Biblical Christianity and Islam: Plural Monotheism versus Monolithic Monotheism (Part 4)
Posted on June 29, 2007
Filed Under Islam & Biblical Christianity |
(Continued from last week…)
In the progressive revelation of Scripture, we are given a number of hints that the Creator’s nature is socially complex.
Several of those hints involve Divine personal manifestations who are addressed as “God” and yet they are distinguished from another person who is also called “God”. If we did not have the clear declaration that God was “one”, this could lead us into polytheism. However, the Scripture plainly teaches against this, so we are left with the notion that there is something socially plural within God’s singularity.
Let’s briefly look at one of those examples, found in Genesis 16, when Hagar fled from Sarai into the wilderness. The Scripture says that the “Angel of the Lord” found Hagar by a spring of water and spoke to her:
“Go back to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand…I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”
After the encounter, the Scripture then says that Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, El Roi (the God who sees) and then said:
“I have now seen the One who sees me.”
How can this be? How can the messenger of the Lord, who appears to be a separate person distinct from God, not only be called God and given a Divine Name, but speak as if He were God: “I will so increase your descendents…?” If a distinct person is both a messenger sent from God and yet Himself called God, we are witnessing another hint that the One God is somehow socially complex.
Again, if each of these hints existed by themselves, we might shrug them off as an unexplained anomaly. However, there are multiple examples similar to Hagar’s in the Scripture. One of the most famous is when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3). No one would doubt that this was God who said to Moses:
“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”
Moses was told to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. Yet the Scripture introduces this encounter by saying that the One who appeared to him was “the Angel of the Lord.”
When you put together the hints of plural pronouns and multiple persons each distinctly called God, along with several others that we will have to pass by, we are beginning to see the faint images of a socially plural God. A God who is both the One and the Many; both Unity and Diversity; the great relational Being who has been in relationship within Himself for all eternity; the One who speaks of Himself as “we” and “us” and creates a universe filled with relationships, intimacy, union, community and fellowship.
The faintness of this picture, however, is about to be revealed in great clarity with the arrival of Jesus. Next week, we will turn our attention to the special revelation given to us in the New Testament of God.
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Dr. Del Tackett is president of the Focus on the Family Institute and Senior Vice President to Focus on the Family. He is also the architect and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project--a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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Great to see you back in the blogging world, Del! Your entries are fascinating to follow..full of wisdom and understanding with a gift to deliver on a level that is understandable. Thanks for all you do!