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The God of the Bible is made known to us in many ways. In a most elemental way, we have knowledge of Him by reason of the presence and order of this universe and of our very existence in it. In fact, He views as unacceptable and without excuse refusal to acknowledge this most fundamental proof of His Being. The Bible claims that such suppression of truth is willful. It is the reason why we sometimes move down a path away from God, and why God steps back as we proceed toward a state of depravity in thinking, not able to discern basic differences between right and wrong.
READ (ROMANS 1.18-32)
A quest for "GOD" cannot omit a discussion of His basic character and nature, because we need to understand who we are dealing with. Although nature itself reveals certain things about this God, the Bible is the best source of information concerning Him. One profitable way to examine His essence is to study the names He uses to describe Himself, for those names clearly reveal His nature.
I) GOD REVEALED IN HIS NAMES
A) "JEHOVAH"
ETERNAL AND SELF-EXISTENT
Moses was born in Egypt during a time of great persecution against the Hebrews. His story is familiar to almost everyone. His mother had kept him from certain death by fashioning a basket made of bulrushes, sending it downstream in the Nile river in hopes he would be saved by an Egyptian who would have mercy on the baby.
Moses was fished out of the Nile by none other than the daughter of Pharaoh who raised the child as her own. However, forty years of opulent living in the household of the Pharaoh did not erase memories of his heritage as a Hebrew. When he killed an Egyptian whom he saw beating a Hebrew slave, his true allegiance became obvious. Pharaoh sought to kill him , and he was forced to flee East to the region of Midian, where he remained for the next forty years as a shepherd.
Near the end of that time, he tended the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, near Mount Horeb in the Sinai wilderness. As he came near the place, he witnessed a miraculous sight. A bush burned with "fire", but was not consumed. Then the Lord spoke from the burning bush, informing Moses that He had seen the oppression of His people and was ready to deliver them. Furthermore, Moses was to be the human instrument God would use to bring them out of Egypt.
Moses contested with God, viewing himself as unqualified for the job. He had been long away from an understanding of the God of his fathers, and so asked Him,
"Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" (Exodus 3.13)
The Lord's answer was both abstruse but revealing (Exodus 3.14).
"I AM WHO I AM."
"Thus you shall say to the children of Israel. 'I AM' has sent me to you."
POINTS TO CONSIDER:
THE PHRASE "I AM" IN HEBREW IS CLOSELY RELATED TO GOD'S PERSONAL NAME, "JEHOVAH" OR "YAHWEH".
THIS WORD FOR GOD IS THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED ONE IN THE BIBLE, TRANSLATED MORE THAN 6000 TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS THE WORD "LORD"
THE PHRASE "I AM" OR "I EXIST" EXPRESSES HIS UNCHANGING, ETERNAL, SELF-EXISTENT NATURE. HE IS THE GOD WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN, FROM ETERNITY PAST TO ETERNITY FUTURE. HE IS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. FURTHERMORE, HE IS UNCHANGING AND SELF-EXISTENT, SO THAT HIS NATURE DOES NOT FLUCTUATE WITH TIME, NOR IS HE DEPENDENT ON ANYONE OR ANYTHING FOR HIS BEING.
IN THIS NAME, HE IS DESCRIBED WITH A NATURE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM OURS. WE CAME INTO EXISTENCE AT SOME POINT IN TIME; OUR VIEWS ARE CONTINUALLY CHANGING; AND WE ARE DEPENDENT ON OTHERS FOR OUR VERY EXISTENCE. THEREFORE, THIS NAME DESCRIBES THE UNIQUENESS, ETERNALITY, AND HOLINESS OF GOD.
B) "ELOHIM"
1) OMNIPOTENT (ALL POWERFUL)
READ (HEBREWS 11.3)
THIS WORD FOR GOD IS THE NEXT MOST FREQUENTLY USED ONE IN THE BIBLE, TRANSLATED MORE THAN 2500 TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS THE WORD "GOD".
IT DESCRIBES SOMETHING ABOUT THE NATURE OF THIS INFINITE BEING NOT EVIDENT IN THE NAME "JEHOVAH", SINCE THE NAME "ELOHIM" PORTRAYS A BEING WHO IS ALMIGHTY. HE IS WITHOUT LIMITATIONS BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING HE WANTS TO DO ANYTIME HE WANTS TO DO IT.
GOD'S POWER IS SUCH THAT THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE BROUGHT IT INTO REALITY SIMPLY BY "SPEAKING" IT INTO EXISTENCE. FURTHERMORE, IT CAME INTO ITS PRESENT STATE FROM A FORM THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INVISIBLE.
"ELOHIM" IS A GOD OF RAW POWER. HE NEEDED NO ASSISTANCE IN THE TASK OF CREATION, AND THE RESULT WAS DECLARED "GOOD" WITHOUT MODIFICATION.
2) OMNIPRESENT (ALL PRESENT)
READ (MATTHEW 10.29-30)
POINTS TO CONSIDER:
GOD HAS AN ASTOUNDING CAPABILITY AND ATTENTION FOR THINGS BOTH LARGE AND SMALL.
WHILE GOD IS IN THE PROCESS OF RUNNING THE UNIVERSE, HE IS IN NO WAY LIMITED IN KEEPING TRACK OF EVERYTHING GOING ON WITHIN HIS CREATION, SO THAT HE IS ABLE TO GIVE US HIS "UNDIVIDED" ATTENTION.
3) OMNISCIENT (ALL KNOWING)
GOD IS ABLE TO COMPREHEND EVERYTHING WE DO, AND TO KNOW THE INTENTS OF THE HEART BEFORE EVER A WORD IS SPOKEN.
THERE IS NO PLACE WE COULD EVER GO TO AVOID THE SCRUTINY AND EXAMINATION OF THIS INFINITE BEING.
A QUESTION TO PONDER:
If God knows everything about us, past, present, and future, can you think of any value in prayer?
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C) "ADONAI"
1) GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
READ (ISAIAH 6.1-13)
READ (ISAIAH 40.21-26)
READ (JOHN 12.37-41)
READ (REVELATION 19.11-16)
THE WORD "ADONAI" MEANS "MASTER" OR "RULER" AND IS TRANSLATED AS "Lord" IN THE BIBLE. IT CONVEYS THE IDEA OF ONE WHO EXERCISES SUPREME AUTHORITY OVER HIS DOMAIN, THUS THE CONTRAST IS BETWEEN MASTER AND SERVANT.
THE WORD "ADONAI" IS USED IN THE ISAIAH 6 TEXT TO DESCRIBE THE KING OF ALL CREATION. SO INCREDIBLE WAS THE SCENE AND AURA OF POWER IN THE PRESENCE OF THIS BEING THAT THE PROPHET FELT THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED.
THE ISAIAH 40 TEXT DESCRIBES A GOD WHO CARRIES OUT HIS SOVEREIGN DECREES WITH RESPECT TO NATIONS AND RULERS SO THAT HIS WILL IS ULTIMATELY ACCOMPLISHED.
THE TEXT IN JOHN IDENTIFIES JESUS CHRIST AS THIS "ADONAI" GOD SEEN BY ISAIAH.
THE REVELATION TEXT DESCRIBES JESUS CHRIST AS THE "WORD". HE IS THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS WHO WILL ONE DAY RETURN IN JUDGEMENT.
2) MAN'S CHOICE
READ (MATTHEW 25.31-46)
READ (LUKE 19.11-27)
THESE TEXTS SEEM TO PORTRAY A TENSION BETWEEN THE LORDSHIP OF GOD AND THE CHOICE OF MANKIND.
THE DEUTERONOMY TEXT SHOWS GOD OFFERING THOSE OLD TESTAMENT HEBREWS A CHOICE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, BETWEEN OBEYING HIM VERSUS OBEYING THEIR OWN DESIRES.
THE MATTHEW TEXT SPEAKS OF THE GLORIOUS RETURN OF THE SOVEREIGN KING WHO WILL SEPARATE THE NATIONS ACCORDING TO THE WAY THEY CHOSE TO DEAL WITH HIS "BRETHREN" IN NEED.
THE LUKE TEXT PORTRAYS THE LORD'S DISPLEASURE TOWARD THOSE WHO DELIBERATELY REBEL AGAINST HIM AND HIS DESIRE TO REIGN OVER THEM.
QUESTIONS
TO PONDER:
What is your personal reaction to a God who desires to be completely in charge of your entire life?
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Based on the above texts, which kind of government would you say God favors?
A democracy in which everyone has equal rights and equal vote? ___
A dictatorship in which God is in charge and there is no free will and no vote? ___
A theocracy in which God is in charge but His citizens freely submit to His will ___
If God knows all things, is all powerful to allow or prevent them, and desires to be in charge, how might the above text be used to explain why He presently allows evil and injustice to befall those who are innocent?
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II) "TWO" WAYS TO GOD
A) COME BY YOUR GOOD WORKS
READ (LUKE 10.25-28)
READ (DEUTERONOMY 6.5)
READ (LEVITICUS 19.18)
EVEN THOUGH THE LAWYER IN LUKE WAS TRYING TO TRICK JESUS, THE QUESTION WAS STILL LEGITIMATE. "TEACHER, WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?"
JESUS REFERRED HIM TO THE LAW OF GOD, ASKING WHAT IT SAID PERTAINING TO THE SUBJECT.
THE LAWYER, BEING AN EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT OF THE LAW, QUOTED THE TEXTS IN DEUTERONOMY AND LEVITICUS. THEREUPON, JESUS RESPONDED THAT HE HAD ANSWERED CORRECTLY AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IF HE KEPT THOSE PRECEPTS.
THE DEUTERONOMY TEXT ABOUT LOVING THE LORD RELATES TO THE FIRST FOUR OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
THE LEVITICUS TEXT ABOUT LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF RELATES TO THE LAST SIX OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
THERE IS NOTHING IN THE TWO TEXTS OR IN JESUS' AFFIRMATION THAT INDICATES THE NEED FOR FAITH, THEREFORE HERE IS A POTENTIAL WAY OF COMING TO GOD WITHOUT TRUSTING OR DEPENDING ON HIM.
If it were possible to obtain eternal life in this way, who should get the credit---God or man? ________
Do you see any problem with this answer in view of your previous study of the nature of God? Yes ___ No ___ If so, what is the problem?
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If a question remains concerning the nature of the problem, possibly the following texts will help.
READ (JAMES 2.10)
B) COME BY GOD'S PERFECT WORKS
READ (ROMANS 5.6-11)
READ (II CORINTHIANS 5.18-21)
READ (HEBREWS 4.14-16)
GOD'S ALL-KNOWING PLAN TO REDEEM US WAS ALREADY WORKED OUT BEFORE WE WERE BORN.
THIS PLAN OF RECONCILIATION REQUIRED THE DEATH OF A PERFECT MAN WHO NEVER SINNED AGAINST GOD.
SINCE DEATH SHOULD ONLY FOLLOW SIN, AN INJUSTICE WAS DONE WHEN JESUS DIED.
THEREFORE GOD'S PERFECT UNCOMPROMISING JUSTICE DEMANDED THAT HE BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD.
SINCE THE SON OF GOD WAS TEMPTED IN ALL WAYS AS WE ARE YET WITHOUT SIN, HE CAN SYMPATHIZE WITH US WHEN WE COME BEFORE THE THRONE OF GRACE.
III) PERSONAL CONCLUSIONS
- By depending on my own good works _____
- By depending on God's perfect works _____
Questions and/or Comments