The Norse story of creation says that the world was created from the body of a dead frost-giant named “Bor” who was the father of Odin, the Norse god of life.
The Cherokee story of creation says that in an effort to discover what was under the water that covered the earth, the animals of the vaulted sky above the earth sent the water-beetle below the water to see what was there. He brought back mud which grew into the earth and the earth was then filled with animals.
The Chinese story of creation says that an egg-shaped cloud of matter was burst open by a giant which then became all the matter in the universe. The Evolutionist religion creation story says, “nothing created something that became everything, going nowhere forever for no reason.”
In all these stories, there is a common denominator-confusion stemming from multiple gods. That is to say, as you read these stories, as well as other pagan stories of explanation of the world we live in, there is always reference to multiple gods. There is a god of the sun, the moon, the stars, or goddesses of fertility, life, alcohol, etc.. Revolutionary in this whirlpool of gods and goddesses is the claim of the Bible that there is only one God who, Himself alone, created the heavens, the earth, life, and all things. Genesis chapters 1 and 2 teach the summary of that creation event. Many other passages maintain the singular-God creation of everything (see especially Psalm 104 and Job 38-40).
Explaining the Trinity
However, what boggles the mind is that this one God is not simply a single God. That is, this God is not just one Person existing alone forever. The Bible says that this God is not one-in-one, but three-in-one! Here is where the math breaks down.
God is not simply one Person existing alone forever deciding to make a cosmos one day. Man can comprehend that, and make up legends purporting that. Rather, the Bible says that God is one God consisting of three Persons; individual, personal, and sovereign in their individual will. The Bible says that God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches that each has an individual will independent of one another (see 1 Corinthians 12:11; cp. Matthew 26:39), and yet submissive to the Father (1 Corinthians 11:3). We know this. We have been taught this as Christians. But, at the time of Jesus’ ministry, this truth, although imbedded in Scripture, was inflammatory, aggravating, and the cause of hatred by the Jews. And, of all the statements Jesus made about His deity (and He made a number of them), John 10:30 was the most outrageous claim of all.
Looking at Moses
Moses was the deliverer of Israel from Egypt. His work was to lead the people away from the pagan world they knew and take them to worship God at the mountain in Arabia as their first stop, and on to the land promised to their fathers (Exodus 3:12, 17-18). After roughly 40 years of waiting, it was time to enter. Before entering, Moses rehearses the Law he gave them upon their exit from Egypt initially and that extended collection of sermons is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy.
This book takes the Law Moses spoke to them a generation ago, and expounds upon it for their learning. However, at the foundation of this exposition is a simple assertion almost as profound as Jesus’ words in John 10:30: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the Lord is One!” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
In the world they would enter with multiple pagans gods and goddesses, the Israelites must realize that the creation story of their Bible states that only one God made the heavens and the earth, and that God is a singular God. Although there are clear indications in the OT of the three Persons of the godhead (Genesis 1:1-2 is a good illustration of that), it is not until the NT and the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that this is made clear. And this clarity is stated with tremendous gravity in John 10:30.
Loads of Truth in One Claim
Notice what Jesus said; “I and the Father are one.”
Does that sound familiar? Jesus is not simply stating that He and the Father are of the same essence, although that is true. Jesus is not simply stating that He is God, although that is true.
The reason the Jews wanted to stone Him on the spot and the reason why the Jews were so offended is simple: Jesus said that He is as much the “one-God” of Deuteronomy 6:4 as YHWH is the “one-God” of Deuteronomy 6:4. The verb Jesus uses in John 10:30 indicates that the same condition of the one is true of the other. In other words, “I am one, and the Father is one.” Jesus is claiming to be the very God of Deuteronomy 6:4! It is no wonder the Jews were so incensed at Him!
How do we know this is true?
Look at their reasoning for picking up stones to stone Him in v. 33: “The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” The Greek here literally says: “…concerning a good work we do not stone you, but concerning blasphemy, even that you being a man make yourself God.”
See, they understood that the foundational element in the theology of the Jews is the singular nature of God and that rock-bed of truth is found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and supported over the next thousand years of OT canonical writing; One God, alone, designed and created all that exists. Jesus is now claiming to be that very God. The Jews understood that. That unthinkable claim (if it were not true), that a Man would be the God of the OT, is the blasphemies of all blasphemies and is the very reason they began looking at the ground for stones to throw at Him (John 10:31).
Again, these Jews understood very clearly what Jesus was claiming. He was claiming absolute solidarity, unity, and perfection with the God of the Mosaic sermon of Deuteronomy 6:4. If it was not true, Jesus Christ would indeed be the most insane man every to have walked this planet (see John 10:20).
