The Golden Calf

Debauchery, Corruption and Greed

Some of us have noticed there is a disturbing difference between what Jesus taught and what we see in our pulpits and churches. The steady stream of moral failures and church scandals in the news makes us cringe with embarrassment. For starters, the Catholic Church shocked the world with its pedophile priests, cover ups and banking scandals. The Protestant world’s millionaire televangelists with their private jets and obscenely expensive mansions and notorious sex scandals are another disgrace. The debauchery, corruption and greed these things reveal are ugly stains on the Body of Christ and make Christianity a laughing stock to unbelievers. Something is desperately wrong! How in the world did this happen? Clearly, there is a breakdown in the faith at some level.

Things Were Totally Out of Control

Perhaps the Old Testament can give us some insight. An example from Exodus 32 might help. It tells how Moses was leading Israel to the promised land when God called him to Mount Sinai to receive the Law. What an experience that must have been! Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and when He came down he found things were totally out of control. Aaron had made a golden calf for Israel to worship and God’s people were partying like a bunch of pagans. There was wild dancing, drinking and a lot of immoral behavior going on. It wasn’t exactly what you would expect from God’s chosen people! In other words, it sounds a lot like today.

Israel Failed to Understand

Aaron had created a golden calf with his own hands and presented this pagan idol to the people as if it was a true image of God. Israel gladly embraced their new golden calf and as they worshipped it their conduct really went downhill! God, on the other hand, was not at all happy about the situation. Israel failed to understand that Aaron’s golden calf did not really represent God and their misunderstanding came at a terrible cost. Many people lost their lives due to their idolatry. Judgment was not what they were expecting and it sure was not what God wanted for them.

Another Man-Made Object of Worship

These days we don’t worship anything as obvious as a golden calf but there is another man-made object of worship in our midst. Israel’s vision of God was distorted by a golden calf and the destiny of many suffered as a result. Christianity’s vision of God is distorted by a man-made theological illusion we call the trinity. Could it be that the destiny of many will once again suffer as a result of a false vision? Is it possible that a failure of leadership will cause God’s chosen people to lose their inheritance?

Without Vision the People Perish

Proverbs 29:18 states “Without vision the people perish.” Some translations render this as, “Where there is no vision people are unrestrained” or “the people cast off restraint” or “the people run wild” or “the people are out of control.” It’s no wonder that God laments, “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) We have a hunch that a clear vision of God may be the antidote to much of what ails the church today.

A Biblical Vision of God and Christ

Here at Wonderful Theology our mission is to share a clear and Biblical vision of God. He is the God of Israel and we call Him our Father (His name is YHWH). His only begotten human Son is our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a true and biblical vision of God and Christ that truly brings light and understanding. Many are convinced this vision of God leads to righteousness too. We contend that the trinity is a philosophical golden calf that distorts our vision of God and darkens the understanding. Nothing good can come of it.

In the Volume of the Book

“Lo, I come to do thy will O God. In the volume of the book it is written of me.” (Hebrews 10:4-13, Psalms 40:6-8) These profound and powerful words speak of the unique life and person of Jesus Christ. They were spoken by the man who was the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. In these prophetic words Christ speaks of Himself and His mission. He knew who He was and He knew what He would do.

Immortality Awaits

Of Himself Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life… no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:1-6) “I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved. (John 10:9) Jesus boldly claimed to be the only way and the only door that leads to God and to eternal life. The Bible declares that immortality awaits those who believe in and heed the words of Jesus Christ! This is the offer of the gospel and the promise of God.

The Message of Scripture

The message of scripture is simple and understandable. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5) Hang on to this truth and never let it go. Believe it. Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten and unique Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Anointed One. Of Himself He said, “I am a man who has told you the truth.” (John 8:40) He was crucified and then rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus was not an Archangel or the Father incarnate or a hypothetical second ‘person’ in the trinity. He was one of us and he was truly a man. He said so Himself.

This is Life Eternal

God’s Anointed One (the Christ) was a man! The man called Jesus claimed to be God’s Christ. This is who He claimed to be and this is exactly what God revealed to the Apostle Peter. Jesus most definitely never claimed to be God Himself. God’s only begotten Son was a man. Don’t be offended by this. Jesus said, “This is life eternal that they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) This critically important knowledge about God and Christ is somehow a part of the promise of eternal life. Now… take a deep breath and relax. This is much more important than any dogma you may have grown up with. If Jesus was content to declare Himself to be a man we should be content to believe Him.

PS: This post concludes the Wonderful Theology website. Our whole focus has been on Jesus Christ and on presenting the Mystery of God and Christ in clear and Biblical terms. We hope these things have been helpful to you. The next destination on our theological journey is a website called Practical Theology. Our plan is to delve into the everyday questions and “nuts and bolts” issues that are important to most believers. We hope you’ll come visit us there and bring a few friends along with you. It may take awhile but we hope to have Practical Theology online by the fall of 2024. God Bless!

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The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn

Of all the things you could ever learn in life none is greater than this. There is but one God and we call Him the Father. His name is YHWH and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. This simple but earth shaking truth is the greatest thing you’ll ever learn. Here’s what the Bible says about God and Christ.

In the Beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… by Himself. The angels saw it happen and shouted for joy when they saw the universe unfolding right before their eyes. (Job 38) God made it clear that creation was His work alone and said, “There is no God beside me.” (Isaiah 45:5)

God Formed Adam From Dust

After the earth was perfected God formed Adam from its dust and breathed life into him. God saw it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone so He made Eve to be his companion. These two lived together in holy innocence until the day they rebelled against God. Foolish Eve was deceived by Satan and foolish Adam was willing to follow her lead. When they willfully disobeyed one of God’s clear commands they were banished from the Garden of Eden and we’ve all suffered ever since. They were driven out of the garden and a flaming sword was placed at the entrance to block them from the Tree of Life. They were destined for immortality but their willful disobedience only brought death.

The Messiah Who Was to Come

As the years went on Adam’s descendants filled the earth with violence. Eventually God was so sorry He had made man that He decided to wipe out humanity with a flood. Only Noah’s family survived. In course of time God spoke to one of Noah’s descendants named Abraham. Because of Abraham’s faith God pledged to give him a beautiful land and promised that one of Abraham’s descendants would be the world’s Savior. The Messiah who was to come would set the world right again and somehow God would bring us to our high destiny of eternal life.

The Rebellion That Started in Eden

Abraham’s descendants eventually became the nation of Israel… and like all the people who ever lived before them they messed things up. The Israelites knew all about God’s promises to Abraham and were quite proud of their unique spiritual inheritance. They carefully observed and enforced their religious traditions but their hearts were far from God. They became hardened by pride and although they thought they were holy and right with God they weren’t. The rebellion that started in Eden had taken root and was alive and well in Israel.

And Then… The Promised Messiah Was Born

And then… the Promised Messiah was born! God had made a promise to Abraham and never forgot it. At long last the promised Messiah stepped on the scene! By His sacrifice He would put down Eden’s ancient rebellion and lead His people to the Tree of Life. His battle against the rebellion would be bloody and would end with His death on a cross, but the curse of death would be lifted and immortality would beckon!

We are just getting started and there is much more to come so please come back soon and take a look. Thanks and God Bless!

Why We Publish This Website

The distorted lens of archaic dogma that has been imposed on the Body of Christ makes it nearly impossible to get a clear vision of God and His Son Jesus Christ. A highly educated Orthodox Bishop once acknowledged this to me by saying, “In my mind (the trinity) is a vague nebulousness. I can’t understand it but I believe it.” The difficulty of seeing God through a lens of incomprehensible theology is the reason for this website.

Before the days of creeds and councils, dogmas, denominations and traditional theology there was “primitive” Christianity. No one knew anything about a hypostatic union, homoousious or a Trinity of three divine persons but they did know Jesus and they changed the world. The faith that was once entrusted to the saints simply proclaimed Jesus Christ as Messiah and Son of God. Unfortunately, that faith has gone from entrusted to encrusted… with theological traditions that obscure more than they reveal.

The purpose and mission of Wonderful Theology is to offer people a clear vision of Jesus Christ unencumbered by the Platonic philosophy and tortured logic that lies at the core of trinitarian thought. There are many souls who hunger for something more biblical and understandable. We proclaim a straightforward Biblical approach declaring the God of Israel as the only true God and Jesus Christ as His uniquely and miraculously begotten human Son. This view is not only comprehensible and believable, it is deeply satisfying.The world has already had more than enough trinitarian thought. Now it is time for something better. There is much better bread to cast upon the waters and that is what we intend to do.

This website will challenge you to look at Jesus through the lens of scripture, no more and no less. I hope our offering will bless you, make you smile, and help you see Him more clearly. You might just decide that scripture IS enough after all.

The Garden of Eden

Eden’s Door Was Locked

Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden a long long time ago. Their disobedience came at a high cost and we’ve all suffered ever since. They had companionship with God and they had paradise… and they lost it all! Foolish Eve listened to the serpent and foolish Adam listened to his wife. As a result the LORD God drove both of them from His garden. Eve was sentenced to pain and sorrow and Adam was sentenced to toil and sweat. Then the LORD placed a flaming sword to block the entrance and guard the tree of life (Genesis 3). They would soon find out what they had lost but there was no way back in! Eden’s door was locked. We can only imagine their shock when they found themselves banished from their garden paradise with no possibility of ever going back.

God Shut the Door

Men have been looking for paradise throughout history. Our hearts yearn for it. We dream about it, write songs and books about it and even make movies about the quest, but it has never been found because God shut the door and blocked the way. We have no idea what the entrance to Eden looks like so we could be staring it in the face and not even recognize it! Mankind can never return to Paradise unless God Himself opens the door. “These things says He that is holy… He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.”(Rev 3:7)

God’s Plan For a Bloody Door

A lot happened after Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden and eventually some of their descendants became slaves in Egypt. And then, after four hundred years of slavery God provided a door for them, a way out. Liberation would come but it would only come in God’s way and on God’s terms. Hebrew households were told to sacrifice a lamb without spot or blemish and to spread its blood on the doors of their homes. It was a gory and strange thing that God required but freedom and deliverance were granted to all who obeyed. Those who embraced God’s plan for a bloody door were set free!

Jesus Christ is Our Bloody Door

More centuries passed and then a man stepped on the scene who was unlike any other man who ever lived. He was born of a virgin and he raised the dead, cured the blind and healed the sick. Jesus walked on water, stilled a storm with His words and fed multitudes with a few loaves of bread. He said, “I am the door” (John 10:9) and “no man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Jesus claimed to be the Christ, the Anointed One and the only begotten Son of God. Jesus Christ is our bloody door! In Him God has provided us with a way back to the tree of life. He alone is the way to immortality and the way to peace with God. He is the only way.

The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven

When Jesus questioned His disciples about His identity it was Peter who answered rightly and declared “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (Matthew 16:16) Based on this revelation Jesus proclaimed that He would give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter. The knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God is the key to heaven’s door! The bloody door that leads into the garden of God and immortality is none other than our crucified Savior Himself, and the key that unlocks this door was given to Peter. When the Apostle Peter preached his very first sermon he plainly declared that men should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the promise of eternal life (Acts 2:38). We think that was a wonderful offer then and it’s still a wonderful offer today.

PS: What are you waiting for? Who knows how much time God will give you to make up your mind? Go ahead… act now while the door is still open!

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