What is God like and does He do Anything?
by Fergus Ryan
The Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God. On the contrary, it is stated that God’s existence is so obvious to the man of integrity that it is foolish to deny it. In Romans 1 :20 it says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Science has progressed today to the point where we can see better than ever before ‘what has been made’. Here we will consider just one of many pieces of evidence. But be careful – accepting this could change your whole life!
Who Designed This?
The human eye is truly an amazing piece of craftsmanship. It has eyelids and eyelashes to protect it; tear ducts to lubricate it; a pupil that gets bigger or smaller according to how bright it is; a soft lens with tiny muscles to focus the light on an amazing screen called the ‘retina’, made up of thousands of rods and cones registering colour and brightness; and an optic nerve to give all this marvellous information to your brain. And presto, you see wonderful colour pictures in 3-D vision! Isn’t it obvious that the eye, along with many other marvellous systems of our bodies, demonstrates intelligent design and purpose?
Yet we are being asked by some scientists to believe that this precision instrument came about simply by a series of random genetic mutations over a very long time! You might as well ask me to believe that my Minolta camera resulted from an explosion in a Japanese metal factory! Truly atheism is a make-believe world! Even without our modern microscopes, King David could exclaim “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14) Today, we can see it even better. Let’s see, what the Bible tells us about what this God is like, and what he has done.
God Created the Universe
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1: 1) Could anything be more magnificent than this spectacular introduction to the Bible? It is staggering just to think about what kind of a God he must be. From the vastness of the galaxies to the code of the DNA molecule, the greatness of God’s power is displayed. Little wonder King David exclaimed one starry night “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3,4) Perhaps you’ve felt like that too. God brought the universe into existence by his own creative power. Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. (Psalm 148:3-5) He was no different after he created everything because he doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6). He is not part of nature, nor is the universe part of God.* He created everything out of nothing – there was no ‘raw material’. Some think God is like a cosmic watchmaker who wound up the universe and let it run along on its own. But the Bible says “he sustains all things by his powerful word.” (see Hebrews 1:3)
God is Personal
It is difficult for us to think of a person without thinking of their physical presence. God, however, is a spirit (John 4:24); he has no physical dimensions, he does not have a body, or size, or shape. He cannot be represented visually. “Now to the King eternal, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever, Amen. ( I Timothy 1.17) And yet he is personal. He is not a force or an it of some kind. He said to Moses “I am who I am … the Lord … this is my name forever ” (Exodus 3: 14, 15) Being personal, God thinks. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8)
God chooses freely and is not controlled by someone else. He does whatever he pleases (Psalm l 115: 3). He also has feelings. ”The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” But perhaps most wonderful of all for us is that because God is personal, we can have a personal relationship with him. He invites us to come to him and to know him.
God is Infinite
While we can grasp that God is personal, it is more difficult for us to understand that he has no limitations. Let’s consider some of these unique characteristics. He always existed. God created time, he himself doesn’t get ‘older’ (Psalm 90:2 ). He is everywhere. ”Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:24). Does this make you feel uncomfortable? Do you know why? He knows everything – past, present, and future. (Isaiah 46:I0). He can do anything he desires. Such qualities would be terrifying in anyone other than God who is both loving and holy.
God is Loving
Just to realise that the infinite God who made galaxies knows my name and circumstances, and loves me with infinite love, is surely a treasure beyond anything the world has to offer. He said “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3)
God is Holy
Holiness is not very popular these days! Most people think of holiness as “Holy-Joe-ism”. Real holiness means ‘separated from sin’, and is strong, tender, and beautiful. God is perfectly good and hates sin utterly. He knows it has destroyed our relationships with him and with each other. Mary sang ”the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.” (Luke 1:49) Most people like the idea of a God of love, but recoil from a God who hates sin. But God’s love is for that very reason all the more amazing. If he didn’t hate sin he wouldn’t be God, for sin is rebellion against him. C.S Lewis (born in Ireland) said… “What people want today is not so much a Father in heaven as a grandfather in heaven; one who, as they say, likes to see the young people enjoying themselves, and who wants it to be said at the end of every day, a good time was had by all” This kind of God would never have rescued man from the horrific result of sin – he would have ignored it. God is loving and holy.
There Is Only One God
The God who created the world is the only God there is. All other ‘gods’ are figments of men’s imagination. Worse than that they are idols, replacing the true God. “You are my witnesses. Is there any God beside me? … I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:8) The Triune God The Bible teaches that there is only one God, yet it reveals him as three persons. The Father is called God (eg. Philippians I :2); the Son is called God. (Hebrews I :8); and the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3;4). Still, there is only one God. Our finite minds have nothing to compare God with, in this respect, although Patrick is said to have illustrated the three-in-one with a shamrock.
God and You
There are some of God’s characteristics which we, being personal, can share: love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, hatred of sin, the ability to choose and think and feel. We can reflect his creativity in art, music, engineering. There are some other characteristics of God which we, being finite, cannot share. We are limited in every way – power, time, place. But these are not just cold facts we have been considering. They describe a living, majestic, beautiful, powerful and holy God, who loves us and wants to have ‘fellowship’ with us.
As you read through the Bible and find these truths about God, learn to talk to him naturally; listen to what he says about our sinful condition and what he has done about it. As you search for him with all your heart, you have the promise of God himself “I will be found by you” (Jeremiah 29.14)
PRAYER: Dear God. I want to know you and do what you want me to do. I have so much to learn. Help me to understand and follow your word. Amen.
Would you like to have a one-to-one Bible Study session?
If so, just send your name and email in the form below, or call Mike 087-7909515 or Seamus 087-2432944 and we can arrange something that’s suitable.
