I. HOW DO WE KNOW GOD?

1) How has mankind learned to know about God?

2) What do we know about God?

3) The roots of our understanding of God are in the Old Testament which records the history of God relating to mankind. Here God discloses himself in specific historic acts, thus a God of history, a God who seeks out man (Adam in the garden, Moses and the burning bush, Jesus becoming flesh, the Holy Spirit).

God Himself is the source of our knowledge of Him. God has chosen to reveal himself to mankind of his own free will because of his love for mankind. Our knowledge of God and his works are revealed progressively throughout history. God's truth is unchangeable, but we come to understand God more fully with time.

The knowledge of God differs from all other knowledge in that man can have this knowledge only as far as God reveals it. If God did not initiate the revelation of Himself, there would be no way for man to know Him. Therefore, A HUMAN BEING MUST PUT HIMSELF UNDER GOD WHO IS THE OBJECT OF HIS KNOWLEDGE.

4) Natural Religion vs. Christianity:

Natural religion originates from the darkened soul of mankind. It basis is found in natural phenomenon, superstition (fear) and human philosophy. Its basic outlook is pessimistic. The Greek religion, for example, held that man had to survive by his own initiative and imagination and at times against the gods themselves which at best only took a curious interest in men. The greatest "gift" the gods had given to mankind was fire, which was not bestowed by the gods, but was stolen by a god and given to mankind. For this act of mercy, a horrible punishment was meted out.

Christianity originates not from man but from God's search for mankind which is revealed through actual historical events, i.e. definite recordable historic events which were seen as consistent fulfillment of prophecy given beforehand to men (John 14:29). Examples are:

a. Exodus from Egypt as prophesied...
b. 70 year Captivity in Babylon as prophesied...
c. God's revealed will through the Biblical prophets such as Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.
d. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as prophesied...

II. ANTIGNOSTIC FATHERS

It was the Antignostic Fathers that articulated the familiar formulation of faith of God, which is:

1) God is One, at once Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer. Gen. 1:1.

2) God is an intelligent spirit.

3) God is not known through speculation, but from revelation and experience. In his greatness God remains incomprehensible; but in his love we learn to know him through Christ.

4) The justice and the goodness of God are not to be ascribed to two separate gods: "The Creator was from the beginning both good and just."

5) The aim of God is the salvation of the human race. "God determining all things in advance for the perfection of man and for the efficacy (effectiveness) and manifestation of his own plans, so that his goodness might be displayed and his justice executed, and the church be assembled as a figure of the likeness of his Son, and that somehow at length man might become mature in such things, ripening to the capacity of seeing and apprehending God."

6) God is the Creator and the Framer of the world. He created the world by his Word and his will out of nothing. (This is a response to Gnostic ideals that creation itself was an evil which had to be endured, the Antignostic Fathers proclaimed that God's creation is not evil or bad, i.e. a mistake, which must be rejected; but rather that creation is good and blessed by God. Thus God is equally concerned with man's physical nature, i.e. history, as his spirit and soul!) They declared that the creation is not bad! God is active accomplishing creation and redemption. He is the living God, who is just and merciful, and he is the God historically revealed in Christ.

7) The concept in a living God was also preserved intact by means of the triadic conception. There has always been present to him the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, through whom and in whom he made all things freely and spontaneously. These three are one God because there belongs to them one power.
(Seeburg, History of Doctrines I, Page 119-122)

III. THE NAMES AND TITLES OF GOD:

The name of a person, place or thing is that by which it is known. The names of God are those by which He is known and revealed to us.

The KJV distinguishes the names of God by the use of printer's type. Thus, when you see the word "God" you know it is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim (Hebrew plural form). The word "LORD" (all capital print) denotes that YHWH (English mistranslation Jehovah, Hebrew Yahweh) was used, and "Lord" means Adonai (Hebrew for Lord). Each of these words describe the Character of God.

A. ELOHIM:

Not the name of God but his official TITLE representative of His office. The literal meaning is the putter forth of power, the STRONG ONE. God is the sole possessor of Power, He needs only to speak and it is done. He not only creates, but he keeps what he brings forth out of nothing.

B. YAHWEH:

The personal name of God, first revealed to Moses, which means REDEEMER. Every time it is used in Scripture it is connected with deliverance by God, 2 Chronicles 18:31. The Jews considered this name too sacred to pronounce. For fear they might take the name of their LORD in vain, they would substitute Elohim or Adonai during public readings of Scripture.

The LORD declared to Moses in the burning bush "I AM that I AM...I AM hath sent me unto you", Exodus 3:13,14. Yahweh is the eternal I AM, there is no past or present or future, but rather self-existence or Eternal Present. There is only one YAHWEH!

Jesus called Himself "I AM" in the Gospel of John (4:26; 6:35,48,51; 8:12,24; 10:7,9,11,14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1,5), affirming His oneness with the Father.

C. ADONAI:

This term means master, or owner; or one who owns, one who rules, one who blessed His own.

It is first found in Genesis 15:1,2, "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?"

It is used as a Master of His slaves, Genesis 24:9,10A, and as a Husband to His Wife, 1 Peter 3:6A. Paul speaks of being a bond slave, servant, of Jesus Christ bought by the blood and bound by love, and every time we use the name "Lord Jesus Christ" you say He is my master. John 13:13, "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am."

D. JEHOVISTIC (YAHWEH) Combinations or Covenant names:

1. JEHOVAH-JIREH: The Lord will Provide. Genesis 22:14
2. JEHOVAH-RAPHA: The Lord that Healeth. Exodus 15:26
3. JEHOVAH-NISSI: The Lord our Banner. Exodus 17:15 - Also the Lord is our Victory.
4. JEHOVAH-QADASH: The Lord that doth Sanctify. Lev. 20:8
5. JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord our Peace. Judges 6:24
6. JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: The Lord our Righteousness. Jer. 23:6
7. JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH: The Lord is There. Ezekiel 48:35
8. JEHOVAH-SABOTH: The Lord of Hosts. 1 Samuel 1:3a
9. JEHOVAH-RA-AH: The Lord is my Shepherd. Psalm 23:1

E. ELOISTIC Combinations, Titles of God:

1. EL ELYON: The Most High God. Genesis 14:18
2. EL OLAM: The Everlasting God. Genesis 21:33
3. EL SHADDAI: Almighty God also Breast of God, the Nourisher, Strength Giver, the Satisfier and/or the God who is More than Enough. Genesis 17:1; 35:11

IV. THE NATURE OF GOD:

A. Definitions of God:

1. God is Life: Deuteronomy 30:20; John 3:16; 5:26; 10:28.
2. God is Light: I John 1:5.
3. God is Love: I John 4:8.
4. God is Spirit: John 4:24.
5. God is a Consuming Fire: Hebrews 12:29.

B. Spirituality of God:

1. HIS ESSENCE: He is a Spiritual Being, invisible (John 4:24, Colossians 1:15a). A spirit has a body, but not a natural body (Exodus 33:23; Ezekiel 1:26-28; 8:1-3). Jesus said a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have (Luke 24:39).

2. HIS MANIFESTATIONS: While God has not been seen, He has shown Himself and revealed Himself in many different forms. 1) Human, Genesis 12:7; 18:1-3; 2) Material, as in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); 3) In the person of Jesus Christ, John 1:14.

3. PERSONALITY OF GOD: God is a person, or personality, possessing self-consciousness, self determination and power. Many Scriptures reveal His personality. God grieves (Genesis 6:6; Judges 10:16; Psalm 95:10; Hebrews 3:10,17), repents, loves, hates, hears, creates, amazed (Isaiah 59:16; 63:5; Mark 6:6), laughs (Psalm 2:4; 37:13; 59:8; Proverbs 1:26), is jealous (Exodus 34:14), becomes angry (Psalm 7:11), etc.

4. God is a Triune being.

V. ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:

A. The Omnipotence of God:

Omnipotent means that God is all-powerful and able to do anything consistent with His own nature.

The word "Almighty" is used only of God in the Bible, used 56 times, and is the basis for the concept of omnipotence. God revealed Himself as the Almighty One to Abraham, Genesis 17:1; to Moses, Exodus 6:3; to believers, II Corinthians 6:18; and to John several times in Revelation, 1:18; 19:6.

OMNIPOTENCE is limited by natural limitations and self-imposed limitations. The natural limitations include what God cannot do because they are contrary to His nature: God cannot lie, Titus 1:2, or be tempted to sin, James 1:3, or deny Himself, II Timothy 2:13. Self-imposed limitations are based upon what God has planned to do; for example God did not choose to spare His Son, He did not choose Esau.

B. The Omnipresence of God:

Omnipresent means that God is everywhere present with His whole being at all times. God is not IN everything yet He is everywhere. (1 Kings 8:27; II Chronicles 2:6)

In Psalm 139:3-11 David asks the question "is there anyplace one can escape from the presence of God?" His answer is no, for His omnipresence is unlimited by space, undaunted by speed and unaffected by darkness.

Omnipresence does not mean that the immediacy of His presence does not vary. It does. His presence on His Throne, Revelation 4:2; in Solomon's Temple, II Chronicles 7:2; or in the believer, Galatians 2:20; certainly differs from other times.

C. The Omniscience of God:

Omniscient means that God knows everything, things actual and possible. God is all-knowing (I Chronicles 25:9; II Chronicles 16:9); examples: God knows the number of stars and their names, Psalms 147:4; He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, Matthew 10:29; He knows our needs even before we ask, Matthew 6:8; and he knows us before he forms us, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:16; God knows all of His works from the beginning, Acts 15:18. God knows everything that is or will occur, He is never surprised, never amazed, He never discovers anything new, He never wonders about anything.

Every warning that comes from God comes from an Omniscient Being, so we should be extremely sensitive to them. God does not warn us on the basis of guessing what might happen, He knows!

D. The Eternal Nature of God:

God exists endlessly, backwards and forwards without any interruption or limitation.

Psalm 90:2 speaks of God "from everlasting to everlasting". In Genesis 21:33, El Olam, the Everlasting God, comes from an original form which means "the God of eternity."

E. The Immutability of God:

Immutability means that God is unchangeable and thus unchanging, God is never inconsistent or growing or developing (Hebrews 6:17-18).

Malachi 3:6 connects the preservation of Israel with God's unchangeableness. James 1:17 states that God has no variableness or even a shadow of turning.

Since God is immutable we have comfort and confidence that God's promises will not fail. It reminds us that God's attitudes toward sin do not change. Therefore, God can never be coaxed or compromised into changing.

F. Love, Mercy, Faithfulness, and Holiness of God:

Let us just say that these attributes in their truest sense or manifestations belong solely to God and to which He calls us to partake.

VI. THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD:

The idea of God as father is peculiar to Christianity, it is virtually unknown to the Heathens. Today we see many distortions of this truth, but the teaching that states the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man is nothing but Universalism: That which teaches as truth that no one will ever be sent to hell. Universalism generically maintains that God's creation is left alone to discover God. God is not seen as one who intervenes or even cares about the state of man. Why does God not care? Because ultimately all will be reunited with God - thus a modern day reinforcement for reincarnation!

The Father God will not send any of HIS children to hell; but not all men are His children. The Scripture that is used to support their claim is Ephesians 4:6, "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." This Scripture refers to believers and NOT the unregenerate!

God is mentioned in the Old Testament as father, but not the Father of the individual, but rather the Father of the nation of Israel. Isaiah 63:16, "Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: Thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting."

In the New Testament Jesus introduces God as the Father of the individual. The following Scriptures bear this out: John 1:14; 5:17,18; 10:29-33.

There can be no sonship apart from spiritual re-birth, for a son always has the nature of His Father, John 8:44. A sinner can never call God Father.

When Jesus was hanging on the tree, He cries "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?", and not "My Father, My Father" for He was taking the sinners place and as He was taking the sinners place He could only refer to God as God. Are we in Adam or Christ? "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," I Corinthians 15:22. 

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