The Most Important Question We Can Ask Who Is God? The Most Important Question We Can Ask

I Am The Significance of God’s Name

YHWH: The Name of God In Exodus 3 God reveals his name to Moses Hebrew – YHWH English – I Am Who I Am Anytime in the OT you see “the LORD “ it is YHWH Often wrongly translated as “Jehovah” What YHWH literally means is “was, is, will be” The name of God reveals his nature God simply is We must say “I am who I am BECAUSE…” God’s very being is fundamental reality

Why the Name Matters #1 – It’s God’s name In Scripture names are not insignificant Examples: Adam, Saul, Jesus, Peter, Daniel and co., etc., Names reveal something about the person #2 – God’s name is an open ended statement I Am ______________ The Bible is, in many ways, an answer to this question #3 – God has revealed himself to us There can be no knowing God otherwise

The Essential Attributes of God What Makes God Who He Is

The Traditional Response Traditionally there are three qualities ascribed to God that make him God Omnipotence – the ability to do anything Omniscience – the ability to know anything Omnipresence – the ability to be anywhere These traits do not appear in Scripture They are from philosophy, specifically Aristotle This does not mean they are wrong, just that they aren’t what God has revealed So what does the Bible say? Here are five essential attributes of God Holy, Love, Wisdom, Beauty, Presence

God is Holy Leviticus 19:2 This is the most cited attribute of God in Scripture What does “Holy” mean? Set Apart, Different, Other, Pure God is holy, which means… God is an entirely different kind of being than us God’s relationship with the world, humanity, etc., is entirely different than ours God’s love, wisdom, beauty, etc., is different and far more pure than ours God is pure, entirely uncorrupted by sin

God is Love 1 John 4:8 This is probably the most cited attribute of God in our society Though our society doesn’t know what love is What does “love” mean? Actively working for the good of another God is love, which means… God is always working for our good God always cares God is the source of grace and mercy

God is Wisdom Romans 11:33 This was seen as God’s most important attribute in the Middle Ages What does “wisdom” mean The quality of knowledge and good judgment God is wisdom, which means… God’s understanding is infinite Everything God does is the best course of action God truly knows right and wrong, good and evil God’s decisions are always just

God is Beauty Psalm 24:7 This is one of the key attributes of God in the Eastern Orthodox Church God is beauty, and the goal of the Christian life is to become beautiful What does “beauty” mean The quality that pleasurably exalts the senses, mind, or spirit God is beauty, which means… God is GOOD God is desirable God is a pleasure to know, be near, and to be in relation with God’s work is a reflection of himself

God is Present Exodus 33:16 In Scripture it is the presence of God that makes all the difference God’s power is always associated with his presence What does “presence” mean? God is truly among us; God is glorious God is present, which means… God is not some far off deity sitting on a cloud God is truly with us God is truly changing our lives God is truly using us to change the world around us

The Incarnation Test Jesus is the perfect revelation of God to us He truly shows us who God is If Jesus does not exhibit a trait, it is not an essential part of God This is where the three omni’s suffer Jesus was not everywhere at once (omnipresence), he did not know everything (omniscience), and he acted on the Spirit’s power (omnipotence) Jesus is a human being, with all the limits and struggles therein Is Jesus holy? Was Jesus loving in all things? Was Jesus wise? Did Jesus display beauty? Did Jesus’ presence change lives? Are we called to the same standard?

God Is… All five attributes are not things God possess Rather God IS these things Everything God does is holy, loving, wise, beautiful, and present Creation Redemption The End of All Things Obviously God is not limited to five attributes There are many more we could discuss But I would argue that these are the most important five presented in Scripture

The Incarnation The Revelation of God to Man

The Word Became Flesh John 1:1-3;14 The Incarnation is supremely important Ultimate Salvation Ultimate Reconciliation Ultimate Revelation God revealed himself the way he always intended; through humanity Image of God Colossians 1:15-20

Jesus’ Humanity Reveals God In Jesus we see who God is most clearly His life, death, and resurrection are the best way of knowing God He is the mediator between God and humanity Through his humanity Jesus revealed the character of God Jesus shows us who God really is Jesus shows us who we are supposed to be It is through Jesus that we come into relationship with God

The Trinity The Greatest Mystery

Jesus: The Great Revealer Jesus revealed more than just the essential character of God He unveiled the greatest mystery of all time Throughout the OT God emphatically affirms that he alone is God Isaiah 44:6-8 Deuteronomy 6:4 Jesus affirmed the oneness of God But he also claimed to be God (John 8:58) and prayed to God (Matthew 26:36-46) His final address to his disciples reveals the name of God In the name of the Father , and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

Three Persons? One God? HUH? The Father is God No one doubts this; is most referred to as God Jesus is God John 1:1-3, John 8:58, Philippians 2:5-7, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 3:16 The Holy Spirit is God 2 Corinthians 3:18, Matthew 12:32, Acts 5:3-4 The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all described as God However the New Testament also repeatedly affirms that God is one

The Trinity is a Mystery We cannot fully comprehend the Trinity Because we cannot fully comprehend God If we could, why worship? From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have affirmed the Trinity We see this in Scripture, before the word “Trinity” had even been invented! Tertullian invented the word to help explain what was in Scripture Tri = three, unity = one However confusing it is, God did not reveal this to stump us

The Trinity is the Truth The attributes we discussed are not something God added to himself God IS and so he has always been The Trinity actually helps explain the attributes of God Who did God love before there was anyone else to love? How was God holy before there was anything/one to be distinct from? How was God wise when there was nothing to understand? How was God beautiful when there was no one to benefit? What benefit was God’s presence when there was no one there? The answer is the Trinity!

The Trinity is Necessary Scripture portrays the actions of God as only possible via Trinity Creation was only possible because of the Triune God The Father created through the Son by the presence of the Spirit Genesis 1:1-3 Salvation was only made possible by the Triune God Hebrews 9:13-14 The Son offered himself up through the Spirit to the Father Mediation is only possible by the Triune God The Spirit helps us pray through the Son to the Father Romans 8:26-27

The Holy Spirit The Third Person of the Trinity

Father, Son, and Who? The Churches of Christ have a history of ignoring the Holy Spirit He is rarely mentioned outside of baptism Often limited to working through Scripture This is a reaction to Pentecostals and Charismatics The early 1900s saw the emergence of these movements They are incredibly Spirit focused They emphasize gifts of the Spirit above all else The result is a group who doesn’t know how to talk about the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit’s Job Description John 16:5-15 Jesus tells us exactly what the Holy Spirit will be doing #1. He convicts the world Of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment #2. He guides us to the truth The Spirit will teach the same truth Jesus taught #3. He glorifies Christ Everything the Spirit does points people to Jesus

The Spirit at Work In the Apostles In the Bible In the Church The Spirit is the driving and guiding force of the apostles in Acts He uses them to convict the world, guide people to truth, and glorify Christ In the Bible The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit He uses it to convict the world, guide people to truth, and glorify Christ In the Church The Church is led by the Holy Spirit He uses us to convict the world, guide people to truth, and glorify Christ

What about the Gifts? We often get caught up on the “supernatural” gifts of the Spirit Speaking in tongues, visions, prophecy, etc., We are missing the point Why would the Spirit give gifts? To convict the world To guide people to the truth To glorify Christ The problem is not the gifts of the Spirit but the people who abuse them