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What Does God Say About Himself?

by | Feb 8, 2022

One of my goals for 2022 is to continue to get to know God better. I certainly have had the time during the past couple of years as significant health issues have kept me home bound and unable to perform many of my usual activities. While, Praise God, I am cancer-free, the health challenges continue as I deal with a severely arthritic hip. The Orthopedic Specialist tells me I have had arthritis in this joint for some time, but the cancer exacerbated the condition to the point that I was unable to stand or walk unassisted for most of 2021. Cold weather and over exertion cause periodic flair ups but, Praise God again, I am now able to get up and down my apartment stairs, ride in the car again, and need only my cane instead of the walker and rolling chair to get around my home. God has used my limited mobility to draw me closer to Him in ways I never expected. I am experiencing Romans 8:28 (NIV) – “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” I might have missed completely what He wanted to reveal to me without the long periods of convalescence, inactivity, and solitude. 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find it frustrating to converse with and trust in Someone I cannot see or experience in the flesh. I want to feel as sure about and comfortable with Jesus as I do with my human family and friends. I want to have the same kind of relationship with God the Father that His Son Jesus has. I expressed this deep desire to Holy Spirit and He sent me to the Bible. I am sharing with you what I learned, so that you might be blessed in your spiritual journey as I was, with a deeper and more intimate relationship with all three persons of God Almighty. 

What does God have to say about Himself? And why did Holy Spirit send me to the Bible? 

The first reveal is from John, chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is identified as the Word of God. The words of the Bible are more than print on a page – they are “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word is a Person. That means that when you read scripture, you are hearing from God Himself. He is speaking to you and me directly. God IS His Word. Why is it important to know that? 

It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18) so we know that everything God says is true. Even if we find His Word difficult to understand or hard to believe, it is True. We can “take Him at His Word” – just like the royal official in John 4:46-54. Jesus reaffirms Himself as the True Word in John 14:6 when He tells us, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the Way to God, the Truth of God, and the Life in God. 

I was curious about the relationship of the three persons of God and Holy Spirit provided this insight: 

God the Father is the planner and initiator – He is the Mind of the triune God – intellect, emotions, will – the source of ideas and the Ultimate Authority.

God the Son (Jesus) is the communicator – He is the Voice of the triune God and “is the exact representation of His Being” (NIV), “expresses the very character of God” (NLT), “is the express image of His Person” (NKJV), and “is the exact imprint of His Nature.” (ESV) He speaks what He hears from the Father, does what He sees the Father doing, and carries out the will of His Father. He communicates the Mind of God. 

Holy Spirit is the implementor – He is the spiritual power of the triune God. He activates the Word to manifest God’s will as reality. He implements the will of God as spoken by Jesus the Son.  

The three persons of God are unified as one Being. They are united in perfect harmony intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. There is a hierarchy of authority with Christ in submission to His Father, and Holy Spirit in submission to the Son. There is never discord, disagreement, or conflict – only perfect accord. Nothing is hidden or secretive; everything is open and transparent. Each knows what the other is thinking, feeling, and doing so their communication is perfect. 

Do you want to know if God is trustworthy, faithful, and dependable, like I did? Let’s look at what God says about His Character as revealed in scripture. 

The apostle Paul reminded Timothy “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline or sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT) God reveals Himself as a Spirit of power (not weakness, fear, timidity, worry, anxiety, or helplessness); unconditional and everlasting love; and discipline, self-control, sound judgment, and perfect mind.  

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, the coming Messiah, hundreds of years before He was born. 

“And the Spirit of the LORD will rest upon Him – 

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and might,

 the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

He will delight in obeying the LORD. 

He will not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay.

He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited,

The earth will shake at the force of His Word,

And one breath from His Mouth will destroy the wicked. 

He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. (Isaiah 11:2-5 NLT)

(Note: This is also a description of the sevenfold Spirit before the throne of God that the Apostle John wrote about in the first chapter of the book of Revelation.) 

“For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) 

Throughout the Old Testament, God the Father shows Himself as “compassionate and merciful,” “slow to anger,” “filled with unfailing love and faithfulness,” “great in power”, “forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion,” and “not letting the guilty go unpunished.” He is not only a God of grace and mercy, but also justice. (Psalms 86:15, 103:8, 145:8; Numbers 14:18; Exodus 34:6; Nahum 1:3) 

John 14:6 records Jesus calling Holy Spirit “the Helper” (paraclete in Greek) and asking Father God to send Him to indwell Jesus’ disciples. Holy Spirit is our Ally, our Advocate, and our Advisor. He is the “spirit of Truth” (John 16:13), teaching us all things and bringing to remembrance everything Jesus said (John 14:26). Holy Spirit strengthens us in our weakness, interceding when we don’t know what or how to pray, and helping us remain obedient to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit of God works to make us “partakers of the divine nature,” (2 Peter 1:4) so we become like Jesus: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience (long suffering), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

God loves us. He wants to help. If we persevere in prayer and don’t give up, our faith will be rewarded. 

How do I know? Because He said so. God’s Word is absolutely, positively true. Remember this the next time Satan asks you the same question He asked Eve in the garden – “Did God really say . . .?” (Genesis 3:1 NIV) Refuse to question His Authority, His Power, His Love, His Wisdom, His Motive, or His Provision. God stands on His Word and so should we. 

One last thought: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NASB)

 

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