Are you embarrassed of your non-traditional beliefs about God? Victor Gluckin says that it’s time to stand up for what we believe. Believing God is one (instead of three-in-one) is not some sort of fringe doctrine; it’s at the very heart of biblical faith. After all, Jesus himself identified the Jewish “shema” as the most important command. He said:
The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12.29-30 )
Knowing that Yahweh our God is one and loving him (not them) with everything is paramount for authentic Christ-centered Christianity.
Drawing on the examples of the prophets of old, Michael Servetus, and John Biddle, Gluckin urges us to boldness:
“The testimony of scripture to the proclamation of the identity and personality of Yahweh is clear and consistent…Yet today many believers in the unity of God remain silent, afraid and ashamed. My brothers and sisters, things should not be this way. Our God and our Lord deserve more from their followers.”
Notes:
- Here’s the paper that accompanied Gluckin’s presentation
- Watch Gluckin’s sermons on YouTube or visit his church website: Living Faith Christian Church (Warwick, RI, USA)
- For another rousing appeal to proclaiming God’s oneness, see Podcast 43: Identity Theft (Vince Finnegan)
- To learn more about the Shema, listen to Podcast 44: The Immutable Shema (Sean Finnegan)
- Check out more biblical unitarian podcasts here
- Intro music: “District Four” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
