Bible Question:
Hi, Tim. I apologize if I appear to be difficult. I don't intend to be, I'm just trying to honestly find an answer to the question. Please don't take my questions and statements to mean that I am being rude. Let me begin by repeating that I recognize that scripture is inspired by YHWH, not any other entity. I trust that YHWH (I purposely do not use "the LORD," "God," or "Jehovah") is perfect, without defect. Please explain which god is being referred to when the books that comprise what we commonly denote as the New Testament speak of "Theos." How do you know? By the context? Is this the same context that the new-agers use? Or mormons? Or jehovah's witnesses? Do these groups (or cults, if you will) twist the context around to suit their purposes? How do you know Christians aren't guilty of the same crime? Are you sure that "Theos" doesn't refer to adonis, zeus, cupid, atlas, marduk, baal? How come? Even the Old Testament hebrews were guilty of worshiping other gods, even in light of their direct experiences during the 40 years in the wilderness. They attributed these miracles to other gods! (According to the book of Ezekiel) How do you know the New Testament God (Theos) isn't one of these gods? Forgive me, I'm not trying to be blasphemous. I know the rules of the forum state that this is not a site to dispute the validity of scripture, and I respect that. I am NOT disputing the validity of scripture. I do, however, recognize that the threat posed by the new-age movement and the return of many gnostic movements is to the Christian community. Why isn't God's Name, the Name by which he is to be known forever (Exodus 3:14-15), used to identify Him in the New Testament? This is a valid question. Finally, no matter what language or culture I am exposed to, my name, which is a representation of me, is Shaun. Why would YHWH be any different? If the way we pronounce His Name isn't really that important, can we pronounce His Name "Appollo," so long as God and I know who we are referring to? Or how about "Allah?" Or "Satan?" Where do we draw the line? This is an issue that has come upon my heart heavily the last few weeks. Maybe I am wrong, I must consider the possiblity, but it feels to me that what His Name is, and how It is used (remember the 3rd Commandment --Exodus 20:7), is as important as the plan of salvation and the divinity of Christ. Again, forgive me if I seem combative, I'm only trying to dip deep into this issue, and mean no ill will. In His Name, Shaun |
Bible Answer: Greetings Shaun! You don't seem combative my friend! :-) Yes, your name is 'Shaun'. However, if you translate your name into another language, it would not be 'Shaun'. It would be a different word. The NT wasn't written by New Agers. It was written under Divine inspiration. In those cases where the NT quotes the OT, 'kurios' was used for 'YHWH' - by Divine inspiration. In those case where the NT simply refers to God, 'theos' is used, just like we say 'God' in English. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |