Keith presents a few aspects into the character of God. Guided by the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000. He offers some background into the importance of using Scripture to have a solid base of information about God. Human speculation is not enough. After a few remarks on the reliability of Scripture, Keith gets started.
Knowing God is the highest privilege given to humanity.
Our knowledge of God should be based solidly on the Bible and not on human speculation.
23 Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.Jeremiah 9:22-24 NASB
The living and true God.
There is one and only one living and true God. Isaiah 45:5
He is the one and only God, and not God over many gods.
4 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB
also see: 1 Corinthians 8:4
E. Y. Mullins explained this truth by noting, “The doctrine of many gods is polytheism, and against it the prophets of the Old Testament poured out their inspired and burning eloquence. The Old Testament is the record of how God trained Israel to the thought of a pure monotheism, that is, to the belief in one holy and spiritual God.”?
24 “And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.
30 “Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord GOD.
31 “As for you, my sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34:24, 30-31 NASB
Attributes of God
They are different from activities. Attributes describe character, and activities described something that is done.
God is Intelligent, he is not a blind force. He is Knowing, and has a perfect knowledge, omniscience. It’s not the imperfect knowledge of humans. He has an infinite knowledge. job 37:16
spiritual, he doesn’t have a body, he is transcendent. He’s not limited by a physical body.
24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:24 NASB
Personal. God has a personality, and relates to his people in a personal way. Refer back to Ezekiel 34:24,30-31.
Because God is personal, it makes it easy to relate to him.
1 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.
Psalm 86:1-7 NASB
1 I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2 NASB
God is self-existent, self-sufficient, and eternal. He depends on nothing and is complete in Himself. He is the only uncreated being, God made all things and brought all creatures into being
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 NASB
He is eternal.
15 For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
“I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 57:15 NASB
There never was a time when He did not exist, there never will be a time when He does not exist, and He Himself is the Creator of time.
He has a name, which testifies to both his personality, and his eternal nature.
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”
Exodus 3:14 NASB
He is a God of glory.
God does not need his creation, but he uses his creation to glorify him. This is a feature found throughout the Bible. Number 16:42
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the LORD in holy array.
1 Chronicles 16:28-29 NASB
10 So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
11 “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 NASB
1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1 NASB
7 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
8 Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Psalm 24:7-8 NASB
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever;
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory
Amen, and Amen.
Psalm 72:19 NASB
3 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
Psalm 96:3 NASB
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11: 36 NASB
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Revelation 4:11 NASB
God is unchanging. He is immutable, there is no shadow of turning in him. 1 Samuel 15:19
His character and attributes never change. We can rely on his promises.
6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6 NASB
18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’
Numbers 14:18 NASB
56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.
1 Kings 8:56 NASB
14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and
the house of Judah.
Jeremiah 33:14 NASBComing up next:
activities of God.
Trinity.
Certainties About God.Applications.
What are some ways you can show reverence for God in the following areas of your daily life?
Your home life:
Your work:
Your social life:
Your church life:
Your private life:
Your use of time:
Your use of money:Credit
Thanks to the recorded comments from J Vernon McGee. His ministry and daily bible study live on through Through the Bible Ministries (ttb.org)–>
When Scriptures in the show notes and episodes are quoted from the NASB. “Scripture is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”>
!–Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.–>
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