Merry Christmas – The Pillar and Ground of Truth

For Christmas Day – Charles Wesley

Hark, how all the welkin rings,

“Glory to the King of kings;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconcil’d!”

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

Universal nature say,

“Christ the Lord is born to-day!”

Christ, by highest Heaven ador’d,

Christ, the everlasting Lord:

Late in time behold him come,

Offspring of a virgin’s womb!

Veil’d in flesh, the Godhead see,

Hail th’ incarnate Deity!

Pleas’d as man with men to appear,

Jesus, our Immanuel here!

Hail, the heavenly Prince of Peace,

Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Risen with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth;

Born to give them second birth.

Come, desire of nations, come,

Fix in us thy humble home;

Rise, the woman’s conquering seed,

Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

Now display thy saving power,

Ruin’d nature now restore;

Now in mystic union join

Thine to ours, and ours to thine.

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,

Stamp thy image in its place.

Second Adam from above,

Reinstate us in thy love.

Let us thee, though lost, regain,

Thee, the life, the inner man:

O, to all thyself impart,

Form’d in each believing heart.

-Charles Wesley

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45461/for-christmas-day

Dogma

Our dogma revolves around the great biblical truth that there is One God, also called “monotheism.” In his book, The Oneness of God, David K. Bernard, J.D. defines monotheism in this manner: “The belief in only one God is called monotheism, which comes from two Greek words: monos, meaning alone, single, one; and theos, meaning God.”

Ralph V. Reynolds simply stated that “there is only one Supreme Being who is God; He cannot be multiplied nor pluralized.” He further declared, “There are over fifty passages of Scripture that teach that God is one and that there is no other.”

In fact, the Word of God naturally assumes this universal truth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created…” God here is the transliterated form of Elohim, which means “plenitude of might,” or more simply, “one God whose characteristics are many.”

This thought is carried further in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.”

In Colossians 2:9 we are told that in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (all the characteristics of God) bodily, and we (the Church) are complete in Him (Jesus).

When addressing Timothy, Paul wrote of a mystery, but then he further explained what that mystery was, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). Only Jesus Christ fulfills those six points. Therefore, Jesus Christ of the New Testament is Elohim of the Old Testament, which further explains why we are told that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God and that all things exist and consist by him, Colossians 1:12-17.

So, we are dogmatic in our belief that there is only one God and Jesus is His name. He is our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Savior. Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Only Jesus fulfills this messianic prophecy. He is the Father in Creation, the Son in Redemption, and the Holy Spirit in us today. Keep this great truth in mind and heart as you celebrate this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

Bernard, David K. The Oneness of God. St. Louis: Word Aflame Press, 1983.

Reynolds, Ralph V. Truth Shall Triumph. Hazelwood, MO: Pentecostal Publishing House, 1965.

Originally posted on 20 December 2010 on https://thepillarandgroundoftruth.blogspot.com/2010/12/dogma.html