I decided to write these articles because I need to know I at least shared this message with my friends and as many people as I can. If you’re new to this message, welcome, I’m glad you’re here. If you know it or of it I hope you learn something as I know I do every time I look at it again.
A little background, first I’m a WELS Lutheran, that is Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. I hold no position in the church nor have I had any official training apart from the classes I’ve had in Christian living and one Bible class at the community college. While not copying word for word, I’m going to use the study guide, New Life in Christ by Forrest L. Bivens and David J. Valleskey as a structured order in which I write these articles. Of course all of this backed up by scripture. While I hope they can appreciate what I am doing I’d like to mention that I tried to write my own summaries of these lessons and no copyright infringement intended. One last thing, as not being a church official I encourage everyone to find a church that teaches the basic truths of the Bible and continue education there. Please refer to “How To Find A Church.”
So let’s start with what God tells us about Himself and how He makes Himself known to us. God reveals Himself to us in two different ways which we refer to as The Natural Knowledge of God and The Revealed Knowledge of God.
All people have a natural knowledge of God. God tells us just by looking at nature we can know that a God who is wise and powerful exists. A reading from Psalm 19 tells of exactly this, “1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,” You can look at the Sun, or the ocean, or a tall mountain and think something clearly powerful has put it here. And think about how everything works, from the way crops are harvested on a schedule, the way the moon keeps our tides in check, the way our planet is the perfect distance from the Sun without turning to a frozen wasteland or a giant fireball. Or as Hebrews 3:4 put it, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”
It also tells us He is holy and hates sin. We all have a conscience, one that tells us loudly when we’re doing something that rebels against right and more importantly against God’s will. While writing to the Romans Paul talks about the Gentiles, a term meaning those who were of non-Jewish descent and in this case faith knowing right from wrong. Romans 2, “14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)” Think about without God’s law, why humans say things are wrong. Ask anyone, “should I murder that person?” They’ll most certainly tell you, “no.” But why not, well maybe they’ll tell you it’s not right, but why? I don’t know, it just is, it’s not nice, maybe.
The above example shows us why the natural knowledge of God is not enough for us. The problem is, now while knowing that this world is more than a mere coincidence and establishing a right and wrong for our daily living it doesn’t reveal who the true God is and more importantly a Savior from Sin. According to Acts 17, God gives us a natural knowledge so that we may seek Him out. “26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
We can find out who God is in two main ways, the first being the Bible, which basically translates into books, or often referred to as the Scriptures, or writings. In Isaiah 45:22 God reveals Himself in these words, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” We can also learn about our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus; more on that in a moment. In the book of John, often referred to as the book that focuses on Christ’s deity, he writes in chapter 14, “6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”
Throughout the Bible we learn about what our true God is like. The first is that He is holy and just, meaning without flaw and perfect. He is just in that He punishes all sin. He is unchangeable, meaning He is the same now as He was 6,000 years ago, or 2 billion years ago. He is eternal, referring to Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and without end. He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at all times and sees all. He is omniscient meaning He knows all. He is omnipotent or all powerful. He is merciful, providing love and compassion because of our great need. Last, God is love, the Greek having many words for the types of love that exist and using agape to describe Christ’s love because of its meaning of ‘a decision to act in the best interest of someone, expecting nothing in return.’
God is a triune God meaning that He is 3 persons but only 1 God. A concept that is beyond human understanding. The Godhead consists of 3 persons, the Father, the creator, the Son(Jesus Christ), the redeemer and the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier(to make holy). Over the next lessons we’ll come to understand what each of these persons does for us. Right now it is important to understand though that while three, there is only one God. As seen in the chart below, that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God, however, the Father is not the Son, likewise, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Deuteronomy chapter 6 confirms this, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” A great example of all three persons happens in Matthew 3, during Jesus’ baptism, “16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."”
A great note from Bivens and Valleskey, “All three Persons are explicitly called God, described as God and act like God. All of the previously listed characteristics of God – “holy, eternal, etc.” – apply equally to each Person of the Trinity.”
So that’s the end of our first lesson. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and most importantly that you learned something. I pray that these words reach you and fill your heart with the truth of God and His love. I hope you look forward to next one in which we discuss how God created and cares for His world.
A little background, first I’m a WELS Lutheran, that is Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. I hold no position in the church nor have I had any official training apart from the classes I’ve had in Christian living and one Bible class at the community college. While not copying word for word, I’m going to use the study guide, New Life in Christ by Forrest L. Bivens and David J. Valleskey as a structured order in which I write these articles. Of course all of this backed up by scripture. While I hope they can appreciate what I am doing I’d like to mention that I tried to write my own summaries of these lessons and no copyright infringement intended. One last thing, as not being a church official I encourage everyone to find a church that teaches the basic truths of the Bible and continue education there. Please refer to “How To Find A Church.”
So let’s start with what God tells us about Himself and how He makes Himself known to us. God reveals Himself to us in two different ways which we refer to as The Natural Knowledge of God and The Revealed Knowledge of God.
All people have a natural knowledge of God. God tells us just by looking at nature we can know that a God who is wise and powerful exists. A reading from Psalm 19 tells of exactly this, “1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,” You can look at the Sun, or the ocean, or a tall mountain and think something clearly powerful has put it here. And think about how everything works, from the way crops are harvested on a schedule, the way the moon keeps our tides in check, the way our planet is the perfect distance from the Sun without turning to a frozen wasteland or a giant fireball. Or as Hebrews 3:4 put it, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”
It also tells us He is holy and hates sin. We all have a conscience, one that tells us loudly when we’re doing something that rebels against right and more importantly against God’s will. While writing to the Romans Paul talks about the Gentiles, a term meaning those who were of non-Jewish descent and in this case faith knowing right from wrong. Romans 2, “14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)” Think about without God’s law, why humans say things are wrong. Ask anyone, “should I murder that person?” They’ll most certainly tell you, “no.” But why not, well maybe they’ll tell you it’s not right, but why? I don’t know, it just is, it’s not nice, maybe.
The above example shows us why the natural knowledge of God is not enough for us. The problem is, now while knowing that this world is more than a mere coincidence and establishing a right and wrong for our daily living it doesn’t reveal who the true God is and more importantly a Savior from Sin. According to Acts 17, God gives us a natural knowledge so that we may seek Him out. “26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
We can find out who God is in two main ways, the first being the Bible, which basically translates into books, or often referred to as the Scriptures, or writings. In Isaiah 45:22 God reveals Himself in these words, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” We can also learn about our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus; more on that in a moment. In the book of John, often referred to as the book that focuses on Christ’s deity, he writes in chapter 14, “6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”
Throughout the Bible we learn about what our true God is like. The first is that He is holy and just, meaning without flaw and perfect. He is just in that He punishes all sin. He is unchangeable, meaning He is the same now as He was 6,000 years ago, or 2 billion years ago. He is eternal, referring to Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and without end. He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at all times and sees all. He is omniscient meaning He knows all. He is omnipotent or all powerful. He is merciful, providing love and compassion because of our great need. Last, God is love, the Greek having many words for the types of love that exist and using agape to describe Christ’s love because of its meaning of ‘a decision to act in the best interest of someone, expecting nothing in return.’
God is a triune God meaning that He is 3 persons but only 1 God. A concept that is beyond human understanding. The Godhead consists of 3 persons, the Father, the creator, the Son(Jesus Christ), the redeemer and the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier(to make holy). Over the next lessons we’ll come to understand what each of these persons does for us. Right now it is important to understand though that while three, there is only one God. As seen in the chart below, that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God, however, the Father is not the Son, likewise, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Deuteronomy chapter 6 confirms this, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” A great example of all three persons happens in Matthew 3, during Jesus’ baptism, “16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."”
A great note from Bivens and Valleskey, “All three Persons are explicitly called God, described as God and act like God. All of the previously listed characteristics of God – “holy, eternal, etc.” – apply equally to each Person of the Trinity.”
So that’s the end of our first lesson. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and most importantly that you learned something. I pray that these words reach you and fill your heart with the truth of God and His love. I hope you look forward to next one in which we discuss how God created and cares for His world.
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