Continuing from a previous post ‘God’s Clear Commands for Life’, Jerry Sittser wrote:
You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
The Biblical God is unique, The Cultures of the Near East boasted of many gods. These gods were usually associated with some phenomenon of nature; they had a God of the sun, a god of the wind, a god of the Nile and so forth. But Israel had only one God, a supreme being who transcended all earthly phenomena. His own name underscores his uniqueness. “I AM WHO I AM.”2 In other words, God transcends physical reality, national boundaries, and tribal ownership. Nothing in the world can explain the nature of the one who stands outside the world; nothing within history can capture the essence of the One who stands above history. God simply is; God is his own self-definition. We can’t define him; he defines us, as creator, redeemer, and judge.
Monotheism was one of the hallmarks of Israel’s religion. “Here, O Israel,” they confessed, “the Lord our God is one.”3 Considering their religious background, the first followers of Jesus, all Jews, faced enormous difficulties trying to figure who Jesus was. In their minds no human being had the right to do what Jesus did (like forgive sins)4 and to make the claims that he made (“Before Abraham was, I AM.”).5 His crucifixion would have put an end to such blasphemy if he had not been raised from the dead three days later. Only then did his followers comprehend who he really was. They called him “Lord,” a title that was reserved only for God. 6
There is only one God, known through His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the Christian confession of faith. We can pretend there is no God or there are other gods; but in the end we will be proven wrong. All other gods will fail us—the gods of other religions, popular ideologies, money and fame and power—because they are false. This belief offends our modern sensibilities. I work in an academic setting. Colleges and universities embrace pluralism with a vengeance; it is the fashion of the day. There are many ways, not one way; many gods, not just one God; many truths not just one truth. People have the right to choose what is true, or at least what is true to them. . . . . ~Jerry Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 USA) p. 68-69
