What would you say to a politician who talks about values, and first principles, and the Constitution, and a merit-based economy, and even about "God," even though he is a self-avowed non-Christian? I would ask him which "God" is he referring to. God, of course, is invisible. But God's only Son, who is the companion of the Father, has revealed him (John 1:18). This is a reference to Jesus Christ -- not to any other claimant to Deity. John 1:14 says that God, in Jesus Christ, came down from heaven and lived among us. These words are utterly unparalleled in all of history and religion. The all-powerful and all-holy God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He made himself vulnerable to temptation and even death. He who is Spirit became flesh. He who is eternal entered time. The God who made human beings became one himself, and it is he and he alone who reveals the Father. Therefore, you cannot speak of the true God apart from speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. John adds that "we have seen his glory [Christ's glory], the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father."
This is the shocking message of Christianity. Jesus is God. And unless you eat his flesh and drink his blood you have no life in you. The Bible says, "He who has the Son has life." You cannot have life without knowing Christ.
Beware of tranquilizers. Beware of cheap substitutes for the real thing. Satan sows tares that resemble wheat so closely that few today know the difference. He cleverly wards off a true work of God by a thousand devices. Two hundred years ago in our nation, everyone knew who you were referring to when you said "God." Today, when someone says the word "God," we ought to ask, "Which one?" We can never assume that behind the term is an adherence to or a reverence for the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I close with John's words in his first epistle (5:20):
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
Do you love the truth or believe the lie?