Userfriendly god series What is God like Userfriendly

“User-friendly god” series

What is God like? “User-friendly god” series

The personhood of God “User-friendly god” series

God is living l l But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation. (Jeremiah 10: 10) “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; (John 5: 26) “User-friendly god” series

l l Our life was given to us; God’s life is intrinsic to His existence. He is self-existent! God’s life is that mental energy of intellect, affection, and purpose that He possesses within Himself and which He exerts according to His will for Himself and others. “User-friendly god” series

God is a person l l God has features we associate with a person (i. e. , He has personality). God chooses to describe Himself with pronouns we associate with personality. “User-friendly god” series

l God possesses the power of self-consciousness (an awareness of His being) and selfdetermination (the ability to initiate from within Himself His purpose). “User-friendly god” series

l l Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans 11: 33) also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, (Ephesians 1: 11) “User-friendly god” series

Implications of God’s life for our society “User-friendly god” series

l l To recognize God’s inherent life is to see Him as the source of our life, both physically and spiritually neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; (Acts 17: 25) “User-friendly god” series

l What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1: 1 -3) “User-friendly god” series

Implications of God’s personhood for our society “User-friendly god” series

God’s personality must not be reduced to human personality features. We may easily reduce God to our conceptions of how He ought to act rather than respect the revelation He has made about Himself! “User-friendly god” series

The meaning of our existence is dependent upon God’s purpose for creating us, not what meaning we choose to assign to it! “User-friendly god” series

We need to relate our behavior to the personality of God. “User-friendly god” series

l l …that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, ” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9: 24) “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes, which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. (Ezekiel 6: 9) “User-friendly god” series