Theme verse for this series:
1 Peter 3:15-16 [NLT] Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.
2. THE ONE TRUE GOD
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4
Isaiah 43:10-11
Matthew 28:19
Luke 3:22
Truth #2 describes God as “eternally self-existent I AM.”
What does this mean?
Eternal, as it relates to God, means that He had no beginning and will never have an ending.
“Self-existent” means that God does not need anything or anyone else to enable Him to exist. Acts 17:28
God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush episode in Exodus as the “I AM.” Exodus 3:13-15
The Existence of God
The Bible does not try to prove God exists. (Genesis 1:1)
The created universe points human beings to a realization that there must be a God.
There are several arguments for God’s existence. Two main arguments are the argument of creation and the argument of design. (Psalm 19:1)
The Nature of God
We define the nature of God as how God describes Himself.
God discloses His nature through the names He gives to Himself in the Bible.
Some examples are:
El – Strength (Genesis 14:18-22).
Elohim – Trinity, creative power and care (Genesis 1:26; 3:22).
Yahweh – Translated LORD. God’s covenant-keeping name (Malachi 2:5; 3:6).
El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 14:18).
Yahweh-ropheka – The LORD your Healer (Exodus 15:26).
Yahweh-shalom – The LORD is peace (Judges 6:24).
And many more…..
Some other ways that God describes Himself in the Bible other than by His names are these:
Infinite (1 Kings 8:27)
Unity or One (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Transcendent
God is above and beyond our simple existence in creation. (Psalm 113:4-6)
The fact that God created our known universe proves His transcendence.Immanent
God is with us and active within our existence in creation. (Acts 17:27)
Immutable
God’s nature (who He is) does not change and never will.
You can depend upon Him to always be the same. (Malachi 3:6)
Jesus is described as unchanging. (Hebrews 13:8)Love.
God describes Himself as love. This is not simply an attribute of God. Love is who He is. (1 John 4:8)
The Attributes of God
God is Omnipotent.
This means God is all-powerful and can do anything consistent with His nature. (Matthew 19:26)
God is Omnipresent.
This means that God is everywhere at all times. (Psalm 139:7-12)
God is Omniscient.
This means that God knows everything. He has infinite and complete knowledge and insight. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
God’s Moral Attributes
Goodness
Holiness
Righteous
The Concept of the Trinity
The word “Trinity” does not occur in the Bible.
However, the concept of the Trinity is consistently displayed throughout the Bible. (Genesis 1:1)
The Hebrew word for God, Elohim, is plural in this verse.
This gives us our first hint of the Trinity.
We believe the Bible describes God as existing in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We serve one God who exists in three Persons.
We do not serve three gods.
Being a Person means that each shows knowledge, feeling, and will.
Yet, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a community with each other. (Matthew 3:16-17)
Does how we think about God matter?
How we think about God matters because we are created in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27)
We get a glimpse of how God created us to be when we look to Him.
We get our identity from Him.
Additionally, a flawed view of God leads to living a flawed life.
If we think God is angry and always desiring to condemn or judge us, we will tend to act that way toward others. (John 3:17)
We will live differently when we grasp the depth of God’s love for all humans. (Romans 5:8)
When we grasp how wide and deep is the love of Christ for His people, we will be compelled to live lives that honor Him. (Ephesians 3:18)
APPLICATIONS FOR TODAY:
1. Be thankful for God’s unchanging nature.
2. Make a commitment to serve God wholeheartedly every day.
3. Recognize your worth comes from how God sees you.
4. God is in control!
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