IV. Who is GOD?

            The Limitless Magnificence of GOD is beyond man's ability to fully comprehend: "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Rom.11:33.  What can be understood of Who GOD Is is revealed in the Bible.  Its very first words describe the leading attribute of GOD: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  And the Hebrew word for “God” is in the plural, meaning more than one. 

            What can be understood of the character of GOD is best revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, whose purpose, the Bible says has ever been and will ever be to serve the Human Race: its life, safety and joy (Matt.20:28).  From the very beginning “the LORD” who became “the Christ” has watched over His children.  Over 800 verses of Scripture teach that it was the God Who became “the Christ” that created the stars, angels and man.  He spoke all into existence, making the Father’s desires a reality, as the Apostle John said, “In the beginning was the Word [an old Jewish term for the Creator who spoke all into existence], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made…and the Word became flesh.”  Jn.1.  

            At the Father’s command “the Son” has always carried forward the work of Creation and man’s salvation, for Jesus openly declared His subservience to the Omniscient Father who alone knows “the end from the beginning.” The Son directs all men to follow His example of subservience to “Our Father which art in heaven.”  And when the life of Earth was fraudulently usurped by Heaven’s arch-deceiver, Satan, GOD then set in motion the manifest power of His Grace to rescue the life of His Creation from Satan’s dominion.  GOD hears the continual shrill, agonizing cries from trillions of His creatures “and not one of them is forgotten before God.” Lu.12:6.  GOD knows intimately every nuance of the suffering of His children, and all His creatures.  His Omniscience grants Him the infinite knowledge of eternity.  Full well He knows the complete history of His Creation: its peaceful initiation, the disastrous fall of Lucifer into sin, and then the fall of man at Lucifer’s hands, the Holy Sacrifice of His Son, the restoration of man’s intended destiny of everlasting life with perpetual tranquility.

1. Who is GOD?

Isaiah 40:28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, ______  ______________  _____  ______  _______  _____  ______  ___________, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.

         The leading attribute of GOD is His Creatorship of all that exists. Over 800 verses of the Bible testify to this fact.

2. Is there more than one GOD as Genesis 1:26 implies, “Let

     us make man in our Image?”

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning _______ created the heaven and the earth.

         The word for GOD used in the Hebrew text is Elohiym, and is in the plural tense, meaning more than one.  Being used over 2,300 times in the Old Testament, it is evident that the unity of GOD'S work of salvation for His children demanded the delegation of authority for different areas of the work: Each relying on One Another to achieve success in His objective of delivering us from the bondage of sin and its consequence of death.  The New Testament describes in very precise terms the Three-Person GODHEAD.

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the __________ and of the _______, and of the _______  ___________.

             GOD comprises Three Beings of Eternal Origin: Each being Equal in purpose, but with distinct roles of ministry to life.  GOD the Father, Who Reigns Supreme among the GODHEAD, is Omniscient (having limitless knowledge of Eternity).  GOD the Son is Omnipotent (having limitless power to carry out the Father’s will). He spoke the Universe and its life into existence.  And as the “Everlasting Father” of man “the Son of God” became “the Son of man,” Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit is Omnipresent (having limitless Presence throughout the Universe). 

         GOD the Son has emptied Himself of all He once was, and became one with His children, a man, that through His Condescension and Sacrifice on the altar of man’s salvation He might ransom His children from the power and presence of devils who incessantly lead all men to sin, affliction and destruction.  Jesus Christ accomplished this victory for us by conquering death and sin’s dominion over life that He might restore us to His original purpose: to live forever with universal peace and ever-ascending joy, as it was “In the beginning.”

3. What is the leading attribute of GOD?

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning ______  ____________  ______  _______________  ______  ______  ______________.

Isaiah 45:18  For thus saith the LORD that ____________ the heavens; GOD Himself that ____________ the earth and made it; He hath _________________ it, He created it ______  _____  __________, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

4. What is the leading attribute of GOD'S character?

1. John 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. ______  ____  _________; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

The Greek word for love is agape.  It is defined as unlimited, unconditional love.  GOD’S love is expressed by serving others.

5. How has GOD demonstrated His love toward man?

Isaiah 45:21  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 ____  ______________; there is none beside Me.  

Matthew 1:23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, _______  _________  ______.

Galatians 4:4,5  But when the fullness of the time was come, ______  ________  _________  ______  ______, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

         From the beginning, Mankind has chosen a collision course with death through the abuse of GOD’S gift of a freewill.  And this destination of extinction resulted from the very moment the decision was made to sin against GOD'S Commandments (the Laws securing the preservation of life).  In effect, man willfully stepped outside of GOD'S safe-haven of subservient love and into the battleground of self-serving greed.  The whole earth is now subject to the destiny of destruction due to man’s invitation for sin to rule the Earth.

         The moral of the story is simply this: to choose a course allowing the free exercise of sin is an open assault on the wellbeing of life.  And yet, our mutual safety can only exist by obedience to subservient love, and this love is found only through obedience to the Sacred Law of GOD, the Ten Commandments.  And without the Ten Commandments there can be no standard to distinguish the righteous from the unrighteous: the good from the evil.  Under the umbrella of GOD'S Eternal Law lies the only true legislation of love. It was the Ten Commandment Law that commanded our salvation.  It commanded GOD Himself to become a man and take man's fallen nature and condemnation of death upon Himself.  GOD did not step outside of His Law to redeem mankind.  And through His Divinity, united with humanity, He conquered the grip of death, smashing the shackles of sin’s dominion over His children.  And this victory gives Jesus Christ the legal right to resurrect His children from the grave, thus fulfilling the magnificent prophecy defining Him as “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,”—“the Saviour” of mankind (Isa.9:6).

         But how did Jesus achieve this victory over death?  The domain of death has only one jurisdiction and purpose: to hold sin: to lock in the void of non-existence every threat against life.  This is why the Bible says, “the soul that sinneth it shall die,” because “the wages of sin is death.” Eze.18:4; Rom.6:23.  And the Bible says, “Sin is the transgression of the law.” I Jn.3:4.  (We will study this further in our review of the life and character of Satan.)

         So, when Jesus Christ was forced into the grave at the hands of lawless men, “the Christ of God,” having never united His will with sin, could not be held by death: it had to set Him free!  In the legal framework of salvation, death can only hold sin.  But Jesus Christ had no sin!  And this victory of Christ over the grave gives Him the right to resurrect the entire human race from the grave, as we will see.  This is why the Apostle Paul said, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” I Corinthians 15:22.

         In the legal framework of salvation, only the Father of Adam could redeem the children of Adam.  “The LORD” Who became “the Christ” is the Very Source of man’s existence.  We are His offspring: His children, created in His Image and Likeness.  And because He is the “Everlasting Father” and “the last Adam,” man’s inheritance of sin’s condemnation (that none asked to receive) has been removed and replaced with the sinless history of Christ.  His history is now our history.  His resurrection is our resurrection.  And His eternal life is our eternal life.  This is the Gospel!  And we are called to simply believe what GOD has done for every man through “as the truth is in Jesus” (Eph.4:21).  This explains why all mankind will be raised from the grave: to stand before GOD in the end of time, to give an account of their deeds done in life, whether of benevolent sacrifice for others or of self-indulgence to the sacrifice of others.

         GOD offers to every man, woman, and child, this freedom from sin’s condemnation (of death), its power (its self-destructive nature), and its very presence (the temptations of devils to commit sins that always bring harm to life).  The deliverance of GOD in Christ is offered to all men who will exercise their freedom of choice and believe in His Words of Promise to accomplish what He has said He will do, which includes the gift of Christ’s Presence and Grace “to walk even as he walked.” I Jn.2:6.

6. How can we be sure that Jesus Christ is our Creator?

John 1:1-3,14  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and ______  _________  ______  _______.  The same was in the beginning with God.  ______  ___________ were _________  _____  ______; and without Him was not anything made that was made...(v.14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Colossians 1:16,17  For _____  ______ were _____  ___________  ____________, that are _____  ____________, and that are _____  __________, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created _____  ______, and ______  ______: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

7. Did Jesus dwell among us before He became a man?

Daniel 3:24,25,28 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, 0 king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like _______  _______  _____  ________?

8. What part in earth's history did Jesus have before He

     became a man?

Exodus 25:1,8  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying...(v.8) And let them make Me a sanctuary; ________  ____  _______  _________  _________  ________.

Exodus 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ____  ______ hath sent me unto you.

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, ____  ______.  

         From the beginning, man's fellowship with GOD has been through Jesus Christ.  It was the Son of GOD who spoke face to face with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; and to Noah of the world's mutiny against justice, mercy & Love; and with Moses, sending him to deliver the Hebrews from slavery.  “And he gave unto Moses…upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony [the Ten Commandments], tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Ex.31:18.  It was He who stood before Joshua as “Captain of the host of the LORD.” Josh.5:13-15.  It was He who spoke with and through the prophets.  And it was He who sat on “the mercy seat” in the temple of GOD.  Ultimately, Christ is our deliverance from Satan’s insatiable cruelty.

Exodus 23:20  Behold, I [the Father] send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and provoke him not; for he will not ___________  _______  ______________________: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak [through Him]; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

9. Was Jesus Christ given authority to pardon the

     transgressions of men who violated GOD'S Holy Law?

Matthew 9:6,7 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to _____________  ________, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. And he arose, and departed to his house.

         Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ has ever been equal with His Father, as He said: “I and my Father are One.” Jn.10:30. (See also Phil.2:6.)  When “the Son of God” came to this world, born in sinful human flesh, a bridge was established: one spanning heaven and earth.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose lineage extends back to King David, passed on to Jesus her family’s temperament, physical features, strength of life, vulnerability to illness, and above all her sinful nature.  But Jesus, also being born of the Father through the power of the Holy Ghost also received the Divine Nature.  Thus, the Holy Christ united His Father’s Nature with the fallen human nature; and thus, as in marriage, “they shall be one flesh” (Gen.2:24).

10. What is Jesus Christ's heavenly name?

Daniel 12:1,2  And at that time shall ______________ stand up, ______  __________  ____________ which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt.

         “The great prince” can only refer to the Son of the ONE who rules over all.

The New Testament concurs with the passage of Daniel.

John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when ______  ________  ________  ________  ______  __________  _____  ______  _______  _____  _______: and they that hear shall live.

I Thessalonians 4:16  For the LORD Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with ______  ___________  _____  ______  __________________, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

         In combining the information from these two verses, we learn, in unmistakable terms, that the voice of Jesus Christ raises the dead to life, and likewise the voice of the Archangel raises the dead to life; therefore, Jesus Christ and the Archangel are One and the Same.  Now we shall confirm the name of the Archangel.

Jude 9  Yet __________________ when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The LORD rebuke thee.

         According to Scripture there is only one Archangel.  Michael translates, who is like GOD? Archangel translates, Chief or Commander of angels. The term is singular: there cannot be more than one Chief of the angels.  The church has falsely concluded that Michael the Archangel is one of a host of archangels (see I Th.4:16 NKJV).  This denies the Scripture’s singular meaning of the title.  But more importantly the church has taken away the Father’s intended lesson that “Michael your prince” (Dan.10:21) is Christ.

11. How does GOD lead people into a relationship with Him?

Zechariah 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by ______  ____________ saith the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 48:17  Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD ______  ______  __________  ____________  _______ to profit, _________  ___________  _______ by the way that thou shouldest go.

             It is by the Holy Spirit's Presence and influence in our world that all demonstrations of care and decency are carried out today. “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.” Ja.1:17.

12. What does the Bible teach concerning the characteristics

       of the Holy Spirit?

Acts 8:29  Then the Spirit ___________ unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. [He speaks.]

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name [Christ], He shall ___________  ______  _____  ___________, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. [He teaches.]

John 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for _____  ________________  _______  ______, and shall be in you. [He resides in the soul of the faithful Christian.]

Galatians 5:18  But if ye be ______  _____  ______  ____________, ye are not under the law [or under the condemnation caused by sin due to one’s repenting and forsaking of all known sin by following the promptings of the Holy spirit]. [The Spirit leads the believer in right paths.]

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive ____________, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. [He's Omnipotent through Christ.]

I Corinthians 2:10b  ...for the Spirit _____________  _____  __________, yea, the deep things of God. [He's Omniscient through the Father.]

Psalms 139:7  Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from _____  _______________? [He's Omnipresent.]

John 16:13  Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself, but _________________  _____  ________  ________, ________  ________  _____  ___________: and He will shew you things to come. [And He is subservient to the Father.]

John 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: ____  _______  _________  _____  _______. [He brings the Presence of Christ into the soul of the believer.]

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.