OUR AWESOME GOD

OUR AWESOME GOD

Chuck LaMattina

Copyright © 2007 by Chuck LaMattina.

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4257-7769-2 Softcover 978-1-4257-7754-8

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CONTENTS

Chapter One: The Knowledge of God ........................................................ 9

Chapter Two: Immutable and Faithful ...................................................... 18

Chapter Three: Holy and Righteous ............................................................ 25

Chapter Four: The Wrath of God ............................................................. 35

Chapter Five: The Love of God ................................................................ 44

Chapter Six: The Goodness of God ........................................................ 52

Chapter Seven: The Power of God .............................................................. 60

Chapter Eight: The Nearness of God ......................................................... 70

Chapter Nine: God Our Father ................................................................. 77

Chapter Ten: The Pleasure of God .......................................................... 84

Chapter Eleven: The Only True God ........................................................... 91

Chapter Twelve: A Passion for God .............................................................. 99

Endnotes ...................................................................................................... 103

I want to thank Elizabeth Saunders and Carl Herke for their help in editing the manuscript for this book “God is not unjust

to forget your work and labor of love (Hebrews 6:10a).”

I also wish to thank my son David for his work on the cover design for this book. And I extend my gratitude to my best friend and wife,

Marilee. You are the joy, inspiration and comfort of my heart.

This book is dedicated to my sons, Joseph, Michael and David. May you “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul,

with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).”

Cover photograph (“Star crossed” nebula) is used by permission of the United States National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA).

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CHAPTER ONE

The Knowledge of God

Almost two thousand years ago, sometime between 60-62 A.D., the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus1. He told these believers that he was praying for them. And here is the fi rst request in his prayer.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesusand your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanksfor you, making mention of you in my prayers: that theGod of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may giveto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledgeof Him . . .

(Ephesians 1:15-17)

In his prayer for the believers in Ephesus, the apostle Paul prayed that these Christians might have a full knowledge of God. He desired for them to have a clear and accurate knowledge of God, full of wisdom and insight. The apostle believed that a comprehensive knowledge of God was the Christian’s greatest need. But almost two thousand years later, is this still our greatest need?

With all of the problems and concerns in our world, surely there must be something of greater importance to learn about and apply in our lives. Shouldn’t we spend more time learning about ecology or politics or economics or even race relations? Perhaps we should be studying sociology, psychology or philosophy so that we can better understand ourselves. Though all of these courses of study are important, our greatest need is the knowledge of God. So much of the pain and confusion in life stems from the fact that we lack a clear understanding of who God is and what His will is for our lives. Thousands of years ago, the Old Testament prophet Hosea said the same thing.

Hear the word of the LORD,2 you children of Israel,For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitantsof the land:

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“There is no truth or mercyOr knowledge of God in the land.By swearing and lying,Killing and stealing and committing adultery,They break all restraint,With bloodshed upon bloodshed.Therefore the land will mourn;And everyone who dwells there will waste away . . .

(Hosea 4:1-3a)

The prophet says that his country was full of lying, killing, stealing, bloodshed and adultery. These charges could be the morning headlines in any major newspaper today! But what was the reason for all of this sorrow and chaos? The answer is given to us at the end of verse 1, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.” And to make the answer absolutely clear it is given again in verse 6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

This lack of knowledge was not about baseball or philosophy or art or science. It was a lack of knowledge of God—His character and His will. Our most urgent need at this time, as in every age, is a true and clear understanding of the one true God—the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our totally inadequate or incorrect view of God that accounts for so much of our fears, concerns and troubles. Too many people either think that there is no God,3 or mistakenly think of Him as a Cosmic Bell Hop, happy grandfather or distant spiritual force. All of these views are wrong and harmful.

When I speak of knowing God, I mean more than just knowing mere facts about Him. The sad thing is that you can go to a church or read a book about God without ever really knowing Him, without having Him rub off on you! A true knowledge of God has an effect on you. It changes you.

But how can we know God? Where can we learn about Him and from Him? We can’t speculate about God. God must reveal Himself to us. And God has revealed Himself to us in two major ways, through creation and in His written word, the Bible.

The heavens declare the glory of God;And the fi rmament4 shows His handiwork.Day unto day utters speech,And night unto night reveals knowledge.There is no speech nor languageWhere their voice is not heard.Their line5 has gone out through all the earth,And their words to the end of the world.

(Psalm 19:1-4a)

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The Scriptures tell us that all of nature declares both day and night that there is a God who is the Creator of all things. The stars, the mountains, the rivers and oceans, the atom and DNA, show us an intelligent, powerful and glorious God. We are told the same thing about the witness of nature in the New Testament too.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributesare clearly seen, being understood by the things that aremade, even His eternal power and Godhead . . .

(Romans 1:20)

From the very beginning of creation to this very day, all of nature reveals the invisible attributes of God. We can see that He exists as Deity and that He is eternally powerful. But nature cannot tell us much more about God. We need another revelation about God that will reveal His heart and character. This we have in the pages of the Bible, the Word of God.

I will extol You, my God, O King;And I will bless your name forever and ever.Every day I will bless You,And I will praise Your name forever and ever.Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Your works to another,And shall declare Your mighty acts.I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,And on Your wondrous works.Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,And I will declare Your greatness.They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,And shall sing of Your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,Slow to anger and great in mercy.The LORD is good to all,And His tender mercies are over all His works.

(Psalm 145:1-9)

From this beautiful Psalm we learn that God is great and glorious in majesty. He has great goodness. God is righteous, gracious, and full of compassion. He is slow to anger and full of tender mercies. Goodness, righteousness, compassion,

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mercy—these are some of the attributes of our God. When we understand these attributes or characteristics of God, we come to understand Him.

When you describe a friend as funny, helpful, energetic and loyal, you are describing her attributes. And as you hear about this person’s attributes, you begin to know something about her. Then as you enter into a relationship with this person you really get to know her. She will rub off on you and have an effect on you.

This is my goal in this book. We are going to explore the attributes of God, so that we gain knowledge of God and enter into a relationship with Him. Let’s begin to learn about our awesome God. And let’s start where God starts, in Genesis.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.(Genesis 1:1)

What do we learn about God in this verse? First, we learn that He is and that He is the creator of everything. God is the Creator and as such He stands over creation independent of everything and everyone. He needs nothing, and it is He who gives to all life, meaning and signifi cance. Let’s go to the New Testament and listen in as the apostle Paul tells the people of Athens about the one true God.

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said,“Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are veryreligious; for as I was passing through and consideringthe objects of your worship, I even found an altar withthis inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing,Him I proclaim to you: God who made the world andeverything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is Heworshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything,since He gives to all life, breath and all things. And Hehas made from one blood every nation of men to dwellon all the face of the earth, and has determined theirpreappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that theymight grope for Him and fi nd Him, though He is not farfrom each one of us.”

(Acts 17:22-27)

As I mentioned earlier, God doesn’t need us to provide anything for Him. But it is He who gives to all life, meaning, and signifi cance. He has put all of us

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in a particular place and time that we might fi nd Him. He is not hiding Himself from humanity. God is the reason for all of life, and He has a purpose for all of life. If there is no God, no Sovereign Creator, then we are left to explain all of life, our tragedies and triumphs by our own faulty speculations. But the Bible tells us that life is not an accident. Your life is not an accident. The Creator gives meaning and purpose to life and that purpose is good.

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?Who is like You, glorious in holiness,Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

(Exodus 15:11)

This is from a song that Moses and the people of Israel sang after they crossed the Red Sea. They sang that God is glorious in holiness, a God of wonders and miracles. God’s purposes and mighty acts on behalf of His people are good, because God is holy. In a world full of imagined gods the one true God is unique. He is different, because He is absolutely pure and good and clean. He is morally upright. There is no evil within Him. The apostle John tells us this truth in the New Testament.

This is the message which we have heard from Him anddeclare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darknessat all.

(1 John 1:5)

As the sun in the sky always sheds light, God always is right and does right. When God shows His anger and wrath against sin, He is doing what is holy and right. When God is merciful and gracious, He is doing what is holy and right. While in the wilderness, Moses asks God to reveal more of Himself, and God graciously responds.

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with himthere, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And theLORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD,the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering,and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercyfor thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressionand sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting theiniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’schildren to the third and fourth generations.

(Exodus 34:5-7)

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Yes, God is good and holy, and because He is, He will hold us accountable for our sins. God graciously offers to forgive our sins, through the sacrifi ce of His Son Jesus Christ.6 But to those who reject this offer of grace and mercy there is no clearing of guilt. And the folly of one generation is usually passed on to the next.

People say that God must forgive everyone because He is holy and good. But the Word of God declares that God must judge sin because He is holy and good. To know God we must take Him with all of His attributes. A God who is faithful but has no power is little more than a good puppy. A God who is powerful, but not holy, can be a fearful tyrant. To think of God as one who blesses only, but never judges is to have a false view of God. It is to have an idol.

For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;He is also to be feared above all gods.For all the gods of the people are idols,But the LORD made the heavens.Honor and majesty are before Him;Strength and gladness are in His place.

(1 Chronicles 16:25-27)

The word “idols” in verse 26, comes from a Hebrew word that means worthless. False gods are worthless and a false view of God is worthless. But a correct understanding of God leads to honor and majesty, strength and gladness!

Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,The power and the glory,The victory and the majesty;For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,And You are exalted as head over all.Both riches and honor come from You,And You reign over all.In Your hand is power and might;In Your hand it is to make greatAnd to give strength to all.

(1 Chronicles 29:10b-12)

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Full power and glory belong to the one true God. He alone possesses total victory. It is He who makes a person truly great. He alone bestows true riches, honor and strength. And notice in verse 12, it states, “You [God] reign over all.” God is the one who is ultimately in total control of history and time. Our world is not in an unending grip of wickedness and chaos. God knows what is happening in our world and why. And he knows where all of history is heading.7

O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven,and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations . . .

(2 Chronicles 20:6a)

What a tremendous truth! God rules over all nations. And though presidents and parliaments and even church councils may rebel against God’s laws, it is only God’s counsel that will ultimately prevail.

Remember the former things of old,For I am God, and there is no other;I am God, and there is none like Me,Declaring the end from the beginning,And from ancient times things that are not yet done,Saying, My counsel shall stand,And I shall do all My pleasure.

(Isaiah 46:9-10)

The one true God—the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, knows the end from the beginning. His Word will prevail! Our God is never surprised by life, never puzzled. He always knows which way to go and what to do. And He gives strength, wisdom and peace to those who wait upon Him and hope in Him.

Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the LORD,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable.He gives power to the weak,And to those who have no might He increases strength.Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

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And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who wait upon the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

This is our God—perfect in holiness, in wisdom and in power. He rules and overrules in the affairs of our world. He punishes the wicked and exalts the humble. He gives wisdom and strength to His people. The Bible reveals a God who can be trusted, feared and worshipped. This picture of God is vastly different from the view held by many people.

The prophet Daniel said, “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits (11:32). Let me pose some questions.

• Why as Christians are we often so fearful?• Why do we hesitate to fully serve God?• Why do so many of us feel that we are without hope?

The answer is that many of us do not fully know our great and awesome God. The apostle Paul knew his God. This is why he was so full of confi dence when he wrote to the Christians at Rome.

And we know that all things work together for goodto those who love God, to those who are the calledaccording to His purpose. For whom He foreknew,He also predestinated to be conformed to the imageof His Son, that He might be the fi rstborn among manybrethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these he alsocalled; whom he called, these He also justifi ed; andwhom He justifi ed, these He also glorifi ed.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,who can be against us? He who did not spare His ownSon, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He notwith Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bringa charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifi es.Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, andfurthermore is also risen, who is even at the right handof God, who also makes intercession for us.

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:“For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”Yet in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels,nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor thingsto come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,shall be able to separate us from the love of God which isin Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:28-39)

Why was Paul so confi dent that nothing could ever separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus? He knew his God! He knew His power, love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. Paul knew that God’s Word and God’s will would always come to pass, so he was confi dent in his future salvation. Writing to his young associate, Timothy, Paul states:

for I know whom I have believed and am persuadedthat He is able to keep what I have committed to Himuntil that Day.

(2 Timothy 1:12b)

The apostle knew his God and had confi dence, trust and faith in Him. Great faith fl ows from great knowledge of God—not just head knowledge, but knowledge rooted in the heart gained from acting on God’s Word. If we desire hope, confi dence, strength and peace in life, we need to know God and have Him rub off on us.

We are all worshippers of something. And we will become like the god we worship. Psalm 66:5 invites us, saying, “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” It is my prayer that as you explore what the Bible says about our God, He will “give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17)”. May this knowledge change you.

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CHAPTER TWO

Immutable and Faithful

What we think about God reveals the depth of our spiritual maturity. No individual Christian and no church will ever rise above its understanding of God. We tend to become like the God we worship. Therefore it is crucial that we have a clear and biblical knowledge of God.

A correct understanding of God will be a sure foundation for our faith (Romans 10:17), an anchor for our hope (Hebrews 10:23), and a springboard for our love (1 John 4:7, 8). It will enhance our worship (Psalm 145:1-3), enable us to witness and bring glory to God in the world (1 Peter 2:9, 10), and it will strengthen us in our Christian walk and our service to the family of God (Isaiah 40:31; Ephesians 1:19; 3:20).

Our faith and hope will be strengthened by understanding two attributes of God: that He is immutable, and that He is faithful. When I say that God is immutable, I mean that He never changes. There was never a time when God was not, and He will never cease to exist. No change is ever possible in God. He will never evolve. He will never grow. He will never be wiser or more loving than He has been or is now. Nor will His power or goodness ever diminish. In Malachi 3:6a God says, “. . . I am the LORD, I do not change.”

Secondly, God is faithful, meaning He keeps His promises. God is not fi ckle or unreliable. He is unwavering in His will. The prophet Jeremiah declared:

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,Because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness.

(Lamentations 3:22, 23)

God’s faithfulness is great because throughout all of the ages, He has never failed to keep His Word. He is utterly dependable. You can count on God. He is more certain than the morning sunrise or the evening sunset. It is comforting and encouraging to know that God is immutable and faithful, especially in our current chaotic world.

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Read any newspaper or listen to any news media and you will see that societies seem to stagger from one crisis to another. There seems to be no order or center in life. People don’t seem to have any certainties to hold onto anymore. People are confused. They’ve lost their way, and they’re easily swayed. We put our faith in people and institutions only to be disappointed. The values and ideals that once supported our culture are cracking and crumbling. Even nature changes—stars burn out, fl owers fade and leaves fall.

So is there nothing of enduring value? Is there no one in whom we can place our trust? Those are good questions as our world and sometimes our own lives rush headlong to who knows where! But let’s read the words of the Psalmist.

Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,And the heavens are the work of Your hands.They will perish, but You will endure;Yes, they will grow old like a garment;Like a cloak You will change them,And they will be changed.But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.The children of Your servants will continue,And their descendants will be established before You.

(Psalm 102:25-28)

In our world everything changes except God. He is ever the same. And because He is the same, God’s people are established and secure before Him. In a world where people go back on their word Psalm 119:89, 90a states,

Forever, O LORD Your word is settled in heaven.Your faithfulness endures to all generations.

God will never go back on His Word. His heart towards His people will never vary because He is immutable and faithful. In a world where love sometimes grows cold, the Bible tells us that God’s love is eternal. In Jeremiah 31:3, the Almighty says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” In a song of praise for God’s faithfulness the Psalmist sings,

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!Serve the LORD with gladness;Come before His presence with singing.Know that the LORD, He is God;It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

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Enter His gates with thanksgiving,And into His courts with praise.Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.For the LORD is good;His mercy is everlasting,And His truth endures to all generations.

(Psalm 100:1-5)

What tremendous truths to understand! God is good. His mercy is everlasting. His truth endures to every generation. Why is this so? The answer is that God is immutable, unchanging in His character and will. If God was ever merciful once, He will always be merciful.

Lord You have been our dwelling place in all generations.Before the mountains were brought forth,Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

(Psalm 90:1, 2)

The author of this psalm was Moses. And he wrote this psalm when he and the people of Israel wandered in the desert for forty years. What is there in the desert that is permanent but sand? And even the sand is constantly shifting, so that today’s landmarks are gone tomorrow. But Moses knew that his compass, his center, his source of stability and his true home was the eternal God.

In life some changes are welcome. Losing the proverbial ten pounds that separates you from perfection is a welcome change. But some changes in life are not welcome like losing a loved one, losing a job, family problems, unexpected disappointments and troubles. Therefore a great comfort for us Christians living in the real world, in turbulent and troubled times, is the confi dence that we have a God who does not change. He is as powerful and loving as He has always been and resolved to bless His people.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every goodgift and every perfect gift is from above, and comesdown from the Father of lights, with whom there is novariation or shadow of turning.

( James 1:16, 17)

The section of Scripture above presents a crucial truth in our understanding of who God is and what He is like. A very good translation of verse 17 is found in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. It reads,

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Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of lights with whom there isno change, or shadow due to change.

The sun in the sky at high noon, shining in its full brilliance, casts no shadow. But if it moves even the slightest degree there will be variation, change and a shadow. Our God however, does not shift in His purpose and character. His goodness is always at high noon!

All that God was, He is and forever will be. If God was ever powerful once, He is powerful now. If God was ever merciful once, He is merciful now. If God was ever loving or full of goodness once, He is loving and full of goodness now. If God was ever a just Judge, He is and will remain a just Judge. If God ever responded to the cries of His people, He will respond today.

God never varies. He never grows weary. He never becomes wiser. He never loses interest in you or your concerns. Stars burn out, mountains wear away, governments rise and fall. People come into our lives and then go out. But God endures. His goodness and grace endures. And because God is immutable, those of us who have hope in Him have our lives built upon a solid foundation that cannot be shaken.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD . . . Surely he willnever be shaken . . . He will not be afraid of evil tidings;His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

(Psalm 112:1, 6, 7)

Secondly, not only is our God immutable, He is ever faithful.

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

(Psalm 36:5)

The word “mercy” is translated from the Hebrew word hesed. This word can be translated as God’s steadfast lovingkindness. This steadfast love fl ows from the fact that God is faithful. God loves us with a passionate and deep love. But our security in this love is not based upon fl uctuating emotions. It is rooted in God’s character of faithfulness. God is faithful to love His people even when they sin against Him. In Psalm 89, God warns the descendants of David that He will punish their sins, but He will still be faithful to love them.

If his sons forsake My lawAnd do not walk in My judgments,If they break My statutes

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And do not keep My commandments,Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,And the iniquity with stripes.Nevertheless, My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.My covenant I will not break,Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

(Psalm 89:30-34)

God never fails His Word. He never falters. We may fail to keep our word even when we try not to fail. Even at our best we are limited in wisdom and strength. Often things beyond our control alter our plans. But God is faithful, steadfast and reliable.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,And my Lord has forgotten me.”

Can a woman forget her nursing child,And not have compassion on the son of her womb?Surely they may forget,Yet I will not forget you.See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;8

(Isaiah 49:14-16)

In a world where people may forget us or change their opinion of us as swiftly as day turns to night, it is wonderful to know that God is faithful to remember us. He will never fail us or forsake us. And He will faithfully enable us to live the Christian life. In his prayer for the believers in the city of Corinth, the apostle Paul said,

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace ofGod which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that youwere enriched in everything by Him in all utteranceand all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ wasconfi rmed in you, so that you come short in no gift,eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,who will also confi rm you to the end, that you may beblameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God isfaithful, by whom you were called into the fellowshipof His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

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As Christians we have every good blessing and spiritual endowment from God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we look to God in faith there never will come a time when we will ever lack a spiritual or material blessing. If we need the ability to love bigger or serve more devotedly it will be given to us. If we need strength or peace or wisdom, we will receive it from God. God will work within us until the last day of our lives or until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? “God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

When life throws troubles and temptations in our path, we can overcome these obstacles too.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is commonto man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to betempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptationwill also make the way of escape, that you may be able tobear it.

(1 Corinthians 10:13).

Not a one of us ever needs to worry that we will ever be ill equipped to handle the challenges and temptations of life. There is nothing in our lives that we cannot bear or overcome. Godly wisdom and power is available to each and every one of us for all of the needs of life. God has promised to help us in every situation. What a difference we would see in our lives if our faith rested upon the faithfulness of God. And even when we fail to live up to the standard of God’s Word, God is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and tocleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:8, 9)

The glory of our heavenly Father’s faithfulness is that no sin of ours has ever made Him unfaithful. He never says to us, “Look, you sinned and you’ve sinned more than once. I know that you said you were sorry, but too bad! I’ve had it with you—you’re outta here!”

Our sin and unbelief is a horrible thing. It challenges God’ s goodness. It rebels against His love. Yet even when we sin, God is faithful. He is faithful to convict us of our sin. He is faithful to forgive us. He is faithful to restore us to full fellowship with Him. And He is faithful to see us through to our full and fi nal salvation at Christ’s return. Philippians 1: 6 proclaims, “He who has begun

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a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God’s promises are unchanging and faithful, because He is unchanging and faithful.9

People today are shook up over the course of current world events. They are shook up over their present personal troubles. And too often we look for peace and stability and answers in governments, bank accounts, lawyers and doctors. We may fi nd some help in those things. But if all of our troubles and the world’s troubles were solved today, tomorrow would bring more troubles. The only true source for lasting stability in life is our immutable and faithful God. He must be the center of our lives. This was the secret of all the great men and women of faith in history. They rested their bold faith upon the unchanging and faithful God.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiestby the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which Heconsecrated for us, through the veil, that is His fl esh, andhaving a High Priest over the house of God, let us drawnear with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having ourhearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodieswashed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confessionof our hope without wavering, for He who promised isfaithful. And let us consider one another in order to stirup love and good works, not forsaking the assembling ofourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhortingone another, and so much the more as you see the Dayapproaching.

(Hebrews 10:19-25)

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CHAPTER THREE

Holy and Righteous

The goal of knowing God is to be changed by Him. It is to enter into a relationship with Him and have Him rub off on you. It is my prayer that as you study the attributes of our awesome God that you are changed in three ways.

• I pray that your mind is awakened to the glory of God• I pray that your heart is opened to the love of God• I pray that your will is dedicated to the service of God

When we see the glory of God, the sum total of all His perfection, then we can see our true needs and that only God can meet those needs. When we come to grips with the love of God we are made strong in faith and hope, and we are enabled to receive blessings from God. Finally, when we dedicate our wills to the service of God our lives take on great joy. There is no greater joy in life than to live for the glory of God and the good of His people.

To begin this change we need to understand two crucial truths about God. He is holy and He is righteous. Psalm 99 is a song of praise for the holiness of God.

The LORD reigns;Let the peoples tremble!He dwells between the cherubim;10

Let the earth be moved!The LORD is great in Zion,And He is high above all the peoples.Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy.The King’s strength also loves justice;You have established equity;

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You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.Exalt the LORD our God,And worship at His footstool—He is holy.

(vv.1-5)

Exalt the LORD our God,And worship at His holy hill;For the LORD our God is holy.

(v. 9)

God wants us to understand that He is holy. It is central to our understanding who and what He is. The word holy is used more often to describe God than any other word. God is called holy more than good, kind, powerful or wise. God is holy because He is the sum total of all that is morally good, pure and excellent. He is the epitome of undiminished and untarnished goodness. God is absolutely morally fl awless in all His motives and actions. There are no excesses or defi ciencies in His character. There are no microscopic traits of evil in Him at all. At the center of all that He is, He is holy.

In Exodus, chapter 3, we have the fi rst use of the word holy in the Bible. The context is God calling to Moses from a burning bush. God wants Moses to lead the people of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt.

Now Moses was tending the fl ock of Jethro his father-in-law,the priest of Midian. And he led the fl ock to the back of thedesert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And theAngel of the LORD appeared to him in a fl ame of fi re fromthe midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush wasburning with fi re, but the bush was not consumed. Then Mosessaid, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why thebush does not burn.”

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, Godcalled to him from the midst of the bush and said, “MosesMoses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take yoursandals off your feet, for the place where you stand isholy ground.”

(vv. 1-5)

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The ground where Moses stood was holy ground because the presence of the most holy God was there! And from this story we learn that on our own we are not worthy to draw near to God. Our holy God is not someone with whom we can be chummy. He is not the “good ole’ guy upstairs” who waits upon us to meet our every whim. God must be respected, honored and feared. We must approach Him only as He allows us, with great reverence and respect. But there is also more to learn.

And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression ofMy people who are in Egypt, and have heard their crybecause of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand ofthe Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land, to aland fl owing with milk and honey . . .

(vv. 7, 8)

God is not only holy and worthy of our honor, respect and fear because He is morally pure; but our God is holy, because He hears the cries of His people and desires to deliver them from bondage. In His holiness God sees the evil that His people suffer and He desires to redeem them. So God sent Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. And after their deliverance, Moses and the people of Israel sing a song of praise to God. In the song, the virtue of God’s holiness is proclaimed.

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?Who is like You, glorious in holiness,Fearful in praises, doing wonders?You stretched out Your right hand;The earth swallowed them.You in Your mercy have led forthWhom You have redeemed;You have guided them in Your strengthTo Your holy habitation.

(Exodus 15:11-13)

God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and destroyed their oppressors because He is holy. There is no one like Him, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!

In the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, a woman named Hannah is married but childless. She prays to God for a child and He answers her prayer. And Hannah offers praise to God.

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And Hannah prayed and said:“My heart rejoices in the LORD;My horn is exalted in the LORD.I smile at my enemies,Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

No one is holy like the LORD,For there is none beside You,Nor is there any rock like our God.

(1 Samuel 2:1, 2)

Hannah, like Moses, proclaims that there is no one like the LORD. No one is as holy as He. In a prophetic picture in Revelation 15, the people of God praise God for their salvation. And again they sing of His holiness.

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous;seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in themthe wrath of God is complete.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled withfi re, and those who have the victory over the beast,over his image and over his mark and over the numberof his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harpsof God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant ofGod, and the song of the Lamb, saying:“Great and marvelous are Your works,Lord God Almighty!Just and true are Your ways,O King of the saints!Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?For You alone are holy.For all nations shall come and worship before You,For Your judgments have been manifested.

(Revelation 15:1-4)

Only the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is just and true and holy. And because He is holy, He is righteous in all that He does.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,Gracious in all His works.The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,

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To all who call upon Him in truth.He will fulfi ll the desires of those who fear Him;He will also hear their cry and save them.The LORD preserves all who love Him.But the wicked He will destroy.My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,And all fl esh shall bless His holy nameForever and ever.

(Psalm 145:17-21)

In righteousness, God saves His people and meets their every need. And in righteousness God will destroy those who are wicked and oppose Him. When the Bible says that God is righteous, it means that He always does what is right. He does what should be done, consistently and without prejudice. God’s righteous acts are in accordance with His holiness. Every act of God is righteous and in absolute agreement with His holy nature. Psalm 48:10 declares:

According to Your name, O God,So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;Your right hand is full of righteousness.

This means that everything God does is righteous and just. All that He does is good and right. There is absolutely no one like our God. He is glorious in holiness, perfectly righteous.

The primary meaning of the word “holy” is to be separate, apart, unique, to be cut off from everything else. When the Bible calls God “holy.” it means that He is so far above and beyond us in goodness, justice and purity. Sometimes we discover clothing or a car or some other merchandise that outshines everything else, and we say that it is a cut above the rest. God is a cut above everything that might be called “good”. There is no one like Him among the so called gods of men because He is consistently glorious in holiness and all His ways are righteous. He is the sum of all moral excellencies. A song of Moses says:

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.Let my teaching drop as the rain,My speech distill as the dew,As raindrops on the tender herb,And as showers on the grass.For I proclaim the name of the LORD:Ascribe greatness to our God.

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He is the Rock, His work is perfect;For all His ways are justice,A God of truth and without injustice;Righteous and upright is He.

(Deuteronomy 32:1-4)

Our God is holy and His works are perfect. He is just and true and righteous. When God puts forth His power, He is holy. When He displays His wisdom, He is holy. When He loves and blesses His people, He is holy. And when He judges sinners, it is a holy, just and righteous judgment.

This is the message which we have heard and declareto you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

(1 John 1:5)

What does it mean to say that God is light? The light refers to God’s character. There is no evil in God at all. He is absolute purity. And His purity is manifested in all of His works. Also physical light makes things visible. When we have full light on something we can see it for what it really is. When we look through a mist or a haze or darkness, we really do not see things as they are. A dim light can soften the wrinkles in our faces. The darkness of night can obscure the actions of a thief. But when the lights come on, we see everything for what it is.

In the same way when our holy God reveals Himself, when He speaks and acts, we see life in greater clarity. When the light of God’s holiness is revealed we see what is true and what is a lie. We see what is right and what is wrong. When the light of God’s holiness is manifested we are delivered from deception, even the deceptions we pull on ourselves.

There isn’t much teaching on the holiness of God, because we don’t like the bright light of a holy God to shine on our lives. But that is exactly what we need. We need to see the holiness of God because it reveals our sins and it heals us. Our God is holy and His Word is holy and just and true. And when we take heed to God and His Word we are changed.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;The commandment of the LORD is pure enlightening the eyes;The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.More to be desired are they than gold,

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Yea, than much fi ne gold;Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.Moreover by them Your servant is warned,And in keeping them there is great reward.

(Psalm 19:7-11)

The light of our holy God, shed forth from His Word, converts or restores our souls. It makes us wise and rejoices our hearts. The holy light from Scripture warns us and rewards us. It teaches us how to live good and holy lives and it reveals to us our good and holy God.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;And all that is within me, bless His holy name!Bless the LORD, O my soul,And forget not all His benefi ts:Who forgives all your iniquities,Who heals all your diseases,Who redeems your life from destruction,Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,Who satisfi es your mouth with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.The LORD executes righteousnessAnd justice for all who are oppressed.

(Psalm 103:1-6)

Our holy God forgives, heals, and showers His people with lovingkindness and tender mercies. He judges righteously. And because God is holy He expects His people to be holy.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and restyour hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to youat the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, notconforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in yourignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also beholy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holyfor I am holy.”

(1 Peter 1:13-16)

God expects us to be holy because He is holy. And He will judge us for not being holy. Why should we stand before Him in shame when we can worship Him in the beauty of holiness? As Christians we have been given God’s holy

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Spirit11 And the Spirit can empower us to live lives that show forth the beauty of holiness.12 Yet we so often fail to live holy lives. We are selfi sh and cruel. We are arrogant and insensitive. We are unkind and unloving. Why? The answer is that we do not realize that we live in the presence of a holy God. The holiness of God should shake us to the very core of our being, just as it did to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sittingon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robefi lled the temple. Above it stood seraphim;13 each onehad six wings: with two he covered his face, with two hecovered his feet, and with two he fl ew. And one cried toanother and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice ofhim who cried out, and the house was fi lled with smoke.So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I ama man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a peopleof unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King,the LORD of hosts.”

(Isaiah 6:1-5)

The angelic seraphim cover their faces because they dare not look upon the brilliance of our holy God. They cover their feet because they are not worthy to be in the presence of our holy God. And they are always ready to fl y at God’s command to do His will. And they cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD.” Never in Scripture do we hear God called “Wise, wise, wise is the LORD” or “Good, good, good” or “Powerful, powerful, powerful.” We hear “Holy, holy, holy.” And this threefold repetition of the word holy emphasizes the grandeur and majesty of God’s impeccable holiness. This vision of God shook Isaiah to the core of his being. He feared for his life!

Why do we, as Christians, sin? We do not fear a holy God. Why do we doubt God? We do not believe that He is holy and just. No person, no church, no family, and no nation is ever better than its understanding of God. Our low vision of God’s holiness is the main reason for the host of problems that plague our lives. We need to see the holiness of God. We need to tremble before it. We need to let it shake us to the core of our being. And we need to let it heal us just as it did Isaiah.

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Then one of the seraphim fl ew to me, having in his handa live coal which he had taken with the tongs from thealtar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said:“Behold, this has touched your lips;Your iniquity is taken away,And your sin purged.”Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:“Whom shall I send,And who will go for Us?”Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

(Isaiah 6:6-8)

God revealed His holiness to Isaiah, not to condemn him, but to forgive him and send him out to preach. The holiness of God should shake us to the core of our being. But then it should motivate us to live for God and serve Him with all that we are and all that we have.

In holiness and righteousness God has punished our sins in His Son Jesus Christ. In holiness and righteousness He has saved us, justifi ed us and made us holy in Jesus Christ. And in holiness and righteousness God has made us ambassadors for Christ. And He sends us to a world that needs the healing light of our holy God.14 May the words to this poem be our response to the holiness of God.

Take my life and let it beConsecrated Lord to Thee;

Take my hands and let them moveAt the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them beSwift and beautiful for Thee;Take my voice and let it singAlways, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them beFilled with messages for Thee;

Take my silver and my goldNot a mite would I withhold.

Take my love, my God I pourAt Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself and I will beEver, only, all for Thee.

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Take my will and make it Thine.It should no longer be mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine ownIt shall be Thy royal throne.

(Francis Ridley Havergall)

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CHAPTER FOUR

The Wrath of God

Sin is the most horrifying and devastating fact of life. It is the cause of all of our troubles. It is the root of all our sorrows. Sin has destroyed the human race. It has deprived us of unity and harmony in our relationships. It is the fundamental cause of every physical illness and all of our moral madness.

Sin has polluted every life, blackened every hope and tainted every experience. It has robbed us of joy. It has darkened our understanding, seared our consciences, withered our dreams and fi lled our eyes with tears. Sin has corrupted the nature of every man, woman, and child. It has promised to dress us in royal velvet, but it has only wrapped us in the funeral shroud. God hates sin. It is the direct opposite of God’s nature and He must oppose it and destroy it. The Psalmist proclaimed:

God is a just judge, and God is angry with thewicked every day.

(Psalm 7:11)

And the prophet, Isaiah, warns of the coming day of God’s wrath.

Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!It will come as destruction from the Almighty.Therefore all hands will be limp,Every man’s heart will melt,And they will be afraid.Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;They will be amazed at one another;There faces will be like fl ames.

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,Cruel, with both wrath and fi erce anger,To lay the land desolate;

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And He will destroy its sinners from it.For the stars of heaven and their constellationsWill not give their light;The sun will be darkened in its going forth,And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

I will punish the world for its evil,And the wicked for their iniquity;I will halt the arrogance of the proud,And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.I will make a mortal more rare than fi ne gold,A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.Therefore I will shake the heavens,And the earth will move out of her place,In the wrath of the LORD of hostsAnd in the day of His fi erce anger.

(Isaiah 13:6-13)

These are powerful and terrible words! But what does it mean when the Scripture says that God is angry with the wicked and that His wrath will be seen in the day of His fi erce anger? It means that God is stirred up with intense feelings of strong hostility toward sin and sinners. He is full of indignation and rage. God’s holiness cannot and will not co-exist with sin. God’s wrath is His holy hatred of all that is unholy and He will fi ght against it and destroy it!

God? Our God is full of rage? Yes! There are more references in the Bible to the anger, fury and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness. And just as the love of God is loftier in its purity and holiness than ours, so His anger and wrath are more righteous than we could ever imagine. The Scriptures belabor the point that just as God is good to those who trust Him, so is He at war with those who hate Him. And it was not God who initiated the war of good verses evil, but He is determined to end it. The Old Testament prophet Nahum knew this.

God is jealous, and the LORD avenges;The LORD avenges and is furious.The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries,And He reserves wrath for His enemies;The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,And will not at all acquit the wicked . . .

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Who can stand before His indignation?And who can endure the fi erceness of His anger?His fury is poured out like fi re,And the rocks are thrown down by Him.The LORD is good,A stronghold in the day of trouble;And He knows those who trust in Him.But with an overfl owing fl oodHe will make an utter end of its place,And darkness will pursue His enemies.

(Nahum 1:2, 3a, 6-8)

This prophetic warning is taken up against the ancient city of Nineveh. But it is also a warning of God’s righteous anger and wrath against sinners in the end times. And in verse 8, the coming judgment is pictured as an engulfi ng fl ood and darkness from which no one can escape. These words are terrifying to ponder! And biblical texts on the wrath of God are not limited to the Old Testament. The New Testament speaks of God’s wrath as well.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Andwalk in love, as Christ also has loved us and givenHimself for us, an offering and a sacrifi ce to Godfor a sweet smelling aroma.

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness,let it not even be named among you, as is fi tting forsaints; neither fi lthiness, nor foolish talking, norcourse jesting, which are not fi tting, but rather givingof thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator,unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.Let no one deceive you with empty words, for becauseof these things the wrath of God comes upon the sonsof disobedience.

(Ephesians 5:1-6)

We need to understand that the anger and wrath of God against sin and sinners are as much divine attributes as are His mercy, faithfulness and love. If God did not hate sin and punish it, He would not be a just God. The anger and wrath of God is not a defect in His character. Indifference to sin would be a

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defect. Indifference to evil would show a great moral fl aw in God. Now, Psalm 103:8 does say that, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy.” But when hearts are hardened by sin against God, His anger is set against them.

God’s wrath is not like ours which might be vindictive and malicious. God’s wrath is not an uncontrollable rage. It is not full of bitterness. On the contrary, it is just and pure. God sees the horror that evil and wickedness and sin cause, and He opposes it—without apology! How could God be the God of all that is true and good and look upon evil with indifference? How can evil, wickedness and sin go unpunished? They can’t. Our God is holy, pure, good and righteous and He must punish evil.

The LORD is in His holy temple,The LORD’s throne is in heaven;His eyes behold,His eyelids test the sons of men.The LORD tests the righteous,But the wicked and the one who lovesviolence His soul hates.Upon the wicked He will rain coals;Fire and brimstone and a burning windShall be the portion of their cup.

(Psalm 11:4-6)

The Lord God Almighty is righteous and thus He must oppose and utterly destroy all the wicked.

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,And the wine is red;It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earthDrain and drink down.

(Psalm 75:8)

The wicked shall drink the cup of God’s wrath to the very last drop!In our current society we don’t like to talk about or listen to sermons on the

wrath of God. It makes us squeamish, uncomfortable and embarrassed. During the time of Colonial America, a famous preacher, Jonathon Edwards, gave a sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” That sermon helped to spread a true revival called “The Great Awakening”. But today we want sermons titled “Coddled Sinners in the Hands of a Soothing Celestial Therapist.”

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We want a God who is at our disposal, like a good valet or butler. We want a God who blesses us and fi xes all of our problems. But we don’t want a God who warns us, or rebukes us. We don’t want a God who holds us accountable. We want our God domesticated, house broken and accountable to us! People love the preacher who speaks about peace and prosperity. But the Word of God says, “‘There is no peace’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked’” (Isaiah 48:22).

You can no more violate God’s moral law and escape, than you can His natural laws. If you fl y an airplane straight towards a mountain you will crash and burn. In the same way sinners are fl ying straight towards God’s wrath and death. Now the question arises: who are these sinners and enemies of God? The answer might surprise you.

For those who live according to the fl esh set their mindson the things of the fl esh, but those who live accordingto the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnallyminded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life andpeace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God;for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.So then, those who are in the fl esh cannot please God.

(Romans 8:5-8)

People who live according to the carnal mind are the enemies of God. The carnal mind is the mind of the unsaved person. These are people who live outside of or against the will of God. They are at war with God. Their thoughts and lives are in rebellion against God. This is the meaning of the word “enmity” in verse 7. And these people are not just the grotesquely wicked. They may be our neighbors, friends, co-workers and perhaps even family members. These people have not yet been reconciled to God. Look at how Scripture depicts us before our salvation and reconciliation with God.

For when we were still without strength, in due timeChrist died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteousman will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someonewould even dare to die. But God demonstrates His ownlove toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christdied for us. Much more then, having now been justifi edby His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to Godthrough the death of His Son, much more having beenreconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

(Romans 5:6-10)

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Look again at the words I emphasized in bold above: without [moral] strength, ungodly, sinners, enemies. This is what we were before being saved. We were the enemies of God destined for His just wrath. And so many people are still like this today. And again, these people may be your friends, neighbors, co-workers or family members! These people are under the wrath of God. If they don’t accept the grace of God in Jesus Christ, they will be overcome by darkness into the second and fi nal death.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,from whose face the earth and the heaven fl ed away.And there was found no place for them. And I saw thedead, small and great, standing before God, and bookswere opened. And another book was opened, which isthe Book of Life. And the dead were judged accordingto their works, by the things which were written in thebooks. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, andDeath and Hades delivered up the dead who were inthem. And they were judged, each one according to hisworks. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lakeof fi re. This is the second death. And anyone not foundwritten in the Book of Life was cast into the lake offi re.

(Revelation 20:11-15).15

God hates sin, and He will destroy both sin and unrepentant sinners. Why? The answer is important. God hates sin for the same reason that parents hate the cancer or other disease that is killing their child. As parents, if we could, we would destroy the disease that was destroying our child. And we would destroy this disease with great force, and without hesitation knowing that we were doing the right thing. Sin is a deadly disease in God’s universe and He will destroy it.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about the wrath of God is that He is patient and slow to anger.16 He has a long fuse, so-to-speak. Often when people sin and seem to get away with it, they think that God is indifferent to their sin or too weak to do anything about it.17 But the fact that we may escape immediate judgment only shows the mercy of God who is giving us time to repent.18 The apostle Paul questions the faulty reasoning of the unrepentant in his letter to believers in Rome.

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance,and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of Godleads you to repentance? But in accordance with yourhardness and impenitent heart you are treasuring up for

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yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of therighteous judgment of God who “will render to each oneaccording to his deeds”:

eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doinggood seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to thosewho are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obeyunrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation andanguish, on every soul of man who does evil . . .

(Romans 2:4-9)

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, God clearly says:

‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in thedeath of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his evilway and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For whyshould you die . . . ?’

(Ezekiel 33:11)

The apostle Paul, writing to his young associate, Timothy, declares that God, “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).” But this does not negate the truth of Scripture which says to the unrepentant,

If I whet My glittering sword,And My hand takes hold on judgment,I will render vengeance to My enemies,And repay those who hate Me.

(Deuteronomy 32:41)

So the crucial question now arrives. How does God save the sinner from His wrath? How can He be both just and punish sin and be the justifi er and save sinners? The answer is that just as the fi rst Adam brought in sin and death, so there must be a second Adam whose righteous life brings in redemption. This second Adam is the Lord Jesus Christ.19

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned throughthe one, much more those who receive abundance of graceand the gift of righteousness will reign in life through theOne, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense

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judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, evenso through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to allmen, resulting in justifi cation of life. For as by one man’sdisobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’sobedience many will be made righteous.

(Romans 5:17-19)

Through the life of Jesus Christ, God can be both the just judge and the justifi er of sinners. After living a righteous life, Jesus Christ bore the punishment for the sins of the whole world.20 Now all who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ are declared righteous and mercifully escape the wrath of God. Indeed Jesus Christ made this clear early in his ministry.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish buthave everlasting life. For God did not send His Son intothe world to condemn the world, but that the world throughHim might be saved. He who believes in Him is notcondemned; but he who does not believe is condemnedalready, because he has not believed in the name of theonly begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,that the light has come into the world, and men loveddarkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

( John 3:16-19)

God does not arbitrarily place anyone under His wrath. In mercy, He offers a plan of salvation, and men and women either love light or darkness. Their love decides their destiny.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and hewho does not believe the Son shall not see life, but thewrath of God abides on him.

( John 3:36)

The wrath of God upon sinners is a truth about which the writers of the Bible were not squeamish. In God’s anger and wrath against evil they saw the justice of God who avenges His honor and defends those who love Him. One day, God in righteousness will destroy that which is destroying His creation. But He would rather that men and women repent and be saved.

This should motivate us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with compassion. As saved, believers in Christ we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20,

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21). And on Christ’s behalf, we are to implore people to be reconciled to God. For Christ became sin for us and bore its full punishment so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

And we should also think about the world to come. The world will be reborn after the wrath of God puts an end to all wickedness. Think of a new world full of peace and joy. Think of what it will be like to live with no fear, ungodly pride, war or disease. Think of a time when tears and sorrow will come to an end.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the fi rstheaven and the fi rst earth had passed away. Also therewas no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, NewJerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I hearda loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacleof God is with men, and He will dwell with them, andthey shall be His people. God Himself will be with themand be their God. And God will wipe away every tearfrom their eyes; there shall be nor more death, norsorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, forthe former things have passed away.

(Revelation 21:1-4)

We shouldn’t feel awkward about the wrath of God. It is not wrong to teach on this solemn subject. It teaches us about the horror of sin. It teaches us about the justice of God who punishes wickedness. And it teaches us about the goodness of God who saves sinners. Our message to a world in bondage to sin is simple. Come to God through faith in Christ and be saved (Romans 10:9-13).

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CHAPTER FIVE

The Love of God

In the previous chapters we have looked at a few of the attributes of our awesome God. We have learned that He is unchanging and faithful. We’ve discovered that He is holy and righteous. We have also looked at the solemn truth of the wrath of God. And yet, we have only scratched the surface of these attributes. In writing these chapters I have felt like I’ve tried to grab hold of a star high up in the heavens. I’ve stood on tip-toe and stretched with all of my might, but I have not grasped the star. I cannot fully explain to you the greatness of our God. I can only point to Him, like pointing toward a star.

Now our subject is the love of God. I stand before this glorious truth as if I were standing before a vast ocean. I can see it. I can put myself into it, but I cannot grasp all of it. The wondrous love of God is too wide, too deep. I can only stand on the shore line of God’s love, point to it and say, “This is it! Look at how awesome it is!”

In this life we may never fully grasp all of what it means to say that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). But we can know enough to let it change our lives forever. Although our lives may be fi lled with trials and challenges, when we know the love of God, we know that we will triumph in the end. The love of God is the healing medicine for every wound of the human heart. Love is a distinctive characteristic of God. True love has no existence apart from Him. Our awesome God produces no work apart from His passionate and holy love. Love is not just something God does, it is what He is.

Here is a defi nition of love that we need to keep in mind as we study the love of God. Love is a decision to desire and delight in someone else and to reach your highest joy by being with and fully giving oneself to the loved one. In our world love is not like this. It is often a very selfi sh thing. We love because of what another person has done for us or will do for us. Our love runs hot and cold. It is inspired by one thing and killed by another. But the love of God is so vastly different. In this chapter we are going to look at four specifi c points on the love of God.

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• one: the love of God is uninfl uenced by any outside force• two: the love of God is abiding, unfailing and everlasting• three: the love of God is proved by the cross of Christ• four: the love of God compels us to live for Him

One: the love of God is uninfl uenced by any outside force

For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; theLORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself,a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of theearth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose youbecause you were more in number than any other people, foryou were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD lovesyou, and because He would keep the oath which He swore toyour fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand,and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the handof Pharaoh king of Egypt.

(Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

In Deuteronomy, Moses reiterates the law of God to the people of Israel. In this passage, he declares the love of God for His people. Moses points out that there was nothing at all in the people of Israel that prompted God to love them. God didn’t look out of heaven’s window one day and say, “Now, there are a great and grand people. They sure are worthy of a God like Me. I think I’m falling in love with them!” On the contrary there was no special quality in Israel that inspired God to love them. God didn’t love Israel because of who they were or what they did. He loved them by choice, by decision, and to keep His promise to Abraham.21

So often we love because of some attraction we fi nd in another person. Someone does something kind or their physical looks attract us, or we have similar interests. But there was nothing in Israel that caused God to love them. He loved them because He made a decision to love them. His love was free, uninfl uenced except by His own purposes and promises. One of the most amazing things about the love of God is that He offers it to us when we least deserve it. And it continues steadfast and strong even when we do not respond to it correctly. God’s love is uninfl uenced by anything outside of Himself. This same truth is proclaimed in the New Testament.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in theheavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him

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before the foundation of the world, that we should beholy and without blame before Him in love, havingpredestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ toHimself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

(Ephesians 1:3-5)

Before the foundation of the world we were chosen to receive every spiritual blessing in Christ. God determined on His own that we would be holy and without blame, secure in His love. What infl uenced God’s decision to love us? Was it something in me or you? No! There is not one good thing in any of us that merits God’s love.22 We cannot do anything to make ourselves worthy of God’s love.

This is certainly different from common human love. We have a tendency to show love to the people who please us. And we often show more love to the people who please us more. We express our love to people who perform up to our expectations. And we withhold it from people when they displease us. But God loves us “according to the good pleasure of His will.” The truth is that God loves you because He decided to love you! This is a tremendous truth to understand.

If God’s love for us comes from something we do, then it is an infl uenced love. And if our actions can cause God to love us or to love us more, then our actions can cause Him to love us less or to even stop loving us. But God’s reasons for loving us spring from within His own mind and heart. He, in His sovereignty, has decided to love us and He will never love us less than He does or love us more than He does right now. Psalm 136, tells us that God’s love for us endures forever.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!For His mercy [steadfast love] endures forever.Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!For His mercy [steadfast love] endures forever.Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!For His mercy [steadfast love] endures forever:

(Psalm 136:1-3)

The word translated “mercy” comes from the Hebrew word hesed. It would be better to translate this word as “steadfast love” or “faithful lovinkindness” or “loyal love”.23 God’s love for us is steadfast, loyal and enduring forever! You and I are loved by God not because of who we are but because of who He is—faithful and steadfast.

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Two: the love of God is abiding, unfailing and everlasting

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes,I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

( Jeremiah 31:3)

Since our God is eternal, having no beginning and no end, so His love is eternal. God’s love for us is everlasting. God set His heart and love upon you before all creation, and His passion for you has not diminished. God has desired and delighted in His people from all eternity. And He will never fail to love them throughout all the ages to come. God will never forget us, though sometimes we may feel differently.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,And my Lord has forgotten me.”“Can a woman forget her nursing child,And not have compassion on the son of her womb?Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

(Isaiah 49:14, 15)

How unthinkable it would be for a mother to forget her nursing child, or to feel no compassion for her baby! There is such a strong bond between a mother and her child that we can hardly imagine such a terrible thing. Yet, we know in this world that it does happen, on rare occasions. But God emphatically states that His love for us is more secure than the strongest human love. He promises unconditionally, “I will not forget you.” God will never forget you, never forsake you, even when it may seem otherwise. His everlasting love compels Him to search for the lost and to cherish the saved.24 Look at how the Psalmist declares the unfailing love of God.

When my father and mother forsake me,Then the LORD will take care of me.

(Psalm 27:10)

For the LORD loves justice,And does not forsake His saints;They are preserved forever,But the descendents of the wicked shall be cut off.

(Psalm 37:28)

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There is nothing in life that can make us feel insecure when we understand the abiding, unfailing, everlasting love of God. No force can ever separate us from this love.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is forus, who can be against us? He who did not spare Hisown Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall Henot with Him freely give us all things? Who shall bringa charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifi es.Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, andfurthermore is also risen, who is even at the right handof God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:“For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”Yet in all these things we are more than conquerorsThrough Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, norangels nor principalities nor powers, nor thingspresent nor things to come, nor height nor depth,nor any other created thing, shall be able to separateus from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:31-39)

God’s love has no weakness. No circumstance can ever change it. God’s relentless and passionate love will never leave us nor forsake us. We are forever secure in His abiding love.

Three: the love of God is proved by the cross of Christ

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish buthave everlasting life.

( John 3:16)

Those who love much, give much. You can measure the depth of someone’s love by what they are willing to give or sacrifi ce for the well-being of another.

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God’s love not only motivated Him to give us good things, it caused Him to sacrifi ce His Son for us.

We hesitate to do anything for others that will cost us too much in one way or another. But God’s love for us cost Him dearly! God gave His only begotten Son for a hopeless, spiritually dead and sinful world. He gave His Son to face the intense cruelty of mankind’s hatred of all things holy. He gave His Son to bear the full weight of His wrath for the forgiveness of our sins. God counted the cost and in love sacrifi ced freely. The sacrifi ce of Christ in the cross proves the love of God.

For when we were still without strength, in due timeChrist died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteousman will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someonewould even dare to die. But God demonstrates His ownlove toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christdied for us.

(Romans 5:6-8)

When we were neither righteous nor good, God proved His love for us through the sacrifi ce of His beloved Son for our salvation. The supreme proof of the love of God is that God freely sacrifi ced His Son for those He loved and desired to save. God’s love for us is so deep, so sacrifi cial, and so benefi cial to those in whom He delights. The apostle John takes up this same theme in his fi rst letter.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us,that God has sent His only begotten Son into theworld, that we might live through Him. In this islove, not that we loved God, but that He loved usand sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

(1 John 4:9, 10)

The love of God for us was demonstrated to all through the sacrifi ce of Jesus Christ on the cross. We did not reach out to God; He mercifully and lovingly reached out to us. God’s great love compelled Him to save those who were naturally unlovable. If we desire to understand the depth of God’s love, if we wish to see the proof of it, we must focus our hearts on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There was nothing we could have done to make God love us. We were sinners through and through. God chose to love us sovereignly and graciously. And now nothing can ever separate us from this love.

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Four: the love of God compels us to live for Him

By this we know love, because He laid down His lifefor us. And we also ought to lay down our lives forthe brethren.

(1 John 3:16)

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to loveone another.

(1 John 4:11)

It is extremely diffi cult to focus on the love of God and not be motivated to live for God and love all of His people. Do you remember the defi nition of love that I gave you earlier? Love is a decision to desire and delight in someone else and to reach your highest joy by being with and fully giving oneself to the loved one. When we understand that God loves us this way, we want to love Him and His people in the same way.

It has been said that love is the badge of Christianity. It is how people know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.25 Sometimes that badge has been tarnished and it has not shined as it should. But when you truly understand the love of God, it changes you forever. You cannot but love.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus;that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all,that those who live should live no longer for themselves,but for Him who died for them and rose again.

(2 Corinthians 5:14, 15)

Do you feel constrained to live for God and Christ? Do you delight yourself in the Lord? Do you desire to be with Him and to give Him your all?

Most of us long to be loving people. But we fi nd it diffi cult. It is nearly impossible for us to love others unless we are convinced that they love us. But when you are convinced that God loves you, unconditionally and faithfully, you can feel secure in His love, and can love Him and others in the same way.

May our hearts come to fully know this wonderful, awesome love of God. And may that love cause us to live according to the words of this old hymn.

When I survey the wondrous crossOn which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but lossAnd pour contempt on all my pride.

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Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,Save in the death of Christ my Lord.

All the vain things that charm me most,I sacrifi ce them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,Sorrow and love fl ow mingled down;Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,That were a present far to small;

Love so amazing, so divine,Demands my soul, my life, my all.26

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CHAPTER SIX

The Goodness of God

In the gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus Christ is making his fi nal journey to the city of Jerusalem. In that city He will become the fi nal Passover sacrifi ce, the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the whole world.27 On this journey a young man approached Jesus to ask Him a question.

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running,knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, whatshall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

(Mark 10:17-18)

In answer to this question the Lord Jesus said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God (vs. 18).” Christ makes the bold declaration that only One person is truly good and that is His Father, God. Now, I don’t think that anyone would argue that Jesus Christ was a good man. In fact He was and is the best of men! But the Lord Jesus Christ indicated that if we want to know what is good or who is good, we must begin with God. Only the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one true God, is good.

The Greek word translated “good”28 refers to what is beautiful, excellent and appropriate in nature; what is supremely, morally honorable in character; and what is valuable, useful and benefi cial in action. When we say that our awesome God is good, we are saying that He is beautiful in His nature, morally honorable in His character and benefi cial in His actions. All of these ideas come together for us in Psalm 119:68.

You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.

These six words, “You are good, and do good,” sum up our God. He is good. He is all that He should be. He is holy and just and righteous and loving. He always does what is right. He is just and merciful and faithful and kind. He seeks the total well-being of His people.

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For You, Lord are good and ready to forgive,And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

(Psalm 86:5)

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting,And His truth endures to all generations.

(Psalm 100:5)Our great God is good. He is always ready to forgive. His mercy is everlasting.

And His truth endures today, tomorrow and forever. The goodness of God, like His holiness, is the foundation for many of His other attributes. His goodness affects His power, wisdom, love, compassion and sense of justice.

In Exodus 33:18, Moses made a bold request of God. He asks, “Please, show me Your glory.” God answered Moses and said, “I will make all My goodness to pass before you (vs. 19).” God promises to show Moses everything that is beautiful, honorable and benefi cial about Him. And then in chapter 34, He does.

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with himthere, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORDpassed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORDGod, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and aboundingin goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgivinginiquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearingthe guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the childrenand the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.

(Exodus 34:5-7)

When God passed before Moses and proclaimed His goodness, He revealed that He is merciful and gracious. He declared that He forgives and that He is also a just judge against unrepentant sin. God is good and so He manifests the most beautiful, honorable and useful characteristics. All of His moral perfection, and especially God’s desire to forgive sinners and bring them into fellowship with Him, sum up God’s goodness.

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laidfor those who fear You, which You have prepared forthose who trust in You.

(Psalm 31:19)

Not only is our God good, but His goodness is never mediocre. It is great! He has stored up goodness to share with His people. He has a warehouse full

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of blessing for those who trust in Him. We have a similar truth set forth in the New Testament letter to the Ephesians.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great lovewith which He loved us, even when we were dead intrespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by graceyou have been saved), and raised us up together, andmade us sit together in the heavenly places in ChristJesus, that in the ages to come He might show theexceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towardus in Christ Jesus.

(Ephesians 2:4-7)

The point of this section of Scripture is that God saved us so that He could bestow upon us endless acts of kindness. This is a very poor analogy, but think of God as Santa Claus. He has a huge bag of gifts out of which He is forever revealing wonderful and beautiful and useful blessings for His people! God will never run out of good things for His people because He is rich in grace and rich in goodness.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!For His mercy endures forever.

(Psalm 107:1)

The Hebrew word translated “mercy” would be better translated as “goodness.” It is the same word translated “goodness” in verse 8 and 9.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,And for His wonderful works to the children of men!For He satisfi es the longing soul, and fi lls the hungrysoul with goodness.

God is good and His goodness endures forever. He does wonderful things and satisfi es the deep longings within our souls.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,Slow to anger and great in mercy.The LORD is good to all,And His tender mercies are over al His works.

(Psalm 145:8, 9)

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The goodness of God can be seen in the fact that He is gracious. He shows good will and kindness to the undeserving. He is full of compassion for those who are hurt or in sorrow or distress. His goodness is seen in His slowness to anger. He has a long fuse and is patient toward those who deserve punishment, giving them time to repent. And His tender mercies are over all His works. He is good and kind in His common grace to all mankind. Acts 14:17 tells us that God “did good” in giving “us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, fi lling our hearts with food and gladness.” The Lord Jesus Christ said that our heavenly Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).”

I will bless the LORD at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth,My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;The humble shall hear of it and be glad.Oh, magnify the LORD with me,And let us exalt His name together.

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,And delivered me from all my fears.They looked to Him and were radiant,And their faces were not ashamed.This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,And saved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!There is no want to those who fear Him.The young lions lack and suffer hunger;But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

(Psalm 34:1-10)

Here is a Psalm that describes the happiness of those who trust in God who is good. God hears our cries and delivers us from our fears. He saves us out of our troubles and He provides for all of our needs. Philippians 4:19 declares,

And my God shall supply all your need according toHis riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

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And James 1:17 says,

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,and comes down from the Father of lights, with whomthere is no variation or shadow of turning.

Psalm 84:11 proclaims,

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;The LORD will give grace and glory;No good thing will He withholdFrom those who walk uprightly.

It is because of truths like those above that we often think of God’s goodness in terms of physical good gifts. He cares for our present temporal needs. God blesses us with food and water. He puts us in loving families. He gives to His people wisdom, strength and peace. He forgives our sins, and it is right for us to think this way.

But it is wrong for us to think that when we are going through tough times, God is not being good to us! God is always good to His people. But the apex of God’s goodness to us is not in meeting our physical or emotional needs. The pinnacle of God’s goodness to us is in the spiritual gift of our redemption and salvation from the penalty and power of sin. Let me give you an example.

Asaph wrote many of the psalms in the Bible and he was the chief of musicians under king David. One psalm in particular, Psalm 73, describes a time in Asaph’s life when he was going through a great crisis. Asaph believed that health and prosperity, and material blessings, were the sole indicators of God’s goodness. He knew that God was good. But Asaph saw that God’s people often go through times of struggle while the wicked seem to live a life of ease. This troubled him deeply.

The same thing troubles believers today. We tend to think that God is being good to us only when we are healthy, wealthy and free of troubles. Let’s see what caused Asaph’s distress and what he eventually learned about God’s goodness.

Truly God is good to Israel,To such as are pure in heart.But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;My steps had nearly slipped.For I was envious of the boastful,When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

(vv. 1-3)

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Asaph understood that God is good and that He does good things. And so he said in general, “Oh, I know that God is good to Israel.” This would be like one of us saying, “Sure, I know in principle that God is good. But He has not been good to me recently! In fact when I compare my life to some of the rank unbelievers out there, it looks like I’ve been cursed and they have been blessed!”

Our song writer was depressed when he looked at the supposed good life of the wicked, while he faced many of life’s struggles. He was so depressed about this that he almost turned his back on his faith (v. 2). So what did Asaph observe in the lives of the wicked?

. . . I saw the prosperity of the wicked.For there are no pangs in their death,But their strength is fi rm.They are not in trouble as other men.Nor are they plagued like other men.Therefore pride serves as their necklace;Violence covers them like a garment.Their eyes bulge with abundance;They have more than heart could wish.

(vv. 3-7)

When Asaph looked at the lives of the unbelievers around him they seemed to go through life without any problems. They couldn’t care a dime about God but they seemed happy and content. They had nice homes, new cars, and the most fashionable clothes. They were care-free and had more money than they knew how to spend. They were proud and arrogant and got away with wrong doing. They boasted about their wicked ways and said,

. . . How does God know?And is there knowledge in the Most High? (vs. 11)All of this greatly troubled Asaph and he cried,

Behold these are the ungodly,Who are always at ease;They increase in riches.Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,And washed my hands in innocence.For all day long I have been plagued,And chastened every morning.

(vv. 13-14)

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What is Asaph saying? He is saying, “Look what’s the point of trying to live a godly life? What’s the point of living for God? The wicked have the good life and all I have are troubles. I want out!” Now I know that many of us have felt the same way at one time or another. But there came a turning point in Asaph’s understanding that we can also have in our own understanding. He learned what the good life really is and what the goodness of God is all about.

When I thought how to understand this,It was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God,Then I understood their end.Surely You set them in slippery places;You cast them down to destruction.Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment.They are utterly consumed with terrors.As a dream when one awakes,So, Lord, when You awake,You shall despise their image.

(vv. 16-20)

When Asaph went into the sanctuary to read God’s law and to worship God, when he saw the altar and the bloody sacrifi ce for sins, then he fi nally understood the good life and the goodness of God. The wicked may live in mansions, but they have no everlasting home in the kingdom of God! They may be laughing now, but they will be wailing in fear before the fi nal judgment of God. The wicked seem to be living a care-free life with no troubles, but they are heading for ultimate destruction. The truly good life is living a life of faith in God. It is having God, His love and fellowship and His gift of everlasting life in His kingdom. Asaph was grieved by his earlier ignorance concerning what is truly good, and describes his sorrow.

Thus my heart was grieved,And I was vexed in my mind.I was so foolish and ignorant;I was like a beast before You.Nevertheless I am continually with You;You hold me by my right hand.You will guide me with Your counsel,And afterward receive me to glory.Whom have I in heaven but You?And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.My fl esh and my heart fail;

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But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.For indeed those who are far from You shall perish;You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.But it is good for me to draw near to God;I have put my trust in the Lord God,That I may declare all Your works.

(vv. 21-28)

Asaph fi nally learned that God is good and that He had been good to Asaph! In mercy and love, God offers salvation and everlasting life. And it is good to be near God! Nearness to God, fellowship with Him is our highest good. Therefore whatever interferes with our fellowship with God—a new car, a vacation, money, pleasure, the so-called good life—is actually bad for us. And whatever brings us closer to God, even life’s struggles, is good for us. God is good, and He is always working, even in our trials, to bring us closer to Him and to Christ-like maturity.

And we know that God causes all things to work togetherfor good to those who love God, to those who are calledaccording to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew,He also predestined to become conformed to the image ofHis Son, so that He would be the fi rstborn among manybrethren.

(Romans 8:28, 29)29

In all that we experience in life, the joys and the struggles, God is at work for the good of those who love Him and trust Him. And the ultimate good that our God is working toward, is to make us more and more like Jesus Christ. Becoming more like Christ allows us to have ever sweeter fellowship with God. One day we will be fully like Him (1 John 3:1-3).

We tend to think that our ultimate good is for God to spare us from all troubles. He should give us constant happiness, comfort and success, right here and now. We are too often like selfi sh children who think they know what will make them truly happy. But our good God knows what is best for us. And the best gift was the gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. That is why, when Christ was born the angels declared,

Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

(Luke 2:14)

Oh, give thanks to the LORD for He is good!(Psalm 107:1)

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CHAPTER SEVEN

The Power of God

Power, it is the ability to perform effectively and get specifi c and desired results. Power is one of the few things everyone wants in some form. Men and women have sought power and fought for power throughout all of history. But power placed in human hands has often been a negative force. It has been used selfi shly to steal from the many to give to the privileged few. It is rare when power entrusted to human hands is freely exerted for the good of others. The old saying, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is a tragic human reality. But the power of God is different.

God has spoken once,Twice I have heard this:That power belongs to God.Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy . . .

(Psalm 62:11, 12a)

Power, ultimate, sovereign power, belongs to God. He is all-powerful. His ability to perform effectively and get specifi c and desired results is infi nite. Speaking to God, Job says,

I know that You can do everything,And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.30

( Job 42:2)

And when Mary questions the angel about how she, a virgin, will conceive and be the mother of the Son of God, he tells her,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of theHighest will overshadow you . . . For with God nothing willbe impossible.

(Luke 1:35, 37)

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When God delivered the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He fed them in the wilderness with manna or bread from heaven. But the people soon complained, because they wanted meat. So God declared that He would give them a diet of meat for an entire month. But Moses doesn’t see how this would be possible in the desert!

And Moses said, “The people whom I am among aresix hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said,‘I will give them meat that they may eat for a wholemonth.” Shall fl ocks and herds be slaughtered for them,to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fi sh of thesea be gathered together for them, to provide enoughfor them?”

(Numbers 11:21, 22)

Moses asks God, “How in the world are You going to feed six hundred thousand men with meat for a month from supplies in the desert?” When you add in women and children the population God had to feed was about two million people! But God responds to Moses with a question of His own.

And the LORD said to Moses, “Has the LORD’s arm beenshortened? Now you will see whether what I say willhappen to you or not.”

(Numbers 11:23)

Another version of the Bible reads, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Is the LORD’s power limited?”31 God’s question is a challenge to His people. The answer to the question is crucial for a life of faith. And the answer of the Word of God is absolutely clear.

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens andthe earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.There is nothing too hard for You.

( Jeremiah 32:17)

The arm of the Lord is not shortened! There is no limit to His power. There is nothing too hard for God to accomplish. There is no prayer too hard for Him to answer, no need too great for Him to supply. There is no temptation too powerful that He cannot help you to overcome it. There is no hurt in your heart too deep for Him to heal. And this brings us back to Psalm 62 where we started.

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God has spoken once,Twice I have heard this:That power belongs to God.Also to You, O Lord belongs mercy . . .

(vv. 11, 12a)

Power, all power, infi nite power belongs to God. So too does “mercy.” The Hebrew word translated “mercy” would be better translated as “steadfast lovingkindness” or “loyal love.” God is the most powerful being in the universe, yet His power is not a negative force. He doesn’t use His power to take from others; He uses His power to give and to bless.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appearedto Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk beforeMe and be blameless. And I will make My covenant betweenMe and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

(Genesis 17:1, 2)

When God revealed Himself to Abram to bless him and confirm His covenant with him, he calls Himself “Almighty God.” This is one of the great titles for God.32 In the Hebrew it is “El Shaddai.” The title “Shaddai” means one who abundantly nourishes and satisfies. “El” means the great strong one or mighty one. Put together “El Shaddai” is the all-powerful one who abundantly nourishes and fully satisfies. Almost everywhere that the phrase Almighty God is used in the Bible, it is in the context of God blessing His people.

It is this awesome and infi nite power of God manifested for the good of His people that brings Him great praise and glory.

I will extol You, my God, O King;And I will bless Your name forever and ever.Every day I will bless You,And I will praise Your name forever and ever.Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Your works to another,And shall declare Your mighty acts.I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,And on Your wondrous works.

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Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,And I will declare Your greatness.They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,And shall sing of Your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,Slow to anger and great in mercy.The LORD is good to all,And His tender mercies are over all His works.

All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,And Your saints shall bless You.They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,And talk of Your power,To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The LORD upholds all who fall,And raises up all who are bowed down.The eyes of all look expectantly to You,And You give them their food in due season.You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

(Psalm 145:1-16)

Our all-powerful God opens His hand and satisfi es the desire of every living thing. He upholds all who fall. He is gracious and full of compassion. Proverbs 3:27 declares,

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

God does not withhold any good thing from His people that His power can provide.

This knowledge of God’s power and majesty and great goodness is greatly lacking today. This is one of the reasons why our faith is so feeble and our worship so weak. How could our faith be feeble if we reminded ourselves of God’s great power and awesome acts? How could our worship be weak if we thought deeply about the glorious splendor of God’s majesty? If our faith is feeble and our worship

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is weak, it is because we do not have a correct understanding of God’s power. Our God is a mighty God!

But our God is in heaven;He does whatever he pleases.

(Psalm 115:3)

For I know that the LORD is great,And our Lord is above all gods.Whatever the LORD pleases He does,In heaven and in earth.

(Psalm 135:5, 6)

For the LORD of hosts has purposed,And who will annul it?His hand is stretched out,And who will turn it back?

(Isaiah 14:27)

Whatever God wills, He can do. He is never hindered from manifesting His power. He never starts something that He cannot fi nish. There is never a divine power failure, never a black out or a brown out or a melt down. Our desires are many times far beyond our powers to achieve, but not so with God. It is no more diffi cult for God to create a universe or a butterfl y. It is no more diffi cult for Him to destroy a galaxy or save a soul.

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,And He who formed you from the womb:I am the LORD who makes all things,Who stretches out the heavens all alone,Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.

(Isaiah 44:24)

I have made the earth,And created man on it.I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,And all their host I have commanded.

(Isaiah 45:12)

Our Almighty God has created and stretched out the universe. He commands the stars and the planets. If He can create and hold the universe together, then

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He can redeem your life from destruction. He can put a broken life back together again. In Isaiah 40, God speaks to His ancient people who are much like many Christians today. They are people of God but they are despondent, they are defeated. They are people who feel hopeless and helpless. Therefore God calls out to His people and says, “Behold your God!”

O Zion,You who bring good tidings,Get up into the high mountains;O Jerusalem,You who bring good tidings,Lift up your voice with strength,Lift it up, be not afraid;Say to the cities of Judah,“Behold your God!”

Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,And His arm shall rule for Him;Behold His reward is with Him,And His work before Him.He will feed His fl ock like a shepherd;He will gather the lambs with His arm,And carry them in His bosom,And gently lead those who are with young.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,Measured heaven with a spanAnd calculated the dust of the earth in measure?Weighed the mountains in scalesAnd the hills in a balance?

(Isaiah 40:9-12)

Behold our God! He is all-powerful, yet ever so tender with His people. God alone has the might to create a universe and to keep the earth in perfect balance.33 If the power of God can create a universe and balance the earth, then He can certainly take care of you.

Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,Or as His counselor has taught Him?With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,And taught Him in the path of justice?

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Who taught Him knowledge,And showed Him the way of understanding?

Behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket,And are counted as the small dust on the scales;Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.And Lebanon is not suffi cient to burn,Nor its beasts suffi cient for a burnt offering.All nations before Him are as nothing,And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

(Isaiah 40:13-17)

Oh, how well we know all the great nations of the earth! There were the empires of Babylon, Greece, and Rome. But where are they now? They are all gone. So too is Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin. The Soviet Union is gone, and one day the United States of America will be gone too. But God is the Almighty, and His kingdom is eternal.

Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the LORD,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,And to those who have no might He increases strength.Even the youths shall faint and be weary,And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who wait on the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

Behold this awesome declaration of God concerning Himself! Who can be compared to Him? He is never weak, never weary. His power and might are infinite. No force of nature, no country and no power can thwart His purpose. God is able to carry out His will to its fullest and most glorious conclusion.

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Our God is able to conquer every obstacle in His path. He is able to subdue all things to Himself. And He is willing to help us exchange our weakness for His strength. God is able to save your soul. He is able to meet all of your needs. The Lord is able to heal your broken heart. The Almighty is willing and able to work within you to help you become the man or woman He knows that you can be. Behold your God! Behold His immense power and might and grace! Like our father Abraham, let your faith be strengthened by giving glory to God. For all that God has promised He is able to perform (Romans 4:21).

God is not just some nice grandfatherly type who has a kind heart and gives good advice. He is not someone who had a command of things yesterday, is groping for a handle today, and who is out of touch with tomorrow. We have fooled ourselves into thinking that God was the God of miracles in the days of the chariots, but He is impotent in the modern age. He who created the universe, who parted the Red Sea, who protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego34, who raised Jesus Christ up from the dead, He can and will exercise His mighty power for you! This great truth is made clear in the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers at Ephesus.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the LordJesus and your love for all saints, do not cease to givethanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofglory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelationin the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understandingbeing enlightened; that you may know what is the hopeof His calling, what are the riches of the glory of Hisinheritance in the saints, and what is the exceedinggreatness of His power toward us who believe, accordingto the working of His mighty power which He worked inChrist when He raised Him from the dead and seated Himat His right hand in the heavenly places, far above allprincipality and power and might and dominion, andevery name that is named, not only in this age but alsoin that which is to come. And He put all things underHis feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to thechurch, which is His body, the fullness of Him whofi lls all in all.

(Ephesians 1:15-23)

Our Almighty God wants you to know and experience “the exceeding greatness of His power.” He wants to share with you that power that raised

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Christ from the dead and enthroned him above all power and dominion. In God we have divine power to transform our minds and lives. We have power to live gracefully in holiness and peace. The power of God toward those who believe is creation power—it created a universe. It is resurrection power—it raised Jesus Christ up from the dead. It is ascension power—it set Christ at the right hand of God. It is dominion power—it gave Christ authority over all of creation. We desperately need to bring this power out of the dusty pages of history and into the present reality of our lives.

Again, in his letter to the believers at Colosse, the apostle Paul speaks of the awesome power of God available to the child of God.

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it,do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you maybe fi lled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdomand spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthyof the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in everygood work and increasing in the knowledge of God;strengthened with all might, according to His gloriouspower, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;giving thanks to the Father who has qualifi ed us to bepartakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.He delivered us from the power of darkness andconveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,in whom we have redemption through His blood,the forgiveness of sins.

(Colossians 1:9-14)

God, through His mighty power working in the Lord Jesus Christ, has delivered us from the power of darkness. He has conveyed us into His Son’s glorious kingdom. And He will strengthen us to face all of life’s challenges according to His glorious power. That power is unlimited and far beyond anything we could ever imagine.

We have divine power to overcome sin. There is divine power to heal and to restore. There is divine power to transform our lives, reconcile our relationships and to bring us peace. There is almighty power to bring us to salvation in Christ and to keep us saved till the day of our full redemption.35

We need to understand this great power of God and we need to let it change our lives. Our awesome God is worthy of our total confi dence. He is worthy of our absolute loyalty. And He is worthy of our heartfelt worship because of His awesome power that works in us who believe.

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Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantlyabove all that we ask or think, according to the powerthat works in us, to Him be glory in the church byChrist Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:20, 21)

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CHAPTER EIGHT

The Nearness of God

At times when I have invited people to church with me, they have objected by saying, “Well, I don’t need to go to church to fi nd God. If there is a God then I can fi nd Him in my home or at work or out in nature.” Although this objection misses the point concerning the purpose and benefi ts of going to church, there is great truth in it. God is everywhere. His presence is not limited to a church building. There is nowhere where God is not present.

Our awesome God is omnipresent. He is here, close to me. And He is right next to you! And if we were suddenly transported to the furthest corner of the earth or simply around the corner from where we are right now, God would be there. There is no place in heaven or on earth where God is not present. There is no way to confi ne God to a certain place. King Solomon understood this truth. Solomon built a majestic temple for the worship of God. It would be called the house of God. But Solomon made it clear, in his prayer to dedicate the temple, that God’s presence could not be limited to a particular place, not even the temple.

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heavenand the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How muchless this temple which I have built!”

(1 Kings 8:27)

God had promised that His Spirit and presence would be in the temple. But Solomon was wise enough to know that God would not dwell only in the temple. God transcends containment by anything in creation. You cannot limit His presence to a particular building or place in the universe. In some wonderful but inexplicable way all of God exists everywhere. He is near to you wherever you are.

It is not that a part of God is here and another part of God is over there. God is not stretched thin across the universe. Nor is He broken up into bits and pieces here and there. All of who God is and all of what God is, is everywhere both near and far. In Psalm 139, David expresses his wonder and amazement at

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how intimately God knows him. God knew David when he was being formed in his mother’s womb.

For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother’s womb.I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works,And that my soul knows very well.My frame was not hidden from You,When I was made in secret,And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.And in Your book they were all written,The days fashioned for me,When as yet there were none of them.

(vv. 13-16)

God also knew all of David’s thoughts and actions.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up;You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down,And are acquainted with all my ways.For there is not a word on my tongue,But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether

(vv. 1-4)

This is also true for you and for me. God has a personal and intimate knowledge of us no matter where we are or what we are doing. And like David there is no place we could ever go where God’s presence would not be there.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I fl ee from Your presence?

(vs. 7)

When David asked this question it was not because he wanted to fl ee from God. He asks the question to lay the groundwork for the truth that God is present everywhere. He is always near. For the unbeliever and the wicked this means that they can never escape God’s righteous judgment against them.36 But for the believer, for the child of God, the ever-present nearness of God is a great comfort.

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Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I fl ee from Your presence?If I ascend into heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in hell37, behold, You are there.If I take the wings of the morning,And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,Even there Your hand shall lead me,And Your right hand shall hold me.

(vv. 7-10)

If we suddenly found ourselves in heaven, God would be there. Should we die and be placed in the deepest part of the earth, God would be there. If we were to take the wings of the morning, which poetically describes riding a beam of sun light to the most remote part of some distant sea, God would be there. He would be there to lead us, to guide us, and to hold us with His power and love.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”Even the night shall be light about me;Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,But the night shines as the day;The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

(vv. 11, 12)

God is always present even in the deepest darkness. No literal darkness can hide us from God or keep Him from us. And in those dark times of life, in those times of trial and testing, God is always near. And He brings light into the darkness with His presence.

A very good example of this is Daniel in the lion’s den.38 Daniel’s enemies were trying to throw him out of power in the king’s court. Therefore they had a law passed that no one could pray to anyone but the king. They knew that Daniel would not keep this law. Daniel continued to pray to God and he was condemned and thrown into the lion’s den to face certain death. He was sealed into the den by a large stone that covered the opening and he was in literal darkness. The king, who knew Daniel, was so worried about Daniel that he could not sleep. But the next morning when he went to the den, Daniel was alive and unharmed “because he believed in his God (Daniel 6:23)”—a God who sees and protects His people even in the dark. Daniel knew that God was with him. Psalm 23:4 says,

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil; for You are with me.

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Whatever we do, wherever we are, God is right there to provide for us, guide us and protect us. We are always and everywhere in His constant care. There is simply no place to hide from God. And there is no place you could ever be, as a child of God, where God’s presence will not be there. If you are at home, God is there. If you are at school, God is there. If you are at work, God is there. If you are in some distant and dangerous place, God will be there. God is near to you at all times and in all places.

God is our refuge and strength,A very present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear,Even though the earth be removed,And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.Though its waters roar and be troubled,Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

(Psalm 46:1-3)

The LORD of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our refuge.

(vs. 7)

The LORD of hosts is with us;The God of Jacob is our refuge.

(vs. 11)

“The LORD of hosts” is always with us, therefore we will not fear. The Lord God Almighty is closer to you than your very breath. Speaking to the prophet Jeremiah, God declared,

“Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,“And not a God afar off?Can anyone hide himself in secret places,So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;“Do I not fi ll heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

( Jeremiah 23:23, 24)

There is no place where God is not. There is no place where the love of God is not, where the power of God is not or where the goodness of God is not. Psalm 23:6 states,

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow meAll the days of my life . . .

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Why? The answer is that God will already be wherever you are, wherever you may go. In the words of an old country preacher,

God is so high, you can’t get over Him,so low you can’t get under Him,so wide, you can’t get around Him.

In Acts 17:28, the apostle Paul said of God,

. . . in Him we live and move and have our being . . .

The apostle spoke these words to people who did not know the one true God. The Almighty surrounds all of us, both saints and sinners just like the atmosphere surrounds our planet. Psalm 145:18 proclaims,

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,To all who call upon Him in truth.

So why do we sometimes feel that God is so very far away from us? Why does He seem so distant at times? The problem is not that God has left us and gone far away. The problem is with our hearts. We have a moral problem. Our sin or sins have separated us from God. 39 When it seems that God is far from us, He is present, but we are alienated from Him in our heart. We are out of fellowship with Him. And the way for us to once again feel His sweet presence is for us to humble ourselves and ask for the forgiveness of our sins.

For thus says the High and Lofty OneWho inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:I dwell in the high and holy place,With him who has a contrite and humble spirit . . .

(Isaiah 57:15a)

When we humble ourselves before God and confess our sins, God once again dwells with us. We have fellowship with Him. The apostle John wrote,

. . . if we walk in the light as He is in the light,we have fellowship with one another . . .

(1 John 1:7)

This is why God is so intimately and uniquely with His people though He is not far from anyone. Not only is God with His people, He is in them!

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You are of God, little children, and have overcome them,because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.40

(1 John 4:4)

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord God Almighty is in you! His empowering presence is within you in the gift of the holy Spirit.41 God is not just near you, but in you! And He is in the church.

Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners,but fellow citizens with the saints and members of thehousehold of God, having been built on the foundationof the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself beingthe chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building,being fi tted together, grows into a holy temple in theLord, in whom you also are being built together for adwelling place of God in the Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:19-22)

The church is the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. He is with His people. He sees you as you arrive to church. He sees when you arrive late. He was next to you when you sang songs of praise and worshipped halfheartedly. He was there when you dozed off during the teaching of His Word. He sees everything that happens in His church—the good and the bad.

If this is true, and it is, it should change how we live and relate to others in the church. It should affect how we worship, how we give and how we serve. If my spouse is a believer have I treated him or her as the habitation of God? If my children are believers have I treated them as one in whom is the Spirit of the living God? If my parents are believers do I treat them with the respect I would have if I were face to face with God? Do we realize that when we inter-act with someone in the church, in the family of God, we are relating to someone in whom the very presence of God dwells? May God forgive us for our many sins against His people and against His holy and precious presence!

A knowledge that God is near should shield us from temptation to indulge in sin. A knowledge that God is near should motivate us to love and worship Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. A knowledge that our God is near should spur us on to Christian growth and maturity and to loving service to others. In the light of the truth that God is near us, indeed within us, may we take heed to the apostle Paul’s exhortation,

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,not as in my presence only, but now much more in

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my absence, work out you own salvation42 with fearand trembling; for it is God who works in you bothto will and to do for His good pleasure.

(Philippians 2:12, 13)

Each and every moment of the day our attitude and actions should show that God is at work within us. When we obey His Word, the very power and presence of God within us helps us to become the men and women we truly want to become. And together we grow into a beautiful and holy dwelling place for God in the Spirit. God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5),” Therefore “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22a).”

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CHAPTER NINE

God Our Father

In every age, people ask the question, “What is God like?” This is a question of great importance because it is impossible to have a true and vital relationship with God, without a correct understanding of who He is and what He does. A fl awed understanding of God leads only to a fl awed relationship. Thankfully, God has not hidden Himself from us. He has not left us to create a God in our own image. He has revealed Himself in our world and in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, so that we might know Him, love Him and fi nd true life in Him.

In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself by such titles as Elohim, the great Creator; El Shaddai, the all mighty One who blesses and enriches; El Alah, the ever faithful God, and He revealed that His personal name is Yahweh, the great “I am.” But God also called Himself by these wonderful names:

Yahweh-Jireh: I am He who providesYahweh-Rapha: I am He who heals youYahweh-Nissi: I am your banner and victoryYahweh-Rohi: I am your shepherdYahweh-Shalom: I am your peaceYahweh-Tsidkenu: I am your righteousnessYahweh-M’Kaddesh: I am He who sanctifi es youYahweh-Shammah: I am there43

The Old Testament declares our God to be holy, righteous, all-knowing and powerful. We see that our God is glorious and full of splendor and majesty. But the Old Testament does not fully explain God. The New Testament brings us a fuller and greater knowledge of God. It does not negate any of the truths we previously learned, it only adds something new and wonderful. And the truth that is presented to us is that God is our Father.44

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowedon us, that we should be called the children of God!

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Therefore the world does not know us, because itdid not know Him. Behold, now we are children of God . . .

(1 John 3:1-2a)

This is one of the most wonderful truths presented in the Bible. God, Elohim. El Shaddai, Yahweh is our Father! Nothing will more radically change the way we look at life and our circumstances than the reality that God is our Father. The crucial question before us now is this, what is our Father like? The New Testament has much to say, so let’s begin by looking at the relationship between God and His Son Jesus Christ.

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediatelyfrom the water; and behold; the heavens were opened toHim, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a doveand alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came fromheaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I amwell pleased.”

(Matthew 3:16, 17)

Immediately after Christ’s baptism and before He began His ministry, the Lord Jesus heard His Father say, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” In the Greek manuscript, the word translated “pleased” is eudokeo. It means to have strong delight, joy and happiness in something or someone. What has happened here, is that the Spirit of God came upon Jesus. And by means of this Spirit the very essence of God’s life and nature was in the Lord. And God was pleased and delighted to see His own life in His Son. What God is doing is expressing His joy in the Father and Son relationship.

This is just like when parents have a new baby. When they see their child for the fi rst time they are full of joy and delight. Now, what has this new baby done to bring its parents such delight? The answer is nothing! The baby is simply their child. So it is with God and His Son Jesus Christ. And so it is with us once we are God’s children fi lled with His Spirit. Let’s look again at 1 John 3.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed onus, that we should be called the children of God!

(vs. 1)

The word “children” is translated from the Greek word teknon, which means a child by natural descent. Ephesians 6:1 states: “Children, obey your parents

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in the Lord.” This verse is talking about real, natural children in a family. And the Greek word translated “children” is teknon. Believers are true and genuine children of God.

But as many as received Him [ Jesus Christ], to them Hegave the right to become children of God, to those whobelieve in His name: who were born, not of blood, norof the will of the fl esh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

( John 1:12)45

When we come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God performs the miracle of all miracles and we are born again, born of God’s Spirit. We become true children of God—God is our Father! And God our Father is pleased with us. He fi nds great delight and joy in us. God has the same pleasure in us that He has in the Lord Jesus Christ, simply because we are His children.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these arethe sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit ofbondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit ofadoption by whom [which] we cry out, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we arechildren of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs ofGod and joint heirs with Christ Jesus, if indeed wesuffer with Him, that we may also be glorifi ed together.

(Romans 8:14-17)

Those people who are led by the Spirit of God, who have the gift of the Spirit because of their faith in Christ, these are all sons of God. God is their Father. He is our Father. The word “sons” is translated from the word huios, which has reference to our origin and nature as children of God. God is our Father. We have His life within us through His Spirit.46

When this section of Scripture speaks of “the Spirit of adoption” in verse 15, this refers to our legal standing before God and the world as His legitimate heirs. In the Roman culture of the time even if you were a natural born son, your father had to publicly and formally adopt you to be his legal heir. Therefore by means of the Spirit within us, God publicly declares that we are His children and that we will inherit all of His everlasting blessings. You and I can live with the sure and certain expectation of inheriting God’s entire fortune along with the Lord Jesus Christ. God loves us because He is our Father and He freely shares with His children all that He is and all that He has.

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Once again let us look at the Lord Jesus Christ to see something about our heavenly Father.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knewthat His hour had come that He should depart from thisworld to the Father, having loved His own who were inthe world, He loved them to the end.

( John 13:1)

The context here is Christ’s last supper with His disciples before His sacrifi cial death. The Word of God tells us that Christ loved His disciples to the fullest extent that He could. And He knew these men better than they knew themselves. He knew that Thomas would doubt Him. He knew that the disciples would all run and hide during His arrest and crucifi xion. He knew that Peter would deny Him. Yet He loved them passionately and faithfully. In John 14:9, Jesus Christ said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” In other words the life of Christ shows us the heart of our Father God. God loves us passionately and faithfully even though He knows all about us. He loves us simply because we are His children.

I love my children when they are good or bad or indifferent to me. I may discipline them when they are bad, but even this is an act of love, just like our heavenly Father’s discipline.47 I cannot but love my children, because I am their father. Am I then a better father than God? Certainly not! Our heavenly Father’s love is strong and sure and we are secure forever in His love. Once we are born again of His Spirit, God is our Father, and we are His children. Nothing will ever separate us from this love.48 Our heavenly Father will meet our every need as we look to Him with confi dence and trust.

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you,do not worry about your life, what you will eat; norabout your body, what you will put on. Life is morethan food, and the body is more than clothing. Considerthe ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which haveneither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.Of how much more value are you than the birds?And which of you by worrying can add one cubit tohis stature? If you then are not able to do the least,why are you anxious for the rest?

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toilnor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in allhis glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then

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God so clothes the grass, which today is in the fi eldand tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how muchmore will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

And do not seek what you should eat or what youshould drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all thesethings the nations of the world seek after, and yourFather knows that you need these things. But seekthe kingdom of God, and all these things shall beadded to you.

(Luke 12:22-31)

Our heavenly Father knows our every need, every single one of them. In fact, He is aware of future needs that we do not even know exist. And He is more than willing and able to supply those things we need.

It would be horrible if my children had to worry about food, shelter and clothing. Only a heartless father would cause fear and worry in the hearts of his children due to his actions or lack of concern. Most fathers care more about the welfare of their children than their children will ever know. Sadly, not everyone has had a father that is good and kind. For some people the word “father” does not bring forth thoughts of loving care. But a person’s bad experience with an earthly father does not mean he or she cannot experience the heavenly Father’s true love. Fatherhood does not defi ne God’s character as much as God’s character defi nes what true fatherhood is like. Our heavenly Father loves us and will meet every need. He will even make sure that His children enter His everlasting kingdom.

Do not fear, little fl ock, for it is your Father’s goodpleasure to give you the kingdom

(Luke 12:32)49

God our Father will meet our every need here and now, and He will give us the kingdom to come. And as we wait for this kingdom, He will equip us with every spiritual enablement for His glory and our own good.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God alwaysconcerning you for the grace of God which wasgiven to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enrichedin everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,even as the testimony of Christ was confi rmed in you,

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so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting forthe revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will alsoconfi rm you to the end, that you may be blameless inthe day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful bywhom you were called into the fellowship of His Son,Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:3-9)

From God our Father comes grace, His divine favor and goodness, and peace the result of that grace. Our Father has and will enrich us with every spiritual gift and ability to meet all the demands of living a holy and powerful Christian life. Do you need wisdom, strength or patience? God will provide it!

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you willfi nd; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyonewho asks receives, and he who seeks fi nds, and tohim who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is thereamong you who, if his son asks for bread, will givehim a stone? Or if he asks for a fi sh, will he give him aserpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give goodgifts to your children, how much more will your Fatherwho is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

(Matthew 7:7-11)

If earthly fathers provide what their children need, then surely our good and perfect heavenly Father will meet our needs when we trust Him to do so.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and Godof all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, thatwe may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble,with the comfort with which we ourselves are comfortedby God.

(2 Corinthians 1:2-4)

Our heavenly Father is full of mercy. He will treat every one of us with kindness and tenderness. Our Father is the God of all comfort. He will always be there for us to guide us and strengthen us and encourage us. This comfort is not just a soothing spiritual hug. Rooted in the word “comfort” is the idea of encouragement. God will exhort us to move forward. He will give us the boldness

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we need to be obedient to His Word50. God our Father loves us more than we will ever know in this life. But one day we will understand and experience His love in a fuller and greater way.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,that we should be called the children of God, and suchwe are . . . Beloved, now we are children of God, and ithas not appeared as yet what we shall be. We knowthat when He appears we will be like Him . . .

(my emphasis in bold—1 John 3:1, 251)

Think about this awesome truth. Elohim, El Shaddai, Yahweh, is your Father. Let Him love you. Let Him be the Father you’ve wanted all your life and let this relationship change you.

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CHAPTER TEN

The Pleasure of God

Let me ask you a question. What makes you happy? What gives you pleasure? Is it certain people or events or things? Holidays make me happy. I love spending time with family and friends. It also brings me pleasure to cook a good meal for my family and friends and have them enjoy it. I am also delighted to see my sons grow and mature into faithful young men of God. I love to see believers understand more of God’s Word and grow in their faith, love and hope in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John wrote that he had no greater joy than to see believers walking in the truth (3 John 4).

So what delights you? What fully pleases you? I have a book in my offi ce entitled “The Life of God in the Soul of Man” by a 17th century preacher named Henry Scougal. There is a line in the book that strikes me deeply. It says, “The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.” The idea is that you can know how excellent or worthy someone is by what they love. You can see the beauty of someone’s heart by knowing what gives them delight, what gives them joy, and pleasure.

When you apply this test to God, He is seen as most excellent and worthy because he takes pleasure in His people and loves to do them good. A section of Scripture in Jeremiah 32, makes this point very clear. In this passage the people of Israel were going into captivity in Babylon because of their sins. They had walked away from God and they would soon see Jerusalem laid waste. All their dreams would disappear into despair.

But God had made a covenant with Abraham thousands of years before, that his descendants would be great and possess the land they were now about to lose. So to reassure Israel of this promise, God tells the people of a new covenant, an everlasting one, that will ensure ultimate blessing for the people of God.

Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where Ihave driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in greatwrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will

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cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My peopleand I will be their God; then I will give them one heartand one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the goodof them and their children after them.

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them,That I will not turn away from doing them good; butI will put My fear in their hearts so that they will notdepart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to dothem good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land,with all My heart and with all My soul.

( Jeremiah 32:37-41)

This wonderful section of Scripture presents a great truth about the goodness of God. We need to take a look at three specifi c points. God said that,

• He would make an everlasting covenant to not turn away from doing good to His people.

• He would rejoice over His people in doing them good.• He would perform all this good with all His heart and soul.

Although this promise has some specifi c points that relate solely to Israel, we must not think that it relates to them only. The everlasting covenant that God is making is the new covenant that was inaugurated by the sacrifi cial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore the heart of this promise is for all of God’s people. So, let’s take a closer look at each of these three points.

God will never turn away from doing good to His people

The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil; for You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You anoint my head with oil;My cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow meAll the days of my life;And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

(Psalm 23)

God is our shepherd, and a good shepherd never leaves his fl ock. God will always care for us, guide us and protect us. He will meet our needs, and He will graciously teach us how to obey His Word. But notice verse 6, specifi cally. It says that “goodness and mercy shall follow” us all the days of our lives. The word “follow” translated literally from the Hebrew means to pursue. So you could say that all of God’s goodness and mercy will be hard on our heels wherever we go, as long as we live. God is on a hot pursuit to lavish His goodness upon us!

Our God is never hesitant or indecisive about being good to us. He always knows what to do for us, how to do it and when to do it. Even in the presence of our enemies he will never turn back from taking care of us. No one and no thing can ever cause Him to turn back on His relentless course to bless us.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,who can be against us? He who did not spare His ownSon, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He notwith Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bringa charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifi es.Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, andfurthermore is also risen, who is even at the right handof God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shallseparate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough Him who loved us. For I am persuaded thatneither death nor life, nor angels nor principalitiesnor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

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nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,shall be able to separate us from the love of Godwhich is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:31-39)

Look at that marvelous phrase, “God is for us”! He promised that He would never turn away from doing good to His people. And He proved it by not sparing His Son, Jesus Christ. If anything would have stopped God from doing us good, it was our sins. But God gave His Son for us even when we were His enemies to save us from our sins. Therefore, there is now nothing, in all of creation that will ever stop God from freely blessing us with all good things. Our God is not a fair weather friend. He has made an everlasting covenant with us. Our Father will never turn His back on us, even in our worst troubles. He is always open to our prayers.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble;I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

(Psalm 50:15)

God’s ultimate goal is to be glorifi ed by His people, worshipping Him as the great and awesome God that He is. And God is the most glorifi ed when we are the most satisfi ed in Him.

God rejoices to do us good

Our God will never turn back from blessing us. But beyond simply going through the motions of giving us a blessing, He takes great pleasure in doing us good.

Let them shout for joy and be glad,Who favor my righteous cause;And let them say continually,“Let the LORD be magnifi ed,Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

(Psalm 35:27)

What a tremendous revelation! God experiences pleasure and delight in our well-being! He loves to see you prosper, especially spiritually. Many times there are things we do because we have to do them. But there are other times when we do things because we love to do them. God is delighted and pleased to bless you! He is never annoyed or angry because you may need His care. He isn’t bored with your mundane concerns. He looks forward to your calling upon Him.

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He does not delight in the strength of the horse;He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,In those who hope in His mercy.

(Psalm 147:10, 11)

God loves to come to our aid. He fi nds no pleasure in watching us muddle through a problem. He doesn’t enjoy watching us sweat and fret. But He loves it when we put down our calculators and our schemes and we place our full hope in Him. Our awesome God delights in our reliance upon His wisdom, power and faithful, loving care. The Lord’s people, you and me, are His never-ending pleasure.

Praise the LORD!Sing to the LORD a new song,And His praise in the assembly of saints.Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.Let them praise His name with the dance;Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;He will beautify the humble with salvation.

(Psalm 149:1-4)

You bring God great pleasure. His heart’s desire is to beautify all His people with the glory of salvation. He longs to fully redeem us from the grip of sin and to give us everlasting life. He takes great delight in fi lling our lives with love, joy and peace. His soul longs for the day when all of His people will stand before Him in all the glory they are destined to receive through the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is not an egotistical bully who shows off His power by demeaning people. His heart’s desire is to redeem and exalt those who are lost in sin and headed for destruction. God has overcome the greatest obstacle that would ever keep Him from blessing us—our sin. And He has done this through the horrifi c sacrifi ce of His Son on the cross.

The prophet Isaiah gives us a prophetic picture of Christ’s death for our sins. And it shows us the heart of God who freely gave up His Son for the salvation of the whole world.

Surely He has borne our griefsAnd carried our sorrows;Yet we esteemed Him stricken,Smitten by God and affl icted.But He was wounded for our transgressions,

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He was bruised [crushed] for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.All we like sheep have gone astray;We have turned, every one, to his own way;And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:4-6)

All of us were full of sin, grief and sorrows. All of us deserved to be stricken and smitten by God. Yet God laid the full weight of His punishment for our sins on the back of His Son Jesus Christ. And it would be blasphemous for me to say this were it not written in the Word of God: He sacrifi ced Christ with pleasure.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise [crush] Him;He has put Him to grief.When You make His soul an offering for sin,He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

(vs. 10)

My heart can barely take in this stunning truth. It pleased God to crush His Son for me. When Jesus Christ was beaten and crucifi ed for our sins, the fury of God’s wrath fell upon Him. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And all of this was done because it pleased God to save us!

God was pleased to give His Son for you. He was pleased to strike Him down so that you could be exalted in righteousness. God did not have to give Christ for you. He was under no obligation. But it pleased His heart to freely give His Son for your salvation.

We were a parched, dying desert in need of life giving water. And God had a 100 trillion ton fresh water reservoir that would fl ood our barren lives with goodness. What stood between us and that water was a dam called sin. But the death of Christ opened the fl ood gate and the awesome love and mercy of God poured forth. God was not reluctant to do this for us. He rejoiced to do us good. He took pleasure in our salvation even though the cost was infi nitely high.

God will do us good with all His heart and soul

God will never turn back from His pledge to do us good. He will rejoice and take pleasure in doing us good. And He will bring us to ultimate salvation with all His heart and soul. There is perhaps no greater section of Scripture to

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show that God’s whole heart and soul is devoted to our good than this prophecy from Zephaniah. It concerns the great day of God’s people’s fi nal salvation in the coming kingdom of God upon this earth.

Sing, O daughter of Zion!Shout, O Israel!Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,O daughter of Jerusalem!The LORD has taken away your judgments,He has cast out your enemy.The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;You shall see disaster no more.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem;“Do not fear;Zion, let not your hands be weak.The LORD your God in your midst,The Mighty One, will save;He will rejoice over you with gladness,He will quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:14-17)

Nothing so captures the inner feelings of our hearts as the songs that spring from them. In the great day when all of God’s people are fully redeemed, when He lives among us, there will be great, unabated joy. This great day will take place after Christ’s return and the establishment of the kingdom of God. The enemy of God’s people will have been cast out and then we will see disaster no more.

Think of the great songs of joy that will come from our hearts. But think of this too. On that notable day God will rejoice over His people and the thunder of the song of His soul will echo throughout the entire universe! If God spoke and the universe came into being, think what might happen when God breaks forth into song!

If the worth and excellency of a soul is measured by the object of its love. If we can know the quality of someone’s character by what he or she delights in, then how worthy and excellent is our awesome God? He is the most beautiful person in the universe. May our hearts fi nd pleasure and delight in Him just as He fi nds pleasure and delight in us.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Only True God

What does the word “idolatry” bring to your mind? Do you impulsively think of statues, gruesome totem polls and pagan gods and goddesses? All of these are forms of idolatry, the worship of false gods. But we can also worship ourselves, our money, our success, our nation, our ethnicity, or any number of seemingly benign things. The Bible says that covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5).

But idolatry can take on even more subtle forms. We can worship a distorted, warped and unbalanced view of God. We can elevate one aspect of His character, like love, to the exclusion of another, like righteousness, and this would be idolatry too. In Acts, chapter 17, the apostle Paul is in the city of Athens, Greece. He has been proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and news about Paul reached the academics of the city. So they brought him to their council to hear what he had to say. The apostle seizes the opportunity to tell them about the one true God.

Now while Paul waited for them52 at Athens, his spiritwas provoked within him when he saw that the city wasgiven over to idols.53 Therefore he reasoned in thesynagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers,and in the marketplace daily with those who happenedto be there.

Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers54 encounteredhim. And some said, “What does the babbler want to say?”Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,”because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. Andthey took him and brought him to the Areopagus,55 saying,“May we know what this new doctrine is of which youspeak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears.

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Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were therespent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hearsome new thing.

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said,“Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are veryreligious; for as I was passing through and consideringthe objects of your worship, I even found an altar with thisinscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing,Him I proclaim to you.

(Acts 17:16-23)

The people of Athens were very religious. They had an altar or statue for every god they knew. In fact they had an altar to an unknown god in case they missed one. In every human heart there is a natural inclination to worship. And if we are not worshipping the one true God, we will fi nd something upon which to set the affection of our hearts.

So Paul used the altar to the unknown god as a bridge to tell these philosophers about the one true God. The apostle tells them what God is like, what He desires for us and what He requires of us. God wants us to know Him, to understand Him, and to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the fi rst duty of mankind and our highest and most sacred privilege. But if we do not know the one true God or if we have a misconception about Him, we will miss Him and worship something other than God.

Sadly, many Christians have a misconception about God. They believe that God consists of a trinity of persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are taught that these three persons, who are all God, make up together, and not alone, one God. But this is not who God is.

Suppose that you had never met me but were told many things about me, some of which were true and some of which were not. You were excited to meet me, and you were asked to pick me up at the airport. You were told that I am six feet tall, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Well, you would go to the airport and search for me with all earnestness. But you would walk right past me, because I am fi ve foot fi ve inches tall and bald with brown eyes! In the same way, many Christians walk right past the one true God because He is one person and not three. In the Bible, God tells us exactly what He is like and who He is.

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For thus says the LORD,Who created the heavens,Who is God,Who formed the earth and made it,Who has established it,Who did not create it in vain,Who formed it to be inhabited:“I am the LORD, and there is no other.I have not spoken in secret,In a dark place of the earth;I did not say to the seed of Jacob,‘Seek Me in vain’;I the LORD speak righteousness,I declare things that are right.

(Isaiah 45:18, 19)

Our awesome God has not hidden Himself or made it diffi cult to know who Him. He has spoken openly about Himself. Notice in verse 18 the Scripture says, “For thus says the LORD.” The words “the LORD” are translated from the Hebrew word Yahweh, which is not a title but a personal name. The name means “I am that I am” or “I will be what I will be.” God had His name revealed thousands of times in the Bible, not to have it hidden from us by a faulty translation. He revealed His name so that we might know Him. Yahweh is the personal name for a single person who is God and there is no other. Earlier in this same chapter of Isaiah, Yahweh again declares that he alone is God.

I am the LORD [Yahweh], and there is no other;There is no God besides Me.

(vs. 5)

There is no other person besides Yahweh who is God! However, the sad reality is that this simple truth is either unknown or not believed by many who call themselves Christians. From the time of Adam, to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, up to the time of the original apostles, all true believers had faith in one God and one person who is God alone—Yahweh.

But in 325 A.D. this truth suffered a tragic blow. In that year the Emperor Constantine called a council of church leaders to the city of Nicea,56 to settle a question that was unsettling the Empire. The question concerned the relationship between God and His Son Jesus Christ. Due to political concerns, the infl uence of Greek philosophy and a disdain for Judaism, a

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minority of church leaders began to teach that Jesus was both God and man.57 They declared that there was one God, but this one God consisted of three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The majority of the church leaders at the council rejected this idea as unbiblical. But those who held to the concept of the Trinity had the power of the Emperor Constantine behind them. Therefore many of those who rejected the Trinity signed on to the new creed for fear of reprisals from the emperor.

Since the end of the 4th century, the doctrine of the Trinity has dominated the Christian church, but it is wrong. The simple and clear teaching of the Word of God is that there is only one true God and one person who is God.

To you it was shown, that you might know that theLORD [Yahweh] Himself is God; there is none otherbesides Him.

(Deuteronomy 4:35)

Notice the singular pronoun “Him.” How can you grammatically and logically call a being who consists of three distinct persons, “Him”? You can’t!

Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart,that the LORD [Yahweh] Himself is God in heavenabove and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

(vs. 39)

Hear, O Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] our God, theLORD [Yahweh] is one!

(Deuteronomy 6:4)

This verse is the celebrated creed of Judaism called the Shema, which means hear, listen, pay attention. It was the creed of Moses, King David, the Old Testament prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a confession of faith that states there is only one God and one person who is God—Yahweh. This verse could also read, “Hear, O Israel, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone.” The truth is God is one in essence and one in person.

The Hebrew word for one in Deuteronomy 6:4, is echad, meaning a simple unity as compared to a compound unity. Let me give you some examples of the word as used in the Old Testament.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam,and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed upthe fl esh in its place.

(Genesis 2:21)

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When God made Eve from Adam, He took one rib, a single rib, not the whole rib cage.

And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, whichtook the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea.There remained not one locust in all the territory ofEgypt.

(Exodus 10:19)

The emphasis here is that not a single locust, not even one, was left in Egypt. The word echad occurs over 500 times in the Old Testament, and never does it lose its numerical value. There is only one God and one person who is God. The Old Testament tells us this over and over again.

For who is God, except the LORD [Yahweh]?And who is a rock, except our God?

(2 Samuel 22:32)

that all the peoples of the earth may know thatthe LORD [Yahweh] is God; there is no other.

(1 Kings 8:60)

O LORD [Yahweh] of hosts, God of Israel, the Onewho dwells between the cherubim, You are God,You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Youhave made heaven and earth.

(Isaiah 37:16)

“You are My witnesses,” says the LORD [Yahweh],And My servant whom I have chosen,That you may know and believe Me,And understand that I am He.Before Me there was no God formed,Nor shall there be after Me.I, even I, am the LORD [Yahweh],And besides Me there is no savior

(Isaiah 43:10, 11)

But the LORD [Yahweh] is the true God;He is the living God and the everlasting King.

( Jeremiah 10:10a)

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And the LORD [Yahweh] shall be King over all the earth.In that day it shall be—“The LORD [Yahweh] is one,”And His name one.

(Zechariah 14:9)

The doctrine of the Trinity, of three persons making up one God, is not a teaching from the Old Testament. Nor is it a teaching of the New Testament, in spite of how some sections of Scripture have been mistranslated to prop up the doctrine.58 The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament. The Old Testament is the root of the New Testament fl ower. And the truth of one God and one person who is God fl ows from root to fl ower.

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered toidols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world,and that there is no other God but one. For even ifthere are so-called gods, whether in heaven or onearth (as there are many gods and many lords), yetfor us there is one God, the Father, of whom are allthings, and we for Him’ and one Lord Jesus Christ,through whom are all things, and through whom welive.

(1 Corinthians 8:4-6, my emphasis in bold)

These verses of Scripture make it perfectly clear that there is only one person who is God and this is our heavenly Father who is also the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is not composed of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is, always has been, and always will be one person.

For whatever things were written before werewritten for our learning, that we through thepatience and comfort of the Scriptures mighthave hope. Now may the God of patience andcomfort grant you to be likeminded toward oneanother, according to Christ Jesus, that you maywith one mind and one mouth glorify the Godand Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 15:4-6, my emphasis in bold)

All that was written in the Old Testament about Yahweh being the one and only person who is God was written for our learning. The one true God is the

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person revealed as Yahweh in the Old Testament and as “the God and Father” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Corinthians 1:3)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord JesusChrist, the Father of mercies and God of allcomfort,

(2 Corinthians 1:3)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ.

(Ephesians 1:2)

and that every tongue should confess that JesusChrist is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:11)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ.

(Colossians 1:2b)

If words have any meaning at all, if we believe the Holy Scriptures to be the authoritative Word of God, then we must understand that the person who is God alone is Yahweh, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our God and Father. Even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself attested to the fact that He is not God but that He has a God. Speaking to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection, Jesus said,

Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to MyFather; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I amascending to My Father and your Father, and to MyGod and your God.’

( John 20:17)

The Lord Jesus Christ is not God. He has a God—Yahweh, who is His Father and our Father. In John 17, we have Jesus Christ praying at the climax of His ministry before His arrest and crucifi xion. If ever there were a time to reveal

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that the one true God was a trinity of persons, this certainly would have been an appropriate time. But Jesus reveals that there is only one true God, His Father.

Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that YourSon also may glorify You . . . And this is eternal life, thatthey may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christwhom You have sent.

( John 17:1, 3)

Finally, one day a scribe came to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him, “Which is the fi rst commandment of all?” The answer that Christ gave should grip our hearts!

The fi rst of all the commandments is:“Hear, O Israel, the LORD [Yahweh] our God, the LORD[Yahweh] is one. And you shall love the LORD [Yahweh]your God with all your heart, with all your soul, withall your mind, and with all your strength.”

(Mark 12:28-30)

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ should carry more authority for us than the words of theologians and church councils. It requires a closed and prejudiced mind to continue to believe in the idolatrous teaching of the Trinity in the light of such powerful biblical evidence.

The time has come for people to read the Scriptures and take them to heart as God’s written Word and will. The Bible is God’s revelation to us concerning who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, clearly and boldly proclaims that there is only one God and one person who is God—Yahweh, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ must stop its idolatrous relationship with the Trinity. This is a grave sin that dishonors God. And it robs His people of fully loving God, who is our all in all.

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CHAPTER TWELVE

A Passion for God

“The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.” Do you remember that quote from the chapter on “The Pleasure of God”? When Henry Scougal wrote this he meant that you could tell the quality of someone’s character by what gives that person pleasure and delight. We have learned that God’s soul must be very excellent because He delights in His people.

But what about the worth and excellency of our souls? What is the all consuming desire and passion of our hearts? Are we as passionately in love with God as He is with us? King David was.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?The LORD is the strength of my life;Of whom shall I be afraid?When the wicked came against meTo eat up my fl esh,My enemies and foes,They stumbled and fell.Though an army may encamp against me,My heart shall not fear;Though war may rise against me,In this I will be confi dent.One thing I have desired of the LORD,That I will seek:That I may dwell in the house of the LORDAll the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the LORD,And to inquire in His temple.

(Psalm 27:1-4)

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This song of David is a bold expression of faith in God. In the midst of troubles, David confi dently trusts in God. In persecution, he praises God. In the midst of war, he worships God because God is his strength and salvation. But the power and beauty of this song is that David wants God Himself more than the deliverance that comes from God. He wants to “behold the beauty of the LORD.” He longs to be in the presence of God because there he fi nds joy. Many of the writers of the Psalms express this hunger and love for God. Once you understand how holy, good, righteous, powerful, just, kind and loving God is, you want Him more and more.

As the deer pants for the water brooks,So pants my soul for You, O God.My soul thirsts for God, for the living GodWhen shall I come and appear before God?

(Psalm 42:1, 2)

What magnificent imagery! Just like a hunted deer with its throat dry, its mouth sticky, its heart pounding, running from the hunter, and longing to drink by the peaceful brook, so the Psalmist desires God. The Psalmist knows that there is hope in God and joy in the presence of God. Do we long to be in God’s presence? Do we find fullness of joy and pleasure in worshipping God?

So very often we look for pleasure and joy in the things of the world. These believers found their soul’s satisfaction in God. They were passionate about Him. No other person or object was as satisfying. No matter how the world enticed them, they knew they had more than enough in God.

Whom have I in heaven but You?And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.My fl esh and my heart fail;But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

(Psalm 73:25, 26)

Look at the depth of passion for God! Asaph, the Psalmist, says there is no one in heaven or earth that he desires more than God. The Hebrew word translated “desire” means to fi nd great delight and pleasure in someone or something. The Psalmist found his delight and pleasure in God.

The goal of knowing our awesome God must not be to just get things from Him. The goal of understanding God must not be academic. We learn about God not to infl ate our heads but to ignite our hearts. We want our hearts to be on fi re with a passionate love for God.

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O God, You are my God;Early will I seek You;My soul thirsts for You;My fl esh longs for YouIn a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,To see Your power and Your glory.Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,My lips shall praise You.Thus I will bless You while I live;I will lift up my hands in Your name.My soul shall be satisfi ed as with marrow and fatness,And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.When I remember You on my bed,I meditate on You in the night watches.Because You have been my help,Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.My soul follows close behind You;Your right hand upholds me.

(Psalm 63:1-8)

Hopefully there will come a time in our lives when we are as passionate as David was about God. My prayer is that we will realize that true joy and delight is found in loving God. David sought for God early in the morning. And he thought about Him late at night. Do we do this? Do we seek for time and make time to be with God through prayer and the reading of His Word?

At the time that this Psalm was written, David was living in the wilderness because King Saul was hunting him down to kill him. There were pressing demands upon David’s life. But David discovered that when he worshipped God, when he spent time with God, his heart was abundantly satisfi ed. If we are restless in life, perhaps we have not yet found our delight in God alone. God has made us for Himself and our hearts will be restless until we fi nd our rest in Him.

Delight yourself also in the LORD,And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(Psalm 37:4)

We need to delight ourselves in God. We need to seek pleasure in Him. We must express our thanks and praise and love to Him, for our own good, as well as for His glory. All of us begin the Christian life with a passion for God. Our hearts are full of love and gratitude for all of His grace and mercy. But somewhere

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along the way our devotion cools. The reason for this is that we have, for some reason, transferred our affection from God to something else. Perhaps we have gone through a hard time of trouble where we could not see the hand of God. Perhaps we have been hurt by someone but we took it out on God. Perhaps we have learned to love playing church, rather than being truly devoted to God.

When these things occur, how do we rekindle our love and passion for God? If I were counseling a married couple whose love for one another had cooled, I would suggest the following. First, repent of your lack of interest in your spouse and ask for forgiveness. Most of the time, we lose interest in another person because we have become self-absorbed. Secondly, seek time and make time to be with your spouse. Praise your spouse. Seek to please the other person. And then watch for the miracle to happen in your heart. If our love for God has cooled, we need to do these same things to restore our passion. We must repent of our lack of interest, and we must make time to be with God in prayer and worship.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD!Call upon His name;Make known His deeds among the peoples!Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;Talk of all His wondrous works!Glory in His holy name;Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!Seek the LORD and His strength;Seek His face evermore!Remember His marvelous works which He has done,His wonders, and judgments of His mouth . . .Praise the LORD!

(Psalm 105:1-5, 45b)

Our God is an awesome God! When we seek Him, when we desire Him, when we give our all to Him without reservation, we receive back more that we could ever imagine. Our chief and highest calling is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. May you be changed for the better, forever, in your knowledge of and relationship with the one true God.

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ENDNOTES

1 Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia on the west coast of Asia Minor.

2 The word “LORD” with all capital letters, in the Old Testament represents the actual name of God, which is Yahweh, meaning “I am who I am.”

3 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’…” Psalm 14:1. See also Psalm 10:4 and Psalm 53:1. A fool is “One who is defi cient in judgment, sense, or understanding. One who can easily be tricked: dupe.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. (Dell, Third edition, 1994)

4 The expanse of heaven.5 i.e. their message6 John 3:16; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 1:77 God’s goal for our world is stated in Christ’s prayer in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom

come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is a day coming when the Lord Jesus shall return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. At that time all of God’s people will be raised to everlasting life. The wicked will be punished in the second death. And the kingdom of God will be established over all the earth bringing justice, peace and joy. The coming kingdom of God and Christ is the major subject of Bible prophecy: a) The kingdom will be given to Christ by God (Daniel 7:13, 14; Psalm 2:8; Luke 1:32, 33), b) it will be established at Christ’s return ( Mt. 25:31; 2 Tim. 4:1); c) it will be established by power and might (Ps. 2:8, 9; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2 Thess. 2:8), d) it will replace all earthly governments (Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45; 7:14, 27; Rev. 11:15), e) it will be fi lled with righteousness and blessing (Ps. 72:1-7; Is. 11:3-5; Is. 2:4; Ps. 72:3, 7; Is. 35:1, 2, 5, 6; Is. 11:9).

8 It may have been customary in the time to inscribe the name of a loved one or a sacred city on the palms of the hands as a means of loving remembrance. Manners and Customs of the Bible, James Freeman, editor, (Logos International, Plainfi eld, New Jersey, 1972), p. 272

9 Hebrews 6:16-19a, states, “For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confi rmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confi rmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fl ed for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”

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God’s promises to us are secured by two immutable things His self and His oath. God can swear by nothing greater.

10 Cherubim are angels associated with the glory of God. Two gold images of cherubim adorned the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:17-22).

11 Ephesians 1:13, 14; Romans 8:1-9.12 Galatians 5:16-2313 The seraphim are angelic creatures mentioned only here. They are involved in the

worship of God in heaven. They are different from the cherubim, mentioned in Revelation 4:6-8. Their name comes from a verb that means to burn with fi re. This may relate to their appearance or to their role in purifi cation. Fire is often a symbol for purity or purifi cation in the Bible.

14 Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:20, 2115 A prior punishment of the wicked happens upon the earth at the time of the Lord’s

return (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). There is also the wrath of God poured out on the earth before the great white throne judgment (Rev. 15-18).

16 Psalm 103:8; Exodus 34:6, 717 Psalm 73:11. Asaph describes the thinking of the wicked, who had concluded that

God, if He existed, was disengaged from people’s lives.18 The same truth holds for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Scoffers question the

reality of the Lord Jesus Christ’s return since it has been thousands of years since he ascended to heaven. The apostle Peter tells us that God is not slack concerning the promise of Christ’s return. He is patient, not willing for any sinner to perish in the fi nal judgment (2 Peter 3:1-9)

19 1 Corinthians 15:4520 Isaiah 53:4-6; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:2121 Genesis 12:1-322 Romans 7:1823 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Psalm 136:1 in the New American Standard Bible.24 Luke 1525 John 13:3526 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Isaac Watts27 John 1:29, 36; Isaiah 53:4-828 agathos29 This quotation is from The New American Standard Bible, (The Lockman

Foundation, 1995; pub. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA). The New King James Version states that “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…). But all things do not work together for our good. Rather in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

30 See also Matthew 19:26; Isaiah 55:10, 1131 The New American Standard Bible

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32 Other names and titles of God in Scripture are: Elohim—translated “God” indicating the God of creative and governing power (Genesis 1:1, 2:4); Adonai—translated “Lord” and signifi es the one who is the master and owner (Genesis 15:2); Yahweh—translated “LORD.” This is the personal name of God and means “I am who I am” (Genesis 2:4); Yahweh-Jireh—I will provide (Genesis 22:14); Yahweh-Shalom—I am your peace ( Judges 6:24); Yahweh-Rophecka—I heal and give rest (Exodus 15:26); Yahweh-Tzidkenu—I am your righteousness ( Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16); Yahweh-Shammah—I am always there (Ezekiel 48:35); Yahweh-Nissi—I will fi ght for you (Exodus 17:15); Yahweh-M’Kaddesh—I sanctify (Exodus 31:13); Yahweh-Rohi—I am your shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

33 In geology this balance of the earth is called “isostasy.” This is the study of the force or forces that balance elevated land masses with depressed land masses, so that the earth spins properly in its orbit.

34 Daniel 335 Philippians 1:6; John 10:27-30; Jude 24, 2536 See for example Amos 9:1-4 that describes God’s punishments upon the unbelieving

in Israel.37 Hebrew = sheol meaning the realm of the grave.38 Daniel 639 Isaiah 59:240 The “he who is in the world” is the devil, Satan.41 Romans 8:9-1742 This is not speaking of earning one’s salvation, but rather the living out of one’s faith

in the world.43 See end note #3 for chapter 744 In the Old Testament God is called the “Father” of the people of Israel (Isaiah 63:16;

64:8) because He created them as a nation (Deuteronomy 32:6; Jeremiah 3:4. 19). 45 The process by which we become children of God and God becomes our Father

is not a physical one. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God puts His Spirit within us. We are born again or born from above ( John 3:3, 6, 7). See also James 1:18 and 1 Peter 1:23. Before salvation we are dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). After coming to faith in Christ we experience a new birth by the “washing of regeneration” and the “renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

46 See chapter 4 in “The Gift of the Holy Spirit” (Xlibris Press: www.Xlibris.com, Orders@Xlibris.com, 2006) by this same author.

47 Hebrews 12:3-1148 Romans 8:31-3949 See Colossians 1:12-1450 See 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 for an example of this kind of comfort.51 New American Standard Bible52 His companions were Silas and Timothy.

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53 The city was full of statues to the mythological gods.54 The Epicureans were disciples of Epicurus (341-270 B.C.). They believed the chief

end of mankind was pleasure and happiness. This was achieved by avoiding excesses in life, freedom from pain and by loving other people. They believed that if gods existed they were not concerned or involved with events on Earth. The Stoics were followers of Zeno (334-262 B.C.) and were pantheists and believed the world was ruled by an absolute Purpose or Will. The person who conformed to this purpose would reach perfection. They were rigid in the personal discipline, the Epicureans were not.

55 Southwest of the Acropolis in Athens was a hill dedicated to the god of war, Ares, or Mars in Latin. This is where hearings were held concerning issues of religion and morals.

56 In the country of Turkey.57 Here are some recommended books on the history of the development of the doctrine

of the Trinity: Anthony Buzzard and Charles Hunting, The Doctrine of the Trinity, Christianity’s Self-Infl icted Wound, (International Scholars Publications, 1998, ISBN #1-57309-309-2). Greg Deuble, They never told me this in church! (Restoration Fellowship, 2006, ISBN # 0-9673249-5-5). And, Richard Rubenstein, When Jesus Became God, (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1999, ISBN #0-15-100368-8). Consider also the following quotes:

“The Old Testament tells us nothing explicitly or by necessary implication of a Triune God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit…There is no evidence that any sacred writer even suspected the existence of a [Trinity] within the Godhead… Even to see in the Old Testament suggestions or foreshadowings or “veiled signs” of the Trinity of persons, is to go beyond the words and intent of the sacred writers.” Edward Fortman, The Triune God, (Baker Book House, 1972), pp. xv, 8, 9.

“There is no trace of ‘three divine persons in one’ in the New Testament…No apostle would have dreamed of thinking that there are three divine persons…The mystery of the Trinity proclaimed by the church did not spring from biblical doctrine.” Emil Brunner, Christian Doctrine of God, Dogmatics, (Vol. 1, p. 226).

“Christianity derived from Judaism, and Judaism was strictly Unitarian. The road that led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not refl ect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.” The Encyclopedia Americana, (1956, Vol. XXVII, p. 294L).

“Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend

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to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament; ‘Hear, O Israel, YHWH [Yahweh] our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4)…the doctrine [of the Trinity] developed gradually over several centuries…By the end of the 4th century the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica, (Micromedia, 1967, Vol. XX, p. 126).

“The formulation ‘one God in three persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith prior to the end of the 4th century…Among the Apostolic Fathers there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.” The New Catholic Encyclopedia, (1967, Vol. XIV, p. 299).

58 See this author’s book Foundations for Faith, (Xlibris Corporation, 2005, ISBN #1-4134-6452-1), Appendix One, concerning John 1:1-3. See also, Buzzard & Hunting, The Doctrine of the Trinity, chapter VIII. And, Graeser, Lynn, and Schoenheit, One God & One Lord (Christian Educational Services, 2000, ISBN # 0-9628971-4-0), Appendices A and N.

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