What is God?
God is spirit, but He will express Himself in a body at times. For instance, He appeared to Abraham in bodily form, He appeared to Joshua in bodily form, and lastly, He appeared in flesh as "Jesus", Immanuel (God with us). All three persons of the Godhead are evident at Jesus' baptism.
Relevant Scriptures:
- But God is one. Galatians 3:20
- For there is one God. 1 Timothy 2:5
- God is spirit and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
- Jesus was baptized...the Spirit of God descending like a dove...a voice from heaven said, "This is my son, whom I love..." Matthew 3:16, 17.
When did God "begin"? Will He "end"?
God is outside of time, He never ages. This is why He could say to Moses, "I AM has sent you." Jesus said the same thing to the Jews, "Before Abraham was born, I AM." This is why scripture says, "A thousand years...are like a day." This is also one reason why He knows the future---it isn't future to Him. God seems to exist in an eternal present.
One of the saddest expressions of conventional wisdom is Bertrand Russell's statement of why he was not a Christian---no one could tell him "Who made God?"
Relevant Scriptures:
- I AM has sent me. Exodus 3:14
- Before Abraham was born, I AM. John 8:58
- A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by... Psalm 90:4
Where is God?
God is everywhere. In theological terms, this might be expressed as "omnipresent" or "immanent". There is nowhere we can go to get away from Him. David said, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (Psalm 139:8) C.S.Lewis said, "We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito."
Relevant Scriptures:
- "Am I only a God nearby," declares the Lord, "and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24
- In him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Why does God deal with humanity at all?
God has created man as a trinity as well---body, soul, and spirit. The simplest way to show this would be as follows: the body sees, feels, hears and so on. The soul is that essential something that keeps the body alive. A brain-dead person is still "alive" in the sense that the physical engine is still running, the cells are still generating, cuts will repair, etc. The spirit is the conscious and self-conscious being, perhaps much like the idea of the mind. Soul and spirit, once created, will last as long as God, Himself, does. God has made us free, but He wants us to be in tune with Him. Therefore He has to reveal His will and His character, for us to know Him.
Relevant Scriptures:
- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
How does God deal with humanity?
Through scripture, God has shown His creativity, His love, His justice, His knowledge, His power, and even His needs and limits.
Relevant Scriptures:
- ...it is impossible for God to lie... Hebrews 6:18
- ...we have one who was tempted in every way, just as we are---yet was without sin. Hebrews 4:15
- ...he commands all people everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30
A summary of the doctrine of the Trinity:
There are three persons in the trinity---the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son. All three act in such utter perfection of unity that there is no potential for disruption. God is good, God is just, He is love, and He is mercy. All these characteristics, taken to the infinity of God, spell perfection.
Relevant Scriptures:
- Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...Matthew 28:19.
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