God

"God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.  Everything has been created by Him and for Him.  God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.  These three are co-equal.  God is the one living and true God.  He is infinite and perfect in holiness.  god is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and immutable."

On Sundays, and hopefully many other days of the week, you can stroll across America in the morning and hear praises being made to this God.  You hear testimonies of lives being changed by this God.  With heads bowed and eyes closed, we hear prayers being made to this God.  On the street corner, you hear people cursing God and taking his name in vain.  Think about how someone who does not have knowledge of God interprets these events.  It is confusing to hear about a God who loves one person and allowed this other one to die.  It is perceived to be unfair to watch an entire side of the world lose an untold number of lives to a tsunami while men, women, and children frolic in the beach waves on the other side of the world.  How can God, who is so mighty and just, allow bad things to happen?  In this discussion, we are going to look at what we wrote about God before, examine Scripture behind it, and apply it to our everyday life.

• God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
• Everything has been created by Him and for Him.
• God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.  These three are co-equal.
• God is the one living and true God.  He is infinite and perfect in holiness.
• God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and immutable.

It must always be said that if you do not truly believe that the Bible is true, this will be difficult for you.  Be honest with yourself.  Do you REALLY believe that everything in the Bible is true?  Either way, you are eventually going to run into something that is very difficult to grasp.  The question will not be whether or not you grasp it; it will be whether or not you believe the Bible is true.

1) God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe

• Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth"
• Genesis 1:26-27 - "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of all the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' (27) And God created man in His own image, in the image of God.  He created him male and female He created them."
•  Psalm 89:11 - "The heaves are Thine, the earth also is Thing; The world and all it contains, Thou hast founded them."
• Acts 17:24 - "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands"
• Psalm 90:2 - "Before the mountains were born, or Thou didn't give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God."
• Hebrews 11:3 - "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."
• 1 Corinthians 11:12 - "For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God."
• Psalm 103:19 - "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all."
• Psalm 47:2 - "For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth."
• Daniel 4:32 - "...recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind..."

The Bible speaks clearly that God created everything that exists out of things that are not visible.  He is sovereign over all heaven and earth, and everything belongs to Him.

2) Everything has been created by Him and for Him.

Most of the verses already mentioned show that He created everything.  Now let's look at some verses that explain why God created everything.

• Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created by [through] Him and for Him.
• Romans 11:36 - For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever.  Amen. 
•  Hebrews 2:10 - "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings."

So, all things were created by God and for God.  We exist for Him.  That's all there is to it.  We don't have to wonder why we exist.  We exist for Him.  This gives our lives purpose and direction.

3)  God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.  These three are co-equal.

This is a declaration that jumps into the subject of the Trinity.  The Trinity is a hotly-debated topic because there are some religions that do not give deity to Jesus Christ.  The idea of the Trinity will be discussed in detail at a later date, however one popular misconception is to believe that the Trinity is three Gods.  The concept of the Trinity has nothing to do with three Gods.  That would be polytheistic and not biblical at all.  For now I will list some verses that speak to the equality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." 
• 2 Corinthians 13:14 - "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
• Luke 3:21-22 - "Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, (22) and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily fom like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, 'Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.'"

One more thought to ponder is that we have already established who the Creator is.  What do these verses have to say about who the Creator is?

•  John 1:1-3 - "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 came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."
• Important note - "the Word" is identified in verse 14 of Chapter 1.  "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
• "Grace and truth" is given a name in verse 17 - "For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."
• John 1:10 - "He [the Word] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him."
• 1 Corinthians 8:6 - "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." 
• Genesis 3:22 - "The the Lord God said, 'Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."
•  Genesis 1:26-27 - Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness... (27) And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
• Hebrews 1:2 - "In these last days, spoken to us in His Son; whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."
• Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created by [through] Him and for Him.

Look carefully at all these verses put together.  The world was created through whom?  The world was made through whom?   Look, I get the that concept of the Trinity is a bit mind-boggling.  I go back to the statement of whether or not you believe what the Bible says, no matter what.  The Bible is the truth and it reveals who God is.  We have to be willing to accept it regardless of what human logic says.

4) God is the one living and true God.  He is infinite and perfect in holiness.

• Psalm 90:2 - "Before the mountains were born, or thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God."
• Isaiah 44:6 - "I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me."
• Psalm 147:5 - "Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite."
• Isaiah 40:28 - "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.  His understanding in inscrutable."
• Habakkuk 1:12 - "Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?"
• Leviticus 11:45 - "For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy."
• Psalm 47:8 - "God reigns over the nations.  God sits on His holy throne."
• Psalm 77:3 - "Your way, O God is holy."
• Psalm 99:5 - "Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool.  Holy is He."
• Revelation 4:8 - "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."

There are so many more scriptures to pull from that illustrate that God is infinite and holy.  While we are thinking about infinite qualities, look again at Isaiah 44:6 as noted above.  Let's compare that with a few other verses.  Keep in mind that "first and last", "beginning and end", and "Alpha and Omega" are all stating the same concept.

• Isaiah 41:4 - "I, the Lord, am the first and with the last.  I am He."
• Isaiah 44:6 - "I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me."
• Isaiah 48:12 - "I am He, I am the first, I am also the last."
• Revelation 1:8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega...who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
• Revelation 21:6 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end."
• Revelation 1:17-18 - "Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last and the living One; and I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
• Revelation 2:8 - "the first and the last, who was dead, and who has come to life."
• Revelation 22:13 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Now, your job is to read each one of those and figure out to whom each verse is referring.  You will have to look at each verse in context, but I will spoil the surprise just a little...it reveals a glimpse of the Trinity.

5) God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and immutable.

• "Romans 1:20 - "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
• Psalm 147:4-5: "He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. (5) Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite."
• Isaiah 46:10 - "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'"
• Psalm 139:8 - "If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there.  If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there."
• Jeremiah 23:23-24 - "'Am I a God who is near,' declares the Lord, 'And not a God far off? (24) Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord."
• Romans 11:29 - "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
• Matthew 24:35 - "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

God is everything that is good, holy, and just.  He reveals a great deal about Himself in His word.  Our goal is to examine it and find what He has to say.  Why?  Because He wants a relationship with you.  He wants you to experience His grace and mercy.  The only way to do so is to establish a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, who, by the way, will be the subject of the next discussion.