HOUSMAIL HM#030 - THE "CREED OF MOSES                                        17 July 1999
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"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deut 6:4-5)
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The "Creed of Moses" is clearly NOT a Trinitarian document!

By any fair standard of appraisal, its positive UNITARIAN theology is uncompromising. Its simplicity stands in stark contrast to the complicated Trinitarian creeds of the mainstream Church (Nicene, Chalcedonian, Athanasian.) which it predates by nearly 2000 years! And if we view it correctly, it is the standard by which all man made creeds must be judged.

According to Moses, there is ONLY ONE GOD! There is no hint of anything resembling "Tri- unity". We should not be surprised therefore that, despite the efforts of theologians to tell us otherwise, the rest of the Bible agrees with this simple "Unitarian Creed" from Moses.

WHO IS "THE LORD"?
This LORD of whom Moses speaks, is easily identified as YAHWEH, the self existent God. This is the new name by which God revealed Himself to Moses as the one who is also known as God Almighty, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. (Exod 6:3)

Of course this reference to Abraham pointed Moses to the 400 year old promise that God would rescue his descendants from their slavery and oppression in Egypt. (Gen 15:13-16) God was reminding Moses that it was time for that promise to be fulfilled.

But there is a something even more important in the "Creed of Moses". It points US to the COVENANT which God has with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By revealing Himself as the God of these three forefathers of the Jews, the LORD is reaffirming the "Gospel preached to Abraham"!

The COMMANDMENT to love and serve the ONE LORD revealed in the "Creed of Moses" is not only for Jews. It is established for all believers in all time. It is the first and greatest commandment of the Christian faith, reaffirmed by Jesus in the New Testament. (Mark 12:29- 30)

Inheritance of the Gospel promise to Abraham, is for those who share his faith in that same God. (Rom 3:16-17, Gal 3:29) It is not for those who worship other gods!

JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CREED OF MOSES
In this simple creed, we are directed to the LORD ALONE as God.

Of course Moses does mention both Jesus and the Holy Spirit elsewhere in his writings ...... but NEVER are either described as "objects of worship"; NEVER does he refer to Jesus as a person already in existence; and NEVER is the Holy Spirit mentioned in any way which gives even the slightest hint of its existence as separate personal being in its own right.

It is significant that Jesus Himself confirmed and adopted this UNITARIAN faith as His own, when He addressed His Father in prayer as "the ONLY true God"! (John 17:3)

CONCLUSION
The "Creed of Moses" is far more than a mere theological statement of the unity of God. It is THE foundation upon which all other true religion is based. It affects how we think about our relationship with God and His Son. Ultimately, it conditions our response to the Gospel call to obedience to Jesus. And it is has been confirmed by Jesus as an eternal, non-negotiable COMMANDMENT, which ranks above all others!

Allon