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Who is God, what is God and How is God or How does God relate?

These three questions were discussed in a one on one interview between God and a woman in the gospel of John, chapter four in the Scriptures.

In all circumstances, a person is named or given names by their parents or guardian either at birth or at a certain point in their life. However, since God does not have parents or guardian, so in reality He does not have a name. So twice in the Scriptures when He was asked for His name, He simply said that His first name is I AM, and His family name is also I AM. The first time that God gave His name in the Scriptures, He was quite formal, in that He gave both His first name and His surname (see Exodus 3:14), while the second time in the Scriptures, He was not so formal, He gave only His first name. the supposition is that, on the first occasion, the company was a fella, while in the second occasion, the company was a woman, which was the case in John 4:26.

Most of the time, when a person is asked what they are, they usually state their profession or race or something trite like that. However, in the case of God, He was quite explicit, He stated that He is a spirit, The Spirit (not a Caucasian, nor an Asian or an African and most certainly not a thing) see John 4:24. Which explains His knack of being everywhere at the same time, and knowing everything in the universe He created. Although men from different geological regions try to appropriate Him for themselves and this is obvious in their depiction of Him (most of the portrait of Jesus Christ depicts Him as a very handsome bearded Caucasian male, despite the fact that the guy was definitely a Jew, middle-eastern man, and these people have distinct facial characteristics that are observable even till today, such as the shape of their nose and so on).

The How is God or better put, the How does God relate or prefers to relate, is the aspect that was the bombshell, two thousand years ago, and that is still turning everything we know about Him upside down today, depending on your leanings, whether you are religious (actually according to Isaiah chapter 1, God was explicit in saying that He hates religion) or a practising Christian in a relationship with God. In the era of Corvid-19 and its attending worldwide lockdown and closure of religious gatherings, some religious leaders exposed themselves to ridicule and their so-called prayers, rites, rituals, rules, method and liturgy were made ineffectual by the virus and the actions of various country’s governments. God was explicit in John 4:21-24, that the true worshippers He desire do not need to go to a mountain or to Jerusalem (a building that is no more, that He had once put His name on), or to any building in any part of the world, to worship Him. Then, and up till the present day, this has put religious leader in a twist, which has not stop them from ignoring God, though the virus put a temporary halt to their shenanigans.

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks, you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem (see John 4:21-24). More explicit, you can not get. This was probably the most explosive and explicit interview ever given by God. The point is, are we listening? Or rather, do you have inner ears to hear Him?

There is are differences between a person’ perception of who he is and the perception of those who have had or have relationships with him, such as superiors, peers, subordinates, friends, rivals, colleagues, disgruntled relations, spouse(s), ex-spouse, children, parent and extended family relations. A person and any of the above-mentioned relations have a biased perception of the identity of the individual.

Human nature is naturally self-consumed. We strain our necks for approval and avidly practice comparison, lacking the outward flipped perspective required to understand who we really are. The pre-requisite of our identity can be found in godly priorities. By aligning our everyday lives to biblical truth, we set our internal GPS to His will. Through Scripture, creation, and purposefully placed people, we begin to discover who God says we are.

The story of the Prodigal Son spotlights God’s love for us. Like the father who chose to welcome his son home despite the son’s mistakes, God so welcomes us. Although He knew we would forever fall short, He chooses to love us without end. His only Son, Jesus, died sacrificially to leave heaven’s door swung wide open eternally. Greg Morse wrote beautifully of the prodigal’s return: “The wayward son braces himself for a slap but receives an embrace.” God says we are:

…loved (John 3:16)

…His (1 John 3:1)

…worthy (Zephaniah 3:17)

…purposed (Jeremiah 29:11)

Who Is God?

What does the Bible say about God? To know who God says we are, we must first understand who He is. The Prodigal Son’s story highlights God’s great love for us alongside the choice to receive it. Our Father and Creator, well aware of who we are, desires a genuine and personal relationship with us. The three things God says about Himself in Exodus 3:13-15 are:

“I Am Who I Am” (3:14a)

“I Am has sent me to you” (3:14b)

“This is my name forever [Yahweh]” (3:15)

God does not need anything from us. Sovereign and omnipotent, He is all-knowing and in control. John Piper wrote, “Nothing is more basic, and nothing is more ultimate than the fact that God is.” Love, justice, righteousness, forgiveness, and wisdom contribute to His character.

Once we understand who He is, the utterance of His spoken name carries the proper weight of significance. John Piper emphatically stated, “It’s almost always translated ‘LORD’ (all caps) in the English Bible. But the Hebrew would be pronounced something like ‘Yahweh,’ (or the short form Yah, which you hear every time you sing ‘hallelu-jah,’ ‘praise Yahweh’), or every time you see ‘Lord’ in the English Bible you should think: This is a proper name (like Peter or James or John) built out of the word for ‘I Am’ and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.”

 

Who Am I According to God’s Word?

What does the Bible say about my identity? God, who spoke the world into existence, wants to talk to us. We are woven into the tapestry of all He has created. Being made in His image explains our innate desire for something more than ourselves. We’re built to seek and live life in communion with Him and are called to fulfill a unique purpose. All-knowing, just, and perfect, His will for our lives reflects the loving Father that He is. The pain and consequential suffering in this world are unavoidable, but never trump God’s desire and ability to work all things for our good.

Perhaps “redeemed” is the best way to describe how God sees us. Dave Burchett wrote that redemption: “is the truth I have to remind myself just about every day. The fight has already been won. Yet I too often live as if my self-effort is required to make up for past struggles and efforts. That I need to earn the grace that is already mine.”

Surely, the prodigal son had to remind himself that his father’s reaction was not a dream. Day after day, when he embraced the comfort of his home and family restored, he surely remembered the fate he deserved. Ephesians 1:7 proclaims, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Redemption is a releasing effected by payment of ransom.

Who are we in God’s eyes? Liberated, loved, and redeemed for who we are . . . right now. Jesus took every sin we would ever commit to the cross with Him. Nothing can negate His perfect sacrifice for our eternal freedom.

What Does God Think about Me?

In Isaiah 43:1b, we are reminded: “I have called you by name; you are mine.” God shaped us as a potter does clay (The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible). God has not only created us but formed us and called us to serve Him in specific ways, tailored to each life.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26)

In the context of the above verse, “man” in the original Greek text defines the difference between God and man. The significance of Jesus’ word choice is palpable:

It distinguishes us as human beings but separates us from plants and animals, God and Christ, and from angels. He’s speaking specifically to who WE are and of weaknesses that we specifically possess and, therefore, lead us to sin.

The way Jesus addressed man conveys a notion of contempt or disdainful pity, reminiscent of our underserved gift of His grace. We purposefully sin. It’s not by accident and God doesn’t feel sorry for us because of our bent toward sin. He forgives us and loves us despite it.

“Man,” or more specifically people as the NASB translation reads, are two-fold in nature: body and soul …the corrupt and the true Christian conformed to the nature of God.

Impossible leaves us to consider the sealed fate of our eternal state if not for Christ’s sacrifice. We are powerless to change who we are, but through salvation, we are grafted by His strength the opportunity to submit our will for His way.

John Rinehart wrote in “What God Thinks About You,” that we are valuable, new, Spirit-filled, being transformed, and representative of Him. The VOICE translation of Isaiah 43:1 beautifully reminds us: “Remember who created you, O Jacob? Who shaped you, O Israel? See, you have nothing to fear. I, who made you, will take you back. I have chosen you, named you as My own.” An impossible love for man, but not for God.

Who Am I in Jesus Christ?

In Jesus Christ, I am possible. Specifically, I am powerful, mighty, strong, and able. “Then who in the world can be saved?” the disciples asked Jesus. The NIV Study Bible Notes explain that “salvation is totally the work of God.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

An excerpt from John Rinehard’s, “What God Thinks About You,” brought scriptural clarity to the truth of who we are in Jesus Christ:

“You are no longer darkness, but light in my Son. Walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14). I have called you (2 Peter 1:3). I have chosen you (Revelation 17:14). You are now a saint, a servant, a steward, and a soldier (Romans 1:7; Acts 26:16; 1 Peter 4:10; 2 Timothy 2:3). You are a witness and a worker (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 2:10). Through Jesus you are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57). You have a glorious future (Romans 8:18). You are a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). You are an ambassador for my Son (2 Corinthians 5:20).”

How Can God Love Me?

God can love us because He is Love.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you send me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23).

John, Jesus’ closest friend on this earth, may have understood who God says we are more than anyone. He witnessed Jesus’ life lived out in perfect love. God can love us because He is love.

“God’s love is not sparing us suffering and death. His love is mainly showing us and giving us himself in his glory.”-John Piper, “How to Know God Loves You.”

What Does God See When He Looks at Me?

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

God sees the perfect creation He intended but knows we always fall short. As we go along life’s journey in pursuit of Christ, He will help us recognize our true reflection through our daily pursuit of His Word. The Bible is the Living Word of God. There’s no shortcut to wisdom other than to sit with the Author of it. God purposefully places people in our lives to love us and vice versa. We can learn a lot about who He sees when He looks at us by who He has surrounded our lives with.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

10 Bible Verses about Who I Am in God

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love and with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NAS).

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a).

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NAS).

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We Are Who God Says We Are

Whose version of our identity should we accept? Our own biased version, or our relations’ biased version or the unbiased version of God, who says that we should come to Him as we are. Our God who knows us even before we were born, who formed us, who knows everything, from whom nothing is hidden. We are not the mistakes that threaten to define us but the biblical truth that proves our actual worth. We are created by Love to love as we walk with Love. We exist to make His name known. His desire is to walk with us along the way, blessing us, and filling our lives with more than we can ask for or imagine. Only by drawing close to Him, with a life prioritized to put Him first, will we witness the layers of who we are as He sees us.

Reference: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-does-god-say-i-am.html

Beloved of God, may the Lord honour you with his faithfulness in Jesus’ name. What is faithfulness? Faithfulness is the quality of being faithful; while faithfulness itself denotes steadfastness in affection or allegiance to a person. The faithfulness of God to his children, word and covenant is inflexible and everlasting; hence it is eternal; God’s faithfulness is resolutely constant and eternal; it is total and wholistic; it is not dimensional nor in parts. It is a whole number that cannot be fractionated.

It is love that made God to enter an everlasting covenant of peace and mercy with his children, and in this, He is faithful. In Ps 89, God vowed never to break his covenant or take back his word of goodness from us.

The fact that God magnified His word above his glorified and authoritative name as recorded in Ps 138, even though he said, he reveals himself by/through his name is in keeping with His faithful nature.

Faithfulness to us made God to make an everlasting covenant likened to natural sequences in nature (created by Him) itself. In the book of Jeremiah, he said, ‘unless the order of nature (day and night) can be changed before he withdraws his mercy from us.’ Mercy does not only depict the love, generosity, and favour (grace) of God towards us, but also the promises of (word) God. Luke 1 vs. 69-71 tells us that God “raised a horn of salvation for us…, to perform the mercy he promised our fathers…”, and this horn of salvation is Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, and was also raised to life for our justification (Romans).

What has God promised to do or give you? Rest in his faithfulness because he will surely deliver the goods. Habakkuk assures us that we should not fret, but that we should engrave God’s promises in our heart, because even though it seems delayed, it is actually not delayed beyond God’s stipulated time, so we should patiently wait for it, because it will surely come true. The promises of God are backed up by the very foundation of his eternal throne. Until devil can dethrone God, that is when his purpose for creating you in his own image can fail. And of course, we know that, that can never happen, for God reassures us in Isaiah, saying: Before me there was no God, after me there can never be another. Just ensure that you are really serving God in reverent fear and maintaining a remarkably close walk with him every day. Still in Isaiah, God asks: “Who can hinder me when I am working; or oppose what I do? Who can reverse what I have done? I lift up my hands to heaven, I am God forever.” So, no devil can reverse the purpose of God regarding your life, except you, that is if you are not a true child of God; for only the true children of God are coheirs with Christ.

So, rejoice in the Lord always regardless of your situation today, he rules in the affairs of all men and his kingdom rules over the entire universe. He loves you very much. There is nothing his love and power cannot do for you.

Remain blessed.

 

 

Making Right Decisions

Positive or Negative Perception?

Perception is a way of conceiving or interpreting things. How you represent what you experience or perceive can either be positive or negative. Your perceptions of the events that occur in your life will determine how you feel and react to them. Your actions and or reactions are based on your character attributes, thought processes, education, cultural background, and experiences. Which all comes to play in your decision-making processes.

Right! Decisions (Deeds)

There is nothing as catastrophic as making wrong decisions. Whatever state or situations a person is today is definitely an outcome of a decision, and that is why it is extremely important to be wise. However, no one can be wise without a desire or thirst for knowledge, and of course a godly relationship, and more importantly, maintaining a close and good relations with God.

That knowledge is empowerment is not a fantasy, but reality. Even God said, My people perish because they lack knowledge (Hosea).

One of the vital keys to making right decisions is to have a sound perception and reasoning. Per se, to acquire these traits, acquisition of knowledge through learning, through a person’s previous experiences or others, particularly seeking God’s view (in the Bible) becomes inevitable.

Another vital key is understanding. Else, why would Proverbs 4 vs. 5-7 states: Get wisdom, and as you aspire to get wisdom, ensure you get understanding. Why? Because understanding endows a person with the ability to wisely apply the knowledge acquired. Given that wisdom can be defined as the right application of knowledge. But then you also have to understand the Knowledge before you can apply it. Understanding enables a person to be truthful, besides being able to distinguish between good and evil, as well as opt for the good.

May God give us the ability to make timely and right decisions in Jesus’ name.

Remain blessed.