Monday 16th November 2020 Devotion
Scripture:- Mark 12:28-34
Topic:- Understanding Christianity [1]
Text:- Mark 12:29
A. Christianity, major religion which is claimed to be oriented from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth, [the Christ, or the Anointed One of God] in the 1st century CE.
It has become the largest of the world’s religions and, geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths.
It has a constituency of more than two billion believers.
Its largest groups are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Protestant Churches.
Christianity transcending denominational boundaries are Pentecostalism, Charismatic Christianity, Evangelicalism, and Fundamentalism.
In addition, there are numerous independent Churches throughout the world, such as Anglicanism; Baptist; Calvinism; Congregationalism; Evangelical Church; Lutheranism; Oriental Orthodoxy; Presbyterian; Reformed and Presbyterian Churches.
B. The Three questions go thus:
- Christians believed in Trinity. Why did Jesus Christ preached pure oneness of God?
There is an interesting incident in the New Testament where Jesus seems to affirm the Theology of the one God.
One of the Jewish Teachers of the law approaches Jesus and asks Him which of the commandments is the most important. See Mark 12:28-34.
This incident was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to correct misconceptions about God’s nature and give the Jewish teacher of the law a Trinitarian understanding of God being three co-equal and co-eternal persons.
As you can see, the exact opposite is the case; by quoting the Old Testament commandment about God being One, a direct quote of Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
And by agreeing with the Jewish Teacher’s interpretation, Jesus is affirming an understanding of God that is purely monotheistic and rejects all notion of God being a Trinity.
Not only is the Jewish Teacher’s wisdom about God acknowledged, but also Jesus goes so far as to compliment him, saying that he is close to the kingdom of God. - Does The Holy Spirit Originated From The Father or The Son? What is the situation with the Trinity today?
There is still major disagreement among Trinitarians over the doctrine. The biggest issue relates to the Holy Spirit. The equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son was established on the Council of Constantinople in 381 CE.
While the council concluded that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father, it said nothing concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son.
Here is the last section of the Creed of the Council of Constantinople.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.
Note that the second line only specifies the Father. This section of the creed was later translated into Latin with the addition, “and the Son.”
Prayer Point:- Oh Lord God, let Your Holy Spirit dwell mightily in me henceforth by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Have A Beautiful Monday!
