“What kind of guy is God?” “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Who is that God? In Romans 1:20, Paul writes that we can know from the creation around us the “eternal power and divine nature” of our Creator. Who is that Creator?
Let’s begin our year-long journey on the nature of God…
THE BIBLICAL BASIS OF GOD’S UNITY:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). After God made Adam and Eve, Satan appeared to them in the Garden of Eden and tempted them by saying that if they ate of that forbidden fruit, they would be “like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5). Ever since that day, man has tried to create gods that would take the place of the one true God and not require righteousness and holiness from him.
When God assembled Israel at Mount Sinai, He wanted them to understand that they could not worship other gods and could not make images of even Him and could not bow down to them. Listen again to the words of the Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:3-6.
When God reminded Israel 40 years later that He required their ultimate allegiance, He told them in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 that He is one. But, of course, Israel was more strongly influenced by her pagan neighbors than she was the Bible, so Israel started worshipping false gods and Isaiah had to remind them that there is only one God: Isaiah 44:6, 12-17; 45:18.
Let’s turn to the NT now…
JESUS TAUGHT THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD:
In Mark 10:17, a ruler came to Jesus to ask Him what to do to have eternal life and he referred to Jesus as “Good teacher.” Jesus first responded to him, saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” In Mark 12:28-30, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4: God is one.
With Gentiles becoming Christians, they needed to understand the nature of God also, so Paul wrote to them in the church at Corinth: “Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one” (1 Cor. 8:4). See also Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; and James 2:19.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE ONE-NESS OF GOD:
First, because God is one, nobody and nothing can become God. Human beings – in contrast with various religious groups – cannot become God. It is impossible. God is one; He is unity.
Second, related to that, Jesus of Nazareth did not become God. Some believe the Spirit of God came into the body of Jesus at His baptism and made Him God. No. That’s not true. There is no God but Jehovah God; we’ll talk about the nature of Jesus next month. Of course, the Bible teaches that Jesus is Jehovah God in the flesh.
Third, the fact that God is one means that the “Godhead” (which is a biblical word: Colossians 2:9) has no division within it. There are no disagreements, no fusses, no fights, no strife, no arguments, no discord. The Godhead is one in intentions, desires, plans, goals, aims, objectives, love, and hate. God is one.
Fourth, God does not become anything at any time. He is One. He does not have the potential to become anything. He is everything today that He has always been. He does not need to grow; He has never been incomplete.
Fifth, God is infinite in all His attributes that we’ll study this year. To say that God is “One” means that God is not partial in any attribute. He has all His attributes which He has to the perfect degree, which is infinite.
Sixth, God is perfect. He is the Most Perfect Being that a human being could even imagine. This means that God is not imperfect in any attribute. Nor is it proper to say that God’s love is stronger than His hate. They are both perfect, infinite attributes of a Being who is One and United in all His essence.
Seventh, God deserves our ultimate allegiance and deepest convictions. When Satan tempted Jesus to fall down and worship Him, you remember, Jesus said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’” (Matt. 4:10). The only true God is the only one who deserves our service and our worship.
Our awesome God is One! Jesus tells us to serve and worship Him.
Paul Holland