The One, True God Doesn’t Work That Way

The world is full of religions, and it has been so for a very long time—perhaps since mankind has existed on this planet. But why? In Job 12:7-10, Job says this:

But just ask the animals, and have them teach you;
And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you;
And have the fish of the sea tell you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?

And in Romans 1:18-21, Paul says something similar”

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.  

What Job and Paul are saying is that most people instinctively know and understand that a power greater than themselves exists—a Creator or creators who made the universe and gave everything life. That is why people throughout history have worshiped gods, or God. Buddha introduced a religion (or perhaps a philosophy) devoid of gods. Yet within a few generations most Buddhists had deified him, and since then they have worshiped him, as well as other gods.

But why doesn’t everyone worship the one, true God? Why did people in Greece, Rome, India, and so many other places worship multiple gods?

Let’s go back to the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:1-5, we read this:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” [Note: God never said they couldn’t touch it.] The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

Notice how the serpent was able to trick Eve into disobeying God. He first accused God of lying (“You surely will not die!”), and then told Eve, “You will be like God.” In the Old Testament, God was trying to teach his people to trust him. So Satan first planted the seed of distrust (God lied to you: “You surely will not die!”). Then he offered her something appealing (“You will be like God”).

We see something similar happening throughout the Old Testament. Even as God tried to get the Israelites to trust Him, they repeatedly fell into idolatry. Why? What was so appealing about idols?

Idolatry says this: if you just do A, B, and C, the gods will give you what you desire: rain, good crops, lots of children, victory over enemies, etc. It puts us in control by effectively making the gods our servants. If we do what they require, they have to give us what we covet.

That’s not how God operates. In the Old Testament, He effectively told the Israelites, “Obey Me, and just trust Me to take care of you.” Jesus’s message was similar: “Put your faith in Me and I will save you.” With God, we are never in control—He is. He is our parent, not our servant. He decides whether or not to grant our requests based on what is in everyone’s best interest, including our own.

I believe we have many different religions in the world because the nature of people—their sinful nature, if you will—is to want to be like God, just like Eve. People want to make and follow their own rules. However, they also want a god or gods to fall back on in tough times. And what they really want is a vending-machine god: one that will automatically give them what they want when they put in their “money”—that is, when they say the right prayers, give the right amount of money, make the right sacrifices, etc. Some Christians even want God to be like that (which is why so-called prosperity preachers can gain large followings).

The one, true God doesn’t work that way. He insists on being in control, and we must simply trust Him. That is the God I worship.