(IV)

(Continued from part 3…)

                Hinduism teaches a concept known as moksha. What has moksha got to do with the salvation of the individual?

*The goal of the individual soul is moksha.

Moksha is liberation: the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when the soul unites with Brahman by realizing its true nature. Several paths can lead to this realization and unity: the path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God). (From: Part of Hinduism For Dummies Cheat Sheet)

“For God so loved the world…” [John 3:16].

                It is written in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” The sinful nature of Adamic progeny can neither be plucked by human understanding or activity. Of course, I agree with an ‘unconditional surrender to God.’ But the prevalent question is, “Which God is it, Jehovah or Brahma? It is beyond human capability –the solution to this sinful nature. Its solution is purely providential. This is the solution: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). It is on account of this that Jesus gave the soteriological kerygma of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Nicodemus, His sole audience, heard these things and he believed. Amen.

Peter is a type of Christian Jesus came to save

                Romans 10:9-10 is the formula for salvation. 9) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Jesus it is, who only could and can do it. It must take a sinless man to save humanity. That same One must be truly divine. Jesus Christ’s résumé met these dyadic desiderata. The sinlessness of Jesus is evident in John 14:30,“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” Of much pellucidity is Pauline couch of 2Corinthians 5:21,“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” And His Lordship? The answer is here in the Bible. 1Corinthians 15:47, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” Jesus is the Adonai from heaven. Amen!

Hindu symbol

Hindus acknowledge that, at the most fundamental level, God is the One without a second —the absolute, formless, and only Reality known as Brahman, the Supreme, Universal Soul. Brahman is the universe and everything in it. Hindu religion is also polytheistic: populated with myriad gods and goddesses who personify aspects of the one true God, allowing individuals an infinite number of ways to worship based on family tradition, community and regional practices, and other considerations.

Here are just some of the many Hindu gods and goddesses:

Brahma, the Creator

Brahma is the first member of the Hindu Trinity and is “the Creator” because he periodically creates everything in the universe. (The word periodically here refers to the Hindu belief that time is cyclical; everything in the universe —except for Brahman and certain Hindu scriptures— is created, maintained for a certain amount of time, and then destroyed in order to be renewed in ideal form again.) (From: Part of Hinduism For Dummies Cheat Sheet)

Trinity of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu and the destructive Shiva

                The first member of the Hindu Trinity is Brahma. He (Brahma) has a wife in the heavenly assizes, right? Stories about the concupiscence of Hindu gods abound. We know that Jehovah does not engage in amatory pleasure. You would not even hear of Him (Jehovah) stretching out or lazing about in any celestial chamber. Brahma is definitely not the same person as the God of the Bible. Exodus 20:3 quotes God as commanding, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Psalm 73:25 makes it clear with, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” God Himself told Moses in Exodus 34:14, ”For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” There is no doubt, judging from eons of Hindu religion existence, that Mohammedan Qur’an got the formlessness of Allah from Brahma’s incorporeality. I wonder how an asomatous Jehovah would, at creationism, command in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ….” God’s anthropomorphic dimension is seen in the word, ‘likeness’ which in Hebrew is dmuwth (dem-ooth’) meaning: ‘1. resemblance. 2. (concretely) model, shape. 3. (adverbially) like.’

10 Avatars of Vishnu (From Britannica: Courtesy of Victoria & Albert Museum; London)

Vishnu, the Preserver

Vishnu is the second member of the Hindu Trinity. He maintains the order and harmony of the universe, which is periodically created by Brahma and periodically destroyed by Shiva to prepare for the next creation.

Vishnu is worshipped in many forms and in several avatars (incarnations). Vishnu is an important, somewhat mysterious god. Less visible than nature gods that preside over elements (such as fire and rain), Vishnu is the pervader —the divine essence that pervades the universe. He is usually worshipped in the form of an avatar.

Shiva, the Destroyer

Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, tasked with destroying the universe in order to prepare for its renewal at the end of each cycle of time. Shiva’s destructive power is regenerative: It’s the necessary step that makes renewal possible.

Hindus customarily invoke Shiva before the beginning of any religious or spiritual endeavor; they believe that any bad vibrations in the immediate vicinity of worship are eliminated by the mere utterance of his praise or name.

                The first member of the Hindu Trinity is Brahma. Of the second and the third members Shiva is evil. That makes the Hindu gods culpable and authors of evil, ergo, satanic. We know that the God of the Bible is eternally guiltless. Durga is so wicked that Hindu art hangs ornaments of the skulls of her victims round her neck!

                Getting born again is strictly a conscious effort on the part of an individual. It is of a personal conviction that, as the word of God says, Jesus is truly the only Saviour of the world. A soteriological dependence on the finished work of Jesus is the sole belief requirement of Scripture. Get born again by saying this simple prayer.

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”

(…to be continued…)     

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