“Hear O’ Israel, the LORD God, the LORD is One.” Deut.6:4

As many of us are aware, Christianity along with Judaism and Islam are three of the great monotheistic faith systems that now exist in our present world.

Hinduism which believes in multiple gods and Buddhism which has no belief in a personal god at all, both stand apart as being quite different from what we believe in that we acknowledge there is only one God who is the true Creator and Sustainer of all things that surround us, both visible and invisible.

This oneness of God however has an unique, deep significance for us as Christians since we know in His oneness He is also revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thereby allowing us to understand and know Him personally as a “triune God” or as three persons in one-the blessed Trinity-each person in the godhead undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory with the other.

It stands to reason therefore if God is one God and totally complete and unified in everything, then He must also be interested in us being one in Him and with all that He has created that is both good and reflective of his divine character of holiness and beauty, especially with other believers and indeed for all of humanity itself.

Jesus of course indicated this in His great unifying prayer for His disciples and all those who would believe through their message in John 17:21 where He said, ”that all of them may they be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.”

Achieving oneness with God comes into being when we put our complete faith in Christ at that moment of decision and seeing his completed work on the Cross as the sole source of true spiritual power that allows that salvation experience to happen both within and for us and for all who choose to believe in Him.

However, achieving oneness within ourselves and with others who co-exist with us and even with the created order God has surrounded us with, is an ongoing process that requires much reflection, prayer, times of deep repentance and a courageous heart of being willing to change our behaviors in both thought and deed, in order to move us toward that high mark of living life to the full as He intended for all of us from the beginning.

We surely can’t do this on our own and we all must rely on God’s grace and His Spirit daily to see that our spiritual questing keeps us moving onward and upward to the high mark of being one in and like Christ in everything.

In future articles we will begin to look at the things that both aid and hinder our growth in oneness with God and within ourselves as we continue on in our spiritual journey that will end when we no longer inhabit this earthly dwelling we are clothed in and finally fulfil that which completes us as His human creation. 

By Victor Cyr