Introducing God

What Is God’s Word?

Mary

The Bible is the defining handbook of Christianity. Others may say that they are Christians without believing the Bible, but that is a strange argument. If you don’t agree with the foundational ideas of the book, why do you claim affiliation with it? For many, not all, but many, it’s so they can find all the good and beneficial things and ignore anything they don’t like or find offensive. That’s not really believing the Bible, though. That’s believing yourself and collecting things which agree with you, including a few things from the Bible. It can be difficult to believe in the Bible, especially in today’s doubt filled days.

Let’s start off by defining what we mean when we say “Do you believe in the Bible?” When we say, “Do you believe in Santa Clause?”, we’re asking if you expect to find a jolly man in a red suit living way north in the cold making toys. We’re asking if you believe Santa exists. However, that doesn’t make sense when we think about whether or not we believe in the Bible. Of course it exists. What we’re really asking when we ask about the Bible is, “Do you accept that this is from God and should be used to influence your choices?”

Breaking that question down, it consists of two things: is it from God and should we live by it? The first question is really one of faith. You can use evidence from archaeology or study the prophecies, or any other intellectual pursuit to try to parse out the book. However, in the end, it all boils down to one question, a faith question: Do you believe this book is God’s guidance to us? You have to choose whether or not you think it’s a divinely inspired book of writing or a trumped up book of history.

The second part of the question is whether or not you believe that the Bible should influence you. It’s good to know if you believe it’s from God, but that’s only half the equation. The next piece is are you willing to change based on what you read there? If not, what have you gained by reading it? You may have more understanding about history or religions as a result, but have you changed as a person? If not, then how is that different than any other historical book?

I would challenge you that authentic Christianity that pursues the truth of God must be changed by the Bible. If you are the same person today that you were before you started studying the Bible, then I would question the depth of your walk, or, if nothing else, the level of understanding. That may sound harsh, but the Bible claims to have life-altering powers if you connect with God. That’s a powerful statement.

If you have read the Bible and say that nothing life-altering happened from it, I return with this: Did you believe it to be the divine word of God, or did you just curiously look at what it said? Take this situation to God and ask Him about it. Expect that He will teach you about His word and how to live it. God is there and real and will help teach you about His Word and its truth.

What Is God?

Mary

As suburban American living on the edge of the Bible belt, I find the idea of God so communal that it often goes without deep evaluation. I don’t often take time to think about the basic essence of what God is, but sometimes reviewing our beliefs can be a refreshing way to focus on God.

God Is a Spirit

The Bible says in John 4:24 that God is spirit. God, while he created humanity, is outside of humanity. This doesn’t mean entirely separate from humanity, however, as we are connected to Him. We are flesh, something God became when Jesus came to earth (John 1:14), but we are also spirit and we can connect with Him in that way. Romans 8:16 talks about God’s spirit “bearing witness” that we are His children, or, said another way, God’s spirit is sharing with our spirit to convince us of His truth about us.

God Is a Voice

The idea of God speaking to us today is a bit of a contentious point. Some people teach that there is no way to hear the Lord except through His Word. I do not see this as true or scriptural. God says over and over in His word that He will speak with us, that we have the mind of Christ, even (Isaiah 30:21, 1 Corinthians 2:16).

In addition to God speaking to our heart and mind, God also speaks to us through His Word. It is the standard for all other teachings that we receive and it is the guide for us in this crazy world of too many words. Just because it is the standard bearer for our listening doesn’t mean that God will not speak to your heart to help you understand.

Listening for the Lord is important. Our ability to listen and connect is the power source for our relationship with the Lord. You can have all the pieces for a computer, but unless the power is turned on, it doesn’t help you much. God wants to connect with you and teach you through His Spirit, but you must be listening and willing to hear.

God Is an Emotional Connection/Support

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the part of God that guides, comforts, and teaches us (John 14:26). We have God with us at all times to give us the knowledge and comfort that we need to make it through our day. People can be up and down, available one day and disappearing the next. God, however, is always there and willing to help us as we emotionally and mental go through our lives.

It is easy to get caught up the “God-ness” of our religious rituals or our buildings. But God is not defined by the external aspects of our Christianity. He is a very real presence and being aware of Him is vital for our personal Christian walk. Being aware of what God is can remind us of how we connect with Him and how important it is to take time to refresh our awareness of Him.

Who is God?

Mary

I am God. I am from the beginning and to the end. I am Alpha and Omega. I know all and can be known by all. Come to me and learn.

Today, we hear so much about spirituality and various religions that it can all be confusing. We have different names for if you think we can know if God exists, agnostic, or if you actually don’t think He exists, atheist. On a global level we hear about so many different religions beyond Christianity that claim a god or gods. Where do we start in understanding the Christian idea of God?

There are three points that come under consideration when talking about who God is. Your thoughts and beliefs about these three point define your view not only of God and faith, but also your perspective on the world and often of other people. These three points are:

  • God Exists
  • God’s Nature
  • God Is Involved

God Exists

In order to continue this discussion, the first point that must be settled is that God exists. I believe that God exists and that impacts all the following beliefs that I have. Many of you will have settled this in your mind, but perhaps some of you haven’t. In addition, you never know when you will encounter someone who hasn’t settled this. I promise, no good comes out of a religious debate where halfway through you realize the other person hasn’t firmly settled on their belief in God’s existence.

I live in the Bible belt, or at least on the edge of it, so I do not often encounter many people who do not believe in the existence of God. The next two points, however, are more likely to be up for debate: God’s nature and God’s involvement.

God’s Nature

The Bible says that God is good and kind and loving, among other things. He demands justice, but is merciful. He is all-powerful, but gives choice to people. These kind of nature questions can be difficult to work through, and some we spend the rest of our lives understanding. One common question is, “If God is good, how can he allow bad things to happen to people who follow him?” It’s a difficult question, and one that I won’t dig into right now.

What I do think needs to be settled in our minds is this: we must choose to believe that God’s nature is how the Bible describes it, no matter our own personal feelings or our circumstances. The Bible says that God is good, therefore He is. We may not understand many things that happen to people in our world or to us. However, if we base our view of God’s nature on what we see, our view of Him will shift each time our world does.

God is bigger than everything around us. I choose to remember that He is the creator and not the created. I choose to believe that God is who He says He is in His Word. I don’t claim to understand everything or have all the answers for who He is, but when I find a truth in His word about who He is, I will keep that close and pray about all the things that I don’t understand.

God Is Involved

The final piece is God’s involvement. This again is a simple question with a complicated answer. Many teach that the entirety of creation is like a giant clock, all winding down slowly from the moment of creation with an inevitable outcome and a God that is far off, trusting His machine to do all the work.

I don’t take that view. The fact that we have a Bible, that Jesus came to die for us, that today teachers of the Bible come to help us live closer to Him all convinces me that God wants us to be involved with Him and with each other. I believe in God’s involvement in my life and in the world. I believe in His word being alive to me to help me be transformed to be like Him.

These three points are the foundational point for knowing God. You must settle in your mind where you are on these questions or other beliefs down the road might sink into spiritual quicksand instead of bolstering you up and supporting you. For example, it can be difficult to trust the goodness of God in hard circumstances if you aren’t fully convinced of His goodness.

These beliefs are deeply rooted in our walk with God. As we go daily with Him, we may find holes in these beliefs can bubble up and cause doubt and dismay in what we see in the world around us. Placing these beliefs before Him and choosing to find what the Word says about who God is can set our spiritual feet on solid ground to be able to move through our lives with confidence and surety.