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Nature of God Modesty dictates the limitations of this book to
"thoughts" on the nature of God. To go beyond such an
attempt on a subject so vast and controversial would be both
audacious and self- contradictory since a detailed explanation
of the nature of God is beyond the vocabulary of man. Someone
has rightly said that the greatest and most lofty thoughts,
which the human mind can contemplate, are those about God. God
is described as infinite, eternal immutable, omnipresent,
omnipotent and omniscient. According to Paul, "His love
passeth knowledge." No measure can plumb the depths of
infinity. No calendar can span eternity. We can experience the
love of God but we cannot comprehend it. But God is not a Divine
computer or a globe circling satellite. God is a Person and God
is Spirit.
Suppose a man is imprisoned in a dungeon where there is only
one very narrow window. The victim of this dungeon gazes on the
outside world. He sees the sun, the moon, the grass and the
birds. He describes what the world is to him. Everything he
relates may be true, but at the same time very limited. A man's
view is enlarged if he is free to walk about outdoors, but it is
limited by the horizon some ten or twelve miles distant. A
mountain top view or a look through a powerful telescope would
push the frontier of vision out accordingly, but withal, it
would nevertheless be a small fraction of the total world that
could be comprehended even though that fraction would be real
and the description accurately portrayed. Our comprehension of
God is similar. We can know much that is true about God even if
we do not and cannot know all there is to know about Him.
When we seek to define the nature of God we are told that
nature means, "The essential character of a thing,
qualities that make something what it is, essence, inborn
character, innate disposition, inherent tendencies, the sum
total of all things in time and space; the power, force or
principle that seems to regulate this--often Personified."
Webster.
Let us consider some of the terms used popularly to depict
God. He is respectfully referred to as Providence, that is some
sort of impersonal benefactor of circumstances. He is currently
often referred to as the weatherman or the man upstairs, a sort
of blind impersonal something beyond the power of man but making
no demands on man. Although some of the most lofty music in the
world is inspired by religion, still others reduce it to the
jingle of "musical noise," while others see nothing
more than a gate attraction in Jesus Christ, Super Star. Such
familiarity ill behooves those coping with deity. God is not a
super policeman, nor is He a buddy somewhat akin to a benevolent
grandfather or Santa. Christian Scientists relegate God to
Infinite Mind. Pantheism, envelopes the universe as a whole
being God. When we turn to history and the heathen world, its
greatest religions debased God and worshipped Him through lust,
vice, cruelty, degradation and despair. Even with all of man's
vaunted knowledge and scientific enlightenment, his quest for
God is reflected in permissiveness, addictions, mental and
social breakdowns and general hopelessness. In the light of such
formidable failures, can the nature of God be effectively
resolved?
We shall seek to approach this subject reverently through two
Scriptural methods, namely by what God IS and secondly by what
God DOES. Both the subjective and the objective views of God are
distinctly unfolded in the Word of God. We shall avoid, as much
as possible, the temptation to appear academic or theological.
We shall not seek logic or reason for arguments about the
existence of God so much as experience and practice. Paul told
us in 1 Cor. 1:21, "For after that in the wisdom of God the
world BY WISDOM knew not God…." Learning and knowledge do
not necessarily imply wisdom. We do not comprehend God so much
with the mind as with the heart, "For with the hear man
believeth unto righteousness…" Rom. 10:10a. The approach
to God is never contrary to reason, but our mental faculties
alone are inadequate without experience--we experience God.
A common complaint of many people is that, "I just can't
understand God. There are so many churches--which is right? How
do you know what to believe? Very true but not very consistent.
The study of physiology is very complex and interesting. We
ingest wholesome food, which is reduced to white and red
corpuscles giving energy and health. The various functions of
the liver, the kidneys and intestines are important. The heart
and the lungs and the glands are all important to life and
health. Yet the knowledge of physiology is not essential to a
hungry person enjoying a good meal or having good health. In
similar fashion there are many believers who experience genuine
peace with God, who walk daily in obedience to God, and yet have
a very hazy knowledge of theology. We are not saved by theology
or by a certain doctrine. We are saved by faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. This is within the mental capacity of anyone
who "wills" to submit to God.
THE NAMES OF GOD
The names given to God in the Bible are important because
they are not just titles to be identified with God, but they
denote characteristics applied to God. The fact of God's Being
is not asserted in the Bible. No attempt is made to prove His
Being. It is simply assumed. "In the beginning GOD created
the heavens and the earth." Gen. 1:1. But this assumption
is not casual or ambiguous. Any doubt about the existence of God
is swept aside in such manner as: "The fool hath said in
his heart, There is no God." Psa. 14:1.
The names of god indicate a progressive revelation of God.
The first recorded Hebrew name for God is El. We see the Hebrew
manner of incorporating this name in Daniel, Ezekiel, Elijah,
Elisha, Phaniel and countless others. It is introduced in
Genesis 1:1 as Elohim, which is the plural for of God and
immediately suggests the Trinity. It also implies diversity--God
over all, as well as uniqueness in the sense of being the one
and only Supreme Being. The Arabs have a similar idea contained
in Allah. The Hebrews were first to conceive the idea of one
Deity--God.
Much more could be written about the significance of Elohim,
but we shall pass over the names rapidly to give a panoramic
view rather than a detailed treatment. The name El Shaddai, or
El Shadday is first mentioned in Gen. 17:1, "I am the
Almighty God." This was a monumental revelation of God to
man, literally meaning "The God that is ENOUGH." That
is to say, God is represented as equal to any emergency or
circumstance. He is the mighty Sustainer of cosmos. It has been
interpreted as meaning "the mountain," a term
suggesting majesty, stability and a pillar that remains unmoved
even in troublous times. This was the major name for God during
the patriarchal times.
Perhaps it is not necessary to include all the names of God
in detail. He is called "The Rock," meaning a fortress
and shield. He is referred to as "The Righteous one, The
Holy One, The Lord of Hosts, and The Mighty One." While all
of these names suggest a gradual unfolding of the nature of God
and of man's enlightenment in understanding God, we hasten on to
the further disclosure of God's Being as revealed under the
terms of Jehovah, Theos and father.
The most sacred name for God is the one revealed to Moses at
the burning bush. Moses asked God for some identifying authority
to convey his mission to Pharoah and to the Israelites in Egypt.
So he asked for God's name -- "What shall I say unto
them?" It was at this time that God told Moses, "IAM
THAT IAM." Tell the people, "I AM hath sent me unto
you." Ex. 3:13, 14. This is where the word Jehovah, or
Yahweh originated. It signified the unfolding of the Redemptive
plan --deliverance. It also signified a Covenant relationship.
This covenant relationship is uniquely Hebrew. It is contained
in no other religion in the world. All other religions sacrifice
to their Deity to placate him and turn back wrath, plagues or
disasters, or to seek his favor in battle. The character of the
worshipper remains isolated from the act of worship. Jehovah
introduced the idea of favor with God depending on a covenant
relationship, "If you obey, then will I bless." This
is the essential difference between revealed religion and all
others. Revealed religion has a bearing upon the character of
the worshipper in a manner that is absent from all heathen forms
of worship.
While the word Jehovah conveyed the idea of the
"Self-existent One," or the One Who provides for the
needs of His people, it was held in such reverence that it was
spelled YHWH, and was not pronounced in public. The reader would
pause and silently pass the name in worshipful silence. The name
Adonai, or Lord was the common ascription to God used in public.
But the name Jehovah was associated with other combinations,
such as Jehovah-Jireh, meaning the Lord sees, or provides. It
has a redemptive connotation for Abraham was about to offer up
his son, Isaac as a sacrifice when God stayed his hand and
provided a substitute in Isaac's stead. Thus, does Christ take
our place in the Atonement on Calvary.
Further is the incident in the wilderness where the
Israelites encounter bitter water. This water was unfit for
drinking, and apparently contaminated in some poisonous way.
Moses was directed to place a certain tree in the waters
whereupon the waters "were made sweet," evidently they
were miraculously rendered wholesome and life giving. It was on
this occasion the Moses applied the name of Jehovah-Rophi to
God, meaning, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." God
is a healing God, both for body and soul, as His name implies.
One of the loveliest allusions to Christ is that He is the Great
Physician. Christ sweetens life with His presence and power.
One of the episodes related by Moses was his battle with the
Amalekites during which Moses lifted up his hands in prayer for
God's intervention. The victorious outcome induced Moses to call
the place, Jehovah-Nissi, "The Lord my Banner." The
banner is the flag, the symbol of dominion and conquest. Victory
in God's service can only be attained under His Banner. Our
enemy is not the Amalekites, but it is the world, the flesh and
the devil, and mastery can only be achieved through Christ and
under His Banner.
A lovely name ascribed to God is Jehovah-Shalom, "The
Lord is Pease." It came to Gideon in a time of deep
distress and foreboding. While Gideon's encounter with peace led
to physical victory, the peace of God is portrayed in Christ,
"For He is our peace." This world cannot give peace.
It may temporarily grant tranquility but only God can give
abiding peace. As Christ said, "Peace I leave with you, my
peace give I unto you; not as the world giveth…" John
14:27. See also Judges 6:21-24.
The name, Jehovah-Shammah is found in Ezekial 48:35. It
means, "The Lord is there." This name was originally
applied to the temple where God dwelt. In the New Testament, we
are told that God dwelleth not in temples made with hands, but
in the sanctified believer. Paul says, "That your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you." 1 Cor. 6:19.
Paul likens the body to a tabernacle in the Old Testament as the
center of worship and conveyed the idea that god was in the
midst of His people, so the New Testament concept of God's
abiding presence on His throne in the human heart indwells each
believer bearing witness to His nearness -- God is there.
We reach out now to Jer. 23:5, 6, where the name Jehovah-Tsidkenu
is mentioned. This means "The Lord our Righteousness."
It, too, is a redemptive name. Man is depicted in the Bible as
clothed in rags in his natural appearance before God. Only as we
are clothed in the righteousness of Christ by faith, are we fit
to be presented to the King of Kings, the Holy God. But this
provision is freely bestowed by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Two things should be observed before we leave these
subjective insights into the nature of God. One is that each of
the Jehovah titles correspond to the deepest needs in the heart
of man. We find only in God the peace our soul craves. In God we
discover a means to satisfactory righteousness. Only God can
grant victory over our faulty failures. Only God can provide for
all our heartfelt needs. Thus to solve our greatest yearnings in
life, we turn to God and find the all-sufficient answer. God is
there. This is not a vacant, hollow, inscrutable universe. It is
the dwelling place of God and He is as near to each one of us as
our breathing. It is like the mariner who, along with his crew
was dying of thirst. He espied a passing vessel and cried,
"Water!" The skipper on the other ship said, "Let
down your buckets!" Unknown to the captain of the stricken
vessel, they had sailed into the estuary of the Amazon River
whose fresh water flows far out to sea. Although dying of
thirst, they were actually sailing on fresh drinking water
without knowing it. Paul said, "Where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound." Grace is within the reach and the
grasp of every son of Adam.
The other point to observe is that Christ applied to Himself
each of these Jehovah titles during His ministry. He too, met
man on the basis of his need when He said, "I AM the door,
I AM the water of life, I AM the way and IAM one with the
Father." In Christ we conceive of God, not as Jehovah in
majesty and aloof in holiness, but as the intimate Father to
whom we are related as children. We think of heaven as home.
Love does not destroy law but it replaces law as the motivating
element in service to God. Condemnation gives way to
regeneration. Death yields to life, the more abundant life. All
the names of God, some three hundred or more, are applied to
Christ. He is the total revelation of God -- "In Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:9.
"And ye are complete in Him…" v.10a.
FURTHER REVELATIONS OF GOD
Although the names of God are both interesting and
instructive, they do not provide a sufficient knowledge of the
Nature of God. But where do we turn? Science does not have the
answer in its test tubes, its microscopes or its speculative
theories based on astute hypotheses of the origin of things.
Philosophy analyzes what we already know but provides little
insight beyond. Even religion leaves much to be desired with its
dreary tomes on theology, its ornate places of worship and its
slavery to rites and customs under the name of orthodoxy. Where
is the LIFE Christ heralded and demonstrated? Like Saul, the
incumbent king of Israel, it seems to be "hidden among the
stuff."
Let us suppose a group of people visited one of the largest
observatories in the world. They were tremendously impressed
with its sheer magnitude. They extolled the workmanship on the
instruments. They were amazed at the balance of such weight of
the main glass poised with infinite precision to follow any star
under scrutiny. They came away duly impressed with what they had
seen. They had looked AT the world's largest telescope. But
suppose one man went up to the head engineer and asked for
permission to look THROUGH the telescope. He would see galaxies,
nebulae, planets, uncharted universes, and worlds of wonders
without end. The difference in what you see is determined by
whether you look AT a thing or whether you look THROUGH IT. God
gave us many things that reveal the nature of God if we would
look THROUGH His Providences and wonders, rather than at them.
HOW GOD IS REVEALED IN THE NAURAL UNIVERSE
This is a wonderful world and it is a world of wonder. It is
also a world subject to law. Every seed and every creature
brings forth after its kind. To look AT nature is full of
interest, but there is no evidence that it has led to a true
revelation of the nature of God. Heathens worshipped the sun,
the moon and the stars. They had gods to represent the sea, the
weather, the wars, and sadly, every debased inclination
conceivable to man. Even many enlightened scientists dismiss the
supernatural and imprison God within the limitations of their
reason.
It is not until we look THROUGH nature that we discover God.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
sheweth His handiwork." Psa. 19:1 "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." Psa. 121:1, 2.
"Consider the lilies of the field…" Matt. 6:28. When
we look at nature we see mud, but when we look THROUGH nature we
see God. We see Him magnified, beyond description. Nature
becomes vocal -- "There is no speech nor language where
their voice is not heard." Psa. 19:3. The infinite designs
of the snowflakes, the mighty oceans, the waterfalls, the beauty
of the mountains and the fragrance of the flowers, everything
comes alive to chant the praise of the Creator. Nature is a
window through which to view God. Nature is not the product of
an artist whose masterpiece is displayed for us to gaze at and
criticize. Rather it is an instrument THROUGH which God is
magnified and brought closer to our range of understanding.
GOD REVEALED IN HIS WORD
A great deal of controversy rages around he Bible. In recent
years a continual flow of new translations has besieged the
public, each claiming to be better than its predecessors. Some
confusion has arisen due to the fact that certain biases have
crept into some translations reflecting different meanings. Some
versions leave doubts about the Virgin birth, the Deity of
Christ, the significance of the Blood and various ultimates.
This is to be deplored and should be resisted. But the end
results are attributed to one cause. People are looking AT the
Bible instead of looking THROUGH it. Jesus said, "Search
the Scriptures; for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life; and
they are they which testify of me." John 5:39. Many today
are committing the same error. They are putting their faith in
the Bible instead of in the Christ, which the Bible seeks to
reveal. The Bible does not save anyone but it points to Christ
-- "neither is there salvation in any other…." Acts
4:12a. Scholars line up with microscopes to criticize texts,
words and interpretations of various parts or books of the
Bible. Computers grind out new concordances to facilitate the
use of new versions. Various cults and (helpful) people seek to
propagate their beliefs by inserting their interpretations as
footnotes on pages of the Bible. But this is all based on one
great error, namely looking AT the Bible.
When we look THROUGH the Bible as a telescope with which to
explore the revelation of God, its wonders exceed all
imagination. Its symmetry, its blazing light of revelation, its
recital of the acts of Christ and people inspired as His
followers leap at us with life giving power. In a word, we see
God magnified, active, alive, realized and dependable and we
fall on our knees to worship HIM. We are grateful for the Bible,
but we do not worship it. We worship HIM whom it portrays. The
picture of Him may be better in some versions than in others,
and we would be well advised to discard the shabby or doubtful
ones, but we should ever remember that the purpose is not to
glorify or adore the Bible itself, but the Christ it reveals as
we reverently seek Him Let us look THROUGH the Bible to find
God, not just AT it.
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