WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GOD? (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. What Does the Bible Say About God?
a) Background
a) In ancient times, most people were pagans who worshiped multiple gods and goddesses. But around 1800 B.C., God revealed Himself to a man named Abram, who was later known as Abraham. God promised Abraham that He would make two great nations of his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:20-22, 22:15-18). Those two great nations are the Jews (also known as Hebrews or Israelites) and the Arabs. The Muslim Arabs trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18). The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob, also known as Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel descended from Jacob's twelve sons (Genesis 35:22-26).
b) Jesus and His disciples were all Jews, and Christianity began as a small sect of Jesus' followers within Judaism. So Christians trace their spiritual heritage to Abraham through the Jewish origins of their faith.
c) The three major monotheistic religions of the world, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all worship the same God who revealed Himself to Abraham. God is known by many different names around the world. He is Dios in Spanish, Dieu in French, Gott in German, YHWH in Hebrew and Allah in Arabic.
2. God Is All-powerful, All-knowing and Eternal
a) The Existence of God.
i) The eternal existence of God is taken as a matter of fact in the Bible (Genesis 21:33, 1 Chronicles 16:36, Psalms 9:7, Romans 1:20, Revelation 4:8-9). The Bible never attempts to prove, argue or analyze the existence of God.Many people ask for proof that God is real, but it is a matter of faith; there is no proof that will convince someone who does not want to believe. However, after a person makes a conscious decision for faith, a gradual change of attitudes and a new sense of peace and security often confirm that it was the correct decision.
b) Why Has God Done Things as He Has?
i) We cannot fully understand God with our limited human intellects, and almost everyone wonders why God has done things as He has. However, there are almost never any answers in the Bible. The Bible tells us the things we need to know to live holy and moral lives, but it does not attempt to explain or justify God's actions. We are reminded that God's intelligence and wisdom are far above our own human capabilities:
@1. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
@2. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
c) Related Bible references: Genesis 17:1, Exodus 6:3, Psalms 90:2, 139:1-7, Proverbs 5:21, Jeremiah 23:23, Deuteronomy 33:27, Revelation 4:8-10.
The End ...
1. What Does the Bible Say About God?a) Background
a) In ancient times, most people were pagans who worshiped multiple gods and goddesses. But around 1800 B.C., God revealed Himself to a man named Abram, who was later known as Abraham. God promised Abraham that He would make two great nations of his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:20-22, 22:15-18). Those two great nations are the Jews (also known as Hebrews or Israelites) and the Arabs. The Muslim Arabs trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18). The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob, also known as Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel descended from Jacob's twelve sons (Genesis 35:22-26).
b) Jesus and His disciples were all Jews, and Christianity began as a small sect of Jesus' followers within Judaism. So Christians trace their spiritual heritage to Abraham through the Jewish origins of their faith.
c) The three major monotheistic religions of the world, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all worship the same God who revealed Himself to Abraham. God is known by many different names around the world. He is Dios in Spanish, Dieu in French, Gott in German, YHWH in Hebrew and Allah in Arabic.
2. God Is All-powerful, All-knowing and Eternal
a) The Existence of God.
i) The eternal existence of God is taken as a matter of fact in the Bible (Genesis 21:33, 1 Chronicles 16:36, Psalms 9:7, Romans 1:20, Revelation 4:8-9). The Bible never attempts to prove, argue or analyze the existence of God.Many people ask for proof that God is real, but it is a matter of faith; there is no proof that will convince someone who does not want to believe. However, after a person makes a conscious decision for faith, a gradual change of attitudes and a new sense of peace and security often confirm that it was the correct decision.
b) Why Has God Done Things as He Has?
i) We cannot fully understand God with our limited human intellects, and almost everyone wonders why God has done things as He has. However, there are almost never any answers in the Bible. The Bible tells us the things we need to know to live holy and moral lives, but it does not attempt to explain or justify God's actions. We are reminded that God's intelligence and wisdom are far above our own human capabilities:
@1. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
@2. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
c) Related Bible references: Genesis 17:1, Exodus 6:3, Psalms 90:2, 139:1-7, Proverbs 5:21, Jeremiah 23:23, Deuteronomy 33:27, Revelation 4:8-10.
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