* WHO IS GOD?

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   

John 1:1

 

God is the ultimate Being in existence, perfect in power, love, and character. Since God’s desire is to share His love with others, He created the angels and human beings—spiritual creatures who can relate to Him.  Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love others just as He does.  We find that in Matthew 22:37-40.  God came to earth in human form as Jesus of Nazareth to teach us about Himself, to be the perfect example and to provide the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so that those who believe can have fellowship with Him. The Bible encourages all people to turn from their selfishness to become lovers of God, to fulfill God's perfect law of love.

  

And yet, the question remains ‘Who is God, what’s He all about ,what does He look like?’  We define what He looks like according to His word. 

Since human beings are created in the image of God, most artists’ renditions picture God as looking like a human male. Although the Bible uses the personal pronoun "He" to describe God, it never says God looks like a human male. Word pictures describing God usually use words such as "like" or "as" in their descriptions. So, we find that both males and females were created in the image of God:  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He Him; male and female created He them.  Genesis 1:27

 

Likewise, there are descriptions of God that describe Him with wings and feathers:

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:2-4

 

In that passage, we not only get a description of who He is and also some of what He looks like.  Nobody would suggest that God is an overgrown bird or chicken.  In fact, the Bible says God is a spirit; meaning that He is

 

—without physical form (i.e., not composed of ordinary matter).  What does that mean Pastor Candy:  God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

 

Although God's primary nature is spiritual, He’s able to take on physical form in order to interact with human beings on Earth. The Bible says that God took on human form, coming to earth as Jesus.

 

The Bible says that believers who die will “see Him just as He is" .  Apostle John tells us Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear; we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

 

-                     because they will be like Him, possessing "spiritual bodies”.  Apostle Paul explains how the body . . . is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:44 

 

So, there is no way to know what God actually looks like in Heaven, until we actually get there.  But we do know, through the word of God, that He is:

 ®      Relational

God, who created the universe in all of its magnitude and creative details, is able to be known, by us. He tells us about Himself, but even goes beyond that. He welcomes us into a relationship, so that we personally can get to know Him. Not only can we know about Him, we can know Him, intimately.  He wants us to boast of who He is . . .  let Him who boasts boast about this:  that He understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 9:23-24

 ®      Approachable

 God invites us to talk to Him and engage Him in what concerns us. We don't have to get our act together first. Neither do we need to be polite – although we do need to be diplomatic, - we don’t have to be theologically correct or holy. It is His nature to be loving and accepting when we go to Him in sincerity and a pure heart.

 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."   Psalms 145:18

 ®      Creative

Everything we make is put together with existing materials or built on previous thoughts. God has the capacity of speaking things into existence, not just galaxies and life forms, but solutions to today's problems. God is creative, for us. His power is something He wants us to be aware of and to rely on.

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."  Psalms 147:5

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my Help.  My Help cometh from the Lord, which made Heaven and earth.  Psalms 121:1-2

 ®      Forgiving

We sin. We tend to do things our way instead of God's way. And He sees it and knows it. God does not merely overlook such sin, but is prepared to judge and condemn people for their sin. However, God is forgiving and will forgive us from the moment we begin a relationship with Him according to His word. Jesus, the Son of God, paid for our sin with His death on the cross. He rose from the dead and offers us this forgiveness.

We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.  God is forgiving for whosoever will.  I thank God for being a part of that whosoever will!  The bible tells us that This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus, our Liberating King, who makes salvation a reality for all who believe—without the slightest partiality. 

And furthermore, When God set himself up in the person of Jesus up to be the sacrifice His blood became the demonstration of God’s restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise.  We can see over the course of human history, make it personal, our own lives, how God has patiently held back his hand of justice as He dealt with the sins being committed.  Romans 3:22,25

®      Honest

Just like a person who lets you know their thoughts and feelings, God clearly tells us about Himself, the possible difference being, He is always honest. Everything He says about Himself, or about us, is reliable information. Truer than our feelings, thoughts, and perception, God is totally accurate and honest in what He says. Every promise He makes to us can be fully counted on; He means it. We can take Him at His word.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.  Psalms 119:130

 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalms 119:105

 ®      Capable

How would you like to be always 100% right, about everything? God is. His wisdom is unlimited. He understands all the elements of a situation, including the history and future events related to it. We do not have to update Him, counsel Him or persuade Him to do the right thing. He will, because He is capable and His motives are pure. He will never make a mistake, never undercut us or deceive us. He can be fully trusted to do what is right, in all circumstances, at all times. He is the Lord of Hosts; Jehovah SA-BA-OTH, meaning majesty, power, and authority of God because He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.   Psalms 25:3

 

God wants as many people as will to choose to love Him 
and spend eternity with Him.

 

If God created the entire universe as a place to accommodate human beings – as we believe in our hearts that he did – then He must have had some sort of plan in mind. 

 

God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not face eternal destruction, but will have everlasting life.  Get this, God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He sent Him to rescue a world headed toward destruction.

 

When we choose to love Him, we follow His commands, right?  It’s recorded in His word, If ye love me, keep my commandments.  John 14:15

 

Because God's standard for behavior is perfection in thought and deed, we often find it very difficult to meet His standard on our own. However, since God loves us so much, He’s provided us a means by which we can attain perfection which is better understood as spiritual maturity; that is through Christ Jesus:

 

*     God, as Jesus, took on the form of a human being and lived on the earth, we know for a short period of time and set himself as the perfect example:   

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:   In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus.  Let’s live with His attitude in our hearts. Remembering, though He was in the form of God, He chose not to cling to equality with God; But He poured Himself out to fill a vessel brand new; He was a servant in form and a man – the very likeness of humanity, He humbled Himself and He was obedient to death!  Philippians 2:5-8

*     Besides teaching repentance and the kingdom of God, His main purpose was to provide the ultimate sacrifice for sins, by living a completely sinless life, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

*     dying on a cross

 

For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven. Colossians 1:19-20

*     and rising from the dead

 

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. 10 For in that He died , He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.  Romans 6:9-10

 

It is through belief in Jesus and His sacrifice for sins that one is declared righteous and free from sin.  One who believes in Jesus follows Him, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who guides us as we become conformed to the image of Christ

 

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Romans 8:29 

 

So, those who believe in Jesus; and are following the statutes of God, are declared righteous formed in the very image of God – we will see Him face to face as He is!

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