Renaming God

I read an article on the Internet that got me thinking. This is from a news article from August 2007. Here is a quote from the web site: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20279326/)

“A Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands has proposed people of all faiths refer to God as Allah to foster understanding, stoking an already heated debate on religious tolerance in a country with one million Muslims. … Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem."

My first reaction was that of anger. Who does he think he is to rename God! How arrogant! This is just wrong! Then I thought I wonder how God feels….

Names in Biblical times were very important. They revealed a person’s character. As we read through Scripture we can see the importance of names. God has revealed to us his many names. Each name reveals more about who he is. His names represent his attributes, or his nature. It is important to know the names of God. AND none of them is Allah! I think God would be really offended for us to have the nerve to try to give him another name. And, not just any name, but the name of a false god. How different is this from Aaron and the Israelites building the golden calf?
Some of God’s names from Scripture are:

• El Shaddai - God Almighty or The God Who is All Sufficient
  
• Adonai Jehovah – The Lord our Sovereign
  
• Jehovah- Lord; The Self-Existent One, I AM WHO I AM
  
• Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord our Provider
  
• Jehovah-Ropheka - The Lord our Healer
  
• Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord Our Banner
  
• Jehovah-M’Kaddesh - The Lord Who Sanctifies
  
• Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord Our Peace
  
• Jehovah Elohim – The Eternal Creator
  
• Jehovah-Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness
  
• Jehovah-Rohi - The Lord Our Shepherd
  
• Jehovah-Shammah - The Lord is Present
  
• Jehovah-Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts
  
• Jehovah-Hoseenu – The Lord our Maker
  
• Jehovah-Eloheenu – The Lord our God
  
• El Elyon- The Lord Most High
  
• Yeshua - Savior
  
• El-Olam – The Everlasting God
  
• El-Gibhor - Mighty God
  

I am not about religious tolerance. I worship the one true God and I will not try to give Him a new name. He doesn’t need me to do that. If you choose to worship Allah, that’s fine. Call yourself a Muslim and go to a mosque.

I think some of the underlying meaning is that false idea that it doesn’t matter what God you worship as long as you worship one. Buddha, Allah, Mohammed, Harre Chrishna, Jesus Christ – they aren’t all the same. Only one of them is a part of the trinity. only one of them is the Son of God. Only one of them chose to live here on earth as a man, die for my sins, and then rise from the dead. Only one offers me eternal life for trusting him. I choose Jesus.