Skip to main content

The Shema - Deut 6:4

The Shema is the Jewish confession of faith composed of three scriptural texts (Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21; Numbers 15:37–41). Chapter six of Deuteronomy is SO crucial that Jesus quoted parts of it twice in his temptation defense against Satan. The most important declaration in the Old Testament, if not the Bible, is in verse four. "Hear, oh Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One." With this sentence in view, Jews today will not believe in the Trinity nor Jesus as their Messiah. So, how do we Christians support the doctrine of the Trinity? We recognize that the above statement is true. However, we also understand, through various other scriptures, the other members of the Trinity are mentioned. In the beginning, we see God present and the Holy Spirit hovering over the creation. We then go to the New Testament and see several texts that show that Jesus was there in the beginning and was the Creator (John 1:3; 1Cor 8:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). Because of these references and others, we understand that the three persons of the Trinity were involved. The God of the Jews is our God. He manifested himself as Jesus Christ in the New Testament in John 14:8-14. So, Hear oh Christian, the LORD our God is one Lord!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abs of Steel with Glasses

Have you ever wondered why Clark Kent always took his glasses off before he turned into Superman? I hadn’t ever thought about it either until this last Saturday when I almost got sucker-punched. Wellington, one of my spunky Juniors, wanted to wrestle. He feigned a punch to my gut and I said, “Go ahead. I have abs of steel!” I think that my gym visits might be going to my head because my abs of steel are buried under a healthy layer of blubber. I have improved my six-pack but it is far from chiseled. It looks more like a quarter of a keg. Anyway, quick as a wink and with near lightening speed Wellington said, “Yeah but up here is made of glass!” as his poke went within a hair’s breadth of my glasses! I belly-laughed. His rapid reflexes and wit had caught me by surprise. And what he said was so true and funny. It was an excellent though brief lesson. I often prepare for an oncoming fray. I get ready, set and then “BLAM”! The proverbial punch comes from a totally different direction. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth?  Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Circumcision Advantage

 What a title right? I'm thinking of Romans 3:1 where Paul asks, "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?"  This was always an avoided subject in Sunday school, especially in a mixed class. We didn't use the "C" word. Too wierd.  Paul is bringing up this topic for good reasons. He wants to show that the Jews definitely have had a great advantage during their history. In the next verse he tells one of them when he says, ... "First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God." The first jew talked to God in person. God chose Abram to be the father of many nations and to bring the blessing of the Messiah to the world. The Old Testament is the story of the Jewish nation. God dealt with the Jews throughout the ages of the time before Christ. They were the chosen. But in all that blessing they ended up crucifying the Messiah.  With all of their advantages the Jews came short of the ideal....
Post a Comment
Read more