Who is God? - Hope Through The Truth

Who is God? That depends on who you ask. Some say “he is the one, true God; who created everything.” Atheists might say “no one because there is no God.” Agnostics may respond, “I don’t know if there is a god or not. Even if there is, humans can’t know him.” Still others might describe God as a “concept,” meaning he, her, or it only exists in their mind. Some may consider him an “entity,” a fuzzy word that usually means they don’t have a concrete idea of him. Even those of varying religious persuasions, who believe in a “supreme being” they call God, describe him differently. At the end of the day, why does it matter? Again, it depends on who you ask.

Some who do not believe in God claim the pain, suffering, and wrong in the world proves that a “loving” or an “all-loving” God portrayed in the Bible, does not exist. The diseases and famines that decimate innocent children in various parts of the world; and the heinous atrocities committed by humans; are two common example cited in support of this position. Following this line of thinking, if an all-powerful, loving God existed; then pain, suffering, disease etc., would not be possible. Such a view is flawed for several reasons. However, we will only discuss one of those reasons here; specifically related to who God is. Scripture tells us He:

Is the Creator of everything;
Is the one who controls everything; in the sense that he either causes or allows everything that happens;
Knows every human intimately and loves them deeply;
Desires every human to live in eternity with him;
Is merciful, forgiving, righteous, just, etc.;
Is also judge, jealous, wrathful, angry, and a consuming fire.

Those who would present God only as “all-loving” in their assertions, ignoring the last five aforementioned aspects of God’s character as non-existent, are not describing the God of the Bible.

Seeking Our Origin

It seems natural to be curious about ourselves; particularly things unknown to us; like our origin. Scientists spend entire careers trying to prove when and how our earth and the universe were formed; as well as when and how humans originated. On a much smaller and more tangible scale, many individuals spend significant time and resources tracing their ancestors. Today, there are numerous websites and companies offering to help us determine our human lineage. I recently queried the Internet for “genealogy,” resulting in at least ten websites or companies in the first three pages. Sophisticated DNA testing is now available to the public and can assist in the ancestry search.

The U.S. government is doing its part to assist citizens in this pastime. A National Archives and Records Administration article, “Start Your Genealogy Research,” gives instructions identifying their resources that can be used for this type of research.¹

God Designed Us to Seek Him

I believe every culture in human history has shown a propensity to search for the origin of their group and their purpose in life. To achieve this, almost every culture has engaged in some form of religion. After all, I don’t know very many people who have a desire to proudly proclaim they believe their great-great-great-great ancestor was an ape.

Joshua J. Mark in an article, “Religion in the Ancient World,” discusses some of the gods of the earliest known civilizations:

“Mesopotamia, known as the ‘cradle of civilization,’ had the great god Marduk.
Akkadians, and later the Assyrians, had Ishta.
Phoenicians had Astarte.
Hurrians-Hittites had Sauska.
Greeks had Aphrodite.
Egyptians had Isis.
Romans had Venus.
Aryans, or Indo-Iranians were polytheistic with a supreme god, Ahura Mazda, presiding over lesser deities.
Islam has Allah.
Hindus have Brahma.
Buddhists have all of nature and their higher self.”²

During the time of Jacob (c. 1836 – 1689 B.C.), the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, people were seeking and finding gods, other than the God of the Bible. The first mention of this I see in Scripture is Laban, Jacob’s uncle, who practiced divination (Genesis 30:27) and had household gods (Genesis 31:19). The fact that every civilization has searched for their god seems like fairly strong evidence that this innate desire has been built into the DNA of all humans.

What Does the Bible Say About the Origin of Man

According to the Bible, God created the first two humans, Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:27; 2:7; 2:21-25). Every human on the face of the planet is descended from this first couple (Genesis 3:20). More recently, when all but eight humans were destroyed by the Great Flood, all mankind thereafter descended from one of Noah’s three sons; Shem, Ham, or Japheth; and their wives (Genesis 10:32). Those who believe the Bible is God’s inerrant word believe he is the Creator of mankind. Consequently, Christians want to know their heavenly Father, just as many humans desire to know their earthly ancestors. God built within us a desire to seek him; to know him. That is why Scripture tells us:

I [God] will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart (Jeremiah 24:7).
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth . . . God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:26–27).
Not only did God design us to seek him; he also set eternity in our hearts. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, Solomon wrote, “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Solomon also speaks of an “eternal home” after death (Ecclesiastes 12:5); everyone being judged for everything they do (Ecclesiastes 11:9); and our spirit returning to God after our death (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

What Do People Say About God Almighty of the Bible

As mentioned earlier, the responses to “Who is God?” range from atheists and agnostics on one end and those who are convinced God is the Creator and Ruler of everything at the other end. However, there is a large group in the middle, those who are as yet undecided about God. This article will not address the specific statements of atheists and agnostics. There are plenty of articles on the Internet and books available for those who want to study those views. Let’s look at some of the views expressed by individuals and then what the Holy Bible says about God.

Pew Forum Research

Pew Forum, in an article, “When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?” provided results of a 2018 survey detailing what people had to say on this topic. A summary of the findings are as follows:

“Nine-in-ten Americans believe in a higher power, but only a slim majority believe in God as described in the Bible
Previous Pew Research Center studies have shown that the share of Americans who believe in God with absolute certainty has declined in recent years, while the share saying they have doubts about God’s existence – or that they do not believe in God at all – has grown.
A . . . survey of more than 4,700 U.S. adults finds that one-third of Americans say they do not believe in the God of the Bible, but that they do believe there is some other higher power or spiritual force in the universe. A slim majority of Americans (56%) say they believe in God “as described in the Bible.” And one-in-ten do not believe in any higher power or spiritual force.
In the U.S., belief in a deity is common even among the religiously unaffiliated – a group composed of those who identify themselves, religiously, as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” and sometimes referred to, collectively, as religious “nones.” Indeed, nearly three-quarters of religious “nones” (72%) believe in a higher power of some kind, even if not in God as described in the Bible.”³

Saint Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas, (c. 1224 – 1274 A.D.) was an Italian Dominican (an order of the Catholic church) theologian, who was canonized in 1323. In Summa Theologica, one of his most famous works, he wrote:

“Concerning the Divine Essence, we must consider whether God exists . . . I answer that, the existence of God can be proved in five ways.. . . The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack intelligence, such as natural bodies, act for an end . . . Now whatever lacks intelligence cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence . . . Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.”⁴

Answers in Genesis – Who is God?

An article, “Who is God?” posted by Answers in Genesis states, “The God of the Bible is not merely one of a plethora of gods from which we may pick and choose to worship nor is He to be put on par with other supposed deities. He is the omnipotent Creator and Redeemer of mankind.. . The Creator has revealed Himself in both science and history, and the two subjects are intertwined. It is just as wrong to leave God out of the study of bacteria and volcanoes as it is to leave Him out of the rise and fall of nations or the extinction of dinosaurs. God made everything and He sustains everything.”⁵

Todd Friel – Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God?

Todd Friel, in an article “Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God? writes, ”Who is God? Jesus slammed the door shut on this question in John 8:19 when he blasted the Pharisees for not acknowledging his deity: ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ In other words, if you do not worship Jesus, you do not worship the Father, either. Neither Jews nor Muslims worship Jesus; therefore, they do not worship the same God.”⁶

What Does the Bible Say About the Attributes of God

Holman Bible Dictionary defines “trinity” as a “theological term used to define God as an undivided unity expressed in the threefold nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As a distinctive Christian doctrine, the Trinity is considered as a divine mystery beyond human comprehension to be reflected upon only through scriptural revelation.. . . While the term ‘trinity’ does not appear in Scripture, the trinitarian structure appears throughout the New Testament to affirm that God Himself is manifested through Jesus Christ by means of the Spirit. A proper biblical view of the Trinity balances the concepts of unity and distinctiveness.. . .

New Testament writers present the doctrine in such a manner that it does not violate the Old Testament concept of the oneness of God. In fact, they unanimously affirm the Hebrew monotheistic faith, but they extend it to include the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The early Christian church experienced the God of Abraham in a new and dramatic way without abandoning the oneness of God that permeates the Old Testament. As a fresh expression of God, the concept of the Trinity – rooted in and consistent with the God of the past – absorbs the idea of the God of the past, but goes beyond the God of the past in a more personal encounter.”⁷

Three-In-one

Completely understanding the Trinity, the three-in-one,⁸ is beyond human ability, since we have no human frame of reference. We see three distinct, separate beings in our minds. Yet they are one. They cannot truly be separated; one from another. Jesus shows us that the three always work together as a whole when he refers to their critical inter-relation in the great commission. Shortly before ascending into heaven, Jesus told his followers, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Those who professed faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior were to be baptized into God as a whole.

Aside from that, God cannot be adequately named or properly described by human words anyway. However, God does want us to know him and love him. So his Word gives us some details regarding a number of his characteristics or attributes so we can know him better. Our God is truly a God of blessings. A few of his attributes are listed below.

God is the One True God

Scripture is adamant. There is only one God. He is the single, solitary, lone, sole, unique God. There never has been, nor will there ever be any god other than the one true God.

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes (Isaiah 65:16).
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9).
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him (Mark 12:32).
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder (James 2:19).
There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears (1 Chronicles 17:20).
. . . There is no God but one . . . For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Corinthians 8:4–6).
. . . Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty. I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God (Isaiah 44:6).

God Is Eternal

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. ‘For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end’” (Daniel 6:26).
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2).
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).
Your [the Lord’s] throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity (Psalm 93:2).
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God (Genesis 21:33).
. . . But now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God . . . (Romans 16:26).

God is All-Knowing / All-Seeing / Omniscient

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:4–5).
. . . for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought (1Chronicles 28:9).
His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide (Job 34:21–22).
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.. . . Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain . . . (Psalm 139:1-6)
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew (Proverbs 3:19–20).
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good (Proverbs 15:3).
My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes (Jeremiah 16:17).

God is All Powerful / Omnipotent

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:26).
Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you (Jeremiah 32:17).
I know that you [God] can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2).

God is Present Everywhere / Omnipresent

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you (Psalm 139:7–12).
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 23:23–24).
“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built (1 Kings 8:27).
For this is what the high and exalted One says – he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15).

God is the Creator of All

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day (Exodus 20:11).
It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts (Isaiah 45:12).
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm (Psalm 33:6-9).
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew (Proverbs 3:19–20).
This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5).
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name (Amos 4:13).

God is Holy

Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
Jesus prayed to God saying, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one (John 17:11).
And they [Seraphim] were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy (Psalm 99:9).
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:3).

God is Love

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). By God’s definition and demonstration, love is a verb. It is not an emotion; it is deliberate action.

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).
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1).
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4–5).

God’s Love is Eternal

And with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done” (Psalm 62:12).
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 118:1-4).

God is Righteous

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed . . . (Romans 1:17).
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice (Psalm 50:6).
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory (Psalm 97:6).
Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence (Ezra 9:15).
The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command . . . (Lamentations 1:18).

God is Just

Jesus said, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” (Luke 18:7).
Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations (Revelation 15:3).
Many seek a ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the Lord (Proverbs 29:26).
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you (2 Thessalonians 1:6).
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (Hebrews 6:10).

God is Faithful

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9).
For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33:4).
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9).
. . . And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No” (2 Corinthians 1:18).

God is Unchanging

God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change … (Psalm 55:19).
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind … (Numbers 23:19).
I the Lord do not change . . . (Malachi 3:6).
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

God Does Not Lie

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged (Hebrews 6:18).
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2).
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind . . . (1 Samuel 15:29).

God is Gracious

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion (Psalm 116:5).
If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate (2 Chronicles 30:9).
But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them [the Israelites] or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God (Nehemiah 9:31).
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

God is Merciful / Compassionate

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath (Deuteronomy 4:31).
And the Lord said . . . “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19).
David said to Gad … Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands (1 Chronicles 21:13).
He [the Lord] does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:10).
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22).
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4).

God is Forgiving

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him (Daniel 9:9).
But with you [Lord] there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you (Psalm 130:4).
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
For I [God] will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).

God is Patient

. . . God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:20).
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his [God’s] kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4).

God is With Us / Near Us

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? (Deuteronomy 4:7)
Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you” (1 Chronicles 17:2).
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous (Psalm 14:5).
Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us (Isaiah 8:10).
. . . People from all nations will take hold of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23).
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9).

God is Our Joy

. . . This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart . . . (Psalm 19:8).
You (the Lord) make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight . . . (Psalm 43:4).
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy (Isaiah 65:18).
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

God the Orchestrator

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9).
A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses (Proverbs 21:1).
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

The God of Blessings and Curses

As stated earlier, there are many of God’s attributes we would like dwell on and others we would rather not.

After God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he told them they could eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they ate from it, they would die (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve had a choice to make. The result of one choice was a blessing; the other a curse.
When God prepared to lead the Israelites into the promised land, he gave them two choices. Each choice had a consequence. The result of one choice was a blessing; the other a curse. God spoke to them through Moses, saying, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26–28).
When God put his plan of salvation in place, mankind was given two choices; to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or not. Each person has a choice to make. The result of one choice is an eternal blessing; the other an eternal curse.

God will bless those who have followed his plan of salvation and curse those who do not. Therefore, God Almighty is a God of curses as well as blessings as Scripture tells us.

. . . The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him (Ezra 8:22).
The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous (Proverbs 3:33).
Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed (Psalm 37:22).
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.. . . “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:31-34 & 41).

A few more of God’s attributes are listed below.

God is Judge

When God told Abram he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah Abram said, “Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth (1 Chronicles 16:14).
Though I were innocent, I could not answer him [God]; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy (Job 9:15).
It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another (Psalm 75:7).
As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 20:36).

God of Vengeance / Retribution

It is mine [God’s] to avenge; I will repay (Deuteronomy 32:35).
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies (Nahum 1:2).
A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full (Jeremiah 51:56).
For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30–31).

God is Wrathful

God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day (Psalm 7:11).
The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him (Daniel 9:14).
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18).
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19).
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient (Ephesians 5:6).
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth” (Revelation 16:1).

God of Anger

Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you” (Exodus 4:14).
But God was very angry when he [Balaam] went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him (Numbers 22:22).
At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you (Deuteronomy 9:8).
Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me . . . (Judges 2:20).
Just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest’.” (Hebrews 4:3).

God is a Consuming Fire

So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them [Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu], and they died before the Lord (Leviticus 10:2).

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).
For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain (Exodus 24:17).
Smoke rose from his [the Lord’s] nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it (2 Samuel 22:9).
When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them (Psalm 21:9).
The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire … (Isaiah 30:30).

God is Jealous

Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).
For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land (Deuteronomy 6:15).
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins (Joshua 24:19).
I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury . . . Those of you who are left will be consumed by fire (Ezekiel 23:25).
. . . I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them – all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger (Zephaniah 3:8).

Everyone Has a Decision to Make

Each person will decide for themselves what they believe about God and whether or not they will accept his plan of salvation. For those who are seriously considering these issues, it is important to set aside pre-conceived notions and personal bias as you search for the truth. Some people have been converted from atheism while trying to prove the Christian faith false. The following are just a few examples.

Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel, in an article “How an Atheist Fabricated a Phony Story About Me” states: “The truth is absolutely as I have always reported it: I was an atheist and Yale-educated legal editor of the Chicago Tribune when my wife’s conversion to Christianity prompted me to investigate the faith for nearly two years. Ultimately, I decided the evidence was too strong to ignore, and I put my trust in Christ on November 8, 1981. Six years later, I left daily journalism to become a pastor.

I conducted my original investigation out of my own curiosity, never intending to write about it. Several years later, when I decided to write a book, I specifically wrote that I was going to “retrace and expand upon” my original journey through on-the-record interviews with scholars and experts.. . . The experts I interviewed have PhDs from Cambridge, Brandeis, Princeton, Durham, USC, Purdue and other major institutions.. . . My books report extensively on the evidence for Christianity.. . . I was a spiritual skeptic who came to faith through an investigation of the evidence.. . . After all, I was once an atheist myself.⁹

Francis Collins

An article about genetic scientist Francis Collins, “How a World Famous Geneticist Went From Staunch Atheist to Christian Convert” states,

“In the 1990s, Francis Collins, the head of the Human Genome Project, stood by Bill Clinton’s side as the President announced: ‘Today we are learning the language in which God created life.’ One of the most respected scientists in the field of genetic research, Collins was a self-described ‘obnoxious atheist’ in his academic days. During this stage in his life, it seemed clear to Collins that science had all of the answers. Any questions about life and the universe could ultimately be reduced to physics and chemistry.

After college, Collins attended medical school, where he was confronted by a broad spectrum of suffering and disease. To his surprise, one of his patients happily described how her religious beliefs supported her through her suffering, and then challenged him on his own beliefs. Forced to examine the evidence concerning the truth or falsity of religion, Collins was eventually led to read C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, where, he says, ‘…within the first three pages, I realized that my arguments against faith were those of a schoolboy’.. . .

Collins’ true conversion experience came from an experience of natural beauty. He describes it this way: ‘I was hiking in the Cascade Mountains on a beautiful fall afternoon. I turned the corner and saw in front of me this frozen waterfall, a couple of hundred feet high. Actually, a waterfall that had three parts to it – also the symbolic three in one. At that moment, I felt my resistance leave me. And it was a great sense of relief. The next morning, in the dewy grass in the shadow of the Cascades, I fell on my knees and accepted this truth – that God is God, that Christ is his son and that I am giving my life to that belief’.”¹⁰

Justin Brook

Justin Brook, in an article “Atheist Spends 5 Years Studying World Religions and Becomes a Baptized Christian Evangelist” states “I’m writing you today because my life has been deeply changed. I’ve been studying hours and hours of material about the major world religions. Finally, an ancient teacher won me over. My goal is not to convert you to my point of view. Only to tell you my story and leave you thinking about a few big ideas.. . .

I should explain how I got to this point. I remember in 2015 crossing the magical million dollar line in my business and feeling depressed. It felt like it didn’t matter.. . . I remember even thinking what is the purpose of waking up? To do what? .. . . I had already had a 6 bedroom house, did I need a 7th bedroom? .. . . I had ‘all the things’.. . . However, I was craving something that mattered more than the money and things. I was desperate to feel spiritual fulfillment.. . .

We recently moved into this cabin on a mountain in Tennessee. When my new neighbors asked me to come to Church, I only did it to be polite. We were new in town and I wanted to meet the neighbors. And then it started… The pastor had this whole sermon about being full of yourself instead of God, leading to feeling unsatisfied.

Looking back I feel as though I was called to Church this specific day. To hear this specific message that nailed me like lightning bolt between the eyes. But I laughed it off.. . . I’m an Atheist, I reminded myself. Out of fear of being wrong my whole life, I started researching with a new goal. This time to prove Christianity wrong. There was no way I was going to admit I was wrong all this time, but worse that I had been selfish and full of myself. Turns out, I’m not the first person in history to try and prove Christianity wrong. There are volumes of books on the subject.. . .

Yet, it was while I was watching a movie called “The Case For Christ” that I heard a line that finally confirmed my belief. He said ‘When will enough evidence, be enough evidence?’ After that, I knew that Christianity was what I was seeking all along.

The thing that made me a believer was that you didn’t need to go to a church or pay someone money or buy a book to be a Christian. You simply just need to pray for Jesus to be your savior and love him.. . . I was baptized at 38 years old on December 22, 2019 in Tamarac, Florida.¹¹

Josh McDowell

Josh McDowell, in an article “What Turns Skeptics into Believers?” writes, “The historical facts prove that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected! Josh McDowell once thought God and Jesus were fake – and that Christianity was for ignorant people! So how did he end up becoming not just a Christian, but one of the world’s leading apologists? For 50+ years now, he’s been proving that it’s all true! Ironically, it was at college, when he was mocking a group of Christians and they challenged him to prove them wrong. ‘No problem!’ he thought. ‘Piece of cake.’ But months later, after he’d intensively researched a mountain of historical documents throughout Europe, he had to admit that the facts showed that Jesus really did live, die, and resurrect. And if that was true – God HAD to be real.”¹²

A Barber’s Story

These conversion stories remind me of an article posted on the Internet, “A Barber’s Story: Does God Exist?” that says, “A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: “Look man, I don’t believe that God exists as you say.A Barber’s Story

“Why do you say that?” asked the client.

“Well, it’s so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can’t think of loving a God who permits all of these things.”

The client stopped for a moment thinking, but he didn’t want to respond as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy).

Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber, “You know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How can you say they don’t exist?” asked the barber. “Well I am here and I am a barber.”

“No!” the client exclaimed. “They don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and a beard like that man who walks in the street.”

“Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me.”

“Exactly!”- affirmed the client. “That’s the point. God does exist, what happens is people don’t go to Him and do not look for Him. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.” Amen!¹³

So, what do you say? Who is God to you?

Notes

¹ National Archives and Records Administration, “Start Your Genealogy Research,” last viewed January 2, 2021, https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/start-research.

² Joshua J. Mark, “Religion in the Ancient World,” World History Encyclopedia, March 23, 2018, https://www.worldhistory.org/religion/.

³ Pew Forum, “When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?” https//www.pewforum.org/2018/04/25/when-americans-say-they-believe-in-god-what-do-they-mean/.

⁴Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1274, posted by CCEL at https://www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/cache/summa.pdf. 22, 27, 28.

⁵ Answers in Genesis, “Who is God,” https://answersingenesis.org/who-is-god/

⁶ Todd Friel, “Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God?” March 1, 2018, https://answersingenesis.org/world-religions/do-christians-jews-and-muslims-worship-same-god/.

⁷ Trent C. Butler, Ph.D., General Editor, Holman Bible Dictionary, “Trinity” (Nashville, Tennessee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 1372.

⁸ Matt Perman, “Understanding the Trinity: How Can God Be Three Persons in One?” https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/core-christian-beliefs/understanding-the-trinity.html.

⁹ Lee Strobel, “How an Atheist Fabricated a Phony Story About Me,” https://leestrobel.com/response

¹⁰ Premier Christian Radio, “How a World-Famous Geneticist Went From Staunch Atheist to Christian Convert,” March 2016, https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Unbelievable-blog/How-a-world-famous-geneticist-sent-from-staunch-atheist-to -Christian-convert

¹¹ Justin Brooke, “Atheist Spends 5 Years Studying World Religions And Becomes a Baptized Christian Evangelist,” December 27, 2019, https://medium.com/@justinbrooke/atheist-spends-5-years-studying-world-religions-and-becomes-a-baptized-christian-evangelist-3cfa5b1072f0

¹² Josh McDowell, “What turns skeptics into believers?” https://www.josh.org/resources/apologetics/answering-skeptics/

¹³ “A Barber’s Story: Does God Exist?” http://livwater.blogspot.com/2007/10/barbers-story-does-god-exist.html

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.