Beloved,
Below you will find a family worship devotion for question 5 of the Shorter Catechism.
On a different note, applications for Discipleship 101 are now open. You can access the application HERE. More information about this new course can be found HERE. I’ve been encouraged by the amount of interest in Discipleship 101 and am looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses it for great good in our congregation.
I can’t wait to be with you on Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick
Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
Read
Deuteronomy 6:4–5; 1 Corinthians 8:4–6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Reflect
The ancient world of both Moses and the apostle Paul was polytheistic. Do you know what that word means? Poly comes from the Greek for “many,” and theistic comes from the Greek for “God.” The ancient world worshiped many different gods. People would turn to one deity for healing from disease, another for rain to grow crops, and still another for victory in battle or success in marriage. These gods were often represented by statues or images that people prayed to and worshiped. Even today, several religions remain polytheistic, including Hinduism, Shintoism, and some forms of Buddhism.
That reality should make us sad because none of these gods are real. Just like the wood, metal, and paint used to represent them, they are lifeless—unable to hear prayers, receive worship, or bestow blessings. These so-called gods depend entirely on the men and women who created them. Being made by people, they continue to exist only because people maintain them. So why would anyone look to them as gods at all?
Many people today agree with this point. They go further than that, claiming there is no God at all. But though people might say they don’t worship, the reality is that humans cannot help but worship someone or something. They may reject polytheism, but they embrace other kinds of -isms: consumerism (the worship of stuff), individualism (the worship of self), and hedonism (the worship of pleasure). A person might not bow before statues of gold and silver, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have idols he worships.
An idol is anything other than God that we rely on to give our lives ultimate purpose and meaning and our souls ultimate joy and satisfaction. In our sin, we can worship money, power, success, health, sports, toys, food, or entertainment. Often, we place our trust in several of these idols at once, hoping they will lead us into true blessedness.
But there is only one God worthy of our worship and trust. Christianity is not polytheistic; it is monotheistic—mono coming from the Greek for “one.” There is only one God, and He alone can give our lives ultimate meaning and our souls ultimate satisfaction. He is the God revealed to us in the Bible and in creation. Unlike idols, He is living. Unlike false gods, He is true. And He calls for our undivided faith, love, and worship. If we desire blessing, we must give Him our whole hearts and lives, loving our singular God with a singular devotion.
- What is polytheism, and what is wrong with it?
- What is an idol? Though many today don’t bow before statues and images, what kinds of idols do they worship?
- Since there is only one God, how should we respond to Him?