Question: "Who is God?"

Answer: Who is God? What is God? How can we know God?

Who is God? - The Fact
The fact of God’s existence is so conspicuous, both through creation and through man’s conscience, that the Bible calls the atheist a “fool” (Psalm 14:1). Accordingly, the Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God; rather, it assumes His existence from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1). What the Bible does is reveal the nature, character, and work of God.

Who is God? - The Definition
Thinking correctly about God is of utmost importance because a false idea about God is idolatry. In Psalm 50:21, God reproves the wicked man with this accusation: “You thought I was altogether like you.” To start with, a good summary definition of God is “the Supreme Being; the Creator and Ruler of all that is; the Self-existent One who is perfect in power, goodness, and wisdom.”

Who is God? - His Nature
We know certain things to be true of God for one reason: in His mercy He has condescended to reveal some of His qualities to us. God is spirit, by nature intangible (John 4:24). God is One, but He exists as three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17). God is infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22), and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). God exists everywhere (Psalm 139:7-12), knows everything (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and has all power and authority (Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6).

Who is God? - His Character
Here are some of God’s characteristics as revealed in the Bible: God is just (Acts 17:31), loving (Ephesians 2:4-5), truthful (John 14:6), and holy (1 John 1:5). God shows compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3), mercy (Romans 9:15), and grace (Romans 5:17). God judges sin (Psalm 5:5) but also offers forgiveness (Psalm 130:4).

Who is God? - His Work
We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God’s works, past, present, and future: God created the world (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:5); He actively sustains the world (Colossians 1:17); He is executing His eternal plan (Ephesians 1:11) which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death (Galatians 3:13-14); He draws people to Christ (J/ohn 6:44); He disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:6); and He will judge the world (Revelation 20:11-15).

Who is God? - A Relationship with Him
In the Person of the Son, God became incarnate (John 1:14). The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the “bridge” between God and man (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation with God (John 15:15; Romans 5:10), and eternal salvation (2 Timothy 2:10). In Jesus Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). So, to really know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus.

Satan is battling God for your Soul
Council Officers, GS News Blog
Are you aware that Satan is battling God for your soul on a daily basis?  Do you feel the battle raging inside you? Do you have doubts and insecurity creep in making you tense, depressed and unsure of your beliefs in God’s promises?
That’s Satan doing his thing.


Here is a suggestion from a snowbird friend of ours which I shared with Council at our last meeting.

PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD—DAILY!!

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, Ephesians 6:10-19

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? NO!!!

What do I mean by the title of this paper? As Christians, we are called to be set apart. The Bible gives verse after verse that tells us that although we are in this world, we no longer should follow the rules or ways of thinking of the world. If you have truly accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then that should mean that Jesus' voice and Jesus' ways are what you should be following and obeying. You should no longer be desirous of fellowship with the people of this world who are against Christ. You cannot just go along with anybody and everybody, even if you think you are doing it for "a greater good." The Bible tells us to make a choice. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15). And in making that choice, you will realize that, no, we can't all just get along.

There is a new way of thinking that seems to be infiltrating churches and taking over the minds of people who call themselves Christians. This new philosophy talks about ecumenism (a movement that promotes worldwide unity among religions) and a coming together of different faiths and beliefs. This new attitude being touted encourages people to work with one another, no matter what the individual's doctrine or practice, as long as there is a common goal.

But Christians who fall for this and join ranks with the ungodly people of this world are making a terrible mistake and disobeying the one and only true living God. I don't care if the cause is feeding the homeless, saving trees, Operation Rescue or another pro-life organization, AIDS awareness, or another Million Man March. Christians are not supposed to join forces with people who are blatantly against Jesus Christ. And here are Bible verses that will show you that what I say is true:

2 Corinthians 6:14-17, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Be'li-al? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord..."

Ephesians 5:11, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

We are not supposed to be tied together or yoked together with unbelievers. We cannot all march together and sing Kumbaya, while wearing our assorted t-shirts proclaiming our various affiliations, and just pretend that we are one big happy family. Christians are not to walk with, stand with, or work on causes with those people who reject and disrespect Christ.

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I CAN HEAR WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, "BUT THESE PEOPLE AREN'T ALL EVIL. ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS IS A ______________________."

If that is your way of thinking, I have a question for you: Would you join up with the antichrist for a so-called good cause? Of course not. But let's look at exactly who the antichrist is. Who is the anti-Christ? 1 John 2:22 tells us "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. So anyone who denies that Jesus is God and that Christ is the Savior IS antichrist. Period!

And many of these people who you say, "but they aren't evil," in fact, most of these people have no shame at all in proudly stating that they are against Christ and for their own man-made religion or chosen lifestyle. Why would you want to be associated with someone who proudly is against everything that the God you supposedly serve is for?

If my neighbor was a follower of Satan, and I saw his house burning, I would not hesitate to do what I could to help him out of that house. But I would not go into business with him or start dating him or join forces with him in any way, shape, or form.

AND IF YOU ARE FOOLING YOURSELF INTO BELIEVING THAT THESE HEATHEN PEOPLE ARE OKAY BECAUSE THEY SUPPOSEDLY DO GOOD WORKS OR ARE BASICALLY NICE, THE BIBLE GIVES YOU THIS WARNING:

Isaiah 5:20,23, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ...Which justify the wicked for reward."

Proverbs 24:24, "He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him."

Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Jeremiah 10:2, "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them."

Maybe, just maybe you are not truly a Christian if you so easily blend in with those who are against Christ. If you can disregard God's Word and live by your own standards, maybe Christ is not really your Savior at all.

1 John 2:3-4, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

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NOW, YOU MAY BE THINKING, "BUT WON'T WE BE STRONGER AND BE ABLE TO DO MORE GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY IF WE INCLUDE EVERYONE?"

To that I say a resounding NO. Just because there are bigger numbers, that does not mean there is a stronger force. And if that multitude is inclusive of people who are wolves in sheep's clothing, that will lead to ultimate chaos, possible destruction, and a definite tarnishing of what the name Christian is supposed to stand for.

Here is an example of the danger of allowing even a little poison into something: If someone offered you a glass of water and told you that it was 99% pure and 1% poison, would you drink it? Of course not. You know that although it might not kill you immediately, you would slowly get sicker and sicker if you continued allowing that poison entrance into your body.

Well, the same is true when you compromise the righteous standards of God and join forces with those who are not brethren. If you give the enemy even a toehold, next thing you know he has a foothold, and before you know it, he has a stronghold. You no longer would even have control over whatever the thing is because now the enemy has gotten their web intertwined in everything.

Isaiah 31:1-3, " Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together."

Deuteronomy 7:26, "Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing."

2 John 1:10-11, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

If God does not want us to even allow these people or their trinkets into our houses, what makes you think that He wants you to join with them in trying to do some so-called good work?

My God who I have read about in my Bible and who resides in my heart is able to do great things without my making a deal with the devil. If He could feed five thousand with just a few loaves, I do believe he can handle the ills of this world in a way that is perfect in His eyes without my laying with dogs.

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IF YOU ARE TRULY A CHRISTIAN, YOU SHOULD LOVE THE LORD MORE THAN ANY PERSON OR ANY GROUP OR ANY CAUSE

1 John 2:15, " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

If Christ is really your Savior, you should love Him and obey His words above and beyond all else. If a group or cause or good work makes you do things contrary to what God would have you do, then that group or cause or good work obviously is more important to you than Jesus. And God's Word tells us this regarding how He feels when something takes His place in our lives:

Matthew 10:34-37, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

If the Lord wants you to love him before even the members of your own family, you must know that He expects those who truly love Him to obey Him over associations and organizations of the world.