Who is God anyway?

Introduction

I must admit that faith is not easy to come by. We are living with a popular notion of no absolutes. This way of thinking has exploded in our culture because many people have been hurt by the scandals that have emerged from numerous religious organizations and leaders of our time. Many who do not “believe” in God “believe” there is no black and white. Nothing is clear. The image of life is somehow gray and ambivalent. Right and wrong can be explained away by a culture of situational ethics. Some believe the right decision should be based on what makes one feel good rather than on what is good. Looking at life through the lens of feelings can be troubling at the least and devastating at the most. Yet, there are signs and wonders all around us. The beauty of a sun rise or sun set. The miracle of a new baby’s birth. The laughter of a child. The joy we share in our personal relationships with our spouses, parents, children, friends, co-workers, and total strangers.

However, us human beings tend to harp on the negative aspects of our lives, sending the wondrous events, our natural surroundings into the back of our minds. We think we can fix our own problems, spend a fortune (whether we have the money or not) in creating an artificial paradise, rather than experiencing the perfect garden that was created for us.

My friends, yes faith is not easy to come by. Our 21st century world doesn’t make it easy: cultural, political, workplaces, schools, all have secularized our lives. Society has managed to demand us to put our faith into a nice little tidy box…to be opened up perhaps once a week on a Sunday morning, perhaps in moments when stressful events plague our lives, perhaps not at all. We find comfort in material possessions. We find comfort in addictive substances or behaviours. We find comfort in sinful activities. Many of us have forgotten who God is. Many of us have never really understood who God is.

Over the next few weeks I personally invite you to join me as we return to the basics. Let’s figure our together who God is. Let’s ask ourselves, “Are You There God”.

Who is God anyway?

The Scriptures tell us that God is not a man—He is spirit (John 4:24) and therefore not physical—yet He is often described with physical attributes. There are mentions of His eyes, His head, His strong right arm, His feet, and His mouth. Scripture speaks of God as having not only physical attributes but also emotional attributes. We read in places of God’s repenting, yet elsewhere in the Bible we are told that God does not change His mind. God is described in human terms in certain instances in the Bible because it is the only way man knows to speak about God.

God is this wonderful creator:

Genesis 1:1-3 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

God created life:

John 1:1–5 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God is unique:

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 NIV

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

God is holy

1 Peter 1:16 NIV

for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

God is love:

1 John 4:8 NIV

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is good:

Mark 10:17–18 NIV

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Conclusion

God is not subject to limitation; he is beyond measure, not bound or restricted by space or time. God has no beginning or end; he is not a created being and is not subject to the limitations of time.

God cannot be fully comprehended or understood. We may know God truly, for he has revealed himself to us, but being finite creatures we can never know him fully.

Who is God? Join me over the next few weeks as we explore this in more detail. God has infinite power, infinite knowledge, God is everywhere at every moment in time, God is good, God is love, God is just. And yes God is Jesus. God has offered us all this amazing gift of eternal life. A life of peace, free of pain and suffering. A life free of sin. I’m looking forward to showing you how you too can obtain this wonderful gift too. Join us next week when we dive deeper into Who is God. Or, if you’re curious and can’t wait, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly and let me show you this gift personally with you.

Prayer

Psalm 19:1–14 NIV

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.