|
view all articles
Trinity part 1- Strict Monotheism
There is only One God in all existence.
The Christian Religion has classically been placed alongside Islam and Judaism as one of the three historically 'monotheistic' religions. 'Monotheism', is the belief that there is only one God in all of existence. It's a doctrine the Bible teaches and emphatically declares time and time, and time again. This is the first in a series of four articles about issues surrounding what Christians call 'the Trinity'. Beginning here by establishing that the Bible teaches that there is only ONE God in all of existence, we're next going to move to plurality in the Godhead and the Deity of Jesus (Jesus being God) and the personhood of the Holy Spirit. After that, our final article will be some applications of how our understanding of the Trinity should affect our lives, our understanding of Scripture, and some other things. Right then. To work! Some of the greatest and most beautifully poetic passages of the Bible are found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah, the son of Amoz, was a prophet around the time King Hezekiah. You can find an account of Isaiah's dealings with Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-20. There is a book in the Bible dedicated to the prophetic teaching and predictions of the prophet; in fact it is what we called on of the Four Major Prophets, alongside Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel. In the 43rd chapter of the book of Isaiah, we read these words in verse 10: "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be one after me." God, through the prophet Isaiah, confidently asserts that before Him, there was no God, and nor shall there be any after Him. He alone is the God with whom all in this universe have to do. Given that the Bible teaches that God knows everything (1 Jn. 3:20), for Him to emphatically declare that He is, and always will be, the only God, means that He speaks the truth. Furthermore, in just the next chapter of the book of Isaiah we read, "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no god." - Isaiah 44:6 And then in verse 8 also, "Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any." - Isaiah 44:8 And so here we see placed before us very plainly from the Scriptures, that the Religion of the Bible, teaches firmly and absolutely the existence of only one God. Christianity is monotheistic. The New Testament confirms this teaching of the Old Testament. Jesus, speaking to a scribe in Mark 12, asserts that the Lord God is One. The scribe rightly understands Him to mean, "You have truly said that He is one and there is no other besides Him." (Mark 12:32). The consequences Logically, if the Bible teaches there is one God, and it is the God of the Bible, then I cannot acknowledge the existence of other deities. Hinduism, Islam, and all world religions except Christianity thus worship false and non-existent gods. Controversial? You bet. Living in a multi-faith, pluralistic global society, to make any claim to absolute truth in this day and age is not looked kindly upon. But, if we are Bible centred Christians, we must accept that there is One God, and He alone exists, and is to be praised and worshipped. Next time, we'll be looking at Plurality and in the God-head and the Deity of Jesus. Keep watching this space! All my love in Christ, Arron
|
