><>...GOD IS GOD, There is no other!...><>
The creator and sustainer of the universe who has provided humankind with a revelation
of Himself through the natural world and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God; it simply affirms His existence
by declaring, "In the beginning God..." <Gen. 1:1>. God has revealed Himself through
the physical universe <Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:19-20>. By observing the universe, one can
find positive indications of God's existence. Creation reveals the results of a universal
mind that devised a master plan and executed it. It makes more sense to accept the idea
of God as Creator of the universe than to assume that our orderly universe came into
existence apart from a divine being.
The greatest revelation of God, however, comes through the Bible. Through the inspired
written record, both the existence of God and the nature of God are revealed in and
through Jesus Christ. Jesus stated, "He that has seen me, has seen the Father" <John
14:9>.
Although the full revelation of God was in Jesus Christ, the human mind cannot fully
understand God. One reason for this is that Scripture does not record all the actions and
teachings of Jesus <John 21:25>. Another reason is the limitation of the human mind.
How can man's finite mind understand the infinity of God? It is not possible.
Although we cannot fully understand God, we still can know Him. We know Him
through a personal relationship of faith and through a study of what the Bible teaches
about His nature.
God may be described in terms of attributes. An attribute is an inherent characteristic of
a person or being. While we cannot describe God in a comprehensive way, we can
learn about Him by examining His attributes as revealed in the Bible. The first group is
known as the natural attributes of God.
God Is Spirit. Jesus taught that "God is Spirit" <John 4:24>. God has no body, no
physical or measurable form. Thus, God is invisible. He became visible in human form in
the person of Jesus Christ, but His essence is invisible.
God Is Changeless. Progress and change may characterize some of His works, but
God Himself remains unchanged <Heb. 1:12>. He does not change; otherwise, He
would not be perfect. Thus, what we know of God can be known with certainty. He is
not different from one time to another.
God Is All Powerful. God's power is unlimited. He can do anything that is not
inconsistent with His nature, character, and purpose <Gen. 17:1; 18:14>. The only
limitations on God's power are imposed by Himself <Gen. 18:25>. "Impossible" is not
in God's vocabulary. God creates and sustains all things; yet He never grows weary <Is.
40:27-31>.
God Is All Knowing. God possesses all knowledge <Job 38:39; Rom. 11:33-36>.
Because God is everywhere at one and the same time, He knows everything
simultaneously. That God has the power to know the thoughts and motives of every
heart is evident from many Scripture passages, notably <Job 37:16, Psalm 147:5>, and
<Hebrews 3:13>.
God Is Everywhere. God is not confined to any part of the universe but is present in
all His power at every point in space and every moment in time <Ps. 139:7-12>. Thus,
God does not belong to any one nation or generation. He is the God of all the earth
<Gen. 18:25>.
God Is Eternal. Eternity refers to God's relation to time. Past, present, and future are
known equally to Him <2 Pet. 3:8; Rev. 1:8>. Time is like a parade that man sees only
a segment at a time. But God sees time in its entirety.
The second group of attributes is called moral attributes. These refer to God's character,
His essential nature
God Is Holy. The word holy comes from a root word that means "to separate." Thus, it
refers to God as separated from or exalted above other things <Is. 6:1-3>. Holiness
refers to God's moral excellence. Being holy, God demands holiness in His own
children. And what He demands, He supplies. Holiness is God's gift that we receive by
faith through His Son, Jesus Christ <Eph. 4:24>
God Is Righteous. Righteousness as applied to God refers to His affirmation of what is
right as opposed to what is wrong. The righteousness of God refers to His moral laws
laid down to guide the conduct of humankind, as in the Ten Commandments.
Righteousness also refers to God's administration of justice. He brings punishment upon
the disobedient <Gen. 18:25; Deut. 32:4; Rom. 2:6-16>. Finally, God's righteousness is
redemptive. In the Book of Romans the righteousness of God refers to God declaring
the believer to be in a state of righteousness as though he had never been unrighteous
<Rom. 1:16-17; 3:24-26>. This is possible because of the sacrificial death of Jesus on
our behalf.
God Is Love. Love is the essential, self-giving nature of God. God's love for man seeks
to awaken a responsive love of man for God. Divine love runs like a golden thread
through the entire Bible. Nature is eloquent with the skill, wisdom, and power of God.
Only in the Bible, however, do we discover God giving Himself and all He possesses to
His creatures, in order to win their response and to possess them for Himself.
God loved and gave; He loved and sought-- just as a shepherd seeks his sheep. God
loved and suffered, providing His love by giving His all on the cross for the redemption
of humanity. God, in His love, wills good for all His creatures <Gen. 1:31; Ps. 145:9;
Mark 10:18>.
God Is Truth. All truth, whether natural, physical, or religious, is grounded in God.
Thus, any seemingly inconsistent teaching between natural and physical sciences and
God's revelation of Himself is more apparent than real. Truth is magnified in an absolute
way through God's revelation.
God Is Wisdom. God's wisdom is revealed in His doing the best thing, in the best way,
at the best time for the best purpose.
Some people have knowledge, but little wisdom, while the most wise at times have little
knowledge. But God is "the only wise God" <1 Tim. 1:17>. In creation, history, human
lives, redemption, and Christ, His divine wisdom is revealed. Man, lacking wisdom, can
claim God's wisdom simply by asking <1 Kin. 3:9; James 1:5>.
The believer's understanding of God continues to increase throughout his earthly
pilgrimage. It will finally be complete in eternity when he stands in the presence of God.
Praise His Holy Name.!
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
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