Baptist Faith and Message - God

God

Memory Verse:

“Do Not Have any other gods besides Me.”

-Exodus 20:3

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but Me.” - Isaiah 45:5

This is our confession:

“There is One and only One Living and True God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is all-powerful and all-knowing; His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God is Triune; God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

What are We Saying?

1. God is Three Persons

2. Each Person is Fully God

3.There is One God.

The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not a force… One God, Three Persons.

Isaiah 6:8 - Who should I send? Who shall go for Us?

Matthew 28:19 - Go, make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the Name of the father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God is the highest privilege given to humanity.

Memory Verse:

“And this is Eternal Life, that they know you, the only True God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” - John 17:3

The most important and urgent knowledge humans can ever possess is the knowledge of the one true and living God. This is the beginning and the end of all genuine knowledge.

Our concept of God and our belief in Him shapes our reality and world-view. We see all of creation through the lens of God.

Many people have a superficial idea of God. They do not have an understanding of the God in the Bible. Human wisdom does not reveal God’s true nature, nor can the human imagination ever come close to His glory. True wisdom comes by knowing God as He has revealed Himself through the Scriptures, God’s Special Revelation.

How Has God Revealed Himself?

General Revelation - Creation, Conscience, Moral Law

Special Revelation - The Word of God, The Bible

Scripture to Meditate On:

“The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understand and knows Me.”

- Jeremiah 9:23-24

The Attributes of God: God is intelligent, spiritual, and personal. God is a knowing Being, one with perfect knowledge, and is in no way limited. He is spirit, with no physical body to limit Him. God is personal, He has a personality and relates to people in a personal way.

God is self-existent, self-sufficient, and eternal. No one created God. God is the First-Cause, He depends on nothing and He is complete all on His own. There was never a time when God was not and there will never be a time when God is Not. God always is.

God is glorious and is unchanging. God is the God of glory, creating all things to glorify Himself. There is no one like Him. The more we know Him, the more we see His glory, and the more perfectly we glorify Him. We live, exist, and perform for the Glory of God. We are saved for the glory of God.

And unlike us, God does not change. There is no shadow of turning in Him. He is never greater or lesser and He is perfect in all of His attributes all of the time. He will always be faith; He will always keep His promises.

What are some other attributes:

God is good, holy, pure, love, righteous, truthful, faithful, merciful, gracious, patient, peace, just, jealous, and wrathful.

Let’s look at the activity of God:

God is Creator

God brought all things into existence by the power of His word. He created everything “ex nihilo” - out of nothing. Nothing existed until God created, and God called His creation good. All was created for God.

2. God is Redeemer

Sin comes into the world and God rescues His people from the peril. In the Old Testament, God redeems His people from humans slavery. We are now redeemed by Christ. He has redeemed us, purchased us from the bondage of sin and has paid our sin debt in full.

3. God is Preserver

God protects and guards that which is His. He cares for all. No atom or molecule is beyond His care and concern.

4. God is Ruler

God always remains involved and is Ruler over all that he has made. God is sovereign over all creation. God is in charge of the universe, every cell and dust mote.

Psalm 115:3 - God does what He pleases. Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans of man, but the purpose of the lord will stand. Proverbs 16:9 - The Lord plans and establishes man’s steps. Daniel 4:35 - He does according to His will. Isaiah 46:10 - Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”

So What?

What does knowing God do for us?

How does God change our lives?

Home Life?

Work?

Social Life?

Church life?

Private Life?

Use of time and money?