WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT GOD?
I. Why Are Your Beliefs About God So Important?
A. Your beliefs determine your actions (Heb. 11:4, 7, 8, 33, 34).
B. By knowing the truth about God you will be kept from having zeal without knowledge (Rom. 10:2).
C. By knowing the truth about God you will know how to give a reason for the hope that is within you (1 Peter 3:15).
D. By knowing the truth about God you willl be able to effectively confront error with the knowledge of the truth (Matt 22:29).
E. By knowing the truth about God you will have confidence for your own walk, so that in times of trial you can stand firm on the truth of God’s word (Dan. 11:32).
F. By gaining an understanding of the basic truths of the Bible, you will have a basis for interpreting the whole of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13) (2 Tim. 3:16). You also will have a basis for testing all the preaching and teaching you hear (Acts 17:11).
G. Last, by gaining an understanding of these truths and correctly interpreting them, you will be equipped to every good work (2 Tim. 3:17).
II. What Does The Bible Teach About God?
A. The Nature of God
1. God is a spirit (John 4:24)
God has revealed himself as one having no physical body or form. Jesus said, “a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see Me have” (Luke 24:39). So as a spirit, God requires us to worship him in spirit and truth because He is invisible and everywhere at the same time (1 Tim. 1:17). God declares, “do not I fill the heaven and the earth” (Jer. 23:24). This is the reason why God forbade the Jews to make any graven image to worship before, because God is a spirit (Deut. 4:15-23) (Is. 40:25).
2. The personality of God verses pantheism
Personality is characterized by knowledge, feeling and will. God is a living God who hears, sees, knows, feels, wills, and acts as a person. He is more than the pantheistic view of God that states; God is everything, or that He is the energy in all living things. He is more than his creation; He is the creator. He is more than energy or power. He declares his own eternal existence and personality when He said, “I AM WHO I AM” (EX. 3:14). Also note that a power or force cannot grieve (Eph 4:30), or will (1 Cor. 12:11), or love (John 3:16), only one who has a personality.
3. The unity of God verses polytheism, verses the Trinity verses Unitarianism
God has clearly revealed Himself to be the only God in the universe. He says, “Besides me there is no God” (Is. 44:6). The Scripture is without contradiction on this point from beginning to end. In both the Old and New Testament, this truth is clearly stated (Deut. 4:35) (1 Tim. 2:5). Yet, in the nature of the one true God there are three persons revealed; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are the one true and living God. To fully understand with our finite minds the nature of an almighty and infinite God is impossible. Today we only know in part (1 Cor. 13:9). Where do we see this tri-unity taught in Scripture?
a. Each person is called God. (Now remember, there is only one God.)
1. The Father (1 Cor. 1:3).
2. The Son (Heb. 1:8).
3. The Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3,4).
b. Each person has the attributes of God.
1. Omnipresence
a. The Father (Jer. 23:23,34).
b. The Son (Matt. 18:20).
c. The Holy Spirit (Ps. 139:7-10).
2. Eternal
a. The Father (Deut. 33:27) (Isaiah 57:15).
b. The Son (Heb. 1:8) (Micah 5:2) (John 12:34).
c. The Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:14).
c. Each person does the same work of God alone.
1. Creation
a. The Father (Gen. 1:1,2) (Heb. 3:4).
b. The Son (John 1:1-3) (John 1:10).
c. The Holy Spirit (Job 33:4) (Ps. 104:30).
2. Sanctification
a. The Father (Jude 1).
b. The Son (1 Cor. 1:2).
c. The Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2).
3. Who raised Jesus from the dead?
a. The Father (Acts 3:26) (1 Thess. 1:10) (Gal. 1:1).
b. The Son (John 2:19-21) (John 10:17,18).
c. The Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11) (1 Peter 3:18).
4. Who inspired the Prophets?
a. The Father (Luke 1:68-70).
b. The Son (1 Peter 1:11).
d. The Holy Spirit (Acts 1:16) (2 Peter 1:21).
5. Who strengthens me?
a. The Father ( Peter 5:10).
b. The Son (Phil. 4:13).
c. The Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16).
6. Further evidence for the one God being the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1. The Old Testament usage of the word one. The Hebrew word, Echad describes a united one, or compound unity. (Strong's Concordance).
Examples where this word is used.
a. A husband & wife become one flesh (Gen. 2:24).
b. The people are one (Gen. 11:6).
c. The Lord our God is one Lord (Deut. 6:4).
2. The New Testament reveals the same usage.
a. We are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28).
b. Paul & Apollos described as one (1 Cor. 3:6-8).
3. Plural pronouns used when God speaks of Himself.
a. Let us make man in our image (Gen 1:26).
b. Let us go down … (Gen. 11:7).
c. Who will go for us … (Isaiah 6:8)?
4. The divine name of God used as a plural (Gen. 1:1) Elohim.
5. The baptism of Christ. The Father speaks from heaven to the Son being baptized while the Spirit descends in the shape of a dove (Matt 3:16,17).
6. The simplest way to see the work of God revealed from Scripture is:
a. The Father is the fullness of the Godhead invisible (1 Tim. 1:17).
b. The Son is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).
c. The Holy Spirit is the fullness of the Godhead acting immediately upon the believer (1 Cor. 2:9-12).
7. What are the practical results of having a correct understanding of God's nature?
1. You will never be deceived by cultic teachings of who God is.
2. Knowing the spirituality and personality of God you will be drawn to a spiritual and personal relationship with Him (John 4:24).
B. The Attributes of God
1. The nature and attributes of God
a. The omniscience of God
The Bible teaches that God knows all things. He has perfect and infinite knowledge (1 john 3:20) (Job 37:16) (Psalms 147:5).
1. He knows what goes on in every place (Prov. 15:3).
2. He knows every word man speaks (Ps. 139:4).
3. He knows all your sorrows (Ex. 3:7).
4. He knows your thoughts (Ps. 139:1,2) (Rev. 2:23).
5. He knows the outcome of all human history (Acts 15:18) (Rev. 19:11-16) (Dan. 2).
6. What is the importance of this teaching/ It promotes honesty in your relationship with Him (Heb. 4:13). It also causes you tot rest in trials knowing He knows (2 Peter 2:7-9). He knows the truth when you are falsely accused (2 Cor. 11:11).
b. The omnipotence of God
This teaching reveals the all powerful, almighty God we serve. He can do all things, nothing is too hard for Him, all things are possible with Him (Gen. 18:14) (Matt. 19:26).
1. He has revealed His power in creation (Gen. 1:1-13).
2. He has revealed His power by ruling in the affairs of nations (Dan. 4:32).
3. He has revealed His power in that on day all His servants will sing, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" (Rev. 19:6) This occurs when God exercises His power to bring his kingdom to reign here on earth.
4. His power in only limited by him own will and timing (1 John 5:14, 15) (1 Tim. 6:15).
5. What is the importance of teaching/ It is a great encouragement to believers that, what He has promised, He is able to perform (Rom. 4:20, 21). He can do the impossible in you (Eph. 3:20) (Heb. 7:25).
c. The omnipresence of God
Her the Bible teaches that God is everywhere present. He is in all parts of the universe and also near to you at the same time (Ps. 139:7-10) (Jer. 23:23, 24) (Acts 17:24-28).
1. This truth must not be confused with the pantheistic view that God is everything. He is everywhere because that is the greatness of our God. He is everywhere because that is the greatness of our God. Solomon said, "The heaven even the heaven of heavens cannot contain you…" (2 Chron. 6:18).
2. What is the importance of this teaching? This helps me to know that He is always near me, especially in hard times (2 Tim. 4:17). He is a very present help in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1) (Is. 43:2).
d. The eternity and immutability of God
The word eternal denotes existence which has no beginning nor ending, or any limitation of time. There is no pat, present, or future in eternity (1 Tim. 1:17) (Is. 57:15). The immutability of God describes His nature which is absolutely unchangeable. God remains forever the same (Mal. 3:6) (Heb. 13:8) (James 1:17).
1. Why is this teaching important? To come to a God who is eternal and never changes gives me great assurance. God won't change with mood swings or with the fad of the day. He will be faithful, because He is always there when I need Him, and He never changes. He is also seeking to make me a faithful and unwavering person. A person who keeps his word and who is faithful to commitments (Ps. 15:4) (Luke 6:10).
2.The Moral Attributes of God
a. The Holiness of God
Holiness is the foundation of God's moral nature. He is called "the Holy one" throughout Scripture. When Moses or Isaiah had God reveal himself to them, they were immediately struck by the holiness of God (Ex. 3:5) (Is. 6:3). Holiness means God is free from any defilement, impurity or unrighteousness (Lev. 11:43-45) (Deut. 23:14) (1 John 1:5).
1. The holiness of God is manifested by his hatred of sin (Gen. 6:5,6) (Prov. 15:9).
2. The holiness of God is manifested by his love of righteousness (Prov. 15:9).
3. The holiness of God is manifested by his punishment of the sinner (Ps. 5:46).
4. The holiness of God is manifested by his punishment of sin on His Son (1 Peter 3:18).
5. Why is this teaching important? When you see this holiness you see your sin (Isaiah 6:5,6). This keeps you from self-righteousness. Yet, it also reveals His great love. Because a Holy God sent His Son to die for unholy men (John 3:16).
b. The love of God, justice of God and mercy of God (Ps. 89:14) (Ps. 103:8)
The reason why we must look at these three together is very important. Love is a perfect balance of justice and mercy. Real love must have both. Love is patient and kind and forgiving, yet love cannot be taken for granted, or rejected without a consequence. To the motorist who commits a minor offense, the judge, in justice, tempered by mercy, gives a small fine. However, for the motorist who is a multiple drunk driving offender, he must in justice, without mercy, revoke his license to drive. This shows his love and care for the rest of the drivers on the road, lest this injure them because of his rejection of prior mercy.
1. God is love (1 John 4:8).
a. Love is manifested in mercy (Ps. 145:8).
b. Love is manifested in grace & long-suffering (Ps. 86:15).
c. Love is manifested in justice & righteousness by keeping His promise to forgive the repentant ( John 1:9).
d. Love is manifested toward believers by God's just separation of all that would hurt or offend his people at the final judgment (Matt. 13:14) (Matt. 25:31-34).
2. Why are these teachings important? When you see the balance of His love, mercy and justice it will cause you to become more balanced and more like Him. He wants to transform you in these areas.
a. You will love Him when you see his love for you (1 John 4:19).
b. You will become more merciful (Luke 6:36).
c. You will become just and fair in your dealings with others (Col. 4:1) (Ps. 82:3).
d. You will love others as well (1 John 3:16).