4. IS CHRISTIANITY REALLY MONOTHEISTIC?
There are Christian denominations which claim that Christianity is not monotheistic. They put it in no uncertain terms that Christendom, except them, worships many Gods. Those Christian denominations are: The Jehovah's Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostalism, Unification Church, The Way International, Worldwide Church of God, Christadelphianism and other smaller Christian groupings.
It is an undeniable fact that The Holy Trinity is not found in the bible. Nevertheless there is a lot Christians say that is not found in the bible yet Christians never dispute it.
Here is some of it.
a) Most Christians say a snake that tempted Eve was Satan incarnate, yet that is not written in the bible.
b) Most Christians say Satan was once an archangel of God Almighty, yet it is not found in the bible.
c) The existence of two ethereal kingdoms, one of God Almighty and the other of Satan and his demons, is not found in the bible yet almost all Christians preach it.
d) Some Christians claim that there are seven heavens, which also is not found in the bible.
For all these unsubstantiated sayings I have just mentioned and many more I did not mention, Christians have never involved themselves in disputation resulting in schisms and proselytizing. But say to Christians: “There is the Holy Trinity.” Then unimaginable contention will be ignited.
Christians should not be scared to proclaim that Jesus is the son of God, for the bible says so. Other people are busy counting and ending up saying : “So it means Christians worship three gods.” Read what God Almighty says to us through His Prophet Isaiah: “My thoughts,” says the Lord, 'are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours.” Isaiah 55:8 (GNB) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (NKJV)
The essence of Christianity is faith not analytic and comparative thinking. That is why Christians believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, as Matthew puts it that Mary was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. What really happened to Mary is far beyond our knowledge which is limited to gametocyte. What happened to Mary defies scientific and biological explanation concerning viviparous gestation.
The bible, just like the universe, has what our mortal minds could not fully comprehend and our science with its most modern technology could not give answers to. Here are some incidents from the bible which our minds and scientific investigation could not give answers to:
a) Three people were translated straight from earth to heaven. The first one is Enoch. The second one is Elijah the Prophet and the last one is Jesus Christ. (Genesis5:24; 2Kings 2:11; Acts 1:9)
b) Moses struck a rock twice in the wilderness and a lot of water came out gushing from it. (Numbers: 20:11)
c) Big rocks once fell down from the sky upon the alliance of the army of three kings who fought against Israel and the rotation of the earth round the sun was made slower causing the day to be longer. (Joshua 10:11-1)
d) A donkey talked to its master. (Numbers 22: 28-30)
e) Ravens once brought Elijah the prophet of God Almighty who was in a hiding place at His command bread and meat twice a day. (1Kings 17:6)
f) Jonah was swallowed by a big fish, and spent three days and three nights in its belly before getting spat out on the sea shore. (Jonah 1:17)
g) Naaman was entirely cured of his leprosy simply by dipping himself seven times in the River Jordan at the command of Elisha the prophet. (2Kings 5:14)
h) Elisha once pleaded with God Almighty to cause the whole Syrian army to go blind and at once all its soldiers were blind. (2Kings 6:18)
i) Lazarus, who had been four days dead and buried was commanded by Jesus to come out of his grave alive, which Lazarus did. (Johan 11:44)
j) A man who was born lame and had not walked on his own since birth stood on his healthy legs and strong ankles and feet after he had been commanded by Peter to do so, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. (Acts 3:6-8)
The bible is full of mysteries, yet people seem to fail to realize that and pile all their criticism upon the Holy Trinity. They fail to understand that no one could count God Almighty. They seem to forget that God Almighty is Spirit which could not be analysed or counted. They seem not to have understood, when Jesus says in Johan 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship in spirit and truth.” (NKJV) How can a person count that which is Spirit? An incorporeal being is not the least like a human being.
The bible says Jesus who has been a spiritual being was embodied so as to be able to live among people. Each and every human being has a spiritual element within himself or herself which makes human beings spiritual beings to a lesser extent. The spiritual component in human beings can be developed or defiled.
Spirits and their existence where they are have never been seen by those in flesh. Therefore it would be falsehood for one in flesh to describe life in the spiritual world. One has to die and release one's spirit to the spiritual world first, for one to fully comprehend spiritual life. Paul has put it correctly when he said: “To have faith is to be sure of things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 The New Kings James Version says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The vehicle of faith is credence.
Christians with unconditional faith should in fact unanimously agree with Jesus Christ himself when he says to Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV) Jesus, who is said to have been conceived of the Holy Spirit which all Christians should believe with no reservations, promised his disciples that he will send them the Holy Spirit.
It will be very much dubious of a Christian who believes in God Almighty and his Son Jesus Christ to raise a question: “Which Holy Spirit did Jesus Christ send, the one through which he was conceived or the other one?” This question and all other sarcastic questions should be asked only by those opposed to Christianity as well as by those contemptuous thereof.
Faith and belief have nothing to do with reckoning, similarities and dissimilarities. Christians should believe without counting numbers that God sent His Son to earth. They must also believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit without adding or taking away anything. Counting and looking at similarities and dissimilarities should be left to non-Christians to waste their time on.
What people should know is; Christianity is monotheist. Let us look at the Son of God as well as all other sons of God found in the bible which are numerous.
A. The first one is Jesus Christ.
God Almighty said Himself: “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased.” Matthew 3:17 (GNB) The Prophet Isaiah says: “For unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NKJV) People read the bible all the time yet what Isaiah says always eludes them. According to Isaiah's prophecy Jesus has many names:
a) He is Wonderful.
b) He is Counselor.
c) He is Mighty God.
d) He is Everlasting Father.
e) He is Prince of Peace.
It is by the will of God which is always done in heaven which must also be done here on earth that Jesus Christ has all these names. So if one can pray to Jesus Christ and say: “Wonderful I thank you.” The other one says: “Oh Counselor help me.” The other one says: “Mighty God I worship you.” The other one says: “Prince of Peace you are so good to me.” The other one says: “Thank you Jesus Christ of Nazareth we have finished.” To someone who does not read the bible and one who does not understand it well, it will be as if these people pray to many gods. If God Almighty told Isaiah to tell us that Jesus Christ is Mighty God only an apostate or a non-believer can challenge Him for that.
Let us hear what Paul says of Jesus Christ in his letter to the Romans chapter 1:1-4 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God - the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (HBNIV)
Those who say when Jesus was crucified God Almighty Himself hang on the cross, must read what Paul says to the Galatians chapter 1:1 “Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” (HBNIV) If what they say is something to go by, it means God Almighty sent Himself down to earth to be born of Mary. If this is what they think, it means God Almighty called upon Himself on the cross saying: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” It also means God Almighty raised Himself from death. This is nonsensical which true Christians should not entertain.
B. There are also heavenly sons of God.
Read Job 1:6 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord…” Job 2:1 “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord…”
C. People of Israel were once sons and daughters of God Almighty.
Read Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the South, 'Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.' (NKJV)
D. Jesus Christ teaches people in his sermon on the mountain how they can also become children of God Almighty.
Read Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
E. Paul says those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and such are sons and heirs of God Almighty through Christ.
Read Galatians 4:6-7 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Christians who deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then they also deny that they, themselves are sons, daughters and heirs of God through Christ.
Christians have also to learn to stop turning against one another. Jesus warns them of such a bad conduct in Mark 3: 24-25 saying: “If a kingdom is divided against itself that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (GNB) Christianity is the biggest religious body which is divided into numerous non violent parts called denominations that unfortunately keep on undermining one another. It is paradoxical that these divisions in Christianity have more advantages than disadvantages. The most prominent advantage is that they fuel the spread of Christianity from all directions.
Forbearance Christian denominations have with one another attest to Jesus Christ teachings when he says: “For whoever is not against us is for us.” (GNB) Paul also condones these divisions as he says in his letter to the Philippians 1:17-18; “The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition… It does not matter! I am happy about it - so long as Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives.”
Christianity is monotheistic yet paradoxically Christians believe in Lord God Almighty, as well as His son Jesus Christ the King of Christians and in the Holy Spirit. What I have just mentioned never makes Christians to worship many gods. They worship one God, the Lord God Almighty. Jesus Christ is the spiritual being from heaven that was made flesh so as to be able to interact with human beings. The bible states without reservations that presently Jesus Christ sits on the right hand side of Lord God Almighty. All Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God.
If a king has a son will it be wise of us to call that son a king as well. No, that would be stupid of us, for a son of a king is a son of a king. We could not say: “Because a king has a son so we have two kings.” If a second son is born, it would be foolish of us to say now we have three kings. There will always be one king with his two sons, the princes.
Jesus, the bible states categorically clear that HE IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE. God omniscient as He is, knew that people will also call him a wonderful counselor. Others will even call him mighty God. Others may even call him everlasting father. All these names will never change Jesus Christ from being what he was and what he will always be; THE SON OF GOD.