Post by Eleazar on Jun 15, 2023 10:42:27 GMT -8
Do you believe in one God? Do you believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Isn’t that three? How does one reconcile that concept? Lets see what the Word says.
“Hear, O Israel” These are the first words in the Sh’ma, one of the most honored passages of the Hebrew Bible. The words of the Sh’ma from Deuteronomy 6 are repeated during both morning and evening prayer services. Many Jewish households still keep a little mezuzah attached to their doorjambs, which they will kiss or touch as they go in and out of their homes.
Hidden inside this tiny case is a Scripture roll with the words of the Sh’ma: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might… Deuteronomy 6:4-5 The word Sh’ma means “Hear.” In other words, “Pay attention, Israel.” The Scriptures are adamant; there is only one true God. Yahweh is the I AM, the King of the Universe, the Beginning and the End.
The Sh’ma, repeated daily by faithful Jews, emphasizes the central belief that there is only one God. As Christians, we too believe there is only one God. Yet, we believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How do we reconcile these concepts without complicated theological definitions? We see the three members of the Trinity in the New Testament, and we sort of nod in agreement. We accept it, even though we may not really understand it well enough to explain it to someone else.
This is not an easy subject to tackle by any means. It turns out that the more we attempt to explain the Trinity through what’s called rational apologetics, the deeper the quicksand in which we find ourselves.
There have been many models suggested to help us conceptualize One God in Three Persons. For instance, white light contains all the colors of the rainbow, which are based on three primary colors. The idea that white light is composed of three primary colors is an appealing technological model. Another example is a chord made up of three notes, three tones that together offer one sound. These are two of many possible pictures of individual “somethings” combining to make a single, unified whole.
So the question that needs to be asked is... do you want all of God or just a part of Him?
“Hear, O Israel” These are the first words in the Sh’ma, one of the most honored passages of the Hebrew Bible. The words of the Sh’ma from Deuteronomy 6 are repeated during both morning and evening prayer services. Many Jewish households still keep a little mezuzah attached to their doorjambs, which they will kiss or touch as they go in and out of their homes.
Hidden inside this tiny case is a Scripture roll with the words of the Sh’ma: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might… Deuteronomy 6:4-5 The word Sh’ma means “Hear.” In other words, “Pay attention, Israel.” The Scriptures are adamant; there is only one true God. Yahweh is the I AM, the King of the Universe, the Beginning and the End.
The Sh’ma, repeated daily by faithful Jews, emphasizes the central belief that there is only one God. As Christians, we too believe there is only one God. Yet, we believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How do we reconcile these concepts without complicated theological definitions? We see the three members of the Trinity in the New Testament, and we sort of nod in agreement. We accept it, even though we may not really understand it well enough to explain it to someone else.
This is not an easy subject to tackle by any means. It turns out that the more we attempt to explain the Trinity through what’s called rational apologetics, the deeper the quicksand in which we find ourselves.
There have been many models suggested to help us conceptualize One God in Three Persons. For instance, white light contains all the colors of the rainbow, which are based on three primary colors. The idea that white light is composed of three primary colors is an appealing technological model. Another example is a chord made up of three notes, three tones that together offer one sound. These are two of many possible pictures of individual “somethings” combining to make a single, unified whole.
So the question that needs to be asked is... do you want all of God or just a part of Him?
