Our Manifold God

A story about an even which happened some 200 years ago to the Reverend Samuel Rutherford:

Rutherford was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland.
One evening a stranger came to the parsonage door and asked if he
could stay for the night. The stranger was welcomed into the
house. It was the custom for the minister and his family to have
devotions at the end of the day and the stranger was asked to join
in this family service, which he did.

After the pastor read the scripture for the day, each person was
asked questions about the Bible. When the time came for the
stranger's question, he was asked an easy one, "How many
commandments are there?............"

The stranger quickly answered, "Eleven".

The minister was surprised at the man's ignorance and immediately
corrected him corrected him by saying, "There are only Ten
Commandments."

The stranger then replied, "Have you never then read, "A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another"?"

~source unknown

how quick to judge a brother or sister as being 'wrong' we are, when we don't understand where they are coming from.... samuel rutherford was correct in the 'standard' way - there were 10 commandments given to moses by God; but the stranger was thinking outside the box and was just as correct, if not more so.... how often do we correct another person when we do not know what angle they see something from?

by way of example, here is yet another way of answering rutherfords question, from the angle from which i see it.... which is that there are two commandments:

Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NKJV)

ok, but what about the other 8 commandments of 'the big 10'?

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NKJV)

so, that leaves us with two commandments. and it is an answer that is as correct as saying ten, or eleven.

we are just too quick to say to another person, 'you are wrong'. it may seem *obvious* to us that they are wrong, but again, it bears repeating: we are seeing it only from our angle.

there is 'room' for people to see the things of God in other ways: He is a manifold God. His knowledge is manifold, His ways are manifold, His love is manifold.

man-i-fold:
1. Many and varied; of many kinds; multiple: our manifold failings.
2. Having many features or forms: manifold intelligence.
3. Being such for a variety of reasons: a manifold traitor.
4. Consisting of or operating several devices of one kind at the same time.
(from dictionary.com)

consider that as you read the following (empheses mine):

Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height 19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.(NKJV)

i see one facet of the precious gem that is God; you see another. may we use that difference to foster relationship... not rejection.

and if we still believe the other is wrong?... don't get into disputes over doubtful things.... we will find out who's right when we get to glory - so love them anyway, just as they are now.