Thursday, May 10, 2007
Confessing our Faith in the Culture - Chapter 2
Chapter 2 Of God and the Holy Trinity
1. Which God is ours?
Buddhism - Varies: Theravada atheistic; Mahayana more polytheistic. Buddha taught nothing is permanent.
Christian Science - One God. No Trinity (in traditional sense). Matter and evil do not exist.
Hinduism - One Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifested in many gods and goddesses
Islam - One God (Allah in Arabic), strict monotheism.
Jehovah's Witnesses - One God, Jehovah. No Trinity - Christ is the first creation of God; the Holy Spirit is a force.
Mormonism - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate individual beings
New Age - The Divine is an impersonal life force that pervades all things
Taoism - Pantheism - the Tao pervades all. Yin-yang - opposites make up a unity.
Unitarian Universalism - Not specified. Members might believe in one God, many gods, or no God.
Wicca - Polytheism, centered on the Goddess and God, each in various forms.
Christianity - One God who is a Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Trinitarian monotheism.
Source: http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm
2. But aren't they all just different names for the same God?
Remember the presupposition: “There is a God and he has spoken to us through the Bible.” Our God then is the one who has identified himself in the Bible and in the following ways:
Yahweh, the self-existent one. Genesis 15:7; Exodus 3:13-15
The true God, the living God Jeremiah 10:10
The Creator Jeremiah 10:11-12; Isaiah 45:18
The exclusive God Isaiah 45:18
3. How is He different?
The one who has provided the ONLY path to reconciliation John 14:6
The ONLY one who has provided the path to reconciliation Isaiah 45:22
The only god who has done everything for his creatures Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-10
The only god who has demonstrated mastery over death 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
4. Why your god and not mine?
My God tells a consistent and non-contradictory story.
A trustworthy revelation is evidence of a trustworthy author.
My God has a logically consistent explanation/answer for the big questions.
My God has an explanation/answer that is consistent with the evidence.
5. Why does it matter?
It is a matter of life and death, literally. Isaiah 45:22
What if??
It's about identity and purpose: who am I, where did I come from, why am I here, where am I going?
It's about a long time if my God is the true God
