Who is God?

Posted on by kevinjandt

What do you know about God?

Do you have a biblical understanding of God or some fallacy perpetuated by Hollywood or a concoction of your own mind?  You cannot be saved without a proper view of God, just as you cannot come to a proper view of God without a proper view of man.  I was saved when God’s word revealed His truth.

Psalm 18:31-36 For who is God, except the LORD?  And who is a rock, except our God?  It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.  He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.  He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great, You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.

In the summer of 2009 we took a marriage course that our church was offering; I was excited hoping my marriage could be improved or maybe God would straighten out my wife as I’m sure she was hoping God would straighten out me.  I had no idea the plans God had for my life.  I had been a church going guy for quite a few years.  I grew up in a church going family.  My parents saw to it that we heard God’s word every Sunday.  Most people would say I’m a “good” guy or a nice guy.  “Surely God would not send you to hell”, but hell is where I was headed.

Why?

I had an improper view of God that told me God loved me and wanted to have a relationship with me.  He had a plan for my life….  Jeremiah 29:11.  Have you ever heard that before?  If you haven’t you’ve had your head stuck in the sand.  This is the message that is so popular today that is condemning people to hell and eternal torment.  God may have a plan for you but you may not like that plan.

Most everyone has heard “God loves you” or “Jesus loves you”.  God is “love” right?  Of course He is scripture affirms this (1 John  4:8).  But does this mean He will overlook sin and not punish the unrighteous?  This is a rhetorical question.  If you have read any of the Bible it would not take you long to find out the answer, if God doesn’t punish sin, why the cross?  Why would God pour out His wrath on His Son?  It makes no sense.  Without a proper view of God it honestly makes no sense.

Jen and I are currently in our fifth marriage course.  Yes, I agree with you, whatever you are thinking…

The incredible thing is God continues pour out His grace on our lives as we pursue to honor Him in marriage.  He saved us both in the first course and continues to refine us in every subsequent course.  Sometimes it has been very painful and sometimes very joyful but through it all He has been faithful.

Below I’m once again quoting from the Exemplary Husband by Dr. Stuart Scott. (Pages 17-28)  The companion book is the Excellent Wife by Martha Peace.  I cannot recommend these books enough.  They may shake you to the core but I promise it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness if you will allow yourself to be trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

We must bring our view of God in line with His Word.  The following is not a complete study of the nature and character of God, but it should serve as a clear and brief biblical overview of who God is.1.       God is the sovereign, all-powerful Lord of all creation.

“Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’”.  Isaiah 46:9-10

      God is Holy.

Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?  Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonder?  Exodus 15:11

The word holy generally means “set apart.”  Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology, says that “God’s holiness means that He is separated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor.”  There is absolutely no sin or evil in Him.

       God is a just judge.

Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.  Psalm 98:8-9

God righteously hates sin because it is an affront to who He is and His Kingdom, and because of what it does.  He must judge sin and He must judge every person.  All of God’s judgments are right and just.  He is the perfect judge.      

        God is merciful and gracious.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  Lamentations 3:22

         God is full of compassion.

He has made His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  Psalm 111:4

         God cares for His own as the Good Shepherd and the perfect Father.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  Psalm 23:1

          God is love.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  1 John 4:8

God’s Judicial and Parental Aspects Reconciled

… God does indeed relate differently to two groups of people described in the Bible.  If this distinction is not made between the saved and the unsaved, confusion about one’s relationship with God can result.  Every husband needs to determine the group to which he belongs before He can have a right relationship with God.

          God is angry at the wicked.

Due to the sin nature we possess through Adam, we all begin life under the wrath and condemnation of God.

God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.  Psalm 7:11

God will remain angry at the wicked unless they repent and will punish them in hell.  Even their good deeds are described as filthy rags by God…  (Isaiah 64:6)

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Christ).  For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  Romans 5:9-10

            God is faithful to His own.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

We must have a correct view of God before we can exemplify Him.  A.W. Tozer wrote:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.  The greatest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most {important} fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.

By faith every man must line up his thinking with each aspect of God’s person.  If one does not see God rightly, he cannot see himself rightly either.

I have barely scratched the surface of what scripture tells us about God.  If you are struggling today with an improper view of God or wondering about your salvation I ask that you commit yourself to the task of knowing Him.  You could begin with a study of these verses.  God’s Word is what saves.  It saved me.

Romans 11:35-36, Isaiah 46:9-10, Lamentations 3:31-33, Psalm 145:8-9, Isaiah 46:11, Psalm 50:21, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 103:9-11, Psalm 10:15, 1 John 3:1-3, Romans 8:1-4, Ephesians 1:5-6, Matthew 16:24, Luke 6:46.

Kevin

What is man that You are mindful of him…

Posted on by kevinjandt

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

Have you ever considered man and why God would be mindful of him?  This is really a deep and profound question, especially if you are a Believer.  If you have been saved you confronted this at one point in your conversion whether you realize it or not.

The gospel demands that you answer this question.

No matter what you might think about man; the fact that God considers man at all is all we need to know about God’s character.  I’ll save the “why would a good God allow suffering” question for another day.  Today let’s look at man and maybe we will all ask the question at a deeper level why God would be mindful of man.

You’ve heard different views of man and some of you might believe them or at least partially believe them.  Here are four false views of man as outlined in “The Exemplary Husband” by Dr. Stuart Scott – pages 31 & 32.

Man is basically good

Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Psalm 14:2-3 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.   They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

Man is getting better

2 Timothy 3:1-6 But know this that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, and from such people turn away!

Romans 1:21 because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Psalm 81:11-12 “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me.  So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

Man can be good enough

James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing.  And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Man is a non-responsible victim of tragic and senseless circumstances.

Romans 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment; including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

These might be very basic truths for some readers but this may also be a revelation to others.  Maybe you’ve never truly understood the doctrine of the Depravity of Man.  At the core of the question lies the problem.  Man is incapable of saving himself.  Paul declares by nature we are children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1).  We have no hope outside of God’s intervention and that is why God is mindful of man, for His good pleasure and for His glory alone.  It’s not about you, it’s about Him.

Today if you’ve never considered your condition outside of God’s goodness listen to the words of Job, understand you need a Savior, and seek God’s mercy.  You cannot be saved unless you understand these words and realize your condition is hopeless.  Don’t let this moment pass you by.

Job 42:5-6 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You, therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Kevin