Beginning to talk about God

In this episode Brother Jonathan begins a series on basic doctrines.

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Beginning to talk about God

 

Introduction We’re going to be basing a series of Bible studies on what the early Christians believed were the most important aspects of doctrine. This is from the Nicene Creed of 325: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.” “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;” “By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth];” “Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;” “He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;” “From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” “And in the Holy Ghost.” “[But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'— they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.]” It’s important to note that the word “catholic” did not always refer to Roman Catholicism. The word simply means “universal” or “common”. Its use before the formation and rise of Roman Catholicism was just referring to the “common faith” of Christianity. These points were emphasized by early Christians in creeds such as the Apostle’s Creed and a revised form of this one in Constantinople in 381. We’ll use the Nicene Creed of 325 as a basic outline. The points that are emphasized can be laid out very basically as: Biblical view of God the Father, Creator Biblical view of God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God Jesus as Creator also—this we’ll include when we talk about the deity of Christ. An understanding of the reason for the incarnation—that God became a man. An understanding of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Biblical view of the second coming of Christ. Biblical view of the Holy Spirit An understanding of how changes in certain of these points makes one an apostate. Scholars have noted that Christians very early on were organizing basic doctrinal statements of faith that we call “creeds”. Scholars are growing in their conviction that one of the earliest is actually referred to by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1 Cor. 15:1-8) Again, we see the basic points that were being preached by the early Christians: Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures He was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures He was seen by: Cephas (Simon Peter) The Twelve Over 500 believers at once James, the brother of Jesus All the Apostles again Saul, who would be Paul There’s also an emphasis by Paul that if someone doesn’t continue to believe this then they have “believed in vain”. That is, it will not profit them at all because they did not continue to believe. I discuss the importance of this early creed in our episode on defending the resurrection of Christ. For the moment, I’ll mention that it’s important because it predates any New Testament scripture. This proves that the early Christians were preaching the same gospel that we have today right out of the gate. This refutes the notion that people began to “add to the legend” of Jesus over time. No. The early Christians preached the gospel and the deity of Christ right from the very beginning. So let’s begin by talking about God. Specifically we’re focusing on God the Father right now. Although, it’s obvious that the attributes and character of God are going to be consistent throughout the Trinity. We’ll focus on Jesus as the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity in separate episodes. We’re not doing in-depth critical or doctrinal studies here. We’re just going to be looking at scriptures and at times discussing some things. There are many good resources for this sort of thing and at times I’ll mention some of them. God the Father, Creator God is Spirit “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17:24-25) “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Tim. 1:17) cf. Hebrews 11:27 “And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice… Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,” (Deut. 4:11-12, 15-16) God is Eternal “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exo. 3:14) “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” (Isa. 40:28) “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isa. 44:6) “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psa. 90:2) Other verses: Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 45:6; Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:34. God is Self-existent and Self-sufficient “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exo. 3:14) “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isa. 66:1-2) “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17:24-25) God is Immutable – “unchanging” “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” (Psa. 102:25-27) “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6) “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num. 23:19) “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” (Psa. 33:11) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jas. 1:17) “variableness” – there is no change in his understanding. “shadow of turning” – there is no fickleness in Him. God is Omnipotent – “all powerful” “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” (Jer. 32:17) “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27) “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26) “Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” (Job 42:1-2) “For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” (Psa. 135:5-6) “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35) God is Omnipresent – “all present” “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (1Ki. 8:27) “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psa. 139:7-10) “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” (Jer. 23:23-24) “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:24-28) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt. 28:18-20) God is Omniscient – “all knowing” “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” (1Sam. 2:3) “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” (Dan. 2:20-22) “Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?” (Job 37:16) “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” (Psa. 147:4-5) “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” (Psa. 139:1-4) God is Holy “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.” (Psa. 111:9) “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isa. 57:15) “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isa. 6:1-3) cf. (Revelation 4:8) “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exo. 15:11) “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.” (Isa. 40:25) God is Righteous “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” (Psa. 7:9) “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” (Psa. 97:2) “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” (Psa. 119:142) “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 9:24) “But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.” (Isa. 5:16) God is True “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.” (Jer. 10:10) “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isa. 46:9-10) “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” (Tit. 1:2) God is Just “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deut. 32:4) “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.” (Isa. 45:21) “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (Rev. 15:3) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23-26) God is Love “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” (2 Cor. 13:11) “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1Jn. 4:8) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-7) “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” (Exo. 34:6-7) God is Merciful “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psa. 145:8) “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;” (2 Cor. 1:3) “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jas 5:11) “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36) “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Psa. 103:10-14) God is Patient “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psa. 145:8) “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1Pet. 3:20) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pet. 3:9) “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4) God is Creator “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1) “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exo. 20:11) “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.” (Heb. 3:4) “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isa. 45:12) “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” (Isa. 45:18) “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” (Jer. 10:12) There is ONE God The Bible teaches “monotheism”. Coming from the Greek words “monos”, meaning “only, alone”, and “theos”, meaning, “god”. The emphasis is that there is only one entity in this class. There is only one entity that can refer to itself as “God”. This is different than the idea of “unitarianism” which denies the idea of the Trinity—that God is three-in-one—and necessarily denies the deity of Christ. (If there is only one God, and He is not three-in-one, then Jesus could not be called “God” or the “son of God”) Monotheism is a necessary biblical doctrine. If someone does not affirm monotheism, then they cannot be a Christian. They would be teaching “polytheism”, “many gods”. We will talk more about this when we talk about the Trinity. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” (Deut. 6:4) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” (Mark 12:29) “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” (Isa. 45:5-6) “That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.” (1Ki. 8:60) God has REVEALED Himself The God who created all things has REVEALED Himself, or, He has given us a “revelation” of Himself. The Bible lists several ways that God has given to men a knowledge of Himself. These can be considered under two categories: Special Revelation, and General Revelation. General Revelation Creation “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” (Psa. 19:1-3) “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Rom. 1:18-21) Conscience “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)” (Rom. 2:14-15) Special Revelation “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Heb. 1:1-2) The Prophets This would include the entire Old Testament. Christ Himself said that the entire Old Testament canon spoke of Him: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” (Luke 24:44) Christ is the fulfillment of what God intended for the Law of Moses. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mat. 5:17-18) The Son of God All that the Apostles taught came, ultimately, from Jesus Himself. They were expounding and explaining the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was HIS doctrine they taught. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mat. 28:18-20) “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:12-14) “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21) “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” (1Tim. 6:3-5) He is the Father The Bible makes clear that God is the Father of Jesus of Nazareth. This is not meaning that God the Father came down and had sexual intercourse with Mary. That’s not what the Bible teaches. This idea is falsely promoted by some cults that try to slander Christianity. It simply means that Jesus of Nazareth’s birth was the direct result of a procreative act where the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” Mary (Matt. 1:18-20 and Luke 1:35). He is begotten, in that sense, by God the Father, through the Spirit, from Mary. It was a spiritual act that resulted in Jesus’ birth and not a physical one. Jesus and the Apostles regularly referred to God as His Father. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21) “I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” (John 8:18) “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” (Gal. 4:4) “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1Jn. 4:14)