Talking about Christianity today, it is easy for preachers to present God as so many things to people which might get them even more confused than they were before if the message is not properly conveyed. In my article, "ignore doctrinal differences and focus on Christ", I punched on something that raised a few questions from some people. I feel the spirit of that article which is my humble intent was not properly revealed to some readers.
Hence, this piece should better enlighten our understanding and kill our differences if we are all in Christ and Christ is in us all. Our faith is not Judaism, neither is it Qabalah. Throughout the bible God has been revealed in so many ways to the people of Israel and for that matter He has been given names like Adonai, Jireh, El shadai, El Elyon and many others in scripture.
These names are not of much importance to us as long as Christianity is concerned. No serious Christian prays in the name El Shadai but the name Jesus Christ. The Lord said whatever we ask the father in His name and not in the name Adonai and the rest. There is no other name but Christ Jesus and the personality of Christ is who God is as much as Christianity is concerned. Also God has said, he has exalted his word above His names (Psalm 138:2 KJV) and unarguably Jesus Christ is the word of God (John 1:1, 1:14).
In Acts 4:11-12 scripture reads:
"This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
So we are not operating by the perceptions of men in the texts of the bible but by what God himself has revealed to us and in us. The bible has human perceptions in them too and many people spoke in the bible even including Satan. So not every statement in the bible can be considered a scripture. Example is this quote in Proverbs 30:7-9
"Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God."
This is someone's prayer in the bible. His request is in his fears. This cannot be used as a doctrine in building a ministry. This will only breed a congregation with a poverty mindset.
Furthermore, we should know that God is what He is according to his purpose at anytime in history. The God of Judaism is a fierce God but the God of Christianity is the God of love. He is nothing else but love to those of us who are being saved.
We are no longer in mount Sinai where men could not stand the presence of God. We are no longer walking on the desert with a God that opens the ground and swallow people when they sin. We are no longer walking with a God that will raise the wicked against his children to put them in slavery when they disobey. Who is God to you? If you identify the nature of God to you as a person, you will know how to relate with him.
The old covenant was given in an aura that commanded fear. It was presented in a terrifying atmosphere that even caused animals to panic. That is how God wanted the people to relate to him at that time.
Hebrews 12:18-21 says:
"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
This was the mountain of fear where God came in a manner that terrified men. And that is why the Pharisees could not understand why Jesus could boldly call God His father. God was God and not a father to anyone. The best God could be in terms of relationship with man in the past was a friend, thus with Abraham.
But the relationship has changed and there is a new covenant. Our fathers walk with God in the past only tells us what he can be when he comes again to meet us living in sin. But today, his relationship with those of us who have believed in Christ is in love and Joy. God is revealed to us as love and not a terror. God is revealed to us is the personality and the wisdom of Christ.
Hebrews 12:22, says:
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
We are no longer in mount Sinai; we are in mount Zion. It is not a physical city, but a spiritual one. We are in a joyful assembly with the God of love. We have a better covenant with our maker. The God that killed my fathers in the past on the desert has so much loved me that he came to die for me. I therefore do not carve my life according to the old Judaism who were even forbidden from eating certain foods. I am a child of Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem and not Sinai.
What is there in the new covenant?
Jeremiah 31:33-34
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The heart of this covenant is simple: "I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." You are no longer a child under sin. If you are in Christ, your sins are forgiven and for that matter you don't live in sin. This forgiveness is an expression of God as love. Love forgives and forgets.
1 John 4:8 says:
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
We cannot carve Christianity around anything than the love of God revealed in us through Christ. The nature of God is not contradictory, he is just what you see him to be. So he said, "I AM THAT I AM". He told Moses to tell the people of Israel: "I AM has sent you". Who is I AM? To us who have found Christ "I AM" is love. So God sent Love in the person of Jesus Christ to us that we will be saved from the power of darkness. In the minds of the Israelites, "I AM" was that fierce looking and powerful God who had no pity for man.
Love is the greatest thing according the word of God.
1 Corinthians 13:13, says:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
If the greatest is love then the greatest God can be for us is love. Do not belittle God in your perception of him. He is the greatest of all virtues; Love. He is greater than Adonai, Jireh, El shadai and the rest. Those were what we called him when we didn't know Him. All these words are compounded in the word Love. God is love and if he is love, we must know how he operates and relates with us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7, says:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
See God in the above scripture and always know that he is patient, he is not easily angered, and he keeps no record of your wrongs. He always protects you, he trusts you and preserves you. All these God is for you if and only if you are in Christ Jesus. Live in Christ and enjoy the love of God.
Do not look at the God in Sinai, look at the God is Christ and walk with him. Our doctrine is our benefits as we live and hope in Christ Jesus. Our doctrine is the message of Christ Jesus. And the message of Christ Jesus is nothing but Love.
Also, we must note that if we want to see the God of the Jews from the desert then we must be prepared to go through the 613 precepts given to them. There were moral precepts, ceremonial precepts and others. We must be prepared to go through the various religious festivals given to the Jews: the feast of the unleavened bread, the Passover, the feast of first fruits, the Holy Convocations and the rest. These were not the inventions of the people but God.
The same God that accepted the sacrifices of animals in the past has in our days given us just one sacrifice which is the cross of Christ. We are not Jews; we can't build a doctrine from their cultures in the bible to run the church. The church is different because the covenant has changed. This has been the pivot of confusion in Christendom; the old and the new covenants.
God's final word
Hebrews 1:1-2, says
"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe."
The final word of God is His son Jesus Christ. What we see in Jesus is the finality of God. He is nothing else to us again than Jesus. The Patriarchal and the era of the prophets all run down to the finality of God; His son Jesus. And the son ignored the Sabath day to perform a godly duty. You can run Sabath day doctrine, ignore eating pigs and other meats, ban drums and whatever you think will make God happy, if you are not in line with the son, you have missed it.
Let's get into the real deal of the message of Christ and ignore Judaism cultures and religiosity in the church. God is love and that is the most important thing. Shalom!
Remain blessed!
Eugene Gyakari
Whatsapp: +233244185357
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