Who is God?

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists as three in one: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are equal together as One.  In Exodus chapter three, Moses encounters God in a burning bush.  He asks God what His Name is, and God tells Moses His Name is I AM.

“Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?”  Then what shall I tell them?

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”

Exodus 3:13-14

God continues his answer to Moses in verse 15:

“God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you.’  This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”

Exodus 3:15

It is very clear that is His Name and that is the Name He wants to be remembered by forever.  It is also clear from the Word of God that God created the entire universe and everything in it.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Genesis 1:1-2

God also created human beings and he created us in His own image!  Isn’t that cool?!  You look like your Creator!  We all do, no matter where you live or what color you are, you are made in God’s own image!

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:26-27

The “us” God is talking about is Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  All three were present at the beginning of creation.

John 1:1-4

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

God, that is I AM, loves us!  He loves us so much that He died for us!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

God wants all of us to have eternal life!

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

God is love, and He loves you!

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:15-16

The way God loves us is found in 1 Corinthians 13.  This section of Scripture defines once and for all exactly what love really is!

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

In verse 13 of that chapter, Paul writes,

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”

Since we learn from 1 John that God is love, then God’s character is also filled with the above attributes of love.  God is patient, God is kind.  He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud.  He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs.  God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  God always protects, God always trusts, God always hopes, God always perseveres, and God never fails!  The greatest is God!  The Great I AM!

Isn’t that great news today?!  There is a God who created you in His image because He loves you!  I am very glad that God has the character He does!  I am so thankful for His love and forgiveness!  When you repent and believe in Jesus, God removes your sins from you!  He will NOT keep a record of your wrongs!

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

Psalm 103:11-14

It is important to note that the “fear of the Lord” is not being scared of God.  His love is perfect and drives out fear.

“There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

God is love, so since there is no fear in love, then there is no fear in God.  The “fear of the Lord” means to have great respect and reverence for the Lord.  Once you are made perfect in His love by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is no more fear.  The fear of death is gone, and you revere (or fear) the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit!

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Hebrews 2:14-15

Remember all of this today and every day!  Yes, there is a God and He absolutely loves you!  He provided One Way for you to get back to Him, and that Way is Jesus Christ.

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

I pray you receive His love today!

Grace and Peace to you all!