In this life we are given a finite window in time with which to contemplate the mysteries of God. Many seek to understand what God is, when they should be asking who is He? In reality our Creator is never far away and He has revealed Himself to us in the pages of the Bible and in the life of Jesus Christ.
When Moses encountered God for the first time at the burning bush (Exodus 3), the Lord introduced Himself as “The God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” When Moses asked the Lord what His name was, God answered, “I Am Who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I Am’ has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14).
In ancient Hebrew, the phrase I Am and the name YAHWEH are synonymous and mean “I Am the One who is,” or “I am the self-existent One.” Interestingly, the Israelites of ancient times had such immense reverence for God that they did not even say His name. They would refer to Him as “Lord” or “The Name,” in both written and verbal communication.
The ancient Hebrews understood “LORD” to mean “YAHWEH” which is where the name Jehovah is derived from. The name Jehovah was never used until William Tindale introduced it in the 16th century. Jesus never called God Jehovah but rather, He referred to Him most as “Father.”
The term “god” means “strong one or mighty leader,” and in order to differentiate between false or man-made gods, the writers of the Bible capitalized the G when God was used in reference to YAHWEH. God is often depicted as “holy,” which means “unique or one-of-a-kind.” God is infinite and our finite minds cannot fathom His enormity.
Many Names To Describe God
The writers of the Bible used many names to describe God. He is often called “Most High,” “The Living God,” “The Eternal One,” “El Shaddai,” “Elohim,” “Adonai,” “The Lord God Almighty,” “The Everlasting God,” “The Lord of Hosts,” “The Ancient of Days” and “Father,” among other names.
These names tell us in personal terms what God is like which infers that humans can have a relationship with their Creator. Right from the beginning, Adam had a relationship with God in the garden of Eden and spoke with God and God spoke to him. The Bible tells us that the Lord God brought all the animals He had made to Adam and commissioned him to name them.
God is not an impersonal force as some would have you believe. He is personable and knowable and He incarnated as a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, illustrating His personality and human-like attributes. Not surprisingly, His nature is much like ours, or in fact, our nature is much like His, since we were made in His image.
Humans are not duplicates of God, since humans are not omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent or eternal. Hosea 11:9 informs us, “For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you.” God has always existed and always will exist. He is from “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2).
However, we do share a commonality insofar as we have emotions, as He does, we love and He loves, we are creative as He is creative. We also have the capacity to reason and choose between right and wrong. As images of God, mankind is set apart from the animal kingdom. We have a spirit and a soul that is unique in creation. Just as God is Spirit, so human beings have a spirit.
Despite being made in the image of God, our mortality prevents us from seeing God face to face. Moses who had an intimate relationship with God and spoke to Him as a friend (Exodus 33:11), was not permitted to see God’s face. In Exodus 33:19-20, we are told, “And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see Me and live.'”
The Perfect Redemption Plan
God is perfect, and He executed the perfect redemption plan by bridging the gap between Himself and mankind through the person of Jesus Christ. In doing so, He turned the incomprehensible and inconceivable into something comprehensible and conceivable. The Creator stepped into His creation and made Himself relatable on the most elementary of levels so humanity could take Him in and perceive His ways.
No human imagination could have ever conjured up such a unique plan based on the premise of holiness and humility. He walked with us and talked with us. He taught us what it means to be holy and He ultimately led by example, going to the extreme sacrifice of taking the punishment we deserve upon Himself, for our sins. He became our perfect atonement.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10). Jesus is God in the flesh and with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
In John 8:58, Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I Am!” This reference to Exodus 3:14 is both intentional and meant to underscore the eternal nature of Jesus. John wrote earlier that, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” (John 2:18).
John 17 records Jesus’ supplication to the Father on the night He was betrayed. His divinity and preeminence are evident in His words as He articulates that He is as eternal as the Father. “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:4-5).
Jesus revealed that He was gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). Christ’s posture is reflective of the Almighty’s insofar as God never forces man to do anything. He isn’t coercive or manipulative. Despite having unlimited power that controls all of the forces of nature, God handles mankind with gentleness and tenderness. He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice in the cave at Horeb (1 Kings 19:12-13).
When we pray, God answers us in that same still, small voice. In our weakness, anything more than a gentle response would be too much for us to bear. Man cannot withstand the full blown glory of the Lord. When all of Israel were camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai God warned Moses not to let them come up the mountain with him or He would break out against them and many would perish (Exodus 19:20-24).
Paul reveals in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 that when Jesus returns He will overthrow the antichrist with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by the splendor of His coming. The very same breath that spoke the world into existence will conquer evil with the sword that comes out of Christ’s mouth when He returns (Revelation 19:21).
It is truly amazing how the ultimate power of the universe has such a soft spot for humanity. His patience with us is immeasurable and His mercy knows no bounds. 2 Peter 3:9 informs us that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
God Is Love
The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:16), and because He loved the world, He sent His one and only Son to save those who would believe in Him. (John 3:16-18). Jesus said,”Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13). And that’s exactly what God did for us. He gave of His very self to set us free from the bondage of sin.
Jesus is depicted as holy or “one and only” as the Son in the very same manner that God is described as holy, or one-of-a-kind. Jesus is holy just as God is holy. In biblical Hebrew, “Kadosh” translates as “holy,” meaning to be “set apart” or distinct. “Kadosh” is more than an assertion of sinlessness. Holiness possesses a much deeper connotation than religious purity and it is explicitly divine.
God will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 96:13). The Bible uses Jesus and God interchangeably regarding judgement. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus says He will judge all the nations with a justness that vindicates the authentic believer and convicts the nonbeliever. He is uncompromising in His judgement and does not apologize for His sovereignty.
God is who He has revealed Himself to be and Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be. The Bible intimates that they are one and the same. The Ancient of Days declares in Malachi 3:6, “I the Lord do not change.” and the writer of Hebrews affirms, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).
John’s Revelation authenticates the eternal nature of Christ, “I am the Living One, I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18). Furthermore, John reveals that the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” has a sword coming out of His mouth with which He will strike down the nations (Revelation 19:15) and “He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself.” (Revelation 19:12).
The complexity and vastness of God is both astounding and profound. Who can argue against Him (Romans 9:20)? He stands before the peoples and proclaims “I Am who I Am!”
