Chapter 1

God

Who is He?

God! – Who is He? What is He like? How can I know Him? We must begin here to get right answers about God in order to not get spiritually burned. Therefore, we begin our study with God Himself and how He has shown Himself to us through creation and through the Scriptures. These two ways He has shown Himself to us are known as "General Revelation" and "Special Revelation." First, let us see how God reveals Himself through the things He has created.

General Revelation.

God Reveals Himself through Creation – The Scriptures teach that mankind has some knowledge of God apart from the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that God has made some things evident to men:

Romans 1:18-20
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 that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
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.

Paul taught in these verses that we can know there is a God because of the things He made. The world's systems work together like a finely tuned instrument which required an intelligent designer. The human eye alone is a marvel of construction, to say nothing of the rest of the body. It takes more blind faith to believe that all these things just happened than it does to believe that an intelligent God designed them. The same goes for hundreds of thousands of other things on earth and in the heavens. Romans 1:20 says that by "the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen." When you stand before God on the day when He will judge men, you will be without excuse if you did not believe the evidence. God said that you may learn of His eternal power and divine nature through what He created.

God Reveals Himself within Men – The Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It starts with a simple statement: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Thus, the Bible assumes two facts: first, there is a God – that is, He exists – and second, the knowledge that He exists is in the hearts of men, even though some men willfully reject that knowledge.

It has been said that no one has ever been born who did not believe that God exists. Some have been taught to believe there is no God, but they were not born with that belief. The Scriptures support that idea. Solomon, the great and wise king of Israel, tells us that God Himself did something special for men. He said, "He has also set eternity in their heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). How is it a man can say in the deep recesses of his own soul, "There is no God"? The Scripture plainly tells us the contrary. It tells us men have a sense of eternity placed in their hearts by God. Who are we to believe – God, who says He has "set eternity in their heart," or the atheist who says he does not believe in God or in an afterlife? Obviously, we must believe God.

There are people who deliberately suppress the truth about God within their own hearts. The Apostle Peter told us about things as they would be in the last days, the days in which we are living. Speaking about the truth of Jesus' coming again to earth, he said in his second epistle:

2 Peter 3:3-5
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."
5 For *they are willfully ignorant of this fact, that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water. [*Alternate reading]

Peter teaches that people who deny that God is the Creator are willfully ignorant of the fact that He created the heavens long ago. Often, they claim to be open minded, better educated, and more scientific. However, they willfully ignore the facts, according to Peter. The mere fact that Peter wrote that this would happen almost 2,000 years ago is another proof of the reliability of God's Word.

Thus, the Scriptures teach that we may know God exists because of the things He has made. All we need to do is examine the facts with an open mind. Furthermore, God said that He has put a witness to His existence within every man. The problem is that many men, because of sin, willfully fight against the truth and will not receive the truth God has given through creation.

Special Revelation through His Names

God Reveals Himself in the Bible – Even though man has a sense of eternity planted in his heart, he can never understand God simply through creation or find Him by searching. Creation does testify to His existence, but it is woefully limited in telling us who He is. Thankfully, God did not limit Himself to creation as a way to show us that He exists.
We must have the special knowledge God gave about Himself in the Bible in order to come to know Him personally. God, therefore, chose to tell us about Himself personally in specific details through His written word. For example, the Old Testament contains several different names for God which teach us much about His relationship to us.

Elohim: Mighty God – In the very first mention of God in the book of Genesis it is written, "In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1). The word for God there is, in the Hebrew original, "Elohim." Elohim is made up of two shorter words: "El" which means mighty, strong, and prominent, and "Alah" which means "to declare or swear." "To swear" means "to bind oneself by an oath." Putting these two meanings together, we know God as the mighty one who binds Himself to His creatures by His own word and promises, known as covenants. A covenant is a binding agreement between at least two people. In this case it is God who binds Himself by His word to do certain things for us.
"Elohim," the covenant-keeping God, is also the Creator God. He is spoken of not only as the God who made the physical creation in Genesis 1, but also the God who created the angels mentioned throughout the Bible. So, from God's scriptural name Elohim, we learn that He is the all-powerful Creator of spiritual and physical life and that He obligates Himself by covenant to man for our good and for our benefit.

El Elyon: God Most High – God revealed Himself to Abraham (Abram) by His name "El Elyon," which means "God Most High." Melchizedek, a priest of El Elyon, blessed Abraham in this way:

Genesis 14:18-20 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."

This name of God shows that He is the possessor or owner of heaven and earth. God, who created heaven and earth, is the same one who is the rightful owner of that which He made. What does that mean for us now in this modern era? It means that God is able to supply every need we have, both physically and spiritually, because He has His entire creation at His command. The Bible says that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10); He is never short of provision for His people.

Adonai: Master – "Adonai," another name by which God calls Himself, is used some 300 times in the Old Testament. It means "owner" or "master" and shows us that God owns all things. God said to Job, "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine" (Job 41:11). That last phrase includes us, whom He made. Therefore, we owe Him our complete obedience.

It's interesting to notice in passing that both "Elohim" and "Adonai" are plural words. "Adoni," is the singular form of "Adonai." It is often used in the Old Testament in reference to men. However, it is used only one time in the singular in reference to God. That single reference is in Psalm 110:1, which says, "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.'" The way it is used there strongly implies that God is a trinity. The words, "The Lord says to my Lord," are, in the Hebrew, "Jehovah says to my Adoni." Jesus Christ applied this striking passage to Himself in Matthew 22:41-45. It is clearly significant that David, when referring to one member of the Trinity as speaking to another member of the Trinity, used the singular form rather than the plural as is normal when speaking of God. The "Adoni," to whom the Lord said, "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet" refers to Christ, the second person of the Trinity!

El Shaddai: the Almighty – "El Shaddai" is the name often translated "the Almighty." For example, God revealed Himself to Abram by that name:

Genesis 17:1-2 1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
"I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly."

It may be based upon a similar Hebrew word for breast and refers to the one who is the sustainer of those who put their trust in Him. As a young infant feeds at his mother's breast and receives life-sustaining milk, so you and I rely upon the Almighty to be the sustainer of life, particularly of spiritual life.

Another possible meaning is that God is strong and powerful, with power to set aside nature, that is, perform miracles. For example, Abraham and Sarah were well beyond childbearing age and yet they had a son according to the promise of God, but contrary to nature. God is able to fulfill His promises!

Make It Personal

We have seen that God is the one supreme being who created all things and to whom all men owe their lives and their devotion. It is important to serve the one true God of heaven and earth. That is the only way to keep from being spiritually burned for He alone is the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. He desires your best and can supply every need you have. If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ask God to reveal Himself to you through His Son. Even if you do not believe there is a God, if you will determine to receive the truth if it is shown to you, He will reveal Himself to you. Since you are created by God in His image, He is certainly interested in you, and wants to reveal Himself to you!

Revelation 4:11
11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."

Do you know for sure that you will spend eternity in Heaven? The Bible speaks clearly about how you can know for sure if you are Heaven-bound.
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