Stage 1
God
"You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you" Nehemiah 9:6.Everything in the universe was created by God's hand (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3). This is not just the stars, the sun and the earth. This also includes you.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14.God is far too great for us to fully understand. He has no beginning and He has no end. But what is God like? The Bible reveals that God is:
"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you" Jeremiah 32:17 (see also Matthew 19:26; Ephesians 3:20).God's power is without limit. But even more than this, God has the right to use that power in any way He sees fit. This is what the Bible means when it says God is sovereign (Isa.40:10-29).
"You hem me in - behind and before.Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Psalm 139:5,7 (read also verses 8-10).God is everywhere. His presence is not just limited to a church or cathedral. He is with you at home, at work, wherever you are.
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord" Psalm 139:1-4 (read the whole Psalm; also 1 John 3:20).God knows everything. His knowledge, like His power, is without limit.
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" Hebrews 4:13.God is absolute in knowledge, absolute in power and absolute in presence. But if God knows everything, then He knows every sin I have committed. If He is everywhere, there is no place I can escape His hand. If He is all-powerful, He can judge and destroy me. If all we know is the attributes of God, and know nothing of His nature, we have every reason to fear Him.
".our God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:29.
"There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you." 1 Samuel 2:2 (read also Isaiah 6:1-5).God is absolutely holy. This does not just mean that God cannot do evil. It also means that nothing evil is allowed to enter into God's holy presence (Exodus 33:20).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 (see also 1 John 4:10).God is not only perfect in holiness; He is also perfect in love. He is moved by compassion for His creation (Psalm 145:17-18). He is a Person we can get to know (James 4:8).
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love." 1 John 4:16.
"And (God) passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation'" Exodus 34:6-7.It is important to see God's whole nature, not just focus exclusively on one part. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of holiness. He is a God of compassion, but He is also a God of justice (read Jeremiah 9:23-24). When mankind sinned, God was faced with a problem. He loved us, but His holiness demanded judgment be sentenced against us. He could not turn a blind eye to our sin. So in His wisdom, God sent Jesus to die in our place. Instead of punishing us, as He has the right to, God took on Himself the punishment His holiness demanded. The Cross was where the love of God and the holiness of God met.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8 (see also 1 John 3:1).
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" Romans 1:20.Creation reveals the attributes and character of God. This is like a rough sketch of the image of God.
"No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" John 1:18 (see also Col.1:15).In Jesus, we see the nature of God expressed. He is the perfect image of God - not a rough sketch, but an exact likeness. In Christ, we see everything that God is - His love, His holiness, His wisdom and His power - all in perfect balance.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" 2 Corinthians 4:6 (see also Hebrews 1:3).
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, © New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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