Theology Thursday
Q. 4. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
It’s a question that sounds like it would be coming out of the lips of someone who may have smoked something they shouldn’t have. What is God? It’s a profound question.
In Exodus, God introduces humanity to His name. Yahweh. It means - I am who I am. That is who God is and what He is. God. But how do you describe God? Well - sometimes, the best way to describe something is to say what it/He isn’t.
God is not a very powerful human. He is a God. A totally different being in His essence. We are made in His image which makes us ‘like’ Him. But not the same as Him. We have wisdom. But He is perfect wisdom. We have power. But He is all-powerful.
But this isn’t some abstract question. Why should we listen to God? Well - if He is perfectly good and perfectly wise. Shouldn’t we listen to God? If He is all-powerful, wouldn’t we be wise to listen to God?
At the same time. We shouldn’t expect God to work exactly like a human does. It seems impossible to me that God can be perfectly merciful and perfectly just. Because no human can be that. But God isn’t a human.
Whenever we wrestle with what God says in the Bible. I have found it helpful to remember who exactly is speaking. Not a finite human. But God. Who am I to question Him? As the Psalmist says - what is man that God is mindful of him. It’s by God’s grace that we even can be.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is God.
Give thanks for Jesus Christ that He is God in human flesh.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others see God as God and respond to Him as we should.
A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
It’s a question that sounds like it would be coming out of the lips of someone who may have smoked something they shouldn’t have. What is God? It’s a profound question.
In Exodus, God introduces humanity to His name. Yahweh. It means - I am who I am. That is who God is and what He is. God. But how do you describe God? Well - sometimes, the best way to describe something is to say what it/He isn’t.
God is not a very powerful human. He is a God. A totally different being in His essence. We are made in His image which makes us ‘like’ Him. But not the same as Him. We have wisdom. But He is perfect wisdom. We have power. But He is all-powerful.
But this isn’t some abstract question. Why should we listen to God? Well - if He is perfectly good and perfectly wise. Shouldn’t we listen to God? If He is all-powerful, wouldn’t we be wise to listen to God?
At the same time. We shouldn’t expect God to work exactly like a human does. It seems impossible to me that God can be perfectly merciful and perfectly just. Because no human can be that. But God isn’t a human.
Whenever we wrestle with what God says in the Bible. I have found it helpful to remember who exactly is speaking. Not a finite human. But God. Who am I to question Him? As the Psalmist says - what is man that God is mindful of him. It’s by God’s grace that we even can be.
For Today:
- How do you think of/conceive of God?
- Why is it important for you to remember He is God?
- What does it look like to remember He is God this week?
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is God.
Give thanks for Jesus Christ that He is God in human flesh.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others see God as God and respond to Him as we should.
Posted in Theology Thursday
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