God Is One

When God freed Israel to take her to the promised land, He said: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3). Later Moses told the Israelites, "The Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him" (Deut. 4:35) and "The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (6:4). Israel was to believe in the one and only God.

But Jesus claimed to be God. Is He God number two? Not at all. In Mark 12:29-30, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'" If Jesus were another God He might have said, "Split your allegiance between the two of us." But Jesus says we are to love God with undivided commitment. Therefore He agrees with Moses that there is only one God. However, He also says, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

Paul also discusses the unity of God in 1 Corinthians 8. The pagan priests in Corinth would often sell the meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Some new Christians were offended when other Christians ate that meat. In response, Paul told them, "Concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world" (v. 4). Since an idol represented a nonexistent god, there was nothing wrong with eating the food. He continued, "There is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through Him" (vv. 4-6). How can all things be from God the Father, for whom we exist, and by the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we exist? Because they are one.

Praise God as David did: "For this reason Thou art great, O Lord God; for there is none like Thee, and there is no God besides Thee" (2 Sam. 7:22).

What was God's response to Israel's idolatry? How does God feel about anything that might take first place in your heart instead of Him?

The question of pinpointing the Father’s presence is a difficult one, since He is found in Christ and Christ found in Him; proving the Father’s omnipresence.

How far did the Son ascend? Five miles? Ten? Ten billion?

If he had departed horizontally, people would have been looking for him everywhere, instead of following his command to wait in Jerusalem for the “promise of the Father”.

For whatever it is worth, the “do his commandments” phrase (from Rev. 22:14) means “wash their robes” (in the Greek text. according to the 1948 Oxford U. commentary I use most of the time).

My pc time is so short right now, any further comments will have to wait. It’s the nature of my truck driver job.

For whatever it is worth, the â€œdo his commandmentsâ€ phrase (from Rev. 22:14) means â€œwash their robesâ€ (in the Greek text. according to the 1948 Oxford U. commentary I use most of the time).

No, his commandments are centered in, and flow from, the two great commandments in the Torah.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Matthew, Catholic chapter nineteen, Protestant verses sixteen to nineteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter twenty two, Protestant verses thirty six to forty,
John, Catholic chapter thirteen, Protestant verses thirty three to thirty five,
First John, Catholic chapter two, Protestant verses three to seven,
Revelation, Catholic chapter twelve, Protestant verse seventeen,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

The phrase “wash their robes” is of course symbolic. We can’t literally wash our garments to be found obedient to the Lord’s commandments. But, we are to baptized for remission of sins (which is wrongfully refuted by the Calvinists and others as “our own works”.). That’s where He applies the blood.

**his commandments are centered in, and flow from, the two great commandments in the Torah.**

No argument about that either.

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