Believing in one God is where it all starts…the first element of the foundation of Christian faith.
This might sound self-evident, but there is more to this simple statement of faith than there might first appear. Incredibly, it is even possible to find people who identify as Christian who would disagree with it.
Just the idea of “god,” even in the non-Christian world, requires belief beyond merely affirming that there’s some kind of intelligent force behind creation. There are a lot of different ways to think of gods (and for some religion, it is more than one), but all of them suggest some kind of being who has a recognizable identity or personality.
The Bible often mentions specific things about God, but doesn’t give us a good overall description, so we don’t know as much as we would like, but it is clear that God is more than just a life-force or principle. God is identifiably God.
Also, we believe there is only one God…or at least only one God truly worthy of the name.
We recognize that there are other beliefs and we don’t hesitate to speak of, say, Zeus, as being “a god,” but we don’t really believe Zeus exists except in an ancient belief system. We sometimes speak of things that command people’s allegiance as “gods,” like money, fame and power, but don’t look on them as actual conscious beings.
Beyond this, we also believe that the God we know is a specific being…the same being that created the universe, the same one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, the same one who appeared as a human in the form of Jesus.
As we continue to look at the foundations of our belief, everything else builds on this starting point, so take some time to think about what you really mean when you say or hear, “I believe in God.”
In talking with others, try to understand what they mean by it. Sometimes you’ll find that people who say they believe in God haven’t yet even begun to understand the awe-inspiring God who’s really there!
-Rev. Mark Fleming
This is part of a sermon/reading series in July-August, 2024, looking at some core Christian beliefs, along with distinctive emphases of the Methodist branch of Christianity.
The daily readings are my own, but they are loosely based on the topics covered in the Catechism of the Global Methodist Church. The column at the right contains the questions from the catechism and the sources it lists.
You can find the full catechism and other information about the Global Methodist Church at globalmethodist.org.
I invite you to join us for worship and other church gatherings at China Methodist Church and Forest Park Methodist Church.
Respectful conversation is welcome. Use the comment section at the end of this post.
From the Catechism of the Global Methodist Church:
1. Do you believe in God?
Yes. I believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
Genesis 1:1-31
[The six days of creation. Read it here]
Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”
Joshua 2:11
When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
Psalm 8:3-8
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.
1 Corinthians 8:6
…yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Ephesians 4:6
…one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Hebrews 1:5
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?
Revelation 4:11
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Confession of Faith, Article I*
We believe in the one true, holy and living God, Eternal Spirit, who is Creator, Sovereign and Preserver of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of men, to the glory of his name. We believe the one God reveals himself as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.
*From the Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church, a predecessor denomination to the Global Methodist Church.