Humans have worshipped thousands of gods. Most of these gods have sprung from the fertile, yet unguided imagination of man. The video, Who is God identifies the one true God and reveals His character and personality.
Video transcript:
How can man know anything about God? The information that we can gather about God is limited to that which has been revealed. Yet men, in their desire to know, have developed theories, theologies, philosophies and doctrines about the nature of God. Sadly, much of this “information” springs not from truth, but from the fertile imagination of men or from religious systems outside of Judaism and Christianity. In the first program in this series, we learned that the Bible is the source of foundational truth. The Bible tells us what we need to know about God. It is the only reliable source of the knowledge of God. The Bible does reveal that we can learn some additional information about Him by studying what He has made.
ROM 1:20 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 divine nature;
So revealed knowledge from the Bible and the creation are the sources of information available to man about who and what God is. What does the Bible reveal to us about God? The things that God is most eager for us to know about Him are clearly shown in the pages of the Bible.
First of all, God is good and there is no evil intent or motive in Him:
1JO 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
This passage was written by the Apostle, John. John was a close friend of Jesus Christ. Jesus was God, living for a time in human flesh. John was taught by Jesus for more than three years. When he began to write about God, the first thing John wanted us to know is that God is good, with no trace of evil. He knew that it was necessary for us to be able to trust God. We must know that God will never exploit us, cheat or abuse us or contrive evil against us. John uses the metaphor of light to describe God’s character. There is not the slightest bit of darkness in Him. He has no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, no evil thoughts. When we decide to dedicate our lives to following God, we can be confident that we are committing ourselves to someone who is completely honest and benevolent.
Why should this aspect of God’s character need to be emphasized? Because God has an adversary, a character assassin, whose avowed motive is to perpetuate the rift that currently exists between God and the human family He is building. In fact, this enemy created the separation in the first place. He convinced the first humans that God was cheating them of something they deserved:
GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (ESV)
The serpent of Genesis is Satan, the Devil. He accused God of having of the kind of character that John said He does not possess. He accused God of lying to Adam and Eve, of denying them resources that were beneficial to them and implied that God was exploiting them for some selfish purpose. This is the modus operandi of God’s adversary and he continues today to lie about God’s character, nature and motives. It’s important for Christians to have faith in the goodness of God’s character and behavior toward mankind. God has planned from the beginning to give man the eternal life that Satan said God was withholding and God is incapable of lying about it. Paul told us this:
TIT 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; KJV
The Apostle, John wanted us to know another important thing about God. God is love.
1JO 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
God told Jeremiah that it is vital to understand this aspect of God:
JER 9:23 Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD.
If we know anything about God, God wants us to know this: He is loving, kind and righteous. Love is outgoing concern for others and this attribute epitomizes God’s character. God loves you and will always take whatever action is best for you. As Christians learn to walk with God through their lives, they need to have faith in this one trait of God more that anything else. God is loving and kind. God wants us to know and understand this as a first principle.
God wants you to be able to have a relationship with Him. To that end, He has revealed these things to us so that we may know Him and trust Him. God is light and God is love. There is nothing we can learn about God that is more important than these simple truths about the supreme being who made us and takes a vital interest in our lives.
As we grow in a relationship with our God, we must keep firmly in mind that God’s greatest concern is for us. He will never do anything to harm, exploit or cheat us. He will deal with us prudently and honestly, at all times considering our best interests. He will never forsake us or abandon us. Our God of light and love will walk with us and watch over us all the days of our lives.
Be sure to see the rest of the videos in this series. They will provide the information you need in order to build your relationship with God, who calls Himself The Father, and His son, our elder brother, Jesus Christ.