We are continuing our study that we began two weeks ago concerning Great Bible Doctrines. At that time, we gave an Introduction to this series, and tonight we will begin the second lesson in this series. In that first introductory lesson, we defined Doctrine. We pointed out that, to many people, “doctrine” is a bad word. In actuality, it is a good word, because it has to do with teaching, instruction, or that which is taught. The Bible is a compendium, a “collection of doctrine,” that is, a collection of God’s teaching, God’s instruction for mankind. Thus, it goes without saying that understanding, that knowing, that implementing God’s instruction, or His doctrine, is absolutely essential to us. To stress the importance of doctrine, we brought out five points in the introductory lesson: First, that the church was established by doctrine; second, that the church continued in the first century, and continues even today, in accordance with the apostles’ doctrine; third, that doctrine is the basis of our faith; fourth, that doctrine is what we will be judged by; and fifth, doctrine is the basis for unity. And so that gave us an introduction to what doctrine is and to the importance of doctrine.
This evening we want to look at the doctrine concerning God. We begin by asking some questions:
Who or what is God?
How can we describe His being, His character?
Can we know Him at all?
How can we know Him?
All of these questions have been asked time and again. From generation to generation, people have, no doubt, wondered about these very things. Maybe some of you have even asked these questions yourself. Maybe you have pondered on some of these questions.
There are many theories about who God is and what God is. For example, there are some people who believe—and I think this is a very popular belief or theory these days—that God is to each of us what we want Him to be. In effect, we make up our own God. That’s what many people are doing these days. This becomes the “I’ll fashion my own god” theory.
Also, some may think of God as someone to call on, to rely on primarily, or even solely, during the time of trouble or crisis, or in time of need. Now, maybe not many people make that statement in that way, but many people live it by their actions, because the only time they are interested in God or anything associated with God is in a time of trouble or crisis. This is the “911 god” theory.
Then there is the perception that God is a severe Being, that He is just waiting to pounce on us, to punish every misstep. As someone said one time, “There’s a mental picture of God going around heaven zapping us with lighting bolts.” That’s the way some people think about God. Therefore, He is to be feared. Well, of course, God is to be feared, but not in that respect—not as a tyrant or an ogre of some sort. This is the “ogre god” theory.
Going to the other extreme, there are those people who say, “Well, God is a God of great love. He has such a great love that He permits or tolerates anything, everything, and anybody. And He never punishes.” This is the “old grandfather in the sky god” theory.
Some will lay great stress on the omnipotence and the omniscience of God, believing that He has predetermined all things, and that we have no choice, even in our own salvation. This is a doctrine that is believed particularly by those of the Calvinistic persuasion, the “Calvinistic god” theory.
Then what about the agnostics and the atheists? Agnostics say that if there is a God, and they’re not too sure that there is one, then He can’t be known. Atheists are content in believing that there is no God at all.
So, once again, the questions are put before us: Can we know there IS a God; and can we KNOW Him?
In His prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (the night He was to be betrayed; the night before He was to be hung on the cross), Jesus prayed the fervent, passionate prayer recorded in John, chapter 17. In John 17, verse 3, Jesus says, “And this is eternal life,”to “know You, the Only True God…” Jesus is speaking to God in prayer and He says to“know You is eternal life.” [“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.”]
Well, that’s a rather strong indication, a strong suggestion, that there IS, indeed, a way that we can know God. Jesus would NOT have made that statement if it was impossible to know God. And since it IS possible for us to know God, then we can also know that God has not left us without knowledge and wondering about who He is. He has revealed Himself to us. This revelation has taken place in two ways.
First of all, there is what’s referred to as a NATURAL or a GENERAL REVELATION. That means that God has revealed Himself naturally through His creation—through nature. There are a number of Scriptures we could look at in this regard, but we’ll just look at one in the Old Testament and then one in the New Testament. These are familiar texts to us. Let’s look first at Psalm 19, verses 1 and 2. As we think about God revealing Himself in nature, we read, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.” There is a declaration and a revelation that is MADE BY THE CREATION—a bold, straight statement, a loud statement made by what was created that, “we, the created of God, didn’t ‘just happen,’ regardless of what people say.” Other Scriptures in the Old Testament which show that God has revealed Himself naturally through His creation are: Psalm 8:3; Isaiah 40:12-14.
We made a trip to the Natural History Museum the week before last when the grandkids were out of school. I’d been there before, but within past couple of years, the Museum has been redone. On this trip through the Museum, it bothered me, even more than it had in the past, that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is presented factually, and it’s presented again and again and again throughout that Museum. The Museum is quite interesting to tour, but after we’d been through it, I felt compelled to talk to the grandkids on the way home about some of those false teachings. In reality, this is what our kids are learning in their text books in school! A few of us here still have children in school and some of us have grandchildren in school. If you look at a fifth, or sixth, or seventh grade science book, Darwin’s Theory of Evolution states that we began life by crawling out from under a rock as a one-celled entity of some kind. This THEORY is presented in the public school books as FACT. That’s what our kids are learning. But we read here in Psalm 19, specifically, that the creation declares—makes a declaration—that there indeed is intelligence, that there is thought, that there is order behind this creation.
Paul will say the same thing in Romans, chapter 1, verses 18 through 20: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the Truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” Verse 20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” Well, God reveals Himself through nature—through His creation. See also: Acts 14:15-17.
He has also revealed Himself through HISTORY. The context of Acts, chapter 17, is that Paul is in Athens and is speaking to the Athenians, those who enjoyed debate and discussions and learning new things. In Acts 17, verses 26 and 27, we read that Paul says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…” The Lord has determined—He has made the nations—He has set up the boundaries—and so on. He has been active and continues to be active in history. See also: Psalm 75:6-7.
God has also revealed Himself in MAN’S CONSCIENCE. This is probably an area that deserves more time and more investigation than we’re going to give it this evening. Look over in Romans, chapter 2, beginning with verse 14. Writing to the church in Rome, Paul says, “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them…” [Romans 2:14-15].
These are a few of the ways that God has revealed Himself. He has revealed Himself through a natural, or general, revelation—that being nature, that being history, and that being even through the consciences of men. This natural revelation tells us only that there IS a Divine Being, a Being of great power, a Being of great knowledge—that there, indeed, IS A GOD!
But is that all there is? Is what we have looked at thus far all there is? Is that enough? Well, there is more to God than just these things. You see, while natural revelation is good, and that’s part of how we know God, it does not tell us Who He is! And it doesn’t tell us what His Will for us is! And so, in addition to the natural, we have a special or a SUPERNATURAL REVELATION. This has to do with what God reveals—or has revealed—through His contact with men, either through Himself (that is by His direct contact with individuals), or through His Son, or through prophets or through men like the apostles. This special revelation emphasizes God’s righteousness, His holiness, His love, His mercy, and His justice. This special revelation also reveals and declares to us His commandments—that is, His instruction, His doctrine for us.
This special or supernatural revelation has been carried out in various ways throughout human history. First of all, God spoke directly to the patriarchs—to men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and so on. We know that we can go to the Scriptures, and we can see that God directly dealt one-on-one with them. Later, God spoke through his prophets, those who were specially called by Him, those who had a special mission, a special purpose. He spoke to prophets such as Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so on. [These prophets of God would then tell people what God had told them to say, with God guiding the prophets as to who should receive His divine message.] So God has been revealed in this supernatural way in these two manners.
But God has also revealed Himself in MIRACLES, in SIGNS, and in WONDERS. These have been preserved and recorded for us in the Bible. Now that may not be, and probably is not, an absolute, complete, exhaustive list of everything that God has done; however, there is abundant evidence for us to read in the Scriptures, proving His power and His ability. These were supernatural acts of God that violated the laws of nature and the order of things as we know them. [God set the laws of nature and the order of things, and He could, and did, show His mastery of control over that which He had created.]
You know, these lame claims that men make today about performing miracles are nothing more than just empty words, empty statements, without any kind of proof or evidence at all of being actual miracles or actual signs. Some of you may remember that, some months ago I preached a two-series lesson, on two consecutive Sunday nights, about why there are no miracles today. Well, there just aren’t! These people who claim to perform miracles do just that—they make a claim. Show me a miracle! Show me one that truly violates the laws of nature. Show me someone who can walk on the water today. Show me a miracle that defies the natural order of things. Show me someone who can calm a storm, and then I’ll believe that they can work a miracle! I remember Harvey Porter [a minister of the Gospel] used to say, “The first one who raises someone from the dead, I’m going to believe him!” They haven’t done it yet, although I understand that Benny Hinn is making a claim that he’s done that! I heard that he’s claiming that somewhere, sometime, somebody was raised from the dead. Apparently the person sat right up in the casket and looked at his death certificate! I don’t believe it!
Supernatural acts—signs—wonders—miracles! The Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 2, verse 4, “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His Own Will…” And so God has revealed Himself in this way, as well.
In addition, God has revealed Himself supremely in the PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. Let’s look at Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. This is a brief summary of God’s dealings with man—of God’s declaring Himself to man. “God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds…” And then in John, chapter 1, verse 18, John writes, “No one has seen God at any time. The Only Begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” So Jesus—by Who He is, by what He did, by what He continues to do now, by what He said when He was here on the earth, by ALL of these things—declares Who God is. See also: John 14:9; Matthew 26:16-18.
Then the fifth way God declares Who He is in this supernatural, special revelation is by the HOLY SCRIPTURES—the BIBLE. The Scriptures embody all of the revelations. They are the record of these things that we’ve talked about as God speaks to us today in a special sense. The ONLY way God speaks to us today is through the written Scriptures contained in the Bible. That is how God deals with us in these latter days. No—He doesn’t whisper to any one in their ear. No—there are no latter-day prophets. No—there isn’t anyone who has a special revelation from God, no one who can claim, “I received a word from God!” No—we’ve all received the same Word from God. It is His Holy Bible!
Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…” That Scripture given by the inspiration of God continues, and it is thorough. It is there to make us complete, to thoroughly furnish us to every good work. When something is complete, when something furnishes thoroughly, what else is there? What else is needed? I submit to you, nothing else is needed! [“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17, King James Version].
So, we can know God! God has not left us wondering or wanting [lacking sufficient information or knowledge] about how to do that. Rather, He has revealed Himself, both in a general way—a natural way—and also in a special way—a supernatural way.
Let’s consider for a moment what we can learn about God by or through what has been revealed to us. Again, since God has revealed Himself to us in so many ways, we can know Him. Not only can we KNOW Him, we can know Him as He WANTS us to know Him, because of His self-revelation that is found in the Scriptures. From Scripture, we can define God by applying some of the essential and distinguishing attributes and characteristics which He has revealed to us.
For example, we can define God in His nature. We learn that in His nature, God is spirit. John 4, verse 24 is a well-known Scripture (Jesus is with the Samaritan woman at the well) that we quote often as to how we are to worship. [“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in Truth.”] We are to worship in spirit and in Truth. Why is that? Because Jesus said that, “God is spirit.” So that is the defining nature of God. He is spirit. We cannot see God. We cannot visually acquire Him like I can visually look out and see you and you can look and see me. We can’t make that observation of God; therefore, we must see Him by faith. As the Hebrew writer says in that great faith chapter, Hebrews, chapter 11, and verse 6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
How is it that we know that God IS? We can’t see Him! Well, we return to Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We haven’t seen God, but we have faith that HE IS! And, “without faith, it is impossible to please Him…” [Hebrews 11:6].
God is not human, He is spiritual. He is in a spiritual realm which, we are told, does not consist of flesh and bones, Luke 24, verse 39. [(Jesus, before ascending back to the Father, said,) “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”]
No one knows what a spiritual being looks like. You may remember a couple months ago, when we were studying in Exodus, chapter 33, we talked about Moses desiring to see God. He said, “I know You by Name, but I wish to see Your glory—I desire to see Your glory,” Exodus 33:17 and 18. [“So the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.’ And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’”] But God said that that was an impossibility. He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live,” Exodus 33, verse 20. And, you remember that God put Moses in the cleft of the rock. He covered the cleft with His hand and He passed before Moses, then removed His hand and Moses was able to see the back of God, Exodus 33:23. [“Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”] At the time of our study, we discussed that text at some length, wondering what Moses saw. Well, it is impossible; no man has seen God. We refer back to John 1, verse 18, that we read a moment ago, which states that no man has seen God. [“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”] So God is spirit. We know that He exists, not because we can visually see Him as we see one another, but because we have faith.
Another thing we can know about God is that He is a personal God. He is spirit, yet He possesses what we would refer to as personal attributes. For example, He has knowledge and intelligence. We see many examples of this and could turn to literally hundreds of passages of Scripture, but I’ll mention Genesis 18, verse 19, and Exodus 3, verse 7, as two Scriptures that specifically speak about God’s knowledge—what He knew of a particular event or events. [Genesis 18:19: “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Exodus 3:7: “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.’”] So, God has knowledge, or intelligence.
God also has a Will. Exodus 3, verse 14-17 speaks about His Will. I preached last Sunday morning about the three facets of the Will of God: His proclaimed Will, His providential Will, and His permissive Will. God has a Will. [Exodus 3:14-17:“And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” Moreover God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: “The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, “The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, ‘I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’”’”]
God also has feelings. This is another personal attribute that He has. For example, He has anger, Deuteronomy 1, verse 37 [“The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there.’”]. Moses speaks about the anger that God felt toward the children of Israel. God also has the feeling of jealousy. Notice the very first commandment of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” [Exodus 20:3, King James Version]. And in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 5, He says, “I am a jealous God.” [“you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…”] He is also a God of compassion, Psalm 111, verse 4. [“He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.”]
So, God is spirit, yet He has what we would see as personal attributes—that of knowledge or intelligence, a Will, and feelings.
Because God is a personal Being, we can have a personal relationship with Him. In John 17, verse 3, Jesus made the statement, “This is eternal life, that they (meaning “us”) may know You (“God”).” So we can know Him, AND we can have a personal relationship with Him.
That term [“personal relationship”] used to bother me sometimes, maybe not so much any more, but for a while it seemed like it was being overused and misused so often—speaking about a personal relationship with God. I think that some people used the term “personal relationship” as meaning “I can be a buddy with God,” or, “We’re equals,” or, “We’re on a first-name basis.” That’s not the meaning of this Scripture. We must remember who we are, and we must remember Who God is. We can, nevertheless, have a personal relationship with Him, as opposed to an impersonal relationship and as opposed to trying to have a relationship with God through someone else. No, our relationship with God, if it is to be, must be one that is between Him and Me—one-on-one.
The intimate nature of our relationship with God is expressed as: God being our Father, and we being His children. In Matthew, chapter 6, when Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He begins, “Our Father Which art in Heaven…” So that very close relationship, that very intimate relationship, that family relationship IS possible. [Matthew 6:9: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name,” (King James Version)].
Concerning the Fatherhood of God, as a Father, Jehovah God does several things:
God hears and answers prayers and requests, Matthew 6, verse 9 [see above]. We pray to God, we talk to Him, we pour our hearts out to Him, and we make requests of Him.
God shows and expresses concern for us as His children, 2 Peter 3:9 [“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”]; and Luke 15:11 through 32. This reference in Luke 15 is the great parable of the prodigal son, a parable that we know very well. The imagery of that father constantly looking for, constantly anticipating, the return of his son, represents God the Father. That’s the way He is with us. God has concern.
God also provides guidance, Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2 [“God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds…”].
God makes provision for us, John 1:17 [“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”]; Matthew 6:25 through 34 [See verses 31-34: (Jesus said,) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”].
Because God is our Father, He also disciplines us, Hebrews 12, verse 6 [“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”].
God has deep love for us, John 3:16 [“For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”].
To see a wonderful expression of the Fatherhood of God, read Hosea 11, verses 1 through 10.
Another expressive and instructive way to know God is by looking at some of the Names of God. The Names that are used in Scripture also reveal things about God. We can know and understand things about Him by knowing and understanding His Names. His Names are a part of the revelation of God, and often speak about His attributes—about His character. These are Names, by the way, that are revealed by God. These Names are not made up in the minds of men.
There are several Names we can look at. For example, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “El” is a prefix that expresses the majesty and the power of God. The Name that is used most often in the Hebrew is “Elohim,” which expresses God’s majesty and God’s power. There are other Hebrew words with the “El” prefix: “El Shaddy”—God Almighty; “Elyon”—God Most High; “Eloah”—I Am. Then there is a related word in the Hebrew, “Adon,” or “Adonai,” which means “My Lord.” If we think about the understanding and the meaning of the Names, we can see information revealed in the Name that we can know about God. [Other Names for God in the Old Testament include: “Gobbor”—Mighty Man of valor; “Tsaddik”—Righteous One; “Quanna”—Jealous; “Sabboath”—God of host; “Abhir”—Mighty One. God’s Names in the New Testament include: “Theo”—God; “Kurio”—Lord; “Hypistos”—Most High; “Father”—His relationship to His children; “King of kings or KING OF KINGS”.]
Another way of knowing God is by His ATTRIBUTES. The word “attributes” refers to His qualities, His characteristics, and the virtues that we know about Him. These attributes, as we understand them and know them, help us to separate even further the Creator from the created.
The first attribute we’ll examine is God’s OMNIPOTENCE. The word omnipotence refers to the “power of Almighty God [all-powerful].” For example, in Job 42, verse 2, Job says, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” That verse speaks to the omnipotence of God. We might look also at Jeremiah 32, verse 17, and I call your attention to the way the New King James Version expresses this: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Once again, this shows the omnipotence of God. And from the New Testament, in Revelation, chapter 19, and verse 6, we read, “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.” There you have it—God in His omnipotence! And even though God is all powerful, I remind you that there are still things that He cannot—that He will not do, whether it’s lying or being tempted, or whatever. His omnipotence means that He can do anything. But, He has limited Himself—He has restricted Himself—so that He will not violate His holiness or His righteousness, and so on. See also: Genesis 17:1; Genesis 18:4; Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37.
Another attribute of God is His OMNISCIENCE. Omniscience is a word that means “God knows all things.” He knows all that is knowledgeable; He knows all that is happening. We’ll look at the Old Testament at Psalm 147, verse 5: “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” And from the New Testament, we’ll look at Acts 15, verse 18: “Known to God from eternity are all His works.” So we see that He is omniscient. See also: Psalm 139; Proverbs 15:3; Isaiah 46:10; Matthew 10:30; Matthew 11:27; 2 Corinthians 2:14.
But, the fact that God knows all does not limit our “free will.” If man is not free to do as he wills, then he cannot be held accountable for his actions. God’s ability to see all, to know all—from eternity to eternity—does not take away from our free will. This sometimes causes people a problem. It’s difficult to comprehend—it’s difficult for us to understand. How is it that God can know all things—can see the future—and yet we are free to do as we please? Well, it is a difficult concept; there’s no doubt about that. How do we explain it? I’m not sure I can explain it satisfactorily, but one way that I think about this is in the sense of God being “outside of time.” God created time; He began time; and He will end time. So God is above that—He is not restricted by time. Sometimes I think about time as a “line.” Think about the beginning of this “time line” as Genesis 1:1 [“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”]; and the end of the “time line” is whenever God decides that is going to be. God is above that; He is able to see all of that. God knows when time began and He knows when time will end! He can view time, but we are free, within our freedom of choice, to do what we will do. God is not orchestrating or directing us. He is not a puppeteer, Who is making all of our moves. So God is omniscient—He knows all! But, He allows us to do as we will.
God is also OMNIPRESENT, which indicates that, “He is everywhere at one time.” He is not limited, as we are, to time and to space. God is inescapable. I think about that song that we sing, “The Providence of God:” “God is here, there and everywhere.” One of the lines of that song says, “you can’t escape the providence of God.” That is certainly true. While, on one hand, that is perhaps a frightening thought, on the other hand, it should be a comforting thought—comforting to those who love Him; comforting to those who obey Him; and comforting to those who are anticipating being with Him some day. So the thought of God being ever with us and being able to ever see what we are doing, etc., should not be something that would unnerve us. See: Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Acts 17:27-28; Romans 10:6-8.
The next attribute is the HOLINESS of God. The Holiness of God has two major thoughts. The first is that, God’s separateness from all evil declares His purity (Isaiah 40:25; Isaiah 41:20; Romans 11:33-36). The other aspect that is suggested of God’s holiness is the thought that He is high and above all men. That is, indeed, declared in the Scriptures. For example, let’s look at Romans, chapter 14, verse 11: “For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’” Yes, God is high and above mankind, and whether in this life or on the day of judgment, as that Scripture says, “every knee will bow, every tongue will confess,” because God is the Most High. See also: Isaiah 6:5; Ephesians 3:14; Philippians 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:16.
Another attribute is the ETERNITY of God. As we’ve said before, God is without beginning and He is without end. He has always been; He will always be. God is the God of history, as far as the world is concerned, but He is not limited in history. In other words, God is not confined, nor is He limited to the history that we know about, or to the realm that we are a part of. Psalm 90 speaks of His eternal nature. [See Psalm 90:1-2, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”] This is something that is very difficult for us as mortals to grasp, because all that we know, all that we have any familiarity with, is all governed by “time” and by “space.” God is outside of that. He is not limited by time, as Isaiah says in Isaiah 57, verse 15 [“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose Name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”]. 2 Peter 3:8 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Here is something to note: Eternity is not the extension of time, but eternity is the extinguishing of time!
Also, God is IMMUTABLE. Immutability simply means that God is “unchangeable in His nature.” He’s unchangeable in his essence; He is unchangeable in His purpose. This attribute relates to the faithfulness of God in the natural realm. For example, Genesis 8:22 tells us that “as long as the world exists, there will be seedtime and harvest.” [“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”] God has created a consistency to nature and to this world, and we can depend upon that consistency. So He is unchangeable in that regard. This also relates to His attitude toward sin and evil, and His attitude toward those who seek to do good. God is always faithful to keep His covenants and His promises. He may change the way that He deals with mankind. In a previous study of the first two books of the Old Testament, we saw two ways, or two dispensations, in the way that God dealt with mankind. The first was the Patriarchal, and the second was the beginning of the Mosaical dispensation. Now, of course, we live in the third and final dispensation, that being the Christian age. So God may change the way He deals with mankind, but God, Himself, does not and will not change. See: Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Samuel 15:29; Job 23:13; Jeremiah 18:7-10; James 1:17; Romans 11:29.
And, finally, I’m sure you share this belief with me that the LOVE OF GOD is His greatest attribute. We site John 3:16, one of the best-known Scriptures anywhere among all people who profess, or proclaim to be Christians, or have any awareness of the New Testament. That verse tells us that, God loved the world so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son. [“For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”]
The word “love,” as it is used in the New Testament in relationship to God, is the Greek word “agape.” I know that is a word that most of us are familiar with. It goes well beyond friendship. It is a love that does not seek value; it is a love, rather, that creates value. It is a love that is “in spite of,” and not “because of.” What I mean by that is, for the most part our love is in “response to” or “because of” what someone has done. Our lack of love is because of something, perhaps, that someone has “not done.” But God’s love, this agape love, is “in spite of” what we have done. God’s love was expressed to us “while we were yet sinners,” [Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His Own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”]. God’s love is “poured out” on those who are not loveable, and even on those who are in rebellion to Him [Romans 5:5: “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.”]. That love extends to all. Of course, I’m not suggesting that God overlooks our sins, but rather, that His love led Him to send His Son to die for us, to die for mankind, even “while we were yet sinners.” See also: Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 1:13; Luke 19:10; Romans 8:31-39; 1 John 4:8.
And because God loves, He also chastens, Hebrews 12, verses 3 through 13 [See verses 5-6: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”].
Another way we can know God is by the ACTIVITY of God. As we add to and expand our compendium [concise but comprehensive summary] of knowledge and information about God, there are things that we can know and things that we can learn of Him from His activity and His dealings with man on earth throughout history. In this regard, there are five major areas of God’s activity that we will look at.
The first activity of God we see is God as CREATOR. He is the Creator of all things. No, it wasn’t the “big bang,” or any of the other “theories” (and I put that word in quotes) that created the world and the universe. Where did all of this come from? The Bible declares—the Bible has the answer: “In the beginning, God created…” Genesis 1:1 [“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”]. And included in that creation is mankind—you and me, Genesis 1:26 and 27 [“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His Own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”]. With purpose, with intent, and as part of His plan, God made you and He made me. See also: Psalm 33:6-11; Proverbs 8:22-31; Isaiah 45:18.
We have not evolved from apes, as is so widely purported. If you haven’t seen a fifth or sixth grade, or middle school science book or biology book in the past 15 or 20 years, you would be very surprised about what our children are being taught, not as “theory,” but as fact. They are not being taught that God created the heavens and the earth or that He created mankind.
I have a fascination with primates and I was watching a program the other night on a study being done with the intelligence of chimpanzees. It was interesting, but I can’t tell you how many times that these cute, cuddly chimps were referred to as “our closest relatives.” Well, about the third time they said that, I turned it off! No, I’m not related to that chimp!
God didn’t just create and go away, as some suggest He did. Rather, God’s next activity is as SUSTAINER of the universe. God sustains His creation—He “keeps things going,” so to speak. Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 3 states that God “upholds the universe by the Word of His power,” [“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”]. Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2 tells us it was through Jesus that God created the world, and it’s through Him that He upholds the universe [“God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds;”]. God’s great power and His omniscience are seen in these acts of creation and in His sustaining us. As the Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork,” Psalm 19, verse 1. See also: Colossians 1:17.
Also, we see that, as part of God’s activity, He is a COVENANT MAKER and a LAWGIVER, Deuteronomy 4, verses 1 and 2 [“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”]. The word “covenant” means “agreement” or “compact.”
God makes covenants with men, as we can see in Exodus 34, verse 10 [“And He said, ‘Behold, I make a covenant: Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.”]
God sets the terms of these covenants and then He binds Himself to keep the covenant, with the condition that man exercise the proper conduct and keep the contract, Deuteronomy 7, verse 9 [“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments”].
As a Lawgiver, God reveals His Will to man, Deuteronomy 8, verse 11 [“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today…”]. There it speaks about His commandments, His rules, and His statutes or laws.
And as Lawgiver, God has established “elemental laws,” that is, the law of gravity, the law of thermodynamics, the other laws that we see in effect, such as various weather patterns, and the rotations of the planets. All of those things make up what we call the “elemental laws of God.”
God has also established the “laws of enactment,” such as the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ. God expects man to obey and to be governed by the elemental laws and by His enactment laws.
As another activity, God is the REDEEMER of the fallen and sin-sick race. “God so loved the word that He gave His Only Begotten Son…” John 3:16 [“For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”]; 2 Corinthians 5, verse 19 [“that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the Word of reconciliation.”]; and Titus 3, verse 5 [“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…”]. God’s great love for man has led Him by His Grace to provide for man’s salvation and for an eternal home in Heaven for us. He accomplished this through Jesus Christ, His Son, in His vicarious death on the cross, 2 Peter 3, verse 9 [“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”]. See also: Ephesians 1:3-4; Ephesians 3:1-13; Psalm 103; Psalm 104; Psalm 105; Psalm 106.
Finally, we see God’s activity as the SOVEREIGN LORD of history. 2 Chronicles 29:11-12: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”Psalm 115:3: “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” Isaiah 45:9: “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to Him Who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall Your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?” Ephesians 1:11: “in Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His Will…” 1 Timothy 6:15: “which He will manifest in His Own time, He Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords…” See also: Romans 9:14-24.
As the Creator and the Sustainer, God has the right to rule over man. Through His providence, God continues to work in the world today. He sustains this world, keeping His laws in force, to bring about His purposes. Hopefully this will be helpful to you in seeing what the Bible has to say regarding the Doctrine—the instruction—the teaching—about God.