What's with all the gods? –Ray Comfor<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />t<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

"Why does the Second of the Ten Commandments say, 'You shall have no other gods before Me.' Isn't there only one God?" There is only one Creator, but there are billions of "gods." Eastern religions have millions of images that they call "gods." Primitive people-groups have their own gods. These are obvious "idols,"--images made of wood and stone to which people bow and give homage. However, there are other very common and more subtle idols. The average idolater in America creates a god in their mind that they find pleasing. He is a god that would never create Hell or become angry at sin. These images of what they think God is like are shaped by the human imagination, and usually conform to the sins of the idolater. Idolatry is very convenient because (in our minds) it gets rid of our moral accountability to God.There is also the "god" of the atheist. He creates an image of what he thinks God is like, then he dismisses it because it lacks credibility. Perhaps it's an old man in the sky, reaching out to touch fingers with Adam. He's right to dismiss such silliness. Or perhaps he creates an "image" of a monster. He does this by taking the harsh judgments of the Old Testament, and creating a god that has no mercy or kindness. Then he says that he would never worship such a tyrant. And rightly so, because his god is a monster. It's also a figment of his sinful imagination. Idolatry is the root cause of sexual sin (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-14). There is only one Creator, and He revealed Himself the Moses when He gave the Ten Commandments--the First two of which forbid idolatry. Then He gave us the Scriptures so that we could further understand the nature of His holiness and His requirements for humanity.

Those two pesky tablets

I take three Advil's before I go to the dentist. This is because I'm a wimp. However, I only take two tablets when I go to the polling booth. They are the two stone tablets of the Law of Moses. I couldn't care less for the fiscal policies of a candidate, if he advocates the killing of children in the womb. Atheists get their moral guidance by what society dictates. Contemporary society dictates that it's okay to kill whatever is in the womb, because they aren't considered to be human. This was Hitler's rational in Nazi Germany. As far as he was concerned, Jews weren't human, therefore he was justified in putting Darwin's theory into practice. If there is no God, then Government sanctioned murder is okay. However, God's Law warns that if you even get angry without cause you are in danger of judgment (see Matthew 5:22), and that if you hate your brother, you are a murderer (see 1 John 3:15). How much more will He judge those who have advocated, sanctioned, and carried out an abortion. Blood is dripping from their hands.Atheists try to justify murder by pointing to the Old Testament judgments of God upon the Canaanites. They accuse God of murder so that they can feel more comfortable about abortion. In their mind God doesn't exist, and yet they blame Him for murder. Sure. I wouldn't be in an abortion advocate's shoes on Judgment Day for all the gold in China. Yet there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ, even for a baby-killer. Today, repent and trust in the Savior and He will open your eyes, change your desires, and grant you the gift of everlasting life. http://www.bloodmoneyfilm.com/trailer.php"An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health. It may make you sterile so that when you want a child you cannot have it." -Planned Parenthood, "Plan Your Children," New York, 1964
 

"We're all children of God."

The world often says that we are all children of God, not matter what race, color or creed. That sounds virtuous, but it is not what the Bible teaches. While we are all made in God's image--with a moral compass that sets us apart from the animal kingdom, the Bible makes it clear that we are not His "children." Rather, we are called "children of wrath" (see Ephesians 2:3). This is because we have a nature that is hostile to God (see Romans 8:7). Jesus told the religious leaders of His time that the devil was their father: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 4:44). We are only children of God when we are born of His Spirit (see John 3:3), and it is then and only then that we can call God "Father" (see Romans 8:15). When that happens, the Holy Spirit will bear witness with us that we are the children of God (see Romans 8:16).
 
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