Actually, this series is from Understanding Bible Truth booklets by Robert Hicks and Richard Bewes (1981), but I have expanded some texts for modern readers (to make it easier to read) and added Scripture quotes (I’m using ESV Bible) into these writings to clarify its points more clearly. My purpose of making this series available in the internet is single: So that you can be clear the essential facts about the Bible’s teaching in a readily understandable form.
First, What is so Great about God’s Being?
“How may we form a right idea of God’s greatness?” asked J.I. Packer in his classic book Knowing God, “The Bible teaches us two steps that we must take. The first is to remove from our thoughts of God limits that would make him small. The second is [not] to compare him with powers and forces which we regard as great.” In summary, J.I. Packer says that God have no limitations in His wisdom, His presence, and His power; and that God is the incomparable One.
Thus, there are certain aspects of God’s being that are unique to Him, and can never shared with any other being. Here are some aspects that are unique to Him – the Great and Incomparable One:
God is Everywhere (Omnipresent)
God is the Creator of nature, and is therefore not to be confused with it (the mistake of the Pantheists ‘we are all gods’). At the same time we should not separate God from His creation and think of Him as absent (the mistake of Deists ‘god(s) have nothing to do with man’).
The Bible teaches us that there is no place in creation to which we can go that will put us at a distance from God (see Psalm 139:7-12). He is present everywhere in the universe. We must be careful not to limit God in the way that He is present among men. He is presently creatively in His works; He is present morally in the area of human behaviour; He is present spiritually among His people; He is present sovereignty in nations, governments and systems.
God said in Jeremiah 23:23-24:
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD”
God is All-Powerful (Omnipotent)
The Bible gives us many examples of God’s power. He brings the designs of powerful nations to nothing. He is in control of nature – and this comes out especially in the miracles Jesus performed.
However, all these instances might suggest to us that God is just a lot more powerful than we are. The fact that He is all-powerful is shown by His role as the creator of all things, the judge of all men, and the one who will subdue all the forces of evil. Job says about God, “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). The Bible tells us He is the only God, and all power belongs to Him. Blaise Pascal writes, “The greatest single distinguishing feature of the omnipotence of God is that our imagination gets lost when thinking about it”.
God knows Everything (Omniscient)
God’s knowledge follows from Him universal presence. Because He fills heaven and earth, all things are open to His view and knowledge. He is completely aware of the past, present and future. He knows about all events, thoughts, feelings and actions. Hebrews 4:13 says “no creature is hidden from [God’s] sight”. The knowledge gained by other beings must be built up and learned. God, however, His knowledge is eternal and is entirely His own – He has learned it from nobody.
This teaching is vital to our understanding of God. If God did not know everything, it would not be possible to believe in the justice of His judgments in history and at the end of time. This is also true in the realm of worship. The Christian prays to a God who fully understands our state and our needs, who hears and perceives not only our words but our secret thoughts and desires, and who knows the end from the beginning (See Psalm 139:1-6).
God is Above Space and Time (Eternal and Unchanging)
The Bible describes God as “the alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8), that is the first and the last. He always existed, and He owes His existence to no one. There is no time where God is not! There is no space where God is absent! In contrast to the ever-changing and decaying world, the Scriptures teach us that God is unchanging in His person and purposes. “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). He neither increases nor decreases (even when Jesus the Son of God incarnates as Jesus the man). He can never be wiser, holier or more merciful that He has ever been or ever will be. A.W. Pink writes, “He cannot change for the better for He is already perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change for the worst”
For the Believer, limited by the temporary body and a changing environment, the eternal God provides a permanent foundation and a secure home and resting place.
My Conclusion on God’s Being
Another aspect of God’s being that we should highlight here (among many other) is that: God is personal. He is a living God. He thinks, feels, and wills. He has plans and purposes. He loves and hates, is compassionate or angry, pleased or grieved. He strives and triumphs, woos and wins. All this verbs, applicable only to persons, don’t be surprises… are used of God in Scripture.
God is personal gives comfort to my heart. This knowledge brings joy to my soul for I know that God even though He is sovereign above all, He is not distance from me. Even though He is without limitations and beyond personality, He cares to take a look and be close to a dust-creature like me. Even though He is high and lifted up, He was willing to go low and died for me. What kind of God is this? Full of majesty and love! This is My God.
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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