Our Most Trustworthy Witness: Our God's own Son, Jesus Christ

Do you truly trust in Jesus? Do you trust his testimony concerning the true identity of God? If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, then it should be obvious to you that there is no better witness to this question than the testimony of God's very own son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus came to reveal the one true God to us; he came so that we might have understanding and know the true God. If we truly trust in Jesus, who is our most reliable witness concerning the true identity of the one true God? Jesus Christ.

2. The Shema

Jesus considered the Shema to be the foremost commandment of the Law. The Shema is also an extremely important passage of Scripture for Christians. It is very important because of what it says:

"Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

OR

"Hear O Israel, YAHWEH our God, YAHWEH is one and you shall love YAHWEH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

Many people do not realize that the testimony of God's own son decisively demonstrates for us exactly what those words mean. What does the testimony of God's own Son tell us?

Jesus Christ's Testimony

1. Jesus came to reveal the only true God to us

We are informed in the Scriptures that Jesus came to give us understanding that we might know the only true God. Jesus never directed attention to himself as God but always pointed to his Father. He did not say he created man, male and female. It was someone else who created man; it was his God who created man. He always referred us to this Father. He always referred us to HIS God and HIS God was his Father alone.

FACT #1: Jesus came to reveal the only true God to us and he did this by consistently referring us to his God, his Father.

2. Jesus was a Jew born under the Law

Every Israelite was required to obey the Law given to them by their God. Jesus was a Jew born under the Law. As a Jew, he was required by his God to observe the Law. As a Jew, he was required to obey the Law given to Israel by their God.

FACT #2: Jesus, a Jew, was required to obey the Law.

3. Jesus Testified that the Shema is the Foremost Commandment of the Law

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that he had answered them well, asked him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:28-34.

FACT #3: The Shema (Deut 6:4-5) is the foremost commandment of the Law which Jesus was required to obey.

4. Jesus testified as to what words "the Lord is one" do mean in the Shema commandment.

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that he had answered them well, asked him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:28-34.

Jesus' testimony here shows us decisively that the words "the Lord is one" most certainly do not mean "the Lord is one 'WHAT'" but rather mean "the Lord is one 'WHO.'" These two Jews, Jesus and this Jewish scribe, clearly agree that the words of the Shema, "the Lord is one" mean that their Lord God is one single "HE/HIM," "there no one else but HE." The words "the Lord is one" refer to the fact that YAHWEH is one who, one identity, rather than one "what."

FACT #4: The Shema refers to one identity and the words mean YAHWEH is one single "HE, " "the Lord our God, the Lord is one HE."

5. Jesus Testified to the Specific Identity of that "HE" by how he obeyed that Command of the Law

As a Jew under the Law, Jesus was required to obey the Law. He also considered the Shema to be the foremost commandment of the Law. In order to obey this commandment, he needed to know what those words meant. He needed to interpret the Shema in order to obey it.

And Jesus testifies to us how he interpreted the Shema by how he obeyed the Shema. He obeyed this commandment by serving only one person as his one and only God. He obeyed this commandment by recoginizing only his Father as his God. He obeyed the Shema commandment by loving his Father with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his strength. It was his only his Father who was Jesus' one and only God and no one else.

The fact that Jesus recognized only his Father as his one and only God shows us how he interpreted the words of the Shema. The fact that Jesus obeyed the Shema by worshiping and serving only his Father as his one and only God shows us how he interpreted the words of the Shema. Jesus' own life of obedience decisively demonstrates for us what the Shema means. In the account of his discussion with the Jewish scribe, we see clearly that Jesus believed the Shema to be referring to one single HE. And we can also clearly identify that one single "HE" by recognizing WHO Jesus recognized and obeyed as the one God of the Shema - only one person - his Father alone.

FACT #5: The Shema means the Lord is one single "HE, and Jesus recognized only his Father as that one "HE."

6. The Shema says "OUR" God.

Yahweh OUR God, Yahweh is one. OUR God? Could Jesus join his Israelite brethren in saying these words or not? His God was the Father alone. The Father is not the Triune Being. Yet Trinitarians insist the God of Israel was a Triune Being and Jesus' God was his Father alone. How then could Jesus unite with his Israelite brethren and say the words "OUR" God when he had a one persn God and they had a three person God. If Israel's God was a Triune Being, how then could Jesus confess these words since his God was NOT a Triune Being?When Jesus said these words, was he not affirming that HIS God is the same God as the God of all Israel, "OUR God"?

FACT #6: The Shema is referring to the God of every Israelite including Jesus, "OUR God."

7. Jesus' Perfect Obedience to the Law give us complete assurance as to the meaning of the Shema

Jesus did not sin. He was obedient to the Law in every respect. We cannot suppose he interpreted the Shema commandment to mean one thing but he actually did something else contrry to what those words mean. The Shema instructed him to recognize his God and to love his God with all his heart, soul, and mind. If Jesus knew that the Shema commandment meant one thing but he observed this commandment by doing something else, he disobeyed the commandment. But he did not sin. He did obey the commandment. He did not believe it meant one thing and live as if it meant something else. We cannot suppose he believed this commandment referred to a three-person-being but then disobeyed it as if the commandment meant something else or we make him a disobedient sinner. Rather, he observed the commandment according to what the commandment meant and instructed him to do - to recognize only his Father as his God and to love Him, His Father, with all his heart, soul, and mind. Because he did not sin, we can be certain that whatever Jesus did to interpret, understand, obey, and observe this commandment, is a perfect reflection of what that commandment is intended to mean. Jesus' understanding of the Shema and his obedience to the Shema must match or else he would have been disobedient to the commandment.

FACT #7: Jesus obedience to the Shema, the foremost commandment, shows us clearly what it means and precisely who the Shema is identifying.

8. Jesus has made us priests to HIS God; HIS God is to also be OUR God.

We are not to have some other God than Jesus' God. He taught us that HIS God is to be OUR God. HIS God was one person, the Father, and so we know that OUR God is to be one person, the Father. He has also made us priests to HIS God, his Father. He did not make us priests to another God or a three-person God. If we recognize and serve a different God than Jesus served, we have a different God than the God of Jesus.

FACT #8: Jesus has made us priests to HIS God and HIS God is to be OUR God.

Summary of Jesus Christ's own Testimony, the Witness of God's own Son

• Jesus came to reveal the true God to us and he always directed our attention to his Father.
• Jesus was born under the Law and required to obey the Law.
• Jesus recognized the Shema as the foremost commandment, "the Lord our God the Lord is one."
• Jesus needed to interpret and understand the words of the Shema in order to obey the commandment.
• Jesus' obedient response to the commandment shows us clearly what those words are intended to mean.
• If Jesus knew the Shema to meant one thing but he did not do what it meant, he disobeyed the foremost commandment of the Law
• Jesus understood the words of the Shema to mean there is one single HE, "there is no other but HE."
• Jesus recognized and obeyed only one person, his Father alone, as that one single "HE."
• Jesus an Israelite confessed the Shema just like every other Israelite, "OUR God." His God was his Father alone.
• Jesus taught us that his God is to be our God and he has made us priests to HIS God and Father.

Call for Honest Judgment

Jesus' testimony concerning the identity of the God of Israel is more trustworthy than any other man. We cannot find a more reliable witness to the true identity of the God who sent him than God's own son. Jesus' testimony concerning the Shema shows us without any ambiguity whatsoever that he interpreted the Shema to be referring to one single HE and that one single HE was, and is, his Father alone and no one else. We can be certain that the one God of Israel was Jesus' God and Jesus' Father and his Father alone, because Jesus could have interpreted those words no other way and neither did he.

Jesus' own testimony decisively demonstrates for us that the one God of the Shema, "the Lord our God, the Lord is one" means there is one single HE and that one single HE is clearly identified by how he observed this commandment; he observed this commandment by worshiping and serving one single HE as his God. He observed this commandment by worshiping and serving only his Father and no one else.

The facts compel us to conclude that the one God of Israel is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and no one else. "There is no other but HE." And this is the one single HE Jesus revealed to us. And Jesus has made us priests to one single HE, his God, his Father alone.

Created: March 13, 2013
Last Updated: October 29, 2013