The One True God
“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.” I Corinthians 8:5-6
Continuing with the theme of yesterday’s blog (8/6/20), the Apostle Paul had been called upon to settle a dispute among the church members in Corinth regarding the eating of food that had been offered to idols. There were differing opinions on the subject, and Paul decided to focus on one particular opinion, that of the fact that an idol was nothing, thus, technically, there was no harm in eating such food. Since an idol was nothing, it was not a god, but merely an image, a statue, a heavenly body, or whatever form that man decided, and any food sacrificed to it was not affected in any way. I remember visiting Disney World several years ago, and I think it was in the international section where there was a statue of Buddha, the 6th century B.C. founder of Buddhism. Fruits and vegetables had been placed in front of this statue I suppose as some sort of offering, but the only effect that Buddha had on that food was that it would rot in the hot sun. It seemed like a waste of good food. If there was anything related to Christianity on display, I don’t remember seeing it. Thus to leave out a symbolic cross or an open Bible is to leave out the one true God. However, people always bring up the separation of church and state, but they don’t mind if other religions are displayed. I think Christianity is singled out because Christ is the only One with real power to change lives.
Who knows how many false gods there are in the world. We have heard of Buddha, Allah, and Brahman, the Hindu god, but there are many more. Some are not physical or material beings, but rather ideas, lifestyles, and rituals to be followed. And, of course, gods are whatever we place before the one true God, like money, other people, fame, etc. When Paul said that there were many gods and lords, he was not kidding. I have a book entitled “A Book of Beliefs” which covers many religions, beliefs, cults, witchcraft, reincarnation, and close encounters of the third, fourth, or fifth kind. Other than Christianity and Judaism, they all have one thing in common, and that is they were all founded by a human who thought he or she had some new enlightenment from whatever higher being or spiritual guru of whom they worshipped. When Paul visited Athens, Greece, he found an idol to the Unknown God, placed among all the other idols, because the Athenians were superstitious and didn’t want to offend a god by leaving it out (Acts 17:22-23). That doesn’t seem to bother many folks today, that is, to leave God out.
For those who are born again, God has given a special privilege to know the truth, that there is one God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not three Gods, but one God in three forms, each with His own tasks: God the Creator and Sustainer of life, Jesus, the Savior, whose sacrifice redeemed mankind and who will be crowned King of king and Lord of lords, and the Holy Spirit, the One who convicts men and women of sin and who comforts those who sorrow. They are one God with one purpose–to bring man into a saving relationship with his Creator, a relationship that was broken by man’s sin. None of these other false gods have the power to do what God has done and is doing at the present. None an heal the sick, comfort the broken hearted, nor raise the dead. Only God can do those things. He made man, He knows the needs of man, and only He can satisfy the deep longing for love and acceptance that mankind desires. A wooden or metal statue, following a set of rules and regulations, or performing rituals can do none of those things nor make one righteous before Almighty God. Only Christ, the Lord and Savior, can make us acceptable to our Creator.