I have a confession to make. More often than I’d like to admit, I forget just how BIG our God truly is. I’m obviously not speaking of physical size when using the descriptive word ‘big,’ especially since God exists everywhere and is not contained in measurable, observable matter. How mind boggling that mankind doesn’t actually know what ‘everywhere’ entails, considering we can’t even measure the expanse of the universe, much less the spiritual realm!
Scripture says that no one has seen God in His fullness, and no man could survive the experience. Yet, God has revealed glimpses of Himself in numerous ways and varying degrees, most clearly through the person of Jesus Christ the Son, who is the exact representation of God’s character and purpose.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God that eternally exists in three Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). He is one in essence and being (which includes character, purpose and will), yet relates through separate Persons that are equally God. Although completely equal, the Son submits to the Father’s will and the Holy Spirit submits to the will of the Father and Son. This dynamic of submission does not in any way make the Son or Holy Spirit subordinate to (lesser than) the Father.
God is entirely independent in that He experiences perfect love and completeness within the Trinitarian existence. God doesn’t need us or anything He created, as if He was lonely or bored, which some errant pseudo-theologians have contended.
Being eternal, the Triune God has no beginning and no end. He exists outside of space and time, yet he created both space and time, and reveals Himself to us through them and in them. Therefore, He always sees all things past, present and future in perfect clarity and in their entirety. Nothing is hidden from God.
All events past, present and future happen in accordance with God’s will. Nothing happens that He does not allow and ordain. God reveals His will for us through commands and precepts contained in the Bible, yet scripture also shows He has a secret will that contains the mysteries we cannot grasp.
Have you ever pondered the fact that we will never fully know anything about God? If we did, God would cease to be infinite, but rather, finite. Nevertheless, we can partially know many truths about God as revealed through his Word, as well as relationally experience God in our lives through countless ways.
God’s character includes His love, wisdom, truthfulness, goodness, mercy, grace, patience, holiness, peace, righteousness, justice, jealousy and wrath. He does not simply exude these attributes, He defines them. For example, the Bible does not only say God loves, but that God is love. His justice, jealously and wrath are not contradictory to his other attributes but in concert with them. God cannot be fully loving, good, merciful, gracious, patient, wise, ect., without being just, wrathful and jealous for our affections.
Often overlooked and/or understated is that God delights fully in Himself and all that reflects His character. He is the sole essence of all desirable qualities. God is primarily concerned with His glory (note: not ours), which Wayne Grudem defines as the created brightness that surrounds God’s revelation of Himself. Perhaps I will attempt to unpack some of this truth in the next posting!?
Try your best to fight through the headache that may have onset during your reading of all these mind-mangling truths because there are some life altering ramifications! Why should we study and contemplate what God has revealed about Himself since often we come away perplexed? All confusion should lead us to these conclusions: 1) If we could fully comprehend God, He wouldn’t truly be God. 2) We can rest assured that God is able to keep all of His promises since He alone is not limited in any way, shape or form. 3) Because of who God is, He is completely worthy of our trust and affections in the midst of any and all circumstances!
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