Which “god” is God?

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' Hill, and said, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are [very religious.] For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him I declare unto you." Acts 17:22-23.

Something that human civilizations, no matter the time period, no matter the location, have in common is a religion of some kind complete with gods to be worshipped. This is so common that it is often cited as a reason for believing that there must be a god. I find the universality of belief interesting, but it is not what I base my faith on.

The best known (false) god from the Bible is probably Baal, an important Canaanite god. Ra, the sun god, was one of a thousand gods the Egyptians worshipped. Dagon, Ashteroth, and Beelzebub were gods the Israelites encountered from the Philistines. The list goes on.

Each god has a religion built around them with its required sacrifices, holy objects, priests, etc. Those mentioned above are connected to civilizations whom the Israelites encountered thousands of years ago. But there are probably as many gods revered in various locales around the world now as there were then. How is one to decide which of all these possibilities is the legitimate God?

In several of the prior articles found in Trying to Walk we have offered rational arguments for the existence of God. In brief, these arguments are that design requires a designer, that a universal system of 'right and wrong' requires a supreme being, that the existence of the universe we live in without a guiding hand to bring it into its current state is irrational and nonsensical, and we've touched on others. This is a topic that has not been completed and there will be more articles on this topic in the future.

Going farther than acknowledging the existence of God, trying to identify that God, means building on what we have already discussed. The God we are looking for is a designer, creator, lawgiver, and more who has power and knowledge beyond our comprehension. The gods offered to us by regional religions, whether ancient or modern fail to meet this criteria. Most are a pantheon of gods with limited authority, power, and fiefdoms. There is a god of the sun, a god of the sea, a god of the forest, even a god of wine, and on, and on, and on. They are involved in childish human drama and the practices that have grown around them are not reasonable to expect from the God we seek.

The major religions of the world today are no better. Buddhism does not even offer a god. It is a godless religion. Hindu offers thousands of gods and is willing to accept more. It's greatest offering to its followers is to become nothing. It has a history which shows it stumbling along collecting gods and practices haphazardly as time progressed. Islam claims to serve God of the Bible, but the practices and theology of Islam are unBiblical and often antiBiblical. Islam claims Christ as a prophet, but not as the son of God. The claims of Christ are diametrically opposed to the claims of Islam.

The God presented to us in the Bible is markedly different from any other god found throughout history. While the vast majority of religions require sacrifice from their followers, even to the point of sacrificing human life in some religions, God of the Bible is the only God who has sacrificed of Himself for the salvation of His followers. This is because of the love of God discussed in the article, "For the Love of God."

Anyone who has no allegiance to any "god," but is honestly seeking for the true God to whom allegiance is owed will at some point have to search through the pages of the Bible. The Bible is written as an answer to the question, "Which 'god' is God?" and to the question, "What does he expect from me?" A complete history of the creation, including the creation of man, and of the fall of man and God's plan for human redemption is laid out. If one accepts Jehovah as God, studying the Bible is how he, or she, finds out what God's will is for them. If one accepts the Bible as truth, acknowledging God and following His will is the logical result. Jehovah God and the Bible are inseparable.

Some people are not satisfied with simple explanations. They want to make things more complicated for some reason. But here is the process. I observe the universe, both magnificent and intricate and know that it couldn't have happened without a being with power and intellect bringing it into existence. God exists. I wonder which of all the possibilities offered actually is God, and does He have a message for me. The Bible gives the answer to creation, the existence of man, the condition of man, the position of man before God, and the redemption/salvation of man according to God's plan for eternity. No other religion offers anything remotely close.

Now I have decisions to make. Will I follow the plan God has outlined for my life, or will I refuse. Some don't want any interference with their life and refuse. Others realize the eternal implications of God's existence and comply. Before we are through Trying to Walk on this journey (can we ever be through?) we will have much more to say and contemplate about these matters. Hopefully we'll all reach the point where we are convinced there is a God, and we know which god is God. When we get to that point we will be willing to offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice because we will understand that before this awesome God, that is our reasonable spiritual service, Romans 12:2.