who is God?
How do you describe someone
to another who doesn't know them? How do you identify them? What if that
first someone is God?
Genesis 1:1 In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
This is how God is introduced
to us in the bible. Unfortunately it loses a little in the translation.
Other than God as the creator, is there anything implied in "In the beginning
God . . .?"
There are three hebrew words
for "god" in the bible, and this one is `elohiym.
What
does this imply about the creator of the universe? (the other words are
`êl
(mighty
or [the] might) and
`elôhêy
or `elôah (god)).
Exodus 6:2-3, Genesis 2:4
When
the LORD God made the earth and the heavens . . .
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear,
O Israel: The LORD our God (`elohiym),
the LORD is one.
How does this expand on the
first passage?
Exodus 3:13-15 .
. . God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the
Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.' "
John 8:58 "I
tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
How do these passages relate
in what they tell us about God. Consider Jesus' statement in John and remember
that YHWH (LORD) sounds a lot like hâyâh
(I AM)? Why else might Jesus say "I am," and not "I was?"
John 4:24 God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
What do you understand by
the term spirit?
John 14:6, and John 1:1-4.
These all refer to God (and Christ), as the Word or the truth.
What does this tell us about the nature of God as a spirit? What is so
special about truth?
How does this relate to the
idea that God, knows all, even our secret thoughts and deeds?
John 14:6 also refers to God
as the Way. We usually understand that to mean the way to the Father is
through Christ, but the only reference to what we call Christianity in
the bible, is also as "the Way" (Acts 9:2;19:9,23;24:14&22). Chinese
Taoism is the belief that there is a proper "way", or in Chinese, "Tao"
to live. Confucius ends his conception of the Tao with, "This is the Tao.
I do not know if anyone has ever kept it." God gave the Hebrews a set of
rules to live by as his people, but they could not. Then when Jesus came,
he (as God) said, "I am the way."
What does Jesus statement that
he is "the life" tell us? Why "the Life?" What kind of life?
John 1:14 The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,
the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace
and truth.
1 John 4:8 Whoever
does not love does not know God, because God is love.
How does this go further than
just saying "God is a loving God?" What exactly does it mean?
How then would you describe
God, identify him to people?
Extra
references to check out.
John 11:25, 1 John 4:1-3,1
John 5:20. 1 John 1:5, 2 John 1:7, Mark 12:28-34