THERE IS ONE GOD,
AND HE IS A MISSIONARY GOD!
I Timothy 2:1-7
When Paul says that he believes in one God, he is stating much more than a doctrinal position on monotheism. He is expressing faith in the God who created the universe, who gave birth to all the nations, who has sent the Redeemer the world, and who wants all people to come back to Him. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, when Paul says that he believes there is one God, this is a God with missionary intentions for His creation and for His church.
In this text from Timothy Paul places his belief in one God in the context of His saving work in Jesus Christ. "God our Savior desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ." (I Tim. 2:4,5)
This logic did not begin with Paul. He sees this arising from the monotheism of the Shema, the fundamental creed of Israel, "The Lord our God, the Lord He is one!" (Dt. 6:4) This God is the one who brought the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, and He will have no other gods before Him. He is jealous for their complete allegiance and trust. This, in turn, brings them into the fullness of His Kingdom.
Paul draws on this in Romans where he draws out implications for mission from God as Creator. He is discussing the thorny question of whether Gentiles may be admitted into the Kingdom. He asks the telling question, "Is God the God of the Jews only? Is He also God of the Gentiles?" To this he gives the only answer possible, "Yes, God of the Gentiles too, for there is one God." (Romans 3:29,30) If He is the creator, then of course He is the God of the Gentiles also. Otherwise this God would be a local deity, of the Jews only. But as there is one God, He is the creator of all, and His kingdom must be for all.
In another place we hear Paul arguing from creation to missionary universals. Luke gives us part of his speech in Athens. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of the earth and the heavens." From here Paul takes the next step, "He has made every nation." (Acts 17:24,25). Then he shows the missionary heart of this God, "And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him." (Acts 17:25, 26)
To have no other gods but the one true God means taking active and passive steps. Passively, it means that we ascribe to no other god the deliverance God has achieved for us. Actively, we see that others come to realize that all other gods are false gods who destroy and deceive, and we point them to the living God. Actively and passively we have the ministry of reconciliation committed to us. Like the Hebrew people, we are a holy nation, a royal priesthood, God's own people to declare His wonderful works to the praise of His glory. |
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THE LEAST EVANGELIZED ....
THROUGH THE EYES OF NUMBERS, CHARTS, AND TABLES
About five years ago my wife Constance and I were riding in a truck near Jodphur, Rajasthan, India with a Muslim friend who was the village "mayor" and a Hindu newspaper writer. The conversation, quite naturally, went to religion. One surprising thing that came out was that all of us belonged to religions that believed in one God. The surprise was that the Hindu gentleman agreed. Beyond the popular brand of Hinduism, he was saying, in philosophical Hinduism the belief is in one God. Well, that might require further parsing. Certainly the Jewish faith does belong among those who believe in one God.
What about religions that would not accept one God? Are there many and which would they be?
Barrett and Johnson give a listing of 9,900 religions of significant organization or identity. Some are clearly outside the monotheist faiths. They break down as follows:
Buddhists - 700 branches, with 360 million followers. The vast majority of these - adherents and branches - are in China.
Baha'is - 7,106,000 followers and three small branches. Of course this is the religion with a place for all gods, all religions. Their leader is Baha'i Allah, who died in 1892.
Muslims - 1 billion 200 million followers, with 650 branches. So much for Islam being divided into Sufi, Shi'a, and Sunni!
"New Religionists" - over 100 million adherents, to some degree or another, and 375 expressions. The list of these gives the best view of the panorama of appealing faiths.
Shintoists - 2,762,000 followers, and 325 branches, (not counting the US groups who claim ancestors in the Mayflower!).
Ethno-religionists, who would be religions developed within an ethnic or tribal group and known almost exclusively among them - almost 1,000 such religions with 228 million followers. The deceptive thing of these religions is how complex these religions are. After all most of them originated centuries ago, and their beliefs cover just about all phases and phenomena of life.
Jains - 15 branches with over 4 million followers. Whatever else is said of them, some of their temples are extraordinarily beautiful!
For all their insights and virtues - and there are many - none of the above accepts that "God our Savior desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ."
Information above from World Christian Trends, editors David Barrett and Todd Johnson |
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Church Steps . . . Towards the Nations
The above list should make us think. Specifically, we should think through to a compelling answer - what are the distinct advantages and implications of our belief in one God?
Sunday Scenes gives a weekly comment on the lectionary for a cumulative perspective on the missionary theme of Scripture.
Rev. Tad de Bordenave, Founder and Former Director | | |