8.28.16~”God: His Character and Nature…”
In today’s world, as well as in the world of the past, there are many so-called
gods, and just as many theories and opinions as to what God (or god) is like. These past few weeks we have studied about the Bible, God’s Word revealed to
us. It is clear that God spoke through men long ago and used them to reveal to the rest of us just what God wanted us to know.
The validity, veracity, accuracy, infallibility and sovereign nature of God’s Word is without a doubt undeniable and has been overwhelmingly demonstrated and proved time and time again.
The Bible claims to be the revelation of the one true God, and it never attempts to prove His existence, but just begins (Genesis 1:1), “In the beginning God...” Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” This title implies and presumes self-existence.
Isaiah 43:10, “...Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.” 13, “Yes, and from ancient days I am He.”
God states that there is only one God, and He is the only true God, and yet, in Genesis 1:26 He refers to Himself in the plural, as “Us” and “Our.” This of course is a mention of the Trinity, which we will study in much more depth as to just how (Deuteronomy 6:4), “The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” and yet the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all claim to be God, three distinct persons, and yet one God. Again, more on that in the weeks to come.
God says the most important thing that a person can boast about is (Jeremiah 9:24), “that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD.”
Psalm 19:1 says, “the heavens declare the glory of God; “the skies the work of His hands,” 4, “Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
God has clearly revealed Himself to humankind in creation itself (Romans 1:20), “God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen... so that men are without excuse.”
God has also (Romans 2:15) revealed Himself within the very conscience of every person and made known to us what is right and what is wrong. In fact, knowing good from evil is a characteristic of God (Genesis 3:22), “The man has now become like one of Us, knowing good from evil”.
So, we see God revealed in creation, and we have God’s revelation to us in our conscience. But God didn’t stop there in revealing Himself to us (see John 1:1-4, 14, 18; 14:7-10)? We will study the deity of Christ in much more depth when we study the person of Christ in a future lesson.
Let’s consider some of the attributes of God:
God is Holy and this is the most repeated attribute of God in the Scriptures, for God is absolutely pure and perfect, He cannot be stained or corrupted by evil. Exodus 15:11, “Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
Psalm 99:9, “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.”
Revelation 4:8, “”Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Because we are God’s children (cf. John 1:13), “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God,” we are exhorted (1Peter 1:15-16) “just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
None of us could obtain holiness by our own merit, but (Hebrews 10:10), “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
God is Righteous and Just — both of those words come from the very same root word — righteousness expresses that God’s nature and behavior are in perfect harmony, and justice describes the manner in which God legislates [makes and decrees] His laws, statutes, commands and judgements, i.e., God is always perfectly right and just in the way He deals with humankind, for God can do no wrong (see Psalm 89:14-16; 119:137-138, 142, 144).
Because God is righteous and just, He must judge sin, the penalty is death (cf. Romans 6:23), but for those who trust and believe in Christ, the penalty has been paid by God’s own Son (2Corinthians 5:21), “so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
God is Sovereign — this means He is subject to no one, He is the highest in command and authority, there is no higher power and He is superior to all others. Deuteronomy 6:13, “Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name.”
Isaiah 43:13, “Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 45:22-24, “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked; before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear. They will say of Me, in the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.”
Isaiah 46:9-11, “...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.” “...I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” “...What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”
Because God is sovereign we are assured (Romans 8:38-39), “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God...”
God is Eternal — there has never been a time when God did not exist; He had no beginning and He has no end.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God...”
Isaiah 44:6, “...I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God.” Revelation 1:8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” 17, “...I am the First and the Last.”
Because God is eternal, we can trust that (Deuteronomy 31:6), “He will never leave [us] nor forsake [us].”
God is Immutable — God never changes in His character, nature and purpose.
Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Malachi 3:6, “I the LORD do not change!”
In Hebrews 6:13, we are told, “When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than [God] to swear by, He swore by Himself.” 17-18, “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear... He confirmed it with an oath,” and “it is impossible for God to lie.”
The immutable character of God is a great assurance concerning the forgiveness and eternal life God says He has granted us through Jesus Christ (Romans 11:28-29), “As far as the gospel is concerned... ...God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” [i.e., they can’t be lost, taken away, or given back, salvation is eternal]. 32, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.”
God is Omniscient — God is all-knowing, He knows all things past, present and future; He has all knowledge (see Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16).
God knows the worst and the best of all of us, yet He unconditionally loves us! God is Omnipresent — God is all-present, He is everywhere in the universe
(see Psalm 139:7-12).
Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
So, you can’t be hidden from God, neither can you be lost, for He always knows where you are!
God is Omnipotent — God is all-powerful, there is nothing that is beyond His strength and power to accomplish.
Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
Because God is all powerful and we belong to Him, we have nothing to fear (1John 5:4-5), “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
So, what is the ultimate message from the holy, righteous, just, sovereign, eternal, immutable, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God?
1Timothy 2:3b-4, “God our Savior [who] wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”
2Peter 3:9, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” 13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Pastor Mike <‘(((><