'The Christian worldview has suffered significant atrophy in the modern age--and virtually all of this can be traced to a significant shift in the doctrine of God. The God worshipped by millions of modern persons--including some who identify as Christians--is a deity cut down to postmodern size. This God is more a spectator than a sovereign, and largely leaves his creatures to make their own way. This formless "God" may be popular--but He is not the God of the Bible.
The Christian doctrine of God is rooted in this most fundamental truth--that God and God alone is sovereign. The Bible reveals the true and living God in this way, and without this revealed knowledge we would know nothing of Him, for He is incomprehensible and beyond the reach of our creaturely investigation. There is much we cannot know of God, for as the Apostle Paul asked, "How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways." [Romans 11:33] There are questions about God we simply should not ask. Martin Luther, the great reformer, reminded his own students of this truth with a memorable story recorded in his Table Talk. "When one [student] asked, where was God before heaven was created? St. Augustine answered: He was in himself. When another asked me the same question, I said: He was building hell for such idle, presumptuous, fluttering and inquisitive spirits as you." I can assure you that every seminary professor has been tempted at some point to answer a troublesome student the same way!
This God is one, and He is the only God. That most basic truth is found in the Shema--that central verse to the Old Testament [Deuteronomy 6:4]: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" This great revelation set the true worship of Israel over against the myriad paganisms all around them. That great central truth is followed by the Great Commandment: "You shall love the LORD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." [Deuteronomy 6:5]'
Read the entire article at:
www.almohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2004-06-16
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment