The Foundations of Belief: Exploring the Core Doctrines of ChristianityHow much do you really know about God?
A Guest Post… In the very first sentence of the Bible, God expresses His existence and declares that He is the creator of the universe. The Hebrew word for “God,” אֱלֹהִים (Elohim), is plural in form and masculine. Thus, God is the originator of the universe, male, and embodies more than one person. This plurality is confirmed a few verses later, in Genesis 1:26, where God declares, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Here also we discover that man is to rule over the earth and its creatures, indeed an aberration to the “they were here first” adherents. Historically, many believed that a deity created the universe, albeit often the wrong divinity. In ancient Egypt, the god Atum was said to have created the world by speaking it into existence. In Greek mythology, it is believed that the god Zeus created the world and all the creatures in it. The theory of evolution, American Faith & Freedom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century, challenged these beliefs about creation and the origins of life. Darwin suggested that species evolve over billions of years through a process of natural selection rather than being created in their current form by a deity. As the theory became more widely accepted, it gradually changed how many viewed the natural world and its place within it. Thus, it was far easier to replace God as the creator with God as an observer of the natural order. In line with this transition, the authority and authenticity of the Bible itself are impacted, making rejection that much more convenient. What does the Bible teach about God? Although the word “trinity” is never used in the Bible, we know from a number of verses that the God of the Bible is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One of the most inclusive verses to teach this plurality, as well as their distinct roles in salvation, is Ephesians 1:3-13 which states,
In His final days on earth, Christ would give a directive for the expansion of the faith, known as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19. This, too, verified the existence of the Trinity where it states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In addition to the trinitarian essence of God, the Bible is replete with other verses that describe God’s nature and character. For example, He is:
This is the God believers know, the God of the Bible, yet even these qualities only paint a partial picture. God is too splendid, too immense, to be suited with just eight attributions. Yet these characteristics form a divine core of the transcendent God of the Bible. Man’s Problem with God Despite the nature and character of God detailed in the Bible, many have their own ideal of who God is. However, man’s distortion of God is due to the deficiencies of man, not of God. In fact, the Bible is also replete with verses that describe man’s nature and character.
These characteristics form an unholy essence of the natural man. Such characteristics rebel against the true God in search of gods that fit the needs of sinful men. Most develop their own characterization of who God is. Some deny He exists at all. Others prefer to ascribe female attributes or choose associations with Mother Earth. Still, others desire a God of absolute and unconditional love for their lives regardless of their lifestyles and sinful choices. The truth is that God is clearly described on the pages of the Bible, and His nature is both uniform and consistent. What this does point to is man’s efforts to make God in man’s image as opposed to the vision portrayed in the Bible. It is tragic that so many develop a god to fit their needs and desires and ignore the clear teachings of scripture. It would be fortunate not to be that brave… Subscribe to the Inevitable Truth for more posts like this…
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