Justice, Mercy, and Grace of God

Part I: Justice, Mercy, and Grace

God applies His justice, mercy, and grace to every single individual throughout history without exception. These qualities of God apply to both the reprobate (those destined for condemnation) and the elect (those destined for salvation). These qualities differ depending on which group they fall upon.

The justice, mercy, and grace of God can be divided into two categories each: the temporal justice and eternal justice; the temporal mercy and eternal mercy; and the temporal grace and eternal grace.

Let me define these three qualities of God: justice, mercy, and grace. An easy way I choose to understand these terms is this: justice is receiving what is deserved, mercy is not receiving what is deserved, and grace is receiving what is not deserved. The wording may be a little mind boggling, so I bolded key words for emphasis which should make it easier to comprehend the differences.

Part II: The Reprobate

All sinners deserve the full wrath of God which is the spending of the rest of eternity in the Lake of Fire apart from any degree of mercy and grace. Mercy and grace are completely absent in hell. The reprobate will receive exactly what their sins deserve, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This is the eternal aspect of justice.

The temporal aspect of justice is received throughout the lives of the reprobate through the judgments of God. He often upholds this temporal justice through governments, police forces, court systems, and even parents. Sinners pay fines, spend time in jail or prison, do community service, receive death penalties, are flogged, and whatever other means court systems put in place for crimes (sins). Parents punish their children for disobedience (sins) in various ways as well. Justice is upheld by God in this way. God also sends judgments upon individuals in other ways such as disease, exile, sickness, torment by evil spirits, famine, loss of possessions, financial poverty, spiritual blindness and depravity, and the list could go on.

God applies His mercy to the reprobate when they do not immediately receive the punishments they deserve and are given time to repent of their sins and commit them no more. Without mercy, God’s justice would be meted out immediately. Mercy can be mingled with temporal justice by not giving a sinner exactly what they deserve, but lessening the punishment in the hope that such kindness would bring about their repentance (cf. Rom 2:4). Justice does not cause people to repent, although justice can bear fruit of repentance in the sinners’ heart. Mercy is very precious, and you don’t want to abuse it or take it for granted. God said to Moses, “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold” (Exodus 25:17). This shows how precious mercy is, for the mercy seat in the Temple of God was to be made of pure gold. The reprobate scorn mercy by receiving mercy from God and then continuing to commit the sins they received such mercy for. If the reprobate scorn mercy in small things, how much more will they scorn the mercy of God in extending His arm of salvation to them (cf. Luke 16:10)? They would take it as a license to sin because they are an ungrateful, scornful, contemptuous, and wicked people who deserve nothing but the full wrath of God. This is the temporal mercy of God upon the reprobate.

The day will come upon the reprobate when the mercy of God will come to an end. When an unrepentant and unregenerate sinner dies, the mercy of God is over. There is no mercy for the ungodly after death. They will be raised up on the last day, stand before the throne of God and with no mercy the Judge will condemn them to hell forever for their wickedness. He will pour out His wrath and vengeance upon them forever. It will never cease. They scorned God’s temporal mercy when they walked the earth, so they will have no part in His eternal mercy. They are without hope. They will be weeping and gnashing their teeth in utter darkness. Their worm will not die and the fire will not be quenched (Isaiah 66:24; Mark 9:48).

The reprobate enjoy many things which they do not deserve. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). God is gracious towards the reprobate. They enjoy food, water, family, marriage, children, clothing, shelter, friends, health, wealth, and so much more according to the providence of God. What I said above about the kindness of God leading to repentance applies to grace as well. The reprobate should see these good things and in gratefulness they should give glory to God who is the source of all these things. Instead they ignore God, think they obtain these things on their own, and choose to live to glorify themselves and enjoy doing what they want to do, without submitting to the one who has authority over them, namely the Creator of heaven and earth and all that breathes. Temporal grace is a gift of God.

As with eternal mercy, the reprobate will have no part in the eternal grace of God. The grace of God for them will one day cease. They will stand before God and will receive justice alone. No mercy, no grace; only the wrath of God. No sinner can stand before God with any excuses for as it is written: “Therefore you have no excuse, O man” (Romans 2:1).

Part III: The Elect

With the reprobate we said that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and this is true for the elect as well. The rest of that verse, however, says that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without the free gift of God, the elect would perish along with the reprobate. Apart from the free gift of God, which nobody can merit by any amount of good works, every person would experience the eternal wrath of God. Thanks to the free gift of God, given to whom He pleases according to His purpose and will, the elect receive full justice, but through a different means than the reprobate.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1) to the virgin Mary and He came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21). He is the propitiation of the sins of the elect (Romans 3:24-25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). The word propitiation means to appease or to satisfy. In the Biblical context it means to satisfy the wrath of God and to appease His anger toward sinners. Jesus Christ took the sins of the elect upon Himself and suffered the wrath of God in their place.

The justice of God is satisfied, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the elect. Imputation means to attribute or ascribe righteousness or guilt to another. The guilt of Adam for his trespass was imputed to his descendents, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to those whom He died for (cf. Romans 5:15-19). In relation to the elect, justice is fulfilled through Christ. The wrath of God is appeased; it is satisfied. By the grace of God, this free gift is graciously given to those who believe in Christ as the sacrifice for the full payment of their sins. The elect were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world” so that they “should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4). Those who are in Christ, there sins are not counted against them, and the justice of God is upheld for all eternity. Those who are not in Christ, the wrath of God remains on them (John 3:36) and the eternal justice is yet to be poured out on them.

When it comes to the mercy of God for the elect, it is much the same as for the reprobate, yet the major difference is that this mercy extends beyond temporal to all of eternity. God’s mercy for the elect will never end. There is never a point in eternity when any of the saints will have earned through merits their salvation. The reason a saint will be in the new heavens and new earth will always be because of the mercy of God.

Grace is much of the same as mercy. None of the elect deserve salvation, but in God’s mercy of not condemning them after their first rebellion, He offers them the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus in His glorious grace. This grace will never end for the saints, because there will never be a moment in eternity when their salvation will be earned. Their salvation was bought by the precious blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), so that they could taste the riches and glory of Christ Jesus. Every single thing they enjoy throughout eternity will be new gifts of God’s grace. Even though they will be perfect at the resurrection, all the gifts they enjoy throughout eternity will be of His grace. Their perfection is not their doing, but the work of God. If God didn’t work to bring about their perfection, then they would have never obtained their glorified bodies.

Part IV: The Conclusion

As we saw, every single person in history experiences the justice, mercy, and grace of God. The sinners receive temporal justice on earth through God’s judgments and His providence over civil and parental punishments, and sinners receive eternal justice when the wrath of God is poured out on them in hell forever. Sinners receive the temporal mercy and grace of God, for God withholds from implementing His eternal justice immediately and in grace blesses them with many good things to enjoy. In the end, sinners never repent and give God the praise and glory, and thus the mercy and grace comes to an end and hell contains nothing but the wrath and vengeance of God upon sinners.

In relation to the saints, the Heavenly Father in His foreknowledge took all the past, present, and future sins of the saints and placed them on His Son who willingly took those sins upon Himself, and He appeased the wrath of the Father and thus reconciled the saints to God. Their sins are forgiven and they share in the glory of Christ through regeneration and their baptism into the body of Christ. The justice of God is fulfilled. In God’s mercy, He patiently endured the sins of the elect until the appointed time of their salvation when they believe and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ who was given for them according to the grace of God. Saints deserved eternal hell with the sinners (justice), but they did not receive the hell they deserved (mercy), but rather, they received the salvation they could never deserve (grace). If God were to forgive the saints of their sins without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but on repentance alone, then the justice of God would not be satisfied. Repentance does not appease wrath. Only perfection keeps away wrath, but since nobody is perfect, wrath has come to all. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, appeased that wrath by His death to uphold justice. God would be unjust if salvation came by repentance alone.

Forgiveness does not nullify justice. It is okay to forgive a criminal but still push for justice in the court system. Forgiving our enemies does not require the nullification of justice. Mankind is commanded by God to forgive their enemies because no one is good, but all have turned aside from righteousness. Do you need forgiveness? If so, then you must forgive others. If you don’t forgive others, why should God forgive you? Does God need forgiveness? No way! He is not obligated, therefore, to forgive anybody. Graciously He does forgive the saints. Praise God for His justice, mercy, and grace!

“Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:3).

We are Priests of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

(Romans 15:15-16, ESV) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

(1 Peter 2:4-5) As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

(1 Peter 2:9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

(Hebrews 7:11) Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

We as born-again Christians are a priesthood of believers. Individually we are priests, and corporately we are a priesthood under the order of Melchizedek. Under the Levitical priesthood, only the sons of Aaron were priests. Under the Melchizedek priesthood, all disciples of Christ are priests. One of the roles of the priesthood is to teach the people the Word of God. The Apostle Paul in Romans 15 describes himself as doing 'the priestly service of the gospel of God.'

Another role of the priesthood was to teach the people how to properly bring and prepare sacrifices which are to be offered to God. The Apostle Paul in Romans 15 speaks of his priestly service in the gospel of God as having the result of making acceptable the offerings of the Gentiles. As a priesthood of believers, we are to train new disciples in how to be faithful priests, and together we are to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. As a result, those who come to faith in Christ can offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God.

(Romans 12:1) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

(Philippians 4:18) I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

(Hebrews 13:15) Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices through the obedience of faith by living according to the Spirit and doing righteousness. Let us offer up our sacrifices of praise to God, and our fragrant offerings from our gifts of love to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We don't need priests in the church as found in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, but we ourselves are priests of God and of Christ. We are a priesthood of believers. The priests found in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions have no special significance according to the scriptures, for scripture declares that all disciples of Christ are priests before God. Jesus Christ is the only High Priest.

(Hebrews 6:19-20) We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Are you a faithful priest of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you teaching the gospel to all people and teaching them how to offer up spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable and pleasing to God? When Christ returns, may you be found a faithful priest in the eyes of God. Amen.

A Blood Sacrifice is Necessary for Forgiveness

Why is a blood sacrifice necessary for forgiveness? Why couldn't God just forgive someone who truly repents?

Let me begin by posting a parable from another source.

A grandfather found his young grandson jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his lungs. When little Johnnie saw him, he reached up his chubby hands and implored, "Out, Gramp, out!" The elderly gentleman stooped to lift the boy out of his predicament, but just then Johnnie's mother approached with the words, "No, Johnnie, you are being punished, so you must stay in."

The grandfather found himself torn between the simultaneously opposing forces of mercy and justice. Tears and hands reached into his heart, but he also respected the mother's wisdom in firmly correcting her son for misbehavior. Love found a way to resolve the dilemma: Since Gramp couldn't take Johnnie out of his pen, he crawled in with him! [Roy Gane, "NIV Application Commentary: Leviticus, Numbers"]

We see in the parable both justice and mercy taking place in a balanced way. Our God is a divine being of justice and mercy. God shows justice and mercy to all creatures, not just in this temporary aspect of this world, but in the ultimate aspect of eternity. Both the elect and the non-elect receive God's mercy and justice, for that is His character. Why can't God just forgive people who repent and believe without requiring sacrifice? I believe the answer to that question is that forgiveness is not justice. If God just forgives the elect for repenting, then there is no justice.

If a man murders another man and he stands before the judge in court and repents of his wrong, and if the judge says, "You are forgiven and may go home in peace," then the family of the victim is going to stand up and cry out injustice. Forgiveness is not justice. Both crime and forgiveness have a large cost. You can't just throw out forgiveness as if it doesn't cost you much, for that is saying that the wrongdoing is no big deal and doesn't cost much. "You killed my brother, but that is no big deal, I forgive you. You want to go out to eat with me this afternoon? We can go to that new restaurant that just opened." No! Sin is a big deal, and so is forgiveness. Justice must prevail. There can be justice without forgiveness, but there can't be forgiveness without justice.

Leviticus and other scriptures which cover the instructions and details of animal sacrifices, teach us that sin must be removed from a person before God will forgive them. That is the ultimate purpose of blood sacrifices. The sins of the person were transferred to the animal who was put to death on behalf of the person and God accepted it as a ransom for the life of the person. Now that the sins have been removed from the person, only then does God forgive the person of his or her sins. Sin defiles the land, and God would not dwell in the midst of Israel if they defiled the land. The people had to be ritually pure and ceremonially clean in order to approach and fellowship with God.

Thus we see that blood sacrifices meet the demands of justice, and thus enabling God to forgive us. God doesn't forgive us without justice. There are two forms of ultimate justice: your defilement gets removed and placed elsewhere, or your defilement remains with you and you get placed elsewhere. Elsewhere in both cases referring to being away from the presence of God.

The non-elect (unbelievers) receive mercy from God when God doesn't kill them right away because of their sins. They receive justice from God when He sends them to hell forever. The elect (believers) receive mercy from God when God doesn't kill them right away because of their sins. They receive justice from God when a blood sacrifice removes their sins from them. If God were to forgive the elect through repentence alone, then He would be ignoring His justice. Justice comes to all. God is not a divine being of justice for the non-elect only, while the elect just receive mercy. No! Both the elect and the non-elect receive both mercy and justice from God.

This is why a blood sacrifice is necessary for forgiveness. This is why Jesus Christ, whom is the ultimate and perfect sacrifice, came to earth to shed His blood on the cross for His people.

Justified by Faith Alone

We are justified by faith alone, and not in works. Faith is defined as believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us. By putting our faith in Him and His death on the cross, our sins are forgiven. There is nothing we can do to gain forgiveness of sins except to believe and trust in Jesus Christ. It is not by following the works and deeds as commanded in Shariah Law that we attain forgiveness of sins and the gift of paradise. Instead it is by putting our trust in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that we attain forgiveness of sins and the gift of paradise.

So where do works come in? Well, works come as a result of our faith. A faith without works is no faith at all. Just as children should obey their parents out of love, and not to earn rewards, so too should we as children of God obey Him because we love Him, and not to earn forgiveness and acceptance. If we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, then we already have forgiveness. Jesus Christ accepts us for who we are. We are His creation, and thus He loves us, just as a mother who gives birth to a child loves her child. Even if that child does things that the mother does not approve of, she still loves her child. To believe that Allah does not love those who do wrong as the Qur'an teaches, makes a mother look better than God, and we both know how blasphemous it would be to say we are better than God in any way. If we love our children even when they do wrong, then why doesn’t God love those who do wrong? Is it a sin to love our children when they do wrong? Of course not.

It is not by fasting during Ramadan that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not by praying five times a day that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not through good manners and hospitality that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not performing the Hajj to Mecca at the proper time that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not through dying as a martyr for the sake of Allah that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is only through trusting in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to pay the ultimate price for your sins that you attain forgiveness and paradise.

After establishing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, making Him your Lord and Savior, and choosing to die to self and live for Him, only then do your works become of value and those works are the result of your faith and your love for Allah.

The Meaning of Being "Born Again"

Stop for a minute and think about what being 'born again' means to you. How would you describe to a friend what that means?

Let us begin with the words of Jesus Christ: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, NKJV). "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again' (John 3:5-7).

Jesus is saying that not only must we be born physically, but we must also be born spiritually. We are born of the flesh through our mother and father. We must also be born spiritually through the Holy Spirit. Now what does that mean?

All humans are made of body, soul, and spirit. When we were created, God placed in us a spirit. What then does Jesus mean when He says that our spirit must be born? That must mean the spirit that God gave us is dead and was dead from the beginning of our life. Why would God give us a dead spirit?

To answer that, we must first define a few concepts. Our spirit is our non-material self. A dead spirit can be defined as when our spirit is in a broken relationship with God. A living spirit can be defined as when our spirit is in fellowship with God. Non-Christians are spiritually dead, while Christians are spiritually alive.

Therefore, in order to enter the kingdom of God, all of us must have our spirit restored to fellowship and communion with God. Our spirit must be alive in order to experience the fullness of God.

A good analogy can help make this more clear and easier to understand. Think of your conscious. If you are conscious, then your mental faculties are fully active. You are aware of sensations, thoughts, your surroundings, your own existence, and you can respond to external and internal stimuli. If you are unconscious, then you are not aware of such things and your mental faculties are not fully active.

Our body and our spirit can both be under the state of consciousness and the state of unconsciousness. When we are spiritually dead, our spirit is in the state of unconsciousness, and our spiritual faculties are not fully active. When our body is created in our mother's womb, God puts a spirit in our body, but that spirit is in the state of unconsciousness. When Jesus says that we must be born again, He is telling us that our spirit needs to gain consciousness. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

God does not force us into a relationship with Him, so we must give God permission to give our spirit consciousness. It must be done on His terms however. You have to believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in the form of a man, died on the cross for your sins, and was resurrected. You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life. God will respond and the Holy Spirit will give birth to your spirit, restoring you to a unbroken relationship with God. With your spirit conscious, you can begin to mature in your faith in God, and you can begin to use your spiritual faculties in discerning God's presence and His will for you.

When we are born again, our spiritual conscious is a new thing to us. It takes time to learn how to use those faculties in hearing God and discerning His will. After I was born again, it wasn't easy for me to discern the will of God. As time went by and I gained experience, I have learned how to hear God and to discern His voice much easier now. As I continue to mature, it will only get easier. Praise be to God!

Are you ready for your spirit to experience life? Ask God to awaken your deadened spirit and He will give your spirt life in order that you may experience the fullness of God. You don't have to earn it, just repent of your sins and surrender your entire life to the hands of God

Building Our Character Through Prayer

God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). That means we are to live a life which reflects His character. Such character traits are humility, peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, mercy, grace, slow to anger, quick to forgive, etc. We see our best example in the life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the four accounts of the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

Prayer is one of the most important things in life. Without prayer, you can't live out God's entire plan for your life. Jesus teaches about asking the Father for anything. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him" (Matthew 7:7-11, NKJV). Of course God will only give us what is according to His will.

Since God created us to be like Him, and the Holy Spirit has made our spirit alive within us, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and build up our character so that we can reflect the glory of our Lord and Savior to the world around us. God does not do everything on His own, but He wants us to ask Him. If we don't ask, we may not receive.

Below is a list of the type of things all Christians should pray for throughout their life. We should not pray for it just once, but many times. Change takes time and transformation is a life-long process. When God gives us peace, we can ask for more peace. When God gives us joy, we can ask for more joy. When God gives us love, we can ask for more love. Until the Day of Resurrection, we will never reach perfection, and therefore our prayers for such traits should never cease. Often times we change from one day to the next. One day we are filled with joy, and the next day we are lacking the joy we had the day before. Based on experience, when I am lacking joy, I ask God for it and shortly later I have my joy back. Now for the list:

- Humility - Ask God to make you humble.

- Peace - Ask God to fill your heart with peace, no matter what the circumstances in life are.

- Love - Ask God to fill your heart with unconditional love for all people, including your enemies and those who hurt you.

- Joy - Ask God to fill your heart with joy no matter what the circumstances in life are.

- Patience - Ask God to help you become more patient.

- Kindness - Ask God to fill you with kindness towards others.

- Gentleness - Ask God to fill you with gentleness towards others.

- Mercy - Ask God to give you a merciful heart towards others.

- Grace - Ask God to give you a gracious heart towards others.

- Slow to anger - Ask God to help you become slow to anger.

- Quick to Forgive - Ask God to help you become quick to forgive others, no matter what they have done.

- Servitude - Ask God to give you the desire to serve others and put there needs above your own.

God will answer your prayers and open doors for you to put these character traits into practice. God will put people into your life or bring you through circumstances in life that will give you the opportunity to practice these traits. Does that mean that if you don't ask God to build your character, you will avoid such people and circumstances? By no means. When you ask God to build your character, the Holy Spirit will be with you to strengthen you and help you. Otherwise you may have to deal with such people and circumstances without the help of the Holy Spirit. God doesn't force us to change. Let us give Him permission through our prayers.

What happens if you know what is right, but you don't feel like going through the struggle of trying to change, so you just continue to remain the same? What if you just don't have the desire to change? Well, nothing is impossible with God, so you can ask God to give you the desire to change. If we lack the desire, the interest, and the will to do something that we know is right or that we know God wants us to do, then we can ask Him to give us those desires, interests, and wills. In my experience, I loved secular rap music. I told God that I loved the music, that it makes me feel good, and that I want to listen to it. I also told God that I knew He didn't want me listening to that music, and therefore unless He causes me to lose interest in the music, I'm going to continue listening to it. I was addicted to it. God heard my prayer, because over the next several weeks, I began to lose interest in the music. Today I listen to gospel rap. If there is no desire, there is hope in the God who creates desires in our hearts. All we have to do is ask Him and trust Him to do according to His will.

I hope and pray that Christians throughout the world will build their character through prayer and practice. Many come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior not by word-of-mouth, but by living example. By how you live your life, the Holy Spirit will draw many to the Gospel. These people may even come to you with questions. "Do as I say, not as I do" will not save souls. "Do as I say, and follow my example" will save souls. Building up character builds up credibility.

Peace and grace be with you all. You may go pray.

Do Jews, Muslims, and Christians Worship the Same God?

1) Athiesm (i.e. humanism). Rejects the existence of any divine being(s).

2) Polytheism (i.e. Hinduism, perhaps Mormonism). Belief in many gods. Often times these gods are at war with each other. They can lie and deceive other gods. They can get with godesses and give birth to other gods. They can even destroy other gods. They are very much like humans.

3) Monotheism
a) Unitarian Monotheism (i.e. Islam, modern day Judaism, Oneness Pentecostals, Unitarians). Belief in only one god, but that he is unitarian, or only one person.

b) Triune Monotheism (i.e. Christianity). Belief in only one God, but God is trinitarian, meaning God is three persons. Unlike polytheism, these three persons are in perfect harmony, fellowship, and relationship with each other. They don't fight against each other or anything like that. Missing any of those three persons would make God non-existent. All three persons must be present, otherwise there would be no god.

Modern day Israel does not worship the true God, but they worship a false god. Without Jesus and the Holy Spirit, there god is an idol. A popular question is: Do Muslims, Christians, and Jews worship the same God? The answer is no. We all aim towards the same God, but the Muslims and Jews have a corrupted version of God, and thus their god is no god at all.

This principle only applies to essential doctrines. In other words, if two Christians dispute over whether God approves of tattoos or not, is the one who is wrong worshipping a false god? By no means. Both Christians worship the same God, they just have a different interpretations based on scripture on whether God approves of tattoos or not.

First John 2:22-23 says, "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also" (NKJV). The Apostle John was saying that he who denies the Father and the Son is antichrist. He then goes on to clarify that to deny the Son is to not have the Father either. Therefore, you either have both the Father and the Son, or you have neither of Them. You can't have just the Father or just the Son. Therefore the Jews and Muslims do not have the Father nor the Son and are thus antichrist and are idolaters; worshippers of a false god.

Here is another good point: if Christians worship three gods, then that scripture above wouldn't make as much sense. If you reject one of the gods, you could still accept the other two gods. If you reject the son god, you could still accept the father god. However, because the one true God consists of three persons, all three persons must be accepted in order to have a right relationship with the one true God. It is only in the understanding that God is trinitarian in nature that the scripture above can make sense.