Study 2 Objective:
To discuss what God is like, and why it is significant to the believer
Back to Bible Study 2:
Did we create God, or did God create us?
God is not…Religious, Nice, “One of us”, An American, A Capitalist is the title of a recent book. It discusses misconceptions about God. It is an interesting exercise to explore how our construct of God has been shaped by our family and friends; by literature and the arts; by television and media; by songs and folklore; by our own desires and needs; and, of course, by religious experiences and popular philosophy. The reality is that God is neither a construct nor a concept. God is not an idea, an abstract notion of our fertile minds. Biblically, everything, even our thoughts and our ability to create ideas, comes from the God whom we did not create or whose character and attributes have not been shaped by us (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3): the God who, simply, is. God has neither origin nor end. In the beginning was not a human idea about God, rather in the beginning (a time reference used by God for our finite understanding) was God (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1). We did not create God, but God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). God is, therefore we are. The everlasting God is the Creator of all things (Acts 17:24-25; Isaiah 40:28, etc.), and it is only by His will that everything continues to exist (Revelation 4:11). Many books speculate on what God is like. No doubt we could come up with a list of adjectives and nouns that would inform our view of who God is and of what He does. |
The aim of this study is, however, to note how God is described in scripture, and to discuss why those descriptions are significant to the believer.
Reflection: Take time to write down what you think God is like. To what extent are your impressions of God based on your past experience, on the views of peers and friends, on family and school life, on current societal opinions, on your image of yourself? The Bible describes the Creator as eternal, invisible, all-knowing, & all-powerful God pre-exists His creation (Psalm 90:2), and He “inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15).
“No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18), and He is not physical, but “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). He is not confined by time and space, and nothing is hidden from Him (Psalm 139:1-12; 1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 23:24). He “knows all things” (1 John 3:20). In Genesis 17:1 God explains to Abraham, “I am Almighty God”, and in Revelation 4:8 the four living creatures proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” “The voice of the Lord is powerful; and the voice of the Lord is full of majesty” (Psalm 29:4). |