ONE GOD. ONE JESUS.

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “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 all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Variety is the spice of life.

Or at least this is what the world would want us to believe.

We like variety, right? Choices are good and we seem to favor situations where we have more than one option.

Walk down the food aisle and you can have your pick of different brands of the same kind of product.

Go to a restaurant, fast food or sit down, and you get to pick from a menu unless it’s a buffet restaurant which is the mother lode of dining with multiple food offerings.

Want to travel somewhere by air? You have many airlines to select from to get to and from your destination.

I could go on and on with examples but you get the point. There’s no choice that we have a lot of alternatives in life in most areas and for the most part, there’s no problem with choosing one item over another. It’s solely up to personal preference.

But here’s the rub. When it comes to our spiritual life, this matter of variety disappears. Yes, there may be lots of different religions to follow but there is only one that is legitimate, only one that offers the believer sure salvation from sin through a Savior. Of course, this religion is Christianity.

Within the Christian religion, there is no multitude of belief opportunities. Rather, there is one God of all people and one Son He sent to save mankind.

One God. One Jesus. Period.    

Back in first century AD, the Apostle Paul faced a constant challenge as he worked to institute the Christian church and share the Gospel with others.

What was the challenge?

It was grounded in the truth that there were a lot of religions in the world at the time and all had existed far longer than Christianity. These religions were embedded into cultures and their populations. Convincing people that their current belief system was flawed and needed replaced was not an easy task. And even if people made the switch to become Christ followers, there was always present the looming temptation and influence of the more established religions, many of which practiced idol worshiping.

It’s into this place that we find Paul writing as we continue to look at verses four through six of 1 Corinthians 8. Look again at his words here:

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “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 all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Here Paul sought to remind the church about what they believed and who they believed in.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

One God loved the world and everyone in it so much that He offered up one Son, Jesus, so that whoever believed in Him wouldn’t perish but gain eternal life.

One God. One Jesus. Period.

No variety here. Just two almighty, omnipotent, holy people who have brought eternal hope to billions upon billions of believers for well over 2,000 years.

Jesus said that He is the only Way to the God the Father (John 14:6). A person can’t be saved through any other name but the name of Jesus (Acts 4:11-12), an option only made available through the love of God who wished no one to perish at the hand of His judgment.

One God. One Jesus.

Both have given us the chance to live with them forever and that’s the only option in life that really matters.   

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com