Jesus declared the Shema—"Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4)—to be the greatest commandment ever given (Mark 12:29). This study examines why this confession stood at the heart of Israel's faith, why God commanded His people to remember it daily, and what it teaches Christians today about the one true God and true worship.
The Greatest Commandment Ever Given — Does Modern Christianity Still Believe It?
Part 1 – The Greatest Commandment Ever Given
"The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.'"
— Jesus Christ, Mark 12:29
Throughout history, countless books have been written about God.
Churches have debated doctrine for centuries. Councils have formulated creeds. Scholars have produced volumes of theological works, and millions of Christians have inherited beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Yet before we ask what later traditions taught, there is a far more important question.
What did God Himself reveal about His own identity?
And what did Jesus Christ declare to be the greatest commandment ever given?
Surely, if there is one teaching that every believer should know, understand, and obey above all others, it must be the commandment that both God and His Son placed above every other commandment recorded in Scripture.
Remarkably, many Christians can quote verses about grace, faith, forgiveness, salvation, or eternal life. Yet comparatively few stop to consider the commandment that Jesus Himself described as the foremost of all.
That alone should cause every sincere student of the Bible to pause and ask an important question:
If Jesus called this the greatest commandment, why is it so rarely discussed today?
This study is not an attempt to defend tradition, nor is it an attempt to attack tradition.
Its purpose is much simpler.
It is an invitation to begin where both God and Jesus began.
To allow Scripture to speak for itself.
To compare Scripture with Scripture.
And to examine whether our own beliefs truly rest upon the foundation laid by God Himself.
The Foundation of Israel's Faith
More than three thousand years ago, as the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, God gave them a command unlike any other.
This was not simply another law among hundreds of commandments.
It became the very foundation of Israel's worship, identity, and relationship with God.
Moses declared:
"Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one."
— Deuteronomy 6:4 (WEB)
These words became known as the Shema, from the opening Hebrew word meaning "Hear" or "Listen."
But this was far more than a sentence to memorise.
It was God's own declaration of who He is.
Immediately afterwards, God commanded His people:
"You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
— Deuteronomy 6:5–7
Notice the extraordinary emphasis.
God did not simply tell His people to remember these words.
He commanded that they should be written upon their hearts.
Parents were instructed to teach them diligently to their children.
Families were to speak about them throughout the day.
They were to remember them when they rose in the morning and before they lay down at night.
Why would God place such extraordinary importance upon one commandment?
The answer becomes clear as we read the rest of the Old Testament.
Again and again Israel abandoned the living God and turned to the false gods of the surrounding nations.
The greatest danger facing God's people was not merely moral failure.
It was forgetting who the true God is.
For this reason, God continually reminded Israel of the most fundamental truth they must never forget.
There is only one true God.
Everything else rested upon that foundation.
Jesus Confirmed Nothing Had Changed
More than a thousand years later, Jesus Christ was asked one of the most important questions ever put to Him.
A scribe came to Him and asked:
"Which commandment is the greatest of all?"
If there had ever been a moment to replace the commandment given through Moses, this would have been it.
If God's revelation concerning Himself had changed, surely Jesus would have explained it here.
But He did not.
Instead, Jesus immediately returned to the very words spoken by God through Moses centuries earlier.
"The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.'"
— Mark 12:29
Jesus did not introduce a new commandment.
He reaffirmed the old one.
The same commandment that had stood at the centre of Israel's faith remained, according to Jesus Himself, the greatest commandment of all.
The scribe immediately recognised the importance of Jesus' answer and replied:
"Right, Teacher. You have truly said that He is one, and there is no other besides Him."
— Mark 12:32
Notice carefully what happened next.
Jesus did not correct the scribe.
He did not suggest he had misunderstood.
Instead, we read:
"When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'"
— Mark 12:34
This brief conversation deserves careful reflection.
The greatest commandment was not presented as a mystery.
Neither Jesus nor the scribe entered into a complicated philosophical discussion.
The truth was stated plainly.
It was understood clearly.
And the scribe was commended by Jesus for answering wisely.
Why Every Christian Should Know This Commandment
If God commanded Israel to place these words upon their hearts...
If parents were commanded to teach them diligently to their children...
If they were to be spoken morning and evening...
If Jesus Himself declared them to be the foremost of all commandments...
Then should they not also stand at the very centre of Christian faith today?
Every Christian, regardless of denomination or tradition, should know this commandment.
Not merely because it appears in the Old Testament.
But because Jesus Himself declared it to be the greatest commandment of all.
That alone should cause us to ask another important question.
If this is the greatest commandment ever given, why do so few Christians study it in depth today?
Perhaps we have become so familiar with these words that we no longer appreciate their importance.
Or perhaps we have simply assumed we already understand them.
Whatever the reason, the greatest commandment deserves far more than a passing glance.
It deserves our careful attention.
The Journey Begins Here
Throughout this study we will not ask readers to accept conclusions without evidence.
Instead, we will allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.
We will examine the historical setting.
We will consider the words of Moses, the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles.
We will compare passage with passage.
And we will ask whether the beliefs held by Christians today reflect the foundation laid by God Himself.
Only after establishing that foundation will we begin examining later theological questions.
For there can be no better place to begin than where both God and Jesus began.
With the greatest commandment ever given.
In Part 2, we will examine why God commanded Israel to repeat these words continually, why this declaration became the very heart of biblical worship, and why understanding its historical setting is essential before we examine any later doctrinal questions.
In Deuteronomy 6:4, GOD teaches He is ONE BEING.
In Mark 12:29, Jesus also confirms the same teaching that
His GOD is ONE BEING.
When a scribe came and asked Jesus, which commandment is the
most important of all?” Jesus replied by saying: ‘Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is ONE, followed by saying: love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Did GOD and Jesus mean GOD is literally ONE?
Because we have to ask ourselves, WHY do MOST of the
Christian population say, teach, and believe, GOD is not ONE, but THREE called the
TRINITY.
And as there are so many MILLIONS who are the majority, who
believe GOD is not ONE, but THREE called the TRINITY, and we are the minority, surely, we should therefore question if we instead are the deceived.
It is a good thing to do our homework well, and do not believe what others teach without doing our own research on the foundations of our own
faith, as Jesus said, FEW would be saved, so that means most would be deceived.
Most never investigate before joining one of the different thousands of denominations.
Remember what St Paul taught, to seek out our salvation with
fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12.
The problem is, when one is deceived, they do not know they
have been deceived, which is the reason why they remain deceived. And when one
has been deceived for so long, the heart hardens and PRIDE takes over, then
rejecting the Biblical facts.
Especially for those deceived who have authority like Bible
scholars, teachers, preachers and pastors, who are not willing to admit they
were wrong and deceived, because they have already contributed to deceiving
others for so long themselves, instead of swallowing their own pride and going
to the ONE true GOD through the true Son and repenting, where we read Jesus
saying all can be healed from blindness.
Jesus talked about people not believing.
Indeed, in their case the prophecy
of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown
dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have
closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and
understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Matthew
13:14,15.
Is it true that the TRINITY can be compared to an egg?
Sadly there are many stupid theories that Trinitarians use
to explain their Trinity faith.
Some compare the ONE TRUE Almighty GOD with an egg, that has
three parts, the Yoke, egg white and shell.
Or water that can be three different forms, water, ice or
steam.
Or a coin, that is one coin, and yet has 2 sides.
What certain Trinitarians are in fact doing is making the
Almighty GOD look like He is made up of ATOMS. Because eggs, water and coins
are made up of atoms.
Almighty GOD is not made up of atoms, but instead Almighty
GOD created the atoms. GOD is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere. He can’t
be seen like physical things made up of atoms and molecules.
God is spirit, and those who worship
him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24.
There is not a single scripture teaching GOD is ONE made up of THREE, like the example of an egg or water Trinitarians use to describe that GOD is THREE, which then contradicts the word of GOD teaching GOD is ONE.
There are so many of these stupid theories which are used by
the Trinity faith to explain how GOD is THREE called the Trinity, that when read, Its hard to know whether to laugh or cry.
They are nothing but nonsense, and instead only prove how
Trinitarians have become so desperate, deceived and confused, yearning to prove GOD is not ONE, and break the first commandment and deny the truth instead of understanding the truth.
This explains why Trinitarians are forced to teach
their faith is a mystery, contradicting what the Bible teaches that GOD is not
a GOD of confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:33.
Follow my research and see that the only mystery is how
Trinitarians can’t see and understand the simple TRUTH that GOD in not a TRINITY.
If we the believers who believe GOD is the only ONE true GOD
alone, and are the minority who know the truth, then how is it possible for so
many MILLIONS who are the majority to be so deceived, when the Biblical facts
are right in front of us and seem so easy to see, understand and believe as we
shall see?
Jesus said we would know the truth about others by their
fruits. Matthew 7:16.
“ Beware of false prophets, who come
to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize
them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears
bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear
good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-20.
Jesus made a point in saying this subject is the most
important commandment to know, understand and believe.
So there is nothing more important for those who desire to
know the truth of the one true GOD and follow Him through His Literal Son and
be saved.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had
believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31,32.
Whoever has my commandments and
keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my
Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John 14:21
Let us examine the Biblical facts and discover if GOD and
Jesus were both teaching GOD is ONE, or THREE called the TRINITY?
So that we can be sure we are following His teachings and
keeping His commandments, and be sure we are His disciples, who know the truth
and be set FREE.
We will take our translations from the Greek Bibles of the
codex sinaiticus, and vaticanus,
Please make note of the KEY words I have highlighted for the Greek words (εἷς)
for ONE. And (αὐτοῦ) for he/him?
First, let’s examine the KEY Greek word: (εἷς) for ONE.
Second, we will then examine the KEY Greek word: (αὐτοῦ) for
he/him?
The word: (εἷς) for ONE.
Between Mark 12:28 through to Mark 12:33, the word Greek
word: (εἷς) for ONE is used 3 times.
1. Mark 12:28 reads: And
having come up (ONE) Greek word: (εἷς)
of the scribes.
2. Mark 12:29 reads: Lord
the GOD of us LORD (ONE) Greek word: (εἷς)
is.
3. Mark 12:32 reads: upon
truth to say that (ONE) Greek word: (εἷς) he is.
Here is the first Biblical fact regarding the word for (ONE), Greek word (εἷς).
The word for (ONE), Greek
word (εἷς) was used 3 times, in the 3 scriptures
above and each time it was the identical Greek word: (εἷς).
In Mark 12:28, we see the first time the word: (ONE) Greek word: (εἷς)
was used, and refers to (ONE), (εἷς) scribe.
If the word did not mean (ONE), (εἷς) for (ONE scribe),
then it would have been 3 scribes asking Jesus the same identical question, if (ONE)
means GOD is THREE called the TRINITY.
Examples are:
Mark 12:29:---------- Jesus
answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is (εἷς) ONE.
Matthew 8:19: ----- And came (εἷς) ONE scribe.
Matthew 23:8: ----- you moreover not shall be called (εἷς) ONE.
Matthew 23:9: ------ (εἷς) ONE
indeed is of you the father who is in heaven.
1 Corinthians 8:6: --- Yet to us
there is (εἷς) ONE GOD the Fathre.
1 Corinthians 8:6: -- and we for him
and (εἷς) ONE Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:6: ---- (εἷς) ONE GOD
and Father of all who is over all.
1 Timothy 2:5: ------ For there is (εἷς) ONE God, and there
is (εἷς) ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
The Greek words (εἷς) for ONE, occurs in the Bible 99 times
and always means what it says (1 in number and not 2 or 3) and clearly means
(1) alone, (2) first, (3) individual, (4) individually, (5) lone, (6) A
person/being (7), single (8), someone.
Second, we will now examine the KEY Greek word: (αὐτοῦ) for (he/him).
Between Mark 12:28 through to Mark 12:33, the Greek word: (αὐτοῦ)
for he/him is used 5 times.
1. Mark 12:28: he answered them questioned
(αὐτοῦ) he/him.
2. Mark 12:32: and not is another
beside (αὐτοῦ) he/him.
3. Mark 12:33: and the to love
(αὐτοῦ) he/him.
4. Mark 12:34: and the Jesus having
seen (αὐτοῦ) he/him.
5. Mark 12:34: and no one no longer dared (αὐτοῦ)
he/him.
Notice the meaning of the word (αὐτοῦ)
he/him, as defined in the Strong's Concordance?
autos: (1) self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it.
Examples are:
Matthew 1:21: She will bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus, for (αὐτοῦ) he will save his people from
their sins.”
Matthew 3:11: “I baptize you with
water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. (αὐτοῦ) He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire.
Matthew 14:2:
and he said to his servants, “This
is John the Baptist. (αὐτοῦ) He has been raised from the dead; that is why
these miraculous powers are at work in him.”
Mark 5:40: And they laughed at (αὐτοῦ)
him.
Mark 14:15: And (αὐτοῦ) he will show
you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”
Luke 6:35: But love your enemies,
and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be
great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for
(αὐτοῦ) he is kind to the ungrateful
and the evil.
Notice how there are countless scriptures where the Greek
word (αὐτοῦ) he/him, is the same, and occurs in
the Bible 5606 times, and used for: (1) individual, (2) individually, (3) A person/being (4),
single (5), someone, which in most cases are a singular verb.
The word: (αὐτοῦ) for he/him, when addressed to THE GOD of
Israel, never means -TWO- or -THREE GODS.-
As we read: A scribe came forward as (he αὐτοῦ) had heard them disputing, and seeing that he
had answered them well, he asked him: Which is the first commandment of all?
Jesus answered him: The first is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God is (one εἷς) Lord;
and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart,
and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength.
The second is this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
And the scribe said to him: Teacher, in truth hast thou well
said that there is (One, εἷς) and there is no
other beside him.
No one needs to buy biased complicated books or be a Bible scholar
or scientists to see, read and understand what was clearly being taught in this
incredible clear conversation between Jesus and the scribe.
There is NO mention, whatsoever, that GOD is a Trinitarian
concept of a “tritheism” (three Gods) not even two.
Both Jesus and the scribe confirmed they believed and
understood GOD is a single being, and GOD alone.
And to love him with the whole
heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole strength, and to
love one’s neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt-offerings and
sacrifices.
And Jesus, seeing him that he had
answered with understanding, said to him: Not far art thou from the kingdom of
God. And no one any more ventured to ask him a question.
And the scribe said to him (αὐτοῦ): Teacher,
in truth hast thou well said that there is (One, εἷς) and there is no other beside
him (αὐτοῦ).
Notice again what Jesus said to the scribe?
Jesus makes it clear to the scribe that he was: Not far art thou from the kingdom of God.
Why?
Because the scribe believed and knew what was taught in the
old testament of Deuteronomy 6:4.
The scribe read, and believed and understood the scriptures that taught a simple teaching that “GOD always declared countless times
from the beginning to the end of the Bible that He is the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD.
And there was nothing whatsoever said about GOD, and Jesus
being the same ONE GOD, or Jesus being GOD, or the Holy Spirit being a separate
GOD, or GOD and Jesus being THREE as taught in the TRINITY.
Jesus was telling the scribe, because he believed GOD was
ONE, he was correct in believing GOD is the only ONE single true GOD alone, and
therefor was on his way to heaven, which is perfectly in line with what Jesus
said in John 17:3, that eternal life comes by believing GOD is the only one
true GOD, confirming this is a salvation issue.
As we have carefully examined, BOTH Greek word: (εἷς) for
ONE, and Greek word: (αὐτοῦ) for he/him, are addressed to THE GOD of Israel.
Which in this case is clearly used as a singular verb.
In this case the conversation between Jesus and the scribe
when using the Greek words (εἷς) for ONE. And (αὐτοῦ) for he/him, clearly means (1)
alone, (2) first, (3) individual, (4) individually, (5) lone, (6) A
person/being (7), single (8), someone
The confusion.
Some believe one can mean more then one called the compound
unity. That is any substance consisting of two or more, just as when the man
and women join together in marriage, who are TWO persons, and who become ONE,
as Jesus taught He was one with the Father in John 10:30.
For more on the compound unity, please see the link below:
The DECEPTION of GOD as a compound unity. Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29.
Although this is true, this important fact is by most
misunderstood, because when more than ONE, two, or three or a group comes
together to make ONE, this simply means ONE in (unity). Not ONE in number.
Surely if Trinitarians understood the truth, they would then
understand why their own faith is a mystery, because they simply believe in
something that’s not true called the Trinity.
So what went wrong? How did GOD and His Son become a
TRINITY?
Notice what St John said in 1 John 4:1?
Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false
prophets have gone out into the world.
Wow, St John tells us there already were false prophets in
the world in his time.
Who could St John be referring too? Did St John know who
they were? Surely he must have known of them to mention them.
Join me again next week and I will reveal to you an actual
name of a person St John may have been referring too when he said: for many false prophets have gone out into the world. And
discover what I discovered, that this person was alive at the same time as St
John.
And there we will continue and see, how the greatest
Christian deception, turned the ONE true GOD into THREE, now called the
Catholic TRINITY.
Conclusion.
If it is true what the Pentecostals and Trinity faith teach,
that Jesus taught He was GOD, then why didn’t Jesus Himself tell the scribe He was GOD or the same GOD, when He told the scribe the most important first commandment?
Was Jesus to frightened to tell the truth, if He was also GOD?
The Jews understood this one biblical fact. That GOD is GOD
ALONE.
That’s why they falsely accused Jesus of BLASPHEMY. Because
as the Trinitarians today, they misunderstood Jesus and thought He was claiming
to be GOD in John 10:30, when Jesus said: I and the
Father are one.” Not understanding Jesus meant He and His Father are ONE
in unity, and not in number.
And that’s why Jesus rectified the Jews misunderstanding by
saying: do you say of him whom the Father consecrated
and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said,
‘I am the Son
of God’?
John 10:36.
In other words Jesus was saying, where did I ever teach I
was GOD? I only ever taught I was the Son of GOD.
If Jesus ever claimed to be GOD, why was He contradicting Deuteronomy 6:4.
Including what He Himself said in Mark 12:29.
The simple Biblical facts of Deuteronomy 6:4, and
Mark 12:29, clearly reveal there are no contradictions by Jesus and His GOD is the only ONE TRUE GOD who is the Father, and is not THREE called the TRINITY, sadly proving most have been deceived by the Catholic doctrine.
To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is
God; there is no other besides him.
Deuteronomy 4:35.
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