"In the beginning God..." Gn. 1:1, before time, because time is determined by the lights in the sky, sun and moon, which God created Gn. 1:14. Therefore we know that God existed prior to anything else, any creation.
Paul, speaking of those rejecting God as without excuse -
"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse;" (Rom 1:19-20 NRSV)
God is known to all, even apart from the Old Covenant, meaning Gentiles for it is written on the heart -
"When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them" (Rom 2:14-15 NRSV)
All men in their heart know that God exists, the sinfulness of man has distorted that into many false gods or a denial of God -
"Even though there be so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—and indeed there are many such gods and many such lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for him; there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through him." (1Cor 8:5-6 REB) *Notice the parallel phrasing between "one God, the father" and "one Lord, Jesus Christ
"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods." (Gal 4:8 NRSV)
"that all the peoples of the earth may know that He, YHWH, is God; there is none else;" (1Kgs 8:60 LSV) *YHWH = the LORD = possibly was pronounced "Yahweh"
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." (Isa 44:6 NRSV)
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:4-6 REB)
To know there is some supreme Being, or supernatural power is meaningless if one does not know who this One God is. The Holy Scriptures are the only way to know exactly who this God is who exists. From the first book of Genesis through to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, "says the Lord" is found 813 times, in the NRSV. So even though the Almighty God existed first, the Holy Scriptures are what tell us who this God is by various descriptions. If we worship a being/god different than the One True God described in the Scriptures, we worship an idol!
In such a complex subject, one must start with the basics, an outline. Over time that can be expanded. A starting point is a study of the attributes of God. When we think of the attributes of an individual we think of things such as: they are loving, they are patient, or they are quick tempered, they are to be trusted, etc. If we are worshipping a "god" that does not match the attributes of the biblical God, we are worshipping an idol! That is the way we get a basic picture of who God is and God willing, I'll start follow up with some posts on who God is, by letting Scripture describe his attributes. Be forewarned, it can seem so dull, dry and boring; but it is necessary when approaching the other teachings of the Bible so we don't go off track. Once we know the attributes, knowing them in action then makes it all come to life. We begin to know who God is in that manner. Also one way we learn who Jesus is, is by the "incommunicable attributes"; which I hope to explain following posts.
Paul, speaking of those rejecting God as without excuse -
"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse;" (Rom 1:19-20 NRSV)
God is known to all, even apart from the Old Covenant, meaning Gentiles for it is written on the heart -
"When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them" (Rom 2:14-15 NRSV)
All men in their heart know that God exists, the sinfulness of man has distorted that into many false gods or a denial of God -
"Even though there be so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—and indeed there are many such gods and many such lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for him; there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through him." (1Cor 8:5-6 REB) *Notice the parallel phrasing between "one God, the father" and "one Lord, Jesus Christ
"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods." (Gal 4:8 NRSV)
"that all the peoples of the earth may know that He, YHWH, is God; there is none else;" (1Kgs 8:60 LSV) *YHWH = the LORD = possibly was pronounced "Yahweh"
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." (Isa 44:6 NRSV)
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:4-6 REB)
To know there is some supreme Being, or supernatural power is meaningless if one does not know who this One God is. The Holy Scriptures are the only way to know exactly who this God is who exists. From the first book of Genesis through to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, "says the Lord" is found 813 times, in the NRSV. So even though the Almighty God existed first, the Holy Scriptures are what tell us who this God is by various descriptions. If we worship a being/god different than the One True God described in the Scriptures, we worship an idol!
In such a complex subject, one must start with the basics, an outline. Over time that can be expanded. A starting point is a study of the attributes of God. When we think of the attributes of an individual we think of things such as: they are loving, they are patient, or they are quick tempered, they are to be trusted, etc. If we are worshipping a "god" that does not match the attributes of the biblical God, we are worshipping an idol! That is the way we get a basic picture of who God is and God willing, I'll start follow up with some posts on who God is, by letting Scripture describe his attributes. Be forewarned, it can seem so dull, dry and boring; but it is necessary when approaching the other teachings of the Bible so we don't go off track. Once we know the attributes, knowing them in action then makes it all come to life. We begin to know who God is in that manner. Also one way we learn who Jesus is, is by the "incommunicable attributes"; which I hope to explain following posts.
