord on Sunday and ignore Him the rest of the week. A one, unified God calls for a whole, unified life.

Connection to Jesus and the Christian faith
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He began by repeating this exact verse: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one,” and then added, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Mark 12:29-30).

So:

Jesus fully affirms the oneness and unity of God.

For Christians, this verse supports the truth that whatever is said about God must fit with the reality that God is one, not multiple gods or conflicting wills.

Any understanding of God (including Christian teaching about Father, Son, and Spirit) must preserve this absolute oneness: one God, one divine will, one ultimate Lord.

Personal application
“To know that God is One, a complete Unity” is not just about correct doctrine. It calls you to:

Examine your loyalties: Is your heart divided? Are there “other gods” competing with Him—fear, success, people-pleasing, addictions?

Simplify your worship: Choose to center your life around one ultimate authority—God—as revealed in His Word.

Pursue integrity: Because God is not divided, you are called to live an undivided life—what you believe, say, and do should line up, reflecting the One you serve.

In simple terms:
This law is a command to recognize, believe, and live by the truth that there is only one true God, totally united and perfect in His being. Knowing that God is One means giving Him your whole heart, your complete trust, and exclusive worship—no rivals, no divided allegiance, and no confusion about who is truly Lord.