FOUNDATIONS OF OUR FAITH
Chapter 2: God
God
I was a little child when my mother taught me how to enjoy storms. She would put her arms around me as we stood at the window of our house in Latin America. The wind would whip through the banana trees in our front yard. It was magnificent to see the tossing leaves, wet with rain, shining when the lightning flashed. The thunder sounded like drums telling the story of how the grass and flowers loved the refreshing rain.
People can enjoy or fear a storm, depending on what they have been taught about it. It is also important to know what kind of a storm it is-beneficial or destructive.
How can you understand a storm? What is the shape of the wind and rain and lightning? Can you put a storm in a bottle? Of course not. A storm is understood when we study its parts: for example, the cold air meeting the hot. We can study its effects-what it does to the land or the sea.
In a way, God can be compared to a storm. Some people fear Him and others love Him-depending on what they have been told and what they do about it
You cannot see God, but you can study what He does. In Lesson I we learned that it is the Bible that tells us all about God-about His qualities and how He deals with mankind. In this lesson we will look into the Bible and explore a few of the many things it has to say about God.
In this lesson you will study ...
His Relationship to Us
Our Relationship to Him
This lesson will help you ...
- Name several attributes of God.
- Explain what your attitude toward God should be.
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His Relationship to Us
Objective 1. Name at least five attributes of God
The Bible says in John 4:24 that God is a Spirit. The dictionary says that a spirit is the vital principle that gives life. Since God is the Creator, this means that He is the supernatural force that gives life to all of His creation. Because He is a Spirit, He cannot be seen unless He chooses to show Himself in some visible form.
He did show Himself through His Son. John 1:14 says, "The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son."
God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons which are called the Godhead or Trinity. The three are referred to in many places, one of which is Matthew 28:19: "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
One good way to learn more about God is by studying His attributes or qualities. God is good, holy, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal. Let's look at a series of verses that mention these qualities and others as well.
Exodus 34:6 states, "I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness."
Leviticus 11:44 says: "1 am the Lord your God, and you must keep yourselves holy. because I am holy."
The fact that He is all-powerful can be seen in Daniel 4:35. It says. "No one can oppose his will or question what he does."
God knows everything.
There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves (Hebrews 4:13).
Revelation 10:6 tells us that God is eternal. An angel "took a vow in the name of God, who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them."
The few verses that we have read, verses that give a little description of God, help us to realize how great He is. He is powerful and He is strong-but He is also merciful and kind. And He wants to have a close relationship with us, His creation.
For You to Do
1. Read the Scripture references and fill in the correct words in the statements following.
a) Matthew 6:9-11. God is likened to a loving..........................who provides for his........................................................................
b) Isaiah 66:13. God comforts even as a ...................comforts her.....................................................................................
2. Look up the following Scripture. Write by each one of the references the attribute of God that it suggests to you, such as holy, forgiving, and so on.
a) 2 Kings 4:42-44 .......................................................................
b) Genesis 9:13-17 ......................................................................
c) 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 ................................................................
d) Exodus 3:7 ...............................................................................
e) Psalm 97:10-12 ........................................................................
If you want to know more about the attributes of God, you will find an exercise like the one you have just done very helpful. Choose another Psalm and as you read it write down the descriptions of God that are especially meaningful to you. Psalm 103 and Psalm 139 are both filled with beautiful descriptions of God and His care for us.
Check your answers.
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Our Relationship to Him
Objective 2. Recognize that your first responsibility is toward God.
In Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."
There are various ways of showing God that we love Him. Our worship and praise can put our love into words said directly to Him. But we should also show our love.
Now ... listen to what the Lord your God demands of you: Have reverence for the Lord and do all that he commands. Love him, serve him with all your heart, and obey all his laws (Deuteronomy 10:12 13).
"But whoever obeys his word is the one whose love for God has really been made perfect" (I John 2:5). If we want to show our love to God, we will follow the instructions He gives us in His Word.
Another way to show our love to God is by giving and sharing with others. I John 3:17-18 says:
If a rich person sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against his brother, how can he claim that he loves God? My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
The love that is obedient and sharing will be a satisfying and rewarding love. Jesus says in Luke 10:28 that if we love God above all else we "will live." Some people think that "real living" is wealth, power, and position. But these things in themselves will never satisfy because we were made in God's likeness and for His glory. Our spirits must be satisfied with the spiritual.
Real living is loving God. Jesus said. "Be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things" (Matthew 6:33).
Don't limit yourself to the less important things. Love God with all your heart.
For You to Do
3. Circle the letter in front of the correct completion for the
following statement. Above all else, you should love
a) power so that you are in control of your life.
b) God, and put that love into practice.
4. Read the following verses and circle the ones that tell you what your first responsibility toward God is.
a) Deuteronomy 6:5
b) Deuteronomy 10:12
c) Deuteronomy 13:3
d) Joshua 22:5
e) Mark 12:30
f) Jude 21
Check your answers
1. a) father, children.
b) mother, children.
2. You may use your own words, but your answers will be something like these:
a) all-powerful.
b) merciful.
c) forgiving.
d) all-knowing or all-seeing.
e) holy.
3. b) God, and put that love into practice.
4. You should have circled all the letters because every verse tells you that your first responsibility toward God is to love Him.
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Go to Chapter 3: Man
