The Existence and Nature of God

The word “Mystery” has two meanings in Scripture.

Deuteronomy 29:29 NRSV

29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.

In Scriptures, the term mystery has two meanings:

secrets later revealed;

mysteries which are beyond man’s ability to comprehend.

This series of lessons will strive to believe what is revealed in Scripture without seeking or speculating beyond what is written.

A note about Systematic Theology. ST attempts to understand the facts of Scripture in relation to each other.

“Systematic” is from the Greek and Latin words that mean to stand together, to put together, combine, organize, unite.

Systematic Theology seeks to understand how teaching of Scripture relates to the rest of Scripture.

The word “Theology” can can have at least two major meanings.

the study of God;

the study of all things in relation to God.

So, theology can indicate the study of being, nature, names, and actions of God, or the study of the entire universe in relation to the God who is the cause of all being and creator of everything that exists.

In the later sense, chemistry, physics, astronomy, astrophysics, biology and anthropology are all subcategories of theology.

Biblical theology, as a hermeneutical term, studies the theology of the individual books and authors of the Bible, and explores what each writer or book teaches explicitly.

In other words, in this series of studies we will not be focused on a single author or book of the Bible. Rather, we will focus on the combined and interlocked truth of all the teachings of Scripture.

Our concern is the Systematic study of God’s Existence and Nature, as it is taught Theologically from the Bible.

We are operating under the assumption that the assembly begins with the premise that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God, which is our only and sufficient guide to divine truth.

God reveals Himself in biblical times to His people through the Spirit, today he speaks to us through His Word.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Lesson One: The existence and nature of God are revealed to man through three means: revelation, creation, and the incarnation.

God Reveals Himself to Man Through Creation.

Revelation is necessary because man cannot comprehend God on his own.

Matthew 11:25–27 NASB 2020

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.

Man needs God to help him know the Creator and His will for man’s life. — This is not Calvinism. It is, however, what the Bible explicitly teaches.

1 Corinthians 2:10–14 NKJV

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Lesson Two: God Reveals Himself To Man Through Creation.

Romans 1:18–25 NKJV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 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, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Notice that this passage says that not only God’s existence but even His attributes, including His righteousness and moral character, are clearly revealed in creation, and that man is responsible for His unbelief, since God has adequately revealed Himself in creation.

We may obey Him.

Man’s unbelief is a result of his willful and sinful rebellion against God.

For this reason, “apologetics does not consist of satisfying logical or Aristotelian standards of proof. It consists rather in persuading sinful man to accept what God is already revealing about Himself daily though His creation and His Word.” — Jim Smead, Amridge University.

Psalm 19:1–4 NKJV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

What does creation answer?

Job 12:7–10 NRSV

7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; 8 ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. 9 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

To Whom Do We Give Thanks and Be Glad for Our Provisions?

Acts 14:17 NKJV

17 Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

God’s moral nature is also revealed in Creation in the nature of man.

If man, who is made in God’s image, has a moral character, then God, who made him, must also be concerned about justice and righteousness.

Romans 2:12–16 NKJV

12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 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, 15 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) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

This argument states that we can discern the attributes of God by studying creation because the Creator must possess in some way those abilities He has given to His creatures.

Psalm 94:9 NKJV

9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

Lesson Three: God Reveals Himself To Man Through Jesus Christ.

God speaks to us through the Son.

Hebrews 1:1–3 NKJV

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 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; 3 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,

The Son’s Walk of Humanity Declares Father God.

John 1:1–5 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:14–18 NKJV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Grace With God Comes Only By Means of the Son.

Romans 3:23–26 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The Son is the Image of God and Qualifies Us to be Partakers of the Superior Inheritance.

Colossians 1:12–15 NKJV

12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

We are Capable of Living To Glorify God Because Jesus Has Shown His Merciful Attributes.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NKJV

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

The Existence and Nature of God