The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-01-12


6:24; John 14:1-11.
Devotional Feading: John II:
1-8.
One God
Lesson for January IA, 1852
It is easier to believe in many
gods than in one. II you don't
think that is true. take a look
through the religions Of primi-
tive peoples. No human beings
anywhere, no matter how primi-
tive, are without some kind Of
religion; but the human race
did not arrive early at the truth
that there is only one true God.
But they did arrive. In Islam,
in Judaism, and in Christianity,
men have stood for their faith
that God is One. and beside Him
there is no other. Nothing the
Christian church believes about
the Trinity abolishes this basic
truth, that there is one God
only. Father, Son and Spirit are
not three Gods. The Holy Trini-
ty is not a celestial committee.
Christians believe that there are
different ways by which we
meet God. different ways Of His
revealing Himself; but the High
God, the Creator of all, and
Christ our Savior, the Word
made flesh," and the Spirit of
God in our hearts, are all the
same God.
One God of Time and Space
Theologians seeking ways of
expressing the majesty of God
sometimes use the expression,
the God of time and space. That
expresses a tremendously i'm
portant truth about God, a two
sided truth. One is that no mat
ter how far backward or for
ward you may go in time. God
Is always God. He does not be-
come God. or cease to be God,
or become $50 to speak, a part
time or retired God. Sometimes
human beings thoughts Of God
are dim; but He is ever the
eternal flame. The other side Of
the truth is that wherever you
go in space. you are always in
the domain of the one. the only
God, who is always the same.
This not only means that God
Is sovereign over this earth and
whatever creatures live here;
to the remotest star He is still
the same. the only God. The
idea that we could take a space
ship and sail beyond the reach
OF God is just as absurd as it
always was.
One God of the World and You
Think about the world around
you-Steel and asphalt, grass
and trees. stars, germs and
atoms. Does it seem hard to be-
lleve that the God who made
these things made you? That
the God who is concerned for
the mighty suns and vast Whirl-
pools Of stars millions of light
years away-that He can be in
terested also in you? Even
some Christians have felt as il
there must be a difference be-
tween the God of nature and the
God OF grace. the God of nature
and the God Jesus revealed to
us. But there is no difference
Neither the God Of grace nor
the God of nature is greater
than the other; for they are one
and the same God. The same
divine Mind that devised this
universe also devised you. II
serves His purposes-the stormy
wind fulfills Gods will, as the
Hebrew psalnist wrote. God
made the earth and seas for a
reason, He made the stars for a
reason. He made you for a rea-
son. What all His reasons are
is His own secret. That a com
cts return may be predicted. is
pointer to God. That in the
midst Of grief there comes a
healing peace. is a pointer to
God. That a man feels in his
heart OF hearts, ought, is a
pointer to God. Not to three
Gods but to the same, the only
God.
From Birth 10 Death
AS we live and grow. our
ideas about God may greatly
change. Perhaps at first we
think of Him as a kind of fa,pi.
~ God, We think of Him as the
God Of our church. He may be
in early days a God we think
about only when We say Nov
| lay me )" at bedtime ;
then later for some great souls
this is true God looms 50 large
that He Is our constant com
panion. and the thought Of Him
is back of every thought. But
He does not grow. it is we who
grow. The road of mankind is
sTewn with the bodies of dead
gods. someone has said. Not al