Love With All Emotion, Intellect, Subconsciousness and Strength

4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

God always reveals himself. Sometimes it is in a way that intrigues. Sometimes He reveals himself in such a manner that it fascinates and captivates the seeker. He finds himself compelled to want to more fully understand what the Spirit has revealed to him about God.

the Shema

Although the pronouncement of the Shema of Deuteronomy 6 is arguably the preamble of the monotheist claims of Christians, Jews and Muslims it is also, I believe, one of the most misunderstood revelations about the Lord [who] is one. Merely calling out “God is one!” “Allah is Great!” or “Jesus is Lord!” can make for great soundbites and slogans believed by those who profess them, but this does not equate to an understanding of God.

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Muhammed as Spirit of Truth: A Christian Testimony Against Islamophobia

(This message is in response to a friend’s invitation to comment on the article by Ian Mevorach. I have used the title of his article for my own article here.)

Thank you, Abhi, for calling my attention to this post. I will gladly contribute a comment.

As a disciple of Jesus I not only reject, but I oppose any and all manner of persecution against Muslims. My rejection and opposition is in keeping with what Jesus himself taught and which I have embraced as his disciple, but also what he clearly demonstrated to the disciples. One, he never urged or encouraged the Jews to revolt against Rome, and two, when Peter thought to take up the sword and kill those who came to arrest Jesus he was stunned to hear his Master exhort him to put away his sword.

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David himself calls him 'Lord'

So, in what sense is He his son?

This is the question from Psalm 110 which Jesus posed in Mark 12 to the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees who were present. They were at their usual preoccupation: trying to find fault in the teaching of Jesus. It is a question with a lesson. It is a lesson not easily learned since Jesus did not answer his own question but left it for those to whom he directed it to ponder it. It is possible that when we have wrestled and struggled with this unanswered question which Jesus posed about David that we might then begin to understand and answer the question the quandary of so many saints and scholars. Their quandary  stems from their question and rejection of various claims concerning Jesus, the Son of God, that he was one with the Father. Yes, it is good to pose questions even to question authority, but when you do listen for the response. Rightly, the very same about David, or at least a very similar question can be posed to believers about Jesus, the Son of God: Paul (and Peter) calls Jesus, the Son of God, God. (Titus 2:13; II Peter 1:1) So, in what sense is He God?

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Unity of the Spirit and The Shema

two messages, one God

This is a view of the scriptures concerning the apostle Paul’s message on the unity of the Spirit in the New Testament and it’s similarities with the message of Moses on the Lord God who is one in the Shema in the Torah; the Old Testament. Even more, these words on the call for unity or to be one were proclaimed by Jesus himself, both in his quotation of the Shema, (Mark 12) but also in the priestly prayer of John 17. It is this priestly prayer by Jesus which serves as the commentary and test between the message of one in the Shema in Deuteronomy and the unity of the Spirit in Ephesians from the same God.

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