One of The Salvation Army doctrines states that: “We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.”
Which in many ways is at the foundation of most Christian denominations. But one thing that astounds me more and more is that in today’s world this statement in many ways runs counter cultural ‘to the pluralist religiosity of our world’.
In a world where truth apparently has become anything that we want it to be, and the idea that all religions point to the same end point this is something that as Christians we may just need reminding of “There is only one God.” As Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
“We are taught by the over-tolerant spirit of our age that the gods of the Christians, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, and Hindus are to be considered equally valid. If that were true, there would be many ways of salvation, and hence no need for evangelism. But since there is only one true God, then He is the One in whom all must believe to be saved (1 Tim. 2:5). There is no other name under heaven by which sinners may be saved (Acts 4:12). Evangelistic prayer recognizes that all must come to the one true God.
Not only is there only one God, but “one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” “Mediator” refers to one who intervenes between two individuals to restore peace or ratify a covenant. The concept of a mediator is seen in Job’s lament, “There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:33). Because Christ is the only mediator, all must come to God through Him (Acts 4:12). There isn’t an endless series of aeons, or subgods, as the Gnostics taught. We do not approach God through the intercession of angels, saints, or Mary. Only through “the man Christ Jesus” can men draw near to God. Hebrews 8:6 calls Him “the mediator of a better covenant,” while Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24 describe Him as the mediator of the New Covenant. All men who come to God must come through Him.”
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (140–141). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
And the thing is if we are to learn anything from history and the wise men of old then we need to accept the fact that “all the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43) or maybe we have just lost sight of the fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Check out the other doctrines of The Salvation Army by clicking on the following link to the What we Believe section or alternatively check out the links on The Gospel Message page to get a better understanding of what this faith thing is all about…
The life and times of Perry... 