Amid the
coverage and criticism of his recent sermon entitled, “
Yahweh Elohim,”
John Mark Comer, pastor of Solid Rock Church in Portland, Oregon, has
offered the following attempted clarification on his Facebook page:
Solid Rock family,
Some of you have been asking some great questions about
my recent teaching “Yahweh Elohim” and Solid Rock’s theology. To
clarify, we are NOT polytheists. We ARE monotheists. We believe there is
ONE real, true Creator God with NO equal or parallel. By using the
language of “Creational Monotheism,” we are saying there are real
spiritual beings in the universe UNDER the Creator God Yahweh. The
demonic powers we read about in the scriptures are not “non-entities,”
but are real. The New Testament calls them “demons,” “angels,”
“spirits,” “powers,” “princes,” and “principalities,” but the primary
Hebrew word used in the Old Testament is elohim or “gods.” These beings
are “gods with a lowercase g.” They are not on par with the Creator God
Yahweh. They are created, but have rebelled against their Creator to
wreak havoc on the earth. This is the worldview of Jesus and of the
Scriptures.
By using the language of “Creational Monotheism vs.
Modern Monotheism,” we are challenging the post-enlightenment, Western
European view of monotheism from the last 300 years that says there are
no other spiritual beings in the universe. We don’t buy it, and we don’t
think Jesus does either. At Solid Rock it is our deepest conviction to
know and pursue the ways of King Jesus, to understand and adopt his way
of thinking and his worldview. Stay rooted in the Scriptures, keep
asking questions, and above all follow the Creator God in Jesus!
John Mark and the teaching team of Solid Rock
(Source)
Comer’s initiative to respond to the confusion is commendable. Yet
there still seems to be a game of words being played here. Above, Comer
claims that what he has deemed as “modern monotheism” argues that “there
are no other spiritual beings in the universe.” Yet, one would be
hard-pressed to find a Christian (a monotheist by necessity) who would
argue with such verses as:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand
against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
all, to stand firm. (Eph. 6:10-13)
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an
angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise
themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to
their deeds. (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pet. 5:8)
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (Jas. 2:19)
These are just a few of many verses that affirm the reality of evil
spiritual beings, namely Satan and his demons. The traditional
understanding of monotheism—that there is one God, that there always has
been one God and that there always will be one God (
Isa. 43:10–11)—does not deny that other spiritual beings exist. It does deny that these beings exist as “lesser gods” or lesser deities.
Indeed, the pagan cultures of the Old Testament worshiped what they
believed to be “gods.” The Bible teaches, however, that they are not
actually gods, but idols. Several verses come to mind in regard to this:
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot
speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them;
they can do no harm nor can they do any good. (Jer. 10:5)
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have
ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do
not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their
throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in
them. (Psalm 115:4–8)
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we
know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but
one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as
indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one
God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we
exist. (1 Cor. 8:4–6)
In his sermon, Comer appeals often to open theist Greg Boyd and his book,
God at War. To better understand the theological background and beliefs of Boyd, here is how
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) explains open theism:
Open Theism, also called openness and the open view, is a
theological position dealing with human free will and its relationship
to God and the nature of the future. It is the teaching that God has
granted to humanity free will and that in order for the free will to be
truly free, the future free will choices of individuals cannot be known
ahead of time by God. (Source)
Theopedia offers a similar definition:
Open theism, also called free will theism and openness
theology, is the belief that God does not exercise meticulous control of
the universe but leaves it “open” for humans to make significant
choices (free will) that impact their relationships with God and others.
A corollary of this is that God has not predetermined the future. Open
Theists further believe that this would imply that God does not know the
future exhaustively. Proponents affirm that God is omniscient, but deny
that this means that God knows everything that will happen. (Source)
With that in mind, consider the following teaching about creational
monotheism from Boyd’s book, which is referenced by Comer throughout
this sermon:
Unlike philosophical monotheism with its speculative
conjecture about what “pure” monotheism entails, creational monotheism
does not rule out the acknowledgement of the existence of lesser
gods…Arising out of the biblical revelation, creational monotheism
affirms that there are indeed a multiplicity of gods, but only one is
eternal, only one is Creator, only one is Lord, and only one is
omnipotent, while all others have their being and their power only by
virtue of being given it by their Creator. Hence the Creator is in a
class all by himself, and for this reason he and he alone is to be
worshiped.
(Gregory Boyd, God at War, [InterVarsity Press: 1997], 120–121.)
To close, it may be helpful to see how it is that John Mark Comer
illustrates the difference between what he calls “modern monotheism” and
“creational monotheism”:
One God alone, or one God among many? There’s only one place to go to
find the answer, and it is neither to a pastor nor to a blog, but to
the Word of God.
“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my
servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and
understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be
any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. (Isa. 43:10–11)
I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is
no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know,
from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides
me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isa. 45:5-6)
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