subject: Who Is God And Can You Really Know Him? [print this page] Who Is God And Can You Really Know Him? Who Is God And Can You Really Know Him?
Over the last 10 years I have spoken to hundreds of people on this topic and the answers I get back are widely different. Many believe that God does not even exist. Others believe there is some powerful force in the universe but it would be impossible to know or understand who God is. Some believe God is a mystery and others state that he is Jesus Christ. The purpose of this article is to look at what the Bible says.
During the early Christian era the people of the nations worshiped many gods. The city of Athens was full of objects of veneration. Evidently the people of that city didn't want to offend any god they might not be aware of and erected an alter "to an unknown God".
The apostle Paul brought attention to this in his address to the Men of Athens. You can read it in the Bible book of Acts Chapter 17 verses 22-28 (Acts 17:22-28). In his address he brings to their attention that this unknown God that they were honoring was in fact the God who created all things. Under inspiration he also brings our attention to a very important point.
Verse 27 reads, "for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us." As we can see from this verse God is not far off from each one us. In fact James 4:8 tells us, "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU". It is comforting to know that we can have a close personal relationship with God; however the question remains who is God and how can we get to know him?
Rather than being some impersonal powerful force, the Bible shows us that God is a spirit person with feelings, that he has a personality and a personal name. Let's take a moment to consider a few of these scriptual points together.
Regarding God's personal name the original King James Version says at Psalms 83:18, "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."
The first thing we usually do when we meet someone new is learn their name. Wouldn't you agree that this is an important first step in getting to know that person. In the same way, understanding that God has a personal name is the first step in getting to know him.
1 John 4:8 says, "God is love" therefore we come to learn that God's most dominate quality is love. Love is the motivation for everything he does. In fact our ability to show love comes from him since we were made in his image (Genesis 1:26).
Psalms 37:28 says "Jehovah is a lover of justice" and Genesis 6: 5,6 shows that God has feelings and that when badness filled the earth he "felt hurt at his heart".
Regarding God's feelings for you 1 Peter 5:7 says, "he cares for you"
The Bible shows that we can also learn about God by observing the things he created. Romans 1:20 says, "For his invisible [qualities] are clearly seen from the world's creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable"
By looking closely at the things that were created we can discover more about God's qualities of love, justice, wisdom and power.
We can also learn more about Jehovah by reading about his Son Jesus Christ and following him. Speaking of Jesus Colossians 1:15 says, "[Now] He is the [a]exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation" (Amplified Bible). This shows that we can learn more about who God is by learning about his son Jesus Christ.
At John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" So following Christ and learning about him is an essential key to getting to know God.
