GOD - HIS NATURE, HIS NAMES, HIS ATTRIBUTES
'CP' denotes 'Compare Passage'
GOD - HIS NATURE, HIS NAMES, HIS ATTRIBUTES
It should be noted here at the outset of this study that the Bible does not attempt to prove God's reality. It simply states the fact of His existence and Christians accept Him in His self-revelation in scriptures by faith. We will now study the scriptures to determine how they reveal His essential nature.
(CP Jn 4:24). We learn here that God is Spirit. This is the nature of God in His Divine essence. As Spirit, God is not confined to the limitations of matter. He appeared to Moses in a flame of fire in a burning bush (CP Ex 3:1-6; De 4:15; Mk 12:26; Ac 7:30-35). We see in Ex 3:3 that although the bush was burning it was not consumed by the fire. We learn from this that the same God who kept the bush from being consumed by the fire will also keep earth and its inhabitants from being consumed by fire during the renovation of the earth, contemporaneous with the Great White Throne Judgement at the end of Christ's millennial reign (CP Ro 8:19-21; He 1:10-12; 12:25-28, 2Pe 3:7, 10-13; Rev 20:11; 21:1). God was also the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that protected and guided the Israelites in their flight from Egypt (CP Ex 13:21-22; 14:19-20, 24; 40:34-38; Nu 9:15-23; 10: 33-34; 14:14). The cloud by day led the way for the children of Israel and the fire by night provided light for the whole camp.
Although He is spirit, God also has the image and the likeness of a man (CP Gen 1:26-27; Eze 1:26-28; 1Cor 11:7; Jas 3:9). We learn from these scriptures that God has a body like that of a man. Gen 1:26 teaches that man was created in God's bodily image. In Eze 1:26 God is described as having the appearance of a man, and in Jas 3:9 the phrase similitude of God means made like, outward or bodily image, same as 1Cor 11:7. If man was created in God's bodily image, then God's body is like that of a man. He has bodily presence (CP Gen 3:8; 32:24). Adam and Eve tried to hide from God's face - presence in Gen 3:8 is from the Hebrew word paneh, which means "face". In Gen 32:24 Jacob wrestled with God who had taken on the form of a man. God has bodily parts : heart (CP Gen 6:6; 8:21); feet (CP Ex 24:10; Dan 10:5-6; Rev 1:12-16); mouth (CP Ex 33:11; Nu 12:8; Rev 1:12-16); face (CP Ex 33:20, 23; Rev 22:3-5); hands, fingers (CP Ex 33:22-23; Psa 8:3-6; Eze 8:1-4; Rev 1:12-16; 5:1); back parts (CP Ex 33:23); eyes (CP Psa 11:4; 18:24; 33:18; Pr 5:21; 15:3; Rev 1:12-16); ears (CP Psa 18:6; 34:15; Jas 5:4); lips and tongue (CP Psa 89:34; Isa 30:27); loins (CP Eze 1:26-28; 8:1-4; Dan 10:5); hair, head and arms (CP Dan 7:9; 10:5-6; Rev 1:12-16). God also has a voice (CP Ex 33:11; Psa 29:3-9; Rev 1:26). He dwells in a city above the earth in Heaven (CP Isa 40:22; Jn 14:1-3; He 11:10-16; Rev 21). As an aside, we learn in Rev 21:2, 9-10 that the City of God, New Jerusalem, and not the church, is the bride of Christ .…..the Lamb's wife. (For a more detailed study on this subject see author's study The Bride of Christ in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1)).
Scriptures record that God has been seen bodily on numerous occasions in the Old Testament. In Gen 18 He appeared to Abraham. He spoke to Abraham and ate the food prepared for Him by Sarah (CP Gen 18:1-22). Jacob wrestled with God (CP Gen 32:24). Seventy-four men saw God and ate with Him on Mt Sinai (CP Ex 24:1-11). Moses saw God. Scriptures record that God spoke to Moses "face to face" (CP Ex 33:9-11). As they crossed the Jordan River into Jericho Joshua and the children of Israel saw God (CP Josh 5:13-15). Gideon saw God (CP Judg 6:11-24). So too Manoah and his wife - Samson's parents - saw God (CP Judg 13:2-23). King David saw God when He nearly destroyed Jerusalem because David had disobeyed Him and taken a census of the people (CP 1Chr 21:16-17). Job saw God after his testing by Satan (Job 42:5). Isaiah saw God and described Him seated upon the throne (CP Isa 6:1-13). Ezekiel saw God who commanded him to prophesy against Israel (CP Eze 1:1, 26-28; 8:1-4; 10:20; 40:3-4 with 43:6-7; 47:1-6). Daniel saw God and described His garments, His body, face, hair and voice (CP Dan 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Amos saw God standing on the altar as He passed judgement on Israel for their rebellion and sin (CP Amos 9:1). Zechariah also saw God. He was a rider of one of the horses under the myrtle trees (CP Zech 1:1, 7-17).
It should be noted here that those who saw God in the Old Testament did not see Him face to face in His glory. In Gen 18, Abraham saw Him in human form, as also did Jacob in Ex 32, Joshua in Josh 5, Gideon in Judg 6, Samson's parents in Judg 13, and David in 1Chr 21. The seventy-four also saw Him in Ex 24, but not face to face in His glory. In Ex 33 scripture records that God spoke to Moses face to face but it was out of the pillar of cloud (V9). The phrase, God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his best friend (V11), simply means that God spoke to Moses with great familiarity. Moses was God's intimate friend - a chosen vessel to fulfil God's purpose for the Israelites - but it does not mean that they were literally looking into each other's face when they spoke. The Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind in Job 42 (CP Job 37:9; 38:1; 40:6). Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Amos all saw God in a vision, not face to face in His glory.
No man has seen, nor can see, God face to face in His glory, because scriptures teach that He dwells in light so bright, no man can approach it (CP Ex 24:17; 33:18-23; 1Ti 6:13-16). Ex 24:17 teaches that the glory of the Lord as seen with human eyes is like a consuming fire devouring highly inflammable material (CP Ex 40:34-35; Nu 20:6; 1Ki 8:10-11; 2Chr 5:13-14; 7:1-2; Eze 1:28; 3:22-23; 43:2-3; 44:4). We learn from all these scriptures that the reason no man has seen God face to face in His glory is because no one could endure the spectacular purity of His essential nature. When Moses asked God to show him His glory in Ex 33:18-23, God replied that he could only see His back parts, for no one could see His face (in His glory), and live. Only Jesus has seen God face to face in His glory, and it is only through Jesus that one can see God's essential nature (CP Jn 1:17-18). The phrase He hath declared Him, in V18, means all that Jesus is and does, interprets and explains all that God is and does. Jesus is the manifested glory of God (CP Jn 14:7-11; He 1:1-3). It should also be noted here that Jesus is the one referred to as God in many of the Old Testament scriptures listed above (for a detailed study on this subject refer author's study, Jesus - Eternally God, in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1)). All God's children will see Him face to face in eternity (CP 1Jn 3:2; Rev 21:3-4; Rev 22:4).
God is omnipresent - everywhere. In His essential nature as Spirit, God is not limited to one place. Unrestricted by any bounds, God fills and transcends time and space (CP 1Ki 8:27; 2Chr 6:18; Psa 139:7-12; Jer 23:23-24; Mt 18:20; 28:30; Ac 17:24-28). Without bounds and limits God fills the universe in all its parts and is everywhere at once. Not a part, but the whole of God is present in every place (CP Isa 6:3). Although God is transcendent - different and independent from His creation - He has never excluded Himself from living among His people (CP Ex 29:45; Lev 26:11-12; Eze 37:27; 43:7; 1Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2Cor 6:16; Eph 2:19-22; He 3:4-6). We learn in Ac 17:24-28 that God is not only the source of life and breath for Christians, but is their environment as well, "… for in Him we live, and move, and have our being".
God is omnipotent - He is all powerful (CP Job 9:4; 42:2; Psa 147:5; Jer 5:14; Eph 3:20; Rev 11:16-17; 15:2-3; 19:6, 15). Scriptures call Him Almighty God, God Almighty, the Almighty, the Lord Almighty, the Lord God Almighty (CP Gen 17:1; 28:3; 49:25; 2Cor 6:18; Rev 21:22). God has ultimate authority over all things (CP 1Chr 29:10-12; Psa 147:12-18). On the authority of God's word Abraham and Sarah had a son - Isaac - when Abraham was one hundred, and Sarah, ninety years of age (CP Gen 17:1-2, 15-19; 18:13-14 with 21:1-3). All nature is subject to God's will and His word (CP Job 37:9-24; 42:1-2). All men are subject to God's authority (CP Dan 4:24-33; Jas 4:12-15). As the source of all power God is never weary or tired and sustains those who wait upon Him (CP Isa 40:27-31). Nothing is too difficult or impossible with God (CP Jer 32:17-19; Mt 19:26; Lu 1:26-37).