LESSON FIVE -THERE IS GOD

Gen. 1:1 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Rom. 1:20 — The invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse.

The Bible is the unique book in the world. The first subject covered in the Bible is God. God is the main theme of the Bible. The first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Scientists have explored our physical universe for a long time. Through their studies they have discovered that our universe is an orderly system that is full of design. Before we consider what the Bible has to say about God, let us first consider what the universe has to say about God.

GOD DECLARED THROUGH THE UNIVERSE

Look at the sky above you at night. Astronomers estimate that there are more than one hundred billion stars in our galaxy and that there may be billions of galaxies in the universe. Each star we see represents a solar system in the universe. Our own solar system has the sun as the center, and it has nine planets revolving around it in clocklike precision. The earth, as one of the planets, speeds through space at 67,000 miles an hour and takes 365 days to circle the sun. This fact is astounding when one considers that a train traveling at one-one thousandth of this speed will many times miss its schedule.

Throughout history some people have at times opposed the idea of God. The very fact that they have opposed it means that God is there. The fact that some rebellious sons disown their father means that they do have a father. The fact that some people try to tear down the family means  that the family is a reality. The law of inference tells us that opposition to anything presupposes that the thing itself exists. It has been proved in history that it is futile to oppose the idea of God, for no matter how cultures and human governments change, the belief in God always prevails in the end.

Let us consider what the universe tells us about God. The Bible tells us that God’s “eternal power and divine characteristics” are seen through the creation (Rom. 1:20). As a painting displays the characteristics of the painter, so the Creator’s attributes are manifested through His created universe.

GOD EXPRESSED THROUGH MANKIND

The very existence of mankind speaks of the existence of God. The human body is a true marvel. Although modern medicine has invented many machines to imitate and to replace man’s organs and limbs, no machine can come close to the dexterity and effectiveness of the human organs. The human heart pumps 72 times a minute, or 40 million times a year, while one is awake or asleep. Every day an adult heart pumps blood through 100,000 miles of blood vessels, enough to travel around the world four times. It pumps enough blood to fill a 2,000gallon tank car every day. Who could have designed such a wonderful organ within man? If one were to pile up the red blood cells in his body, the height would exceed that of Mount Everest five thousand times. The nose inhales air seventeen times a minute. Every day it has to process about 14,000 liters of air. In addition to adjusting the temperature of the air, it also has to temper its humidity and filter its dust. A man-made machine that will handle all these three functions might weigh one hundred pounds. What if such a “man-made nose” were to be installed on our face? These are but a few examples of the wonders of the human body. If we stand before a mirror, we cannot help but agree with what the psalmist in the Bible says, “I am awesomely and wonderfully made; / Your works are wonderful, / And my soul knows it well” (Psa. 139:14).

GOD  REVEALED IN THE SCRIPTURES

The Bible reveals to us the titles of God. Among the many titles for God in the Old Testament, primarily only three are used— Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai. Elohim is a plural noun in Hebrew. It implies the notion of “the faithful strong One.” God is strong and faithful. He is strong in strength and faithful in word. Jehovah means “I Am Who I Am,” revealing that God is the self-existing and ever-existing One. He is the One who was in the past, who is in the present, and who is to come in the future. Adonai means “master” and “husband.” On the one hand, God is man’s Master; on the other hand, He is man’s Husband. In the New Testament there are many other titles, such as Father, Lord, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. All of these reveal to us what and who God is.

All the prophets in the Old Testament spoke through the inspiration of God (1 Pet. 1:10-11; 2 Pet. 1:21). It was God who put the words of prophecy into their mouths. The phrase thus says the Lord is often repeated in the Old Testament. The wisdom of the prophets’ words and the fulfillment of their prophecies have proved that their words are indeed divinely inspired. One of the greatest prophecies concerns the destiny of the nation of Israel. The Bible prophesied that the Jews would be scattered throughout the world but that at the appointed time the nation of Israel would be restored and the city of Jerusalem would be returned to the Jews. We can see this in our own time with the restoration of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the return of Jerusalem to the Jews in 1967. The establishing of that tiny nation in the Middle East is a living proof of God’s work in history.

GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN

[God’s] intention is that we would know Him. God has no intention to hide Himself. He intends that man would come to know Him first as the Creator and then as his God and his Father.

God intends for man to worship Him. John 4:23 tells us that God seeks for true worshippers, those who would worship Him in spirit and truthfulness. He has no intention for man to worship the things that He has created. The true worship of God is to worship with our spirit. In the past, man has set up many idols and worshipped these things instead of God. But in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God forbids all forms of idol worship (Exo. 20:4-5; 1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Thes. 1:9b). He is the unique God. No other object is qualified to demand our worship.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). If a person wants to receive radio waves, he must use a radio receiver. If a man wants to receive a telephone call, he must pick up the telephone receiver. In the same way, if a man wants to worship God and contact Him, he must use his spirit. One cannot hear color with his ears, nor can one see music with his eyes. We need the right organ for the right substance. God is Spirit and is not anything material. This is why we must not worship Him with anything material but must worship Him with our spirit.

The way to use our spirit is to pray by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus (Rom. 10:12-13). If we will open our mouth and our heart and will pray to God, our spirit will touch Him, and God will be real to us.

The ultimate plan of God for man is that man would express God. The way to express God is to be filled with God. If we pray to Him and receive Him, God will come into us and will fill us. He will not be an objective God outside of us anymore but will be a subjective God inside of us. He will fill us with Himself and will change our whole being.

To be a Christian is not merely to believe in some creeds or to learn some teachings. It is to know God, to worship Him, and to express Him by being filled with Him. (There Is God, pp. 1-2, 4-7, 10-12, 15-17)

References: There Is God; CWWN, vol. 27, “The Normal Christian Faith,” ch. 2; CWWL, 1983, vol. 1, “The Five Great Mysteries in the Bible,” ch. 1

MY FATHER GOD, WHEN ON THY VAST CREATION

Worship of the Father— His Greatness – 17

• My Father God, when on Thy vast creation.
  The wonders of the heav’n and earth, I gaze.
  Things great and small, beyond enumeration,
  Which manifest Thy pow’r in untold ways;

• Then all my being sings in praise to Thee,
  How marvellous! How great Thou art!
  And this I’ll sing through all eternity,
  How marvellous! How great Thou art!

• As I enjoy the grace of Thy salvation
  And contemplate how Thou Thy Son hast sent,
  Who died that we might be Thy new creation,
  Thy life expressing to the full extent;

• When in the church, in blest participation,
  I see how millions Thine own life possess,
  How they are built to form Thy habitation,
  Containing Thee, Thy fulness to express;

• As I expect the coming age of fulness
  And hope to share the new Jerusalem,
  With all the heavens and the earth in newness
  And all Thou art expressed in all of them;