The Self Existance of God.

          "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
                            Revelation 22:13 NASB

     The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God..." As we saw previously, God is eternal. He has always been, and will always be.
     In the above text, Jesus states that He is the beginning of all things, the first and the last. This repeats the word of the Lord given through the Prophet Isaiah,
    
     "Thus says the Lord the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
      'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.'"

     And again He states,

     "Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
                                 Isaiah 44:6,8 NASB

     There is no other God, or any other being who pre existed God in order to create Him! God existed before all, and created all. This leads us to the conclusion that God exists in and of Himself.
     The creator of the universe was not created or caused by any other thing. He was not caused by chance, He did not evolve, He has always been, the self existing God.
     This should create in us an awe of God. Like the Psalmist, we should break out in praise,

     The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord, a God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him? O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
                                   Psalm 89:5-8 NASB

     God is indeed awesome as His word declares. We must ever be careful to fear Him, to avoid bringing Him down to our finite understanding, and thus creating a small god to our liking.

    
    

The Immensity of God.

     The eternity of God is a hard concept to grasp. Likewise, the idea that God fills up space is just as difficult to fathom, never the less, it is true.
     Read what the Psalmist writes,

     Where can I go from your Spirit? Or, where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there, if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.
                                         Psalm 139:7-10 NASB

     There is no place in the universe where God is not present. God fills all things, as He testifies of Himself,

     "Am I a God who is near," declares the Lord, "And not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?" declares the Lord. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" Declares the Lord.
                              Jeremiah 23:23-24 NASB

     Again, in the New Testament, testimony is given concerning the immensity of God. Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1,

     "However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
     'HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND THE EARTH THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'OR WHAT PLACE IS THER FOR MY REPOSE?
                                           Acts 7:49 NASB

     God cannot be contained in houses or buildings that we human beings make for Him. He fills all things as the Apostle Paul states,

     The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
                                            Acts 17:24 NASB

     That they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said "for we are His children."
                                              Acts 17:27-28 NASB

     Which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
                                               Eph 1:23 NASB

     You see, God fills all things. He is everywhere. He cannot be contained in buildings, or confined by space. Billions of people exist on the earth today, but God cannot be squeezed out by such a large population of people. He fills the world, as Paul stated above, we live and move and exist in Him. He fills all in all, everything.
     Just as God is eternal, time cannot contain Him, so also space goes on to infinity. There is no end to space, and God infinitely fills all of space.
     Once again, we can but stand in awe of God. Our minds find it hard to comprehend the awesomeness of an eternal, and ever present God. God is indeed large, He transcends all of our limited conceptions of His true greatness. Do not limit God with your own ideas of His nature and character, but let Him reveal Himself to you through His testimony of Himself in His written word.

    

A Cry For Revival: Is God Unjust?

A Cry For Revival: Is God Unjust?:      There seems to be this idea that a God who would punish evil doers is somehow unjust. This idea has even been accepted by many who prof...

The Eternity of God.

     Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
     Before the mountains were born, or you gave birth to the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
                                        Psalm 90:1-2 NASB

     It is of the utmost importance that we know God. Correct theology, and doctrine has its place of importance in understanding God. However there is a danger in seeking to define God. In desiring to know and understand God, we tend to shrink Him down to a manageable level; something that our finite minds can grasp. We want a God we can completely understand, without having to stretch our minds, or leave some things to faith.
     In doing this we place God within a box so to speak. We create a small god, someone who is limited much like we are. We bring Him down a little closer to our level, someone a lot like ourselves, of course with some divine attributes.
     The idea of eternity is one of those concepts that our minds, at least my mind, cannot grasp completely. In some sense, I can understand that time will march on for eternity, never ending, going on for ever and ever. I think that many, if not most of us can grasp the fact that our souls will exist throughout eternity, and God as well, exists forever, with no end.
     The tough one for me is the fact that God has existed from eternity, He has no beginning, as well as no end. That is impossible for the mind to fully comprehend. However hard to understand, it is still fact. As the above text states, God has existed from everlasting, and will continue on with no end (Psalm 90:2, 93:2).
     This is one of God's divine attributes. This is what makes Him God. He has always been and will always be. Nobody created God, there was no cosmic bang, or any other thing that was responsible for God to come into existence. He has always been.
     Sometimes it is good for us to have our view of God stretched. It is good for us to be unable to apprehend some of the truths about the very person of God. It keeps us in awe of Him, in awe of His character and majesty. It tends to produce a holy fear of Him in our hearts. It keeps us from creating a smaller god, one that we can be comfortable with.
     The biblical account of creation presupposes the existence of God, when it tells us "In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1). God already existed to create the world. We see the same thing in Proverbs, where we are told that God possessed wisdom at the beginning, at creation. In fact God has always possessed wisdom, from everlasting it has been established (Proverbs 8:22-31).
     When Moses was confronted by God in the burning bush, he wanted to be able to tell the Israelites who sent him. God said. "I AM WHO I AM, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent you" (Exodus 3:14). God revealed Himself to Moses as the eternal God. In the same way, Jesus declared Himself eternal, thus making Himself equal with God (John 8:58).
     Centuries before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah foretold the birth of One, "whose goings forth are from eternity" (Micah 5:2). Jesus Christ has existed from eternity. All things were created by Him, through Him and for Him (Col 1:16). He is eternal, as is the Holy Spirit who was also in existence at creation (Gen 1:2).
     We also see the eternity of God in the worship that is ascribed to Him.

     Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
                              Revelation 4:8b

     The angelic beings have worshiped God from their beginning.They worship the one who has always been, who now is, and who will always be. The first worshipper, has worshipped the God who has already existed before him. In Revelation 4:8, every living thing in heaven and earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, worship the eternal God.
     God is indeed the high and exalted One, holy, and eternal (Isaiah 57:15). This scripture paints an awesome picture of God. He is far above us. He cannot be brought down to a manageable level, to a place where we can be more comfortable with our views of Him. Yet He will dwell with those who are of a broken and contrite heart.
     Paul speaks of God in a similar fashion.

     Who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
                              1 Timothy 6:16 NASB

     Paul is encouraging Timothy to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the return of Christ. Likewise we are to fight the good fight of faith until Christ returns for those of us who remain faithful to Him (1 Tim 6:12-16).
     It is true that God is lofty. As God He transcends everything that we can imagine, yet He considers those who with broken hearts, will surrender their lives to Him and His service.
     The idea of an eternal God should cause us to fear and reverence Him, for it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 2:5, 9:10). Who are we as created beings to think that we can define God as we please? Get into the word of God with passion and purpose, determining to know God. Make it your all consuming pursuit, and He will lead you to the true knowledge of Himself (Proverbs 2:1-5).
    

    
    
  
    

The Foundation of God's Throne.

     For I proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
                        Deuteronomy 32:3-4 NASB

     As the above text shows, God is upright in all of His dealings with mankind. There is no injustice found in Him. Everything He does is perfect and right.
     As the sovereign ruler of the universe, it is of the utmost importance that He be perfectly just in all of His ways. What would we think of a ruler who created laws that were unfair, oppressive, and impossible to obey? Furthermore, what would we think of a ruler who did not enforce the laws of His kingdom, laws that were just and fair, laws that were in the best interests of His kingdom and it's subjects?
     We see examples of this in human governments. There have been ruthless dictators who have ruled with an iron fist, men who have oppressed and killed millions of their subjects.
     Then we see those who fail to uphold the laws of their countries. They let criminals go free, or get by with a sentence that falls far below that which the crime deserves.
     We all understand that this is wrong. That men who rule in this way are unjust, and unfit to rule! We can see that the lenient judge, is just as wrong, as the ruthless dictator. Both of them have built their kingdom and rule upon a throne of injustice and evil.
     This is not so with God. His rule is founded upon the principles of righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14, 97:2). The law of God is perfect, righteous in every respect. He upholds it in truth and justice. There is no wavering with Him, no partiality is found in His character. He is bound by His very character to uphold His law in truth and justice. If it is broken, the penalty that is required must be fulfilled, or God is no longer just. The implications of this astound one's mind! Can God still be God, if He denies in any measure, one or more of His divine attributes? Would He then cease to be good, and become evil?
     You see, God is perfectly just, and cannot sway from this for even an instant, no matter who he is dealing with. We can depend on Him to render a just verdict every time. There is no partiality with God. He has no favorites, and He will not turn a blind eye away from sin, and those who commit it.
     God also loves His rebellious creation, and does not desire their death, but that they would turn from their sin and live (Ezekiel 18:32; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9).
     For God to pardon sin, and to still be just, He had to offer up His Son for us. Jesus Christ was pierced for us, crushed for our sin (Isaiah 53:5). Our sin was placed upon Him (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21). There can be no other way for God to exercise pardon in the case of one who has violated His law.
     Once again, God is righteous in all His ways, and just in every decision. He must uphold His law, and execute the penalty of the law. He is bound to do this by His very character.
     Our sin cost Christ dearly. He suffered and died an agonizing death upon a Roman cross on our behalf. What was even more agonizing to Jesus, was that moment when God the Father forsook His Son, because of our sin, placed upon Him (Matt 27:46). To have the intimate closeness He shared with His Father broken was more devastating to Him then the pain of crucifixion. This separation is what we experience ourselves, when we choose to go our own way in sin, rather than obey God.
     God has made a way to justify the sinner, and yet be just in His action (Romans 3:23-26). By the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf, He has upheld the righteousness of His law, and executed it's penalty in a way suitable to allow Him to pardon a repenting sinner.
     I say repenting, because to merely pardon one who has no desire to change, but still persist in rebellion against God, would still dishonor the righteousness of His law, and bring into question the very righteous and just character of God. It would be an act of injustice still.
     Jesus did not die so that we could go to heaven, and enjoy eternal life in fellowship with God. He died to set us free from sin. He died so that we could be made holy in our conduct (Romans 6:22; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-2).
     The repentant sinner receives mercy as he places his trust in Christ, but he has been called by God to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus (Romans 8:29). It is through this union with Christ that we find ourselves now actively fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law we once cast aside (Romans 8:4). Instead of being lawbreakers, we now obey God's law from the heart!
     It is safe, and wise, for God to forgive the sinner, and make a new creation out of him (2 Cor 5:17). His law is still upheld in all it's glory, as Christ honored it's penalty by His death and resurrection. Now by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the pardoned sinner, the law is upheld once again as it is lived out in reality through the life of the one whom God saved.