Who Is God ? (Continues) Another biblical example of oneness Christ tells us we are to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Before any of the books of the New Testament were written, the Hebrew Scriptures—what we call the Old Testament—were the only recorded “word of God” available. Often the Old Testament can clear our foggy vision and help us understand the spiritual intent of the New. After all, we should understand that all the books of the Bible are the revealed Word of God, and all increase our understanding (2 Timothy 3:16). Consider a seldom-read passage back in the book of Judges that illustrates how oneness can mean unity: “So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah” (Judges 20:1).For once, the entire nation of Israel was wholly unified in purpose to meet a serious problem affecting the whole country. The expression “as one man” is used to convey the point that the nation was fully united at that particular time. Verses 8 and 11 emphasize the point: “So all the people arose as one man . . . So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.” Of course, they still remained many individual citizens of the same nation. So again, the Bible itself sheds light on the meaning of oneness. Comprehending God’s oneness Scripture reveals two separate, distinct persons, both spirit, yet one in unity, belief, direction and purpose—members of the same divine family. “I and My Father are one,” said Jesus (John 10:30). When we understand what the Bible teaches, we see that there is only one God, just as there is only one human race—one extended family descended from Adam of nearly 7 billion individuals. Just the same, the one divine family—the family of God—is open to an unlimited number of members. The traditional human family is a microcosm of that one great divine family (compare Romans 1:20). If we comprehend this marvelous, wondrous biblical principle, we should be reflecting our ultimate destiny in our marriages, other family relationships and everyday lives. We should strive to reflect the love and unity of the divine family—God the Father and His Son Jesus—in our human families. Amen
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:19:02 +0000
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