Theology Thursday
Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Long before John 3:16 (for God so loved) or Matthew 7:1 (judge not), Israel had a favourite Bible verse. It was called the ‘Shema’. Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. For millennia, this is what differentiated Israel’s worship from the surrounding nations. Not many gods. One God.
Only one creator. One true God.
There was no more provocative statement then. Nor is there now. For to state that the Lord, God of the Bible, is the one and only God is to label all others who might be labelled god as false.
Every other god is a figment of imagination and of human construction. Offensive? Yes. But that’s not the right question. The right question is, is it true? Well, how could we know?
Well, Israel felt confident to proclaim their ‘Shema’ among the nations because God had revealed Himself. That’s actually what the Exodus is all about. God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush (and His name - Yahweh). But then He reveals Himself to all Egypt and Israel in the great contest with Pharaoh.
But what about us? Well, we too with eyes of faith can know that God is the only true God. He’s shown it to be true through a new Exodus that began with a sacrificial lamb in the death of Jesus and a parting of the seas of death in Jesus' resurrection. With these mighty acts we can declare - there is only one God.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise God that He is the one and only true God.
Give thanks for Jesus Christ that He is God in human flesh.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others have eyes of faith to see God for who He is.
Passages: Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, John 17:3 & 1 John 5:20
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Long before John 3:16 (for God so loved) or Matthew 7:1 (judge not), Israel had a favourite Bible verse. It was called the ‘Shema’. Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. For millennia, this is what differentiated Israel’s worship from the surrounding nations. Not many gods. One God.
Only one creator. One true God.
There was no more provocative statement then. Nor is there now. For to state that the Lord, God of the Bible, is the one and only God is to label all others who might be labelled god as false.
Every other god is a figment of imagination and of human construction. Offensive? Yes. But that’s not the right question. The right question is, is it true? Well, how could we know?
Well, Israel felt confident to proclaim their ‘Shema’ among the nations because God had revealed Himself. That’s actually what the Exodus is all about. God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush (and His name - Yahweh). But then He reveals Himself to all Egypt and Israel in the great contest with Pharaoh.
But what about us? Well, we too with eyes of faith can know that God is the only true God. He’s shown it to be true through a new Exodus that began with a sacrificial lamb in the death of Jesus and a parting of the seas of death in Jesus' resurrection. With these mighty acts we can declare - there is only one God.
For Today:
- How do you think of/conceive of God?
- Why is it important for you to remember He is God?
- What does it look like to remember He is God this week?
Pray:
Praise God that He is the one and only true God.
Give thanks for Jesus Christ that He is God in human flesh.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others have eyes of faith to see God for who He is.
Passages: Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, John 17:3 & 1 John 5:20
Posted in Theology Thursday
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