God
The term god is applied to a deitic being that is worshipped as part of a theistic belief system. Monotheistic religions are the most common and include Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
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The Christian God
According to Christian teaching, God is the creator of the universe. Christianity has understood since about the fourth century that God is a trinity comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His creation of man is described in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. It is written in the Bible that a belief in God (specifically, belief in Jesus Christ as one's personal lord and savior) is a necessary condition to go to heaven (rather than hell) in the afterlife.
Common powers attributed to the Christian God include omnipotence (the ability to do anything), omniscience (the ability to know anything), and omnipresence (the ability to be everywhere at once). Many believers in this God also believe that he eternally punishes the wicked in hell and eternally rewards the righteous in heaven. While God is said to be unique, the Old Testament in fact mentions 'other gods' constantly.
Notes
It is claimed that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism worship the same God in different ways. This claim is regarded by some as a way to convert Jews and Christians to Islam, since it supports the idea that Abrahamic religion has "grown" from Judaism to Christianity to Islam.[1] However, many are skeptical of this idea.[2]
References
Sources
- Cruden, A., Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments (Lutterworth, 1930)
- The Holy Bible (King James Version)
- The New English Bible (Oxford & Cambridge University Presses, 1970)
- The New Jerusalem Bible (Darton, Longman & Todd, 1990)
- Peake, A.S., Commentary on the Bible (Nelson, 1962)
- Young, R., Analytical Concordance to the Holy Bible (Lutterworth, 1939)
