The God of the Bible
Understanding the nature and character of God
3. THE GOD OF THE BIBLE
God is introduced in this way in the Bible: โIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earthโ (see Genesis 1:1). In the original Hebrew, the name of God is Elohim, which is a plural name (see Genesis 1:26). God is one (see Deuteronomy 6:4), but He is plural at the same time: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in mind, purpose and character.
๐ Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4 (KJV)
Genesis 1:1:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:26:
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:4:
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
The Bible says that โGod is loveโ (see 1 John 4:8). This truth has implications on the nature of God. Love โdoes not seek its ownโ (see 1 Corinthians 13:5): love puts others first. Love exists in relationships; if only one Person composed the Godhead, God could not have been described by the expression God is love.
๐ 1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
1 John 4:8:
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 Corinthians 13:5:
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
They live in perfect unity and in a mutual love relationship. Love is exemplified in the relationships that exist between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: each One of Them diverts the attention of the people to the other Persons of the Godhead.
- The Father drew the attention of the people to Jesus (see Matthew 3:16-17, 17:5).
๐ Matthew 3:16-17, 17:5 (KJV)
Matthew 3:16-17:
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 17:5:
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- During His life, Jesus glorified the Father revealing how He actually is (see John 14:7-9, 17:4,6) and, before His death, He talked of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16-17).
๐ John 14:7-9; 17:4,6; 14:16-17 (KJV)
John 14:7-9:
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 17:4,6:
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
John 14:16-17:
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
- The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus and seeks to bring people to Him (see John 15:26, 16:14).
๐ John 15:26; John 16:14 (KJV)
John 15:26:
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 16:14:
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are one God and They are co-eternal. God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent (see Jeremiah 32:27, Psalm 139:1-4,7-10).
๐ Jeremiah 32:27; Psalm 139:1-4,7-10 (KJV)
Jeremiah 32:27:
27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
Psalm 139:1-4:
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Psalm 139:7-10:
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
1. What privilege do we have in this life and in eternity?
๐ John 17:3 (KJV)
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
The human mind cannot attain to fully know an eternal and infinite God. Nevertheless, God has revealed Himself and, through His Word, He desires you to know Him personally. Even before we will see Him face to face, it is our privilege to โgrow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christโ (see 2 Peter 3:18).
๐ 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Jesus said that eternal life consist in knowing God; the saved will spend eternity seeking to know God. The knowledge of His love will never be complete; God is infinite and therefore an infinite time, eternity, is needed to know Him.
2. What is the role of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation?
๐ 2 Corinthians 13:14 (KJV)
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit cooperate in fulfilling the plan of salvation in our behalf. The text speaks of the Fatherโs love, who loved us to the point of giving His Son (see John 3:16). Then it speaks of the grace of Jesus; grace is an unmerited favor. We do not deserve to be saved but we are offered the gift of salvation; in Jesus we receive forgiveness and are accepted before God (see Ephesians 1:7).
๐ John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
John 3:16:
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.
Ephesians 1:7: 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
The text then talks of the communion of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead through whom we can experience fellowship with God and through the Spirit Jesus abides in the heart. The Spirit helps us and sustains us (see Romans 8:26).
๐ Romans 8:26 (KJV)
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
The love of God is revealed in the various phases of the plan of salvation. After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send a Savior (see Genesis 3:15); the promise was fulfilled 2000 years ago with the first coming of Jesus. The love of God shines through the incarnation, perfect life and sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus died for us because He wants to be with us forever; now He intercedes on our behalf in heaven and He will come back to take His children into His kingdom, where evil will exist no more (see Revelation 21:1-5).
Genesis 3:15; Revelation 21:1-5 (KJV)
Genesis 3:15:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Revelation 21:1-5:
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
3. For which reason has God created us?
Revelation 4:11 (KJV)
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
The Bible introduces God as a Creator. God did not have to create intelligent beings able to relate to Him, but He chose to. We are not the product of chance but the Bible teaches that we exist by the will of God; God created us because He wanted us.
God could have chosen to remain alone for eternity but He did not. The fact that He created us communicates His love for us. When parents choose to have a child, they expose themselves to the risk of losing a child; they choose to have a child because the joy of loving him/her is greater than the fear of the risk of losing him/her.
Having chosen to create being with freedom of choice, God exposed Himself to the risk of losing creatures infinitely dear to His heart. He created us anyways because of His desire to have us and to love us.
4. Which characteristic was mankind created with?
Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV)
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Man has been created in the image of God; when he was created his character reflected perfectly Godโs character. God gave Adam and Eve the ability to procreate; by bearing children and filling the earth, human beings should have shown to the universe that God is love by revealing His love in their mutual relationships.
5. In which way did God create Adam?
Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Concerning the creation of the world, the Bible says that God โspoke and it was doneโ (see Psalm 33:9).
Psalm 33:9 (KJV)
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
In Genesis, we read that God created through His Word but when it comes to Adamโs creation, we do not read: โLet there be Adam! And Adam wasโ. We read instead that God shaped Adamโs body from the dust of the ground and then He breathed into Adamโs nostrils the breath of life.
The picture of God breathing into Adamโs nostrils communicates intimacy. Imagine to be Adam: he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Godโs face. The Creator welcomed Adam to life: He wanted to be close to Adam from his first breath.
So even by the way He created us, God wanted to tell us that He longs to live with us in a close relationship, to be our loving Father and best Friend. God is not a far distant God, but He is a personal God. Abraham โwas called the friend of Godโ (see James 2:23), God โspoke to Moses face to faceโ (see Exodus 33:11) and Jesus told His disciples: โI have called you friendsโ (see John 15:15).
James 2:23; Exodus 33:11; John 15:15 (KJV)
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Exodus 33:11:
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
John 15:15:
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
6. What does the Bible say on how much God values mankind?
Psalm 8:3-4 (KJV)
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Considering the vastness of the heavens, David acknowledged our nothingness before God. Compared to eternity our life lasts for a breath (see Psalm 144:3-4). Yet God cares for us and knows everything of our lives, even the number of our hairs (see Luke 12:6-7). He knows you, loves you and takes care of you as if you were the only creature existing in the universe.
Psalm 144:3-4; Luke 12:6-7 (KJV)
Psalm 144:3-4:
3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Luke 12:6-7:
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
7. Which kind of thoughts has God in mind for you?
Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
God has thoughts in His mind for you: it is comforting to know that His thoughts are of peace, designed for your good. His thoughts for you are countless and He will never forget you (see Psalm 139:17-18, Isaiah 49:15).
Psalm 139:17-18; Isaiah 49:15 (KJV)
Psalm 139:17-18:
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Isaiah 49:15:
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
God loves you with โan everlasting loveโ (see Jeremiah 31:3) and He devised a plan for your life before you were conceived (see Jeremiah 1:5). His desire for you is that you will discover and follow this plan so that you will be with Him forever.
Jeremiah 31:3; Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV)
Jeremiah 31:3:
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Jeremiah 1:5:
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Appeal
๐ Jeremiah 29:13-14a (KJV)
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:
God longs to have a deep relationship with you. He is found only by those who seek for Him with all of their hearts. Do you choose to seek God with all of your heart?