Evangelistic Bible Study
Study 1. The Uniqueness of God
Everyone has a concept of a higher power. There is no such person as an
unbeliever. Everyone believes in something. Humanity has an innate, inbred,
natural tendency to believe in some kind of a higher power. Consequently,
indigenous peoples hidden away from civilisation in some backward corner of the
world have their deities and idols, for it is only characteristic of human
behaviour that humanity worships something.
Of course, in our modern Western society we no longer
have the need of any form of deity. We have done alright for ourselves, thank
you! We don’t need an old-fashioned, antiquated concept of a sovereign Deity. We
have gone beyond that! It was okay for our parents, grandparents and the former
generations but we have been ‘released’ from the superstitious ideologies. We
are free! We are our own people, to decide our own destiny.
However, despite modern scepticism, the great majority of the world’s population
are active believers, - they believe in something. There are the various shades
of the major religions, i.e. Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism. There is increasing growth within New Age
belief systems. More and more people consult astrology and horoscopes and other
forms of quasi-religious activity. Indeed, the vast majority of the world’s
population are believers. But the basis of our study is to examine in the
light of Scripture how far humanity has actually become removed from the
one true God.
Who is the One, True God?
Indeed, can we be sure there is a God? Yes we can. He is not a God of our
creation, … He is the God of creation (Genesis 1:1). For instance,
evolution is an unproven scientific myth, - even the ancient Egyptians, Greeks
and Romans had stories of how their gods created the earth. All the figures the
evolutionists give for the creation of the universe and its various stages vary
so much as to make their hypotheses laughable, - if it weren’t so serious! Their
calculations are being changed and revised at nonsensical proportions. But what
about the Bible’s account of creation? In order for something to be created
there needs to be a creator, - things don’t just happen by themselves! For
example, read Job 40:6 - 41-34. Facing such insurmountable evidence what kind of
a person would reject the existence of this God of the Bible? … “The fool hath
said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
How long has He been?
He
has always been! He has always existed. There has never been a ‘time’ when God
was not. He is eternal (e.g. Deuteronomy 32:40; 33:27; Job 36:26; Psalm 90:2;
102:27; 135:13; 145:13; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:12; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17; 2
Peter 3:8; Revelation 1:8,11,17; 21:6; 22:13).
THE
UNIQUENESS OF GOD
God
is absolutely and truly unique. There is nothing or no-one else to whom He can
be compared (Isaiah 44: 6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his
redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me
there is no God.”) . He is not simply the greatest of many gods, - He is the
only true and living God. This separates Him from all other gods and idols,
which are merely forms that humanity has created in the image of things
God created (Isa. 41:22-24; 44:9-20; 46:1-2,6-7). “The Lord is the true God, He
is the living God, and an everlasting king” (Jeremiah 10:10; compare 1
Thessalonians 1:9). He is the altogether omnipotent, all-knowing, all-seeing
God. He is the King of kings, and humanity and creation are subservient to His
will and plan.
THE
PERSON OF GOD
God
has revealed Himself as Father and Creator, as Son and Saviour, and as Holy
Spirit and Comforter. This is first encountered in Genesis 1:26 (“us”; also see
Gen. 11:7). The Holy Spirit was involved in creation (Gen. 1:2). The Lord Jesus
Christ was co-eternal with the Father (John 1:1-3). And yet, while He is three
Persons, … He is One, (Deuteronomy 6: 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is
one Lord”). New Testament passages make statements about the work and Person of
each member of the Trinity to show that each is God; yet the Bible strongly
affirms that God is one, not three (Matt. 28:19; John 16:5-11; Rom. 1:1-4; 1 Cor.
12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6). The doctrine of the Trinity demonstrates that
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). It
expresses the diversity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
in the midst of the unity of God’s being.
THE
HOLINESS OF GOD
God
is holy (e.g. Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8 Psalm 99:9). He is absolutely separate
and distinct from all else. His holiness includes the ideas of righteousness and
purity. It sets Him apart from His creation. He is sinless and perfect. His
judgements are always correct. He knows the end from the beginning because
everything works in accordance to His plan. All His actions are precipitated by
His attribute of holiness that governs each aspect of His character.
How, then, is it possible for anyone to come to a personal knowledge of such a
God?
