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Monotheism
by Bobby Bruno What does Monotheism mean to you? (See Deuteronomy 6:4-5.) What are your thoughts regarding this concept? When I read in Deuteronomy that the Lord is one I think not only that there is one God of the universe, but I also look at monotheism as the Trinity being one Lord since they are all God in different manifestations. God the Father is God in all His fullness; God the Son, Jesus, is God in the flesh, and God the Holy Spirit is God in the Spirit who lives in the lives of all believers. All are equally God, but all have a different role to play in the salvation and redemption of humanity. God the Father is the Lord and creator of and over everything seen and unseen along with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God the Son, Jesus, is the Lamb that was slain in our place so that we could once again be together with God the Father. God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, lives inside all who believe to guide and direction us into obedience, life, and peace with God while still here on this earth. When God said in Genesis that He wanted to make man in "our" image, He was talking about the Trinity being placed in the souls and hearts of man. Man was to be like all three manifestations of God for all time, something sin destroyed, replacing it with human pride and arrogance. Jesus said that only He was the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Jesus said that only He was the way to Heaven, and that He was the narrow path. Jesus proclaimed a monotheism that could not be denied because God the Father has always made sure that man knew that He was the only God of the universe, even if man refused to recognize it, or recognized it and flat out refused to follow this one, true God. The Lord our God is one with everything. It's a shame that some will die continuing to deny the one true God who can give them life because He alone is the Way and no other. Comment: "As practiced, monotheistic religions worship very different types of gods: just about the only thing they have in common is the focus on a single god." Author Response: It always amazes me how we can all believe in the "same" God but yet see Him as a different god. Their god hates infidels; our God loves everybody. They are to kill Christians; we as Christians are to except everybody as they are. These are two extremes surely, but how can one god be hater and another be a lover? To me it is simple -- their "bible' was written by one man (Mohammad) who said he believes the things he believes and everyone follows him. The Mormons are the same way -- their "bible" was written by one man (Joseph Smith) who believed that Jesus came to America and gave him the prophecy for America. Our Bible was written by many men who followed God and who were from the race of God's chosen people, the Jews. This means, to me, that our Bible is the witness of many people spread over many years, where their 'bible' was the product of one. I could never take the word of a man who never met the true God when it comes down to how I should live and worship. But, then, this is just my opinion. Comment: "There are times that I believe there are some Christians that turn God into an idol by taking His word and using it as a weapon towards others and against themselves, and by being so far removed that their vision is myopic." Author Response: I once went to a different church one Sunday and sat on the front row. During worship, I had no where to put my Bible since the seat folded up when you stood up, so I put it on the floor under my seat. A woman behind me tapped me on my shoulder and angrily said to me, "How dare you treat God's word that way. Don't you know its holy? You should have more respect for it. Shame on you!" You can realize my disbelief as she said these things to me and during the worship songs to boot! She was treating the actual cover and contents of my bible as if God Himself lived on the pages. To me, that's treating the Bible like an idol. Bobby Bruno was saved 15 years ago in a way that left him no doubt that Jesus wanted him to reach others with His great and abounding love. He started writing at the age of 12 and hasn't stopped since. He achieved Associates Degree in Biblical Studies from Ohio Christian University in early 2014. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |