Is God super controlling over how we live? Does God actually care about us? Who is God anyways? All of these are questions that you may ask. It’s natural for us to be curious and to ask the question, “Why?” In order to find the answers, we must go to the Bible. There, we learn who God says He is, God’s personality, and what He thinks about us.
God is the Creator of everything. He’s all-powerful and sustains the universe. (Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16-17, Psalm 147:4-5)
He is eternal and does not have a beginning or an end. (Psalm 90:2, Revelation 1:8, Isaiah 40:28)
God is Spirit, God is perfect, God is love. (John 4:24, Matthew 5:48, 1 John 4:8)
He is also holy and just and consistent. (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 89:14, Hebrews 13:8)
God, Yahweh, is the only God and the true God. (Isaiah 44:6, Deuteronomy 4:35, 1 Corinthians 8:6, John 17:3)
Because of our limited comprehension, it’s difficult to have a clear understanding of God. To understand that He is eternal and without limits. For this reason, don’t worry or be downhearted if you can’t perfectly make sense of who God is and why He does certain things. Even dedicated scholars and theologians struggle with grasping the depth and mysteries of God. But He knows we are limited and in His kindness, He shows Himself to us in ways we can understand.
In the book of Exodus, God reveals Himself to His people on the mountain called Sinai. Read the following verses and note the different descriptions about who God is:
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7 NIV
God presents Himself in these verses in relation to His people. It shows the Israelites how they should expect God to act towards them. While the Israelites are God’s chosen people, specifically picked to highlight His story and plan of salvation in history, God has revealed Himself to all people as well:
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky. Through everything God had made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities– His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20 NLT
God is so good and so kind that He shows His power and His divine nature in the creation around us. We’re only scratching the surface of who God is and how crazy amazing He is! One of the most important things about God is His incredible love.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:7-9 NIV
Wait, God’s son? God has a son? One incredibly important attribute about God is called the Trinity. The Trinity is a word that’s not found in the Bible, but describes a very important concept that comes directly from the Bible. We’ll take a look at this very important distinction in our next lesson.
Recommended Reading: Exodus 3:13-15, Isaiah 43:10-11, Titus 3:4-6, John 1:14, Deuteronomy 7:9, Isaiah 40:28-29, 1 John 1:5, 1 John 1:9