MODULE 3: THE PERSON OF GOD WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE PERSON OF GOD? There are many reasons why it is important to have insight into the Being of God. Firstly, the Bible contains God=s self-revelation. God shows us Himself, because He wants us to have an understanding of who He is (Deut. 29:29). In this sense the Bible becomes a window through which we see that which God wants us to see of Himself. Secondly, living life in a meaningful and purposeful way is linked directly to our understanding of God. Belief in the God who is makes the difference between an existence which is purposeful and one which is purposeless. If the atheist is right, and there is no God, we may as well eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we die - and death marks the end of our existence in any form. If, on the other hand, God exists, as the Bible teaches and creation implies, we have to face up to the implications of that reality. It is for this reason that thinking correctly about God is vital to our life experience. Thirdly, the history of man shows that no people has ever risen above its religion, and no religion has ever been greater than its idea about God. How do you understand Prov. 14:34 in this respect? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Christian experience is meaningful or meaningless as the Christian thinks high or low thoughts about God! The most important question facing the believer is always the question of God. The mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God. A right understanding of God is basic to practical Christian living. How do you understand Hos. 4:6 in this respect? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT THE REALITY OF GOD? The Bible teaches that God is (Ex. 3:14). If biblical Christianity says anything to its contemporary world, it is that God is real. This fact is the basis for every other theological formulation of Christian theology. Consider that, without the reality of God: $ There would be no doctrine of creation, and consequently, life would be ultimately meaningless. $ There would be no doctrine of salvation, and consequently, life would be ultimately hopeless. $ There would be no doctrine of eschatology (last things), and, consequently life would be ultimately directionless. It is obvious from this that Christian theology is impossible apart from the reality of God! The following three elements make it possible for a Christian to speak with confidence about the reality of God. The biblical record. From In the beginning God ... (Gen. 1:1) to Come Lord Jesus ... (Rev. 22:20), the Bible teaches the reality of God. There is never a hint of doubt in the Bible concerning 2 the reality of God. It never attempts to prove the existence of God, but asserts His reality as unquestionable. The existence of God is never questioned in the Bible. On the contrary, the Bible boldly confronts us with who God is and what God does. From beginning to end we are faced with accounts of ordinary men and women who dared to believe that God is - and who lived their lives accordingly. How do you see the message of Hebrews chapter 11, and what do the testimonies in that chapter mean to you, as you continue to follow Jesus Christ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The conviction of faith. That God is real is obvious when we look around us. David saw the reality of God reflected in the world around him (Ps. 19:1ff). Paul shared this awareness (Rom. 1:18-20). The Bible tells us that the reality of God is an affirmation of faith. It is by faith that you are able to say that God exists. How do you understand Heb. 11:6 in this respect? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How would you define faith in the light of Heb 11:1, and how would you link this to 2 Cor. 4:4. What does 2 Cor. 5:7 teach about the Christian walk? What do you think of Isa. 64:4 in the light of Heb. 11:6? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The testimony of the Holy Spirit. Faith is not believing against the evidence, or committing intellectual suicide, but it is the gift of God to the hungry human heart (Eph. 2:8). It is the inward testimony of God the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer which produces, and strengthens the believer=s assurance of the reality of God (Jhn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). Concurrent with the act and process of believing, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart of the believer, creating a spirit of longing for, and dependence upon God (Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:15). How do you understand Rom. 8:15 and Heb. 10:22 in this regard? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF GOD? Are we able to answer the question, AWho is God, what is He like?@ Man is not capable of defining God, for God is far greater than any definition or theological formulation. In studying the identity of God we need to bear the principle contained in Deut. 29:29 in mind. God has chosen to reveal only that about Himself which He deems necessary for us, as His creatures, to know. This self-revelation, based on God=s Word and work, is certain - we are, therefore, not speculating about the identity of God. God is living. No person has, of course, ever seen God. Jesus Christ is the climax of God=s self-revelation in the New Testament. In Jesus we are given a picture of the nature and personality of God (Jhn. 1:18; 14:9). The fact that God is the living God is repeatedly stated in the Bible (Deut. 5:26; 1 Sam. 14:39, 45; Matt. 16:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 7:2 - and many other references). The Bible constantly draws a contrast between the only living God and the inanimate pagan gods. Read Isa. 40:18ff. - do you note the irony? What does Isa. 46:5-7 teach? 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not only is God vitally alive, but he is Himself the source and originator of all life forms (Gen. 1:1ff; Jhn. 1:1ff). The Bible confronts the believer with the fact that God alone is eternal and self-existent. What do Deut. 33:27, Job 36:26, Heb. 7:3; and Rev. 22:13 teach about this? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God is personal. The Bible never refers to God as an inanimate object or force, but always as a Being with attributes of personality. The names that are given to God in the Bible are personal names, reflecting the attributes of personality of the Being behind the name. This is in radical contrast to most world religions, other than Judaism and Islam, which consider God to be an impersonal force. The two main personal names used of God are Elohim which occurs 2570 times in the Old Testament, and Yahweh which occurs 6823 times in the Old Testament. What are the names and their meaning, given to God in the following verses: Gen. 22:14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex. 15:26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex. 17:15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How do the following verses teach God=s personality: 1 Sam. 12:12 --------------------------- Judg. 11:27 --------------------------------Ps. 80:1 -------------------------------- Jer. 31:32 ------------------------------------ One of the most meaningful names given to God is that of Father (Matt. 6:9; Jhn. 20:17). The name conveys the idea that God, because He is personal, enters into personal relationships with His children which has parental over-tones. The assurance of His love, care , provision and concern is balanced by the demand for filial respect reflected in obedience and responsive love. God is Spirit Jhn. 4:24 tells us that God is spirit or a Spirit. It is for this reason that the Bible condemns any form of idolatry (Ex. 20:3-5). The account in Exodus 32 is a vivid description of the way in which God abhors any form of idol worship. The fundamental reason for this is that any attempt to construct a God-like form will result in an understanding of God in the image of man - and man is sinful and imperfect. As a result idolatry is mostly accompanied by immoral practices. What do the following verses teach about the fact that God is Spirit? Lk. 24:39 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Tim. 6:16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Cor. 3:17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD? God transcends His creation - He is totally different. God is infinitely greater than everything which He has created. He is independent from, and over His creation (Is. 40:26), maintaining a sustaining relationship to it (Heb. 1:3). Pantheism says that God is His creation, but the Bible says that God is not what He has created (Is. 6:1-5; 55:8-9; 57:15; Ps. 113:5-6; Ps. 123:1; Jhn. 8:23). He is not like His creation, He is not a part of His creation, He is not a creature. He is the Creator! Note the following: God is infinite. In contrast to man who is limited in every way, God is totally unlimited. Man is finite, limited by time and space. The Almighty Omnipotent God is the Creator of time and space (Gen. 35:11), greater than His creation (1 Kings 8:27). What do the following Scriptures teach about the infinity of God? Gen. 14:22 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Job 42:2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jer. 32:17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt. 19:26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How should we respond to the infinity of God? Neh. 9:5-6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ps. 57:5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God is eternal. God transcends time. He is its Creator, and is not subject to, or limited by it. One of the meanings of the title Everlasting Father in Isa. 9:6 is that God is the Creator of chronological time as we experience it. The everlasting God is without beginning and without end (Gen. 21:33). Man, on the other hand, has a beginning and an end. What do the following passages teach about this? Ex. 3:14 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ps. 90:2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ps. 102:25-27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heb. 9:27 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jhn. 8:58 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God is immutable This means that God does not change (Mal. 3:6). He is not subject to the limitations of development, which implies change. The universe is constantly changing. Human 5 existence consists of unending change. Against this background of continual change the Bible calls God The Rock (Deut. 32:4). What does that name of God teach us in relation to Christian living? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ God does not fluctuate from one event to the next, there is constancy and stability in all that He is & does. How do the following Scriptures help us to understand this aspect of God=s self-revelation? James 1:17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heb. 13:8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God=s changelessness does not mean that God is hard, fixed, cold, immobile. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that, precisely because He loves His creation (Jhn. 3:16), and maintains it (Heb. 1:3), He is a refuge to His children in the flux of life. In a world where people are overwhelmed by continual changes, turbulent events, and instability in life - the Bible declares God to be a strong tower, the righteous run to it, and are safe (Prov. 8:10). He alone remains unchanging, in Him, and Him alone, there is steadfastness and strength! Paul confirms this in Rom. 8:28 & 31 ... if God is for us, who can be against us? ... What do the following Scriptures mean to you in this respect: Isa. 14:26-27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Job 42:2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deut. 33:27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 21:56:34 +0000
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