This site was last modified on September 28, 2003 and is now being maintained at eachnewday.com
Getting
to Know God
This course was originally designed
for to be taught at Youth Camp as part of the annual Ivanhoe Bible Camp of the
Standard Church of America, Eastern Conference. As it was intended merely as a guide
to be used in a series of verbal lessons and question-and-answer sessions it
has never been fully completed. I have, however, put it on the website in its
incomplete form feeling that it would make a good foundation for a guide that
would be useful to new Christians as they begin to explore the incredible God
we all serve together. This is the first time I have looked at it in about
three years and as time goes on I will be updating it to make it more useful,
at present I apologize for its condition but pray that it will be useful none
the less. Any suggestions on how this could be made more applicable to your own
life would be most welcome. Please feel free to contact me at the email address
below:
2
– God is Lord and King over His world; He rules all things for His own glory,
displaying His perfections in all that He does, in order that men and angels
may worship and adore Him.
3
– God is Saviour, active in
sovereign love through the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue believers from the guilt
and power of sin, to adopt them as His sons, and to bless them accordingly.
4
– God is Triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the
Son and the Holy Ghost; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing
redemption, the Son securing it, and the Spirit applying it.
5
– Godliness means responding to God’s revelation in trust and obedience, faith
and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of
God’s Word. This, and nothing else, is
true religion.
2
– Knowledge of God. Intimate, we have a relationship
with God.
2
– Have you limited God to intimacy alone and not permitted God to be God to you?
3 – Have you limited God by being satisfied with too
little, whereas, if you knew Him in all His power and glory, you would have asked
and believed Him for so much more?
Genesis
Man is a created being, formed by God in His
image. There is something great about
man, something that makes him different from all other things in creation. He is a creature but yet he is infinitely
more than an animal. He can dream of
tomorrow, hope for today, and consider yesterday. He has been given eternity within his mortal
form. He is aware of himself and is able
to set aside his own good for the good of others beyond himself. He is, alone of all creation, human.
Isaiah 51:12 – I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you
that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass.
From God’s point of view we are insignificant,
our value comes from the significance He places on us.
John 3:16 – 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.
He is fallen, as Paul states:
Romans
Genesis 1:27-31 – So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them. God blessed them and said to them,
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature
that moves on the ground.” Then God
said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth
and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for
food. And to all the beasts of the earth
and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground
--everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant for
food." And it was so. God saw all
that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning-- the sixth day.
Psalm 8:1-9 – O LORD,
our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above
the heavens. From the lips of children
and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the
foe and the avenger. When I consider
your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have
set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you
care for him? You made him a little
lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything
under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of
the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name
in all the earth!
Man has been placed on earth by God to rule as His
steward the creation in which he lives.
He is unique from other creatures in that he has been designed in the
image of God and placed in a position of authority over His creation.
John
Man is unique from all other creatures in that he has
been designed to have fellowship with God in each of His natures (more on this
later). He lives in a universe of God’s
creating. He is unique and his
uniqueness lies in the fact that he has been created to have fellowship. Fellowship
with his fellow human and, more significantly, fellowship with God Himself.
Defined in The
Complete Christian Dictionary for Home and School as: “Friendly
relationship through sharing or doing something together; companionship.” Fellowship is
often what we are meaning when we speak of having a relationship with someone,
specifically someone who is either our boyfriend or girlfriend. Fellowship is different than relationship in
the sense that fellowship indicates two or more people going together toward a
mutual destination, while relationship shows how they are related. Fellowship is two people together in harmony
of purpose,
relationship is the bond that connects them.
We use the term relationship as a statement of the condition that exists
between a man and a woman in love but we can with equal validity use that same
term as a statement of the condition that exists between a man and a woman who
hate each other, fellowship may only be applied to care for and desire to be
with each other.
At no point does the Bible attempt to prove the
existence of God, His existence is accepted as a truth that only a fool would
dispute:
Psalms 14:1 – The fool
says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds
are vile; there is no one who does good.
Many proofs have been put forward to satisfy our
reason and provide a factual basis for our beliefs but ultimately we must take
God at His word and believe His testimony of Himself that He is there:
Hebrews 11:1-3 – Now faith
is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended
for. By faith we understand that the
universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of
what was visible.
Genesis opens
with God creating the heavens and the earth.
The word here translated into our word God is a plural, giving us our
first hint of the plurality of God, or Trinity.
On the sixth day the Trinity of God is again hinted at when He says “Let
us make man in our image.” Other
evidence for the Trinity abound
throughout the Bible.
Matthew 3:16-17 – As soon as
Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was
opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on
him. And a voice from heaven said,
"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matthew 28:19 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians
God is a triune
being. He is one God and yet comprised
of three distinct personas each of whom is fully God. We do not worship three Gods, as some would
believe, but in one God with three natures: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As J. I. Packer has said:
God is Triune;
there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act
together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it, and the Spirit
applying it.
Deuteronomy
6:4-5 – Hear, O
David summarizes very neatly the major characteristics
of God.
Psalm 89:5-18 – The
heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of
the holy ones. For who in the skies
above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly
beings? In the council of the holy ones
God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are
mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves
mount up, you still them. You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your
strong arm you scattered your enemies.
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world
and all that is in it. You created the
north and the south; Tabor and Hermon
sing for joy at your name. Your arm is
endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim
you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they
exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our
horn. Indeed, our
shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of
The underlying theme of this psalm is that there is among
the gods of man’s devising none that can even remotely be considered to be
equals of our eternal God. David notes
that God’s throne is founded upon His characteristics of righteousness (moral
perfection) and justice (legal authority), and that love (selfless devotion to
others) and faithfulness (eternally unchanging) precede Him as heralds who
announce their King.
Matthew 6:9-13 – This,
then, is how you should pray: Our Father
in heaven, hallowed be your
name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and
the power and the glory forever. Amen.
When Jesus told His disciples to pray He did something
remarkable, He told them to call their Creator God their Father. This was continued throughout His teaching as
He consistently referred to His followers as His brothers and therefore sons of
His own Father. Even more directly, He
continued to emphasize the father-child relationship that exists between God
and His followers:
Matthew 7:7-11 – Ask and
it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will
give him a stone? Or if he asks for a
fish, will give him a snake? If you,
then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Philippians 4:20 – To our God and Father be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
Colossians
1:3-4 – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we
pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the
love you have for all the saints.
John 1:1-14 – In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made. In
him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the
darkness has not understood it. There
came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning
that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as
a witness to the light. The true light
that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world
was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own
did not receive him. Yet to all who
received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or
a husband's will, but born of God. The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Although some of this world’s man made religions teach
that Jesus was not God and began His life through natural processes, this
passage from John makes clear that Jesus (the Word) not only predated creation
(since all that has been made was made through His power) but that He is also
fully God. Jesus birth was not the
beginning of His existence but His shedding of His heavenly glory to take up
the form of a man that He might be our appropriate sacrifice and make us right
with God.
Colossians 2:2-3 – My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that
they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians
2:8-9 – See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this
world rather than on Christ. For in
Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
Christ Jesus has been preordained from before creation
to be our saviour. Through Him all that
exists has been made and for Him all things exist.
John 16:7-15 – But I
tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away,
the Counselor will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin,
because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am
going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment,
because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you
can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to
come. He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That
is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
The Holy Spirit is the medium through which the power
of God (for personal salvation and outward evangelism) is made available to
us. The Holy Spirit is a personal being
as fully God as is the Son. When we are
filled with the Holy Spirit we have within us God Himself!
Romans
Genesis
Psalm 94:20 – Shall the
throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You?
1 John 1:5-10 – This is
the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light
and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth. But if we walk in
the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is
not in us.
WHAT DOES GOD
REQUIRE OF ME?
Deuteronomy
10:12 – And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to
fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Ecclesiastes
12:13 – Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear
God and keep his commandments, for this is
the whole duty of man.
Isaiah 58:6-11 – Is not
this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and
untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every
yoke? Is it not to share your food with
the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the
naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the
dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go
before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with
the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you
spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the
oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will
become like the noonday. The LORD will
guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will
strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring
whose waters never fail.
Micah 6:6-8 – With what
shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come
before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of
rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And
what does the LORD require of you? To act justly
and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
WHAT ARE GOD’S
COMMANDMENTS?
Exodus 20:1-17 - And God
spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
Summary of the
Law
Deuteronomy
6:4-5 – Hear, O
Leviticus 19:18 – Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your
people, but love your neighbor
as yourself. I am the LORD.
Matthew
Mark
John 8:1-11 – But Jesus
went to the
1 Peter
1:24-2:3 – F or, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of
the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord
stands forever. And this is the word
that was preached to you. Therefore, rid
yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every
kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you
have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Thessalonians
2 Peter
In his
book Biblical Principles for Christian Maturity, John Stoll summarizes the
entire teaching of the Bible in the following manner:
BUT WHAT IF I AM THE ONLY CHRISTIAN WHERE I AM?
Micah 7:1-7 – What misery
is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the
vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I
crave. The godly have been swept from
the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each
hunts his brother with a net. Both hands
are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they
desire-- they all conspire together. The
best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The
day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their
confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a
friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors
his father, a daughter rises
up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's
enemies are the members of his own household.
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.