“My son thought your sermon was the bomb. And by the way, that is a good thing. It is not like your sermon was a bomb.” This was a message I got recently from the mother of one our teenagers at church. It was evident she was concerned that I may not be up to date on the current lingo. It does not seem as if there would be much difference between “the” and “a”. But there is a world of difference in what it means. It got me to thinking about some other places where the use of these two words makes all the difference.

God is not a god, he is the God. There are societies and religions all over the world that worship all sorts of gods. There are the gods of Greek mythology and there are the many gods of various indigenous tribes around the globe. But Christians are different in that we believe the God we serve is not a god, but the one true God. He is the Creator, not something created.

Joshua, one of the early leaders of the people of God said it this way.

Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:14-15).

So you have to decide: God is either the God, or just a god among many other gods. He says he is the God. If so, then there can be no other gods in his place.

Jesus is not a way to heaven. He is the way to heaven. This is the claim that Jesus made.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

Following a god is not a big deal. Following the God is.
Another decision to make. Jesus is, or is not, the only way to God. Christians believe that he is, so we have chosen to follow him. Only him.

These are not popular choices in a world that seems to thrive on being able to choose the god or path that fits you best. These are not claims that Christians make. These are claims that God and Jesus have made. We Christians have chosen to believe them.

If you would like to explore these concepts more, write me at steve@hopeforlife.org or join the blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.

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