Who is God?

2011-09-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

There could be no better day than today to talk about the nature of God. 10 years ago today, the US was attacked by 19 men who hated everything American. I would like to take this time to honor those who lost their lives on that day, and to offer a prayer that their lives would be used to further the kingdom of God.

Describing God accurately is more than just hard, it’s impossible. God IS. We use the terms omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, but these terms cannot truly encompass the greatness of God. The best way to describe God is to say that He is Love. In 1 John, God is described in the same way. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is Love. (1 John 4:8 ESV)” In using this word, we must be careful. In worldly terms, love has become convoluted. According to Dictionary.com, love is “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Biblically, love is quite different.

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul defines love. He tells them, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)” For each of these to describe love means they lend their meanings to describing God.

Paul first calls love patient and kind. Without these qualities, none of us would be alive. As evil people by birth, God would be perfectly right in destroying us all at birth. Thankfully, He is also perfectly patient. Rather than kill us all at the instant we enter the world, God gives us time. Patience does not mean his anger will never be angry. We know this to be true because of the events that occurred about 2000 years ago. On that day, God poured out his perfect anger onto His only son, who had entered the world 30 years prior in a barn, born to a poor woman from that day’s “ghetto.” On that day, he died the worst death ever devised, death on a cross. His blameless death sufficed God’s righteousness, allowing all who follow Christ to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Finally, I must address one more statement. Paul says that love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Because God is love, he cannot rejoice in wrongdoing, but he always rejoices in the truth. In other words, God is just. Many people get angry and confused when they hear that God can get angry or they wonder why God sends people to hell. He does it because He is just. Think back for a minute about the events of 10 years ago. How did you feel on that day? Were you scared? Many people were, including me. Many people also burned with anger after they discovered exactly what had happened. Now, fast forward to May 2, 2011. President Obama had credible information about the exact location of the man who organized the attacks, Osama bin Laden. At this point, he ordered an attack on this location with the singular goal of killing Osama. But, what if he had decided that it had been to long, or Osama didn’t deserve to be caught. This would have been an outrage. But, the same people who would have been angry had the President chosen to leave Osama be, are the same people who wonder how God can let people go to hell.

God must send people to hell. In fact, most people will go to hell. This is not a comforting fact, but a true one, for Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)” This narrow path is so small that only those who have Christ as their guide will be able to find it. Those without Christ at the center of their lives have no chance; they will never find the narrow path or gate, and will end up in destruction.

God is Love. He is patient and kind; He is just, but most of all, He IS. In Exodus, he tells Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and that is the only way he describes himself. He is a righteous God, and His justice is fulfilled through the death of His only Son, Jesus Christ, for those who allow him to guide their lives.

Direction

2011-09-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

When starting any kind of publication, the editor must decide what direction he or she wants to take the publication. Since I am starting a new publication, I must also decide in what direction I want this blog to go. This post (also my first) will hopefully lay out that direction.

I want this blog to lay out what the bible says about following Christ. While what I write will not always sound comfortable, everything I write will most definitely come from the Bible. I will use scripture quotations frequently, and they will almost always come from my preferred translation, The English Standard Version (ESV).

I pray that this blog has an impact on everyone who reads it, and that my life and yours will reflect what I write.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Biblical Christianity

Who is God?

Direction