The Character of God
Romans 11:33-36
Character of God
God Cares for you
Miracles of God
INTRODUCTION
People have slightly different approaches to this subject as this is one of the regions in Bible study where creatures with limited concepts are attempting to come to terms with the characteristics of God the creator of space and time and all that is within these categories. When you are teaching this vital doctrine, you will be alright as long as you keep remembering that you are a creature of space and time and you are talking about the one who created all things.
This is a very deep concept to which you will go back time and time again. This foundation doctrine combined with the confession of sins should be thoroughly taught to your congregation. Understanding the nature of God assists in all the testing situations of life, for we rest for our total security upon the perfection of the character and plan of God.
The various perfections of God, which some call them are not component parts of God. Even when we have a list it is not exhaustive. All of the qualities of God are absolute. He is the creator of everything. The definitions are therefore human attempts to speak of a unique subject. We however are limited, and theologians who forget this get into the most arrogance and trouble. In our introductory series of lectures we covered the concept of what in philosophy is called “category mistake”. This means to predicate of a being in one category the characteristics of a being in another and totally different category. We try to speak of God in terms he has used in his revelation of himself, but our words and thinking is limited and we must remain humble as we walk into this subject.
Romans 11:33‑36 ‑ this is Paul talking about the attributes of God. Paul ends his brief talk to the Romans about the character of God with a prayer. He ends with a poem of praise. You should ensure that when you are teaching this there is practical application to those you are teaching for every attribute. When you study this subject it should be with thanks and awe. If talk of the character of God does not end in worship, then I suspect you have got something wrong. This is not a theoretical subject, but one that will always lead to a response in the heart of the genuine believer. “Be very scared” if there is no response in the teacher of these things, for their lack of response indicates they are fakes.
ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
[a] The attributes of God are not component parts like bricks in a wall.
[b] He is much more than the sum of the attributes that we see in Him.
[c] They are known through revelation. The sole source of knowledge about this is the Word of God.
[d] The character of God describes equally the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is one in essence and three in person.
WHAT DO THESE CHARACTERISTICS MEAN TO ME?
There are three categories given which is the classical theological approach:‑
[a] Moral and Non Moral - self existence and infinity are non moral, Justice and holiness have moral impact.
[b] Absolute and Relative - Absolute deal with the essence of God as considered in itself such as eternity and infinity whilst Relative deal with his relationship with his creation such as righteousness, justice and truth.
[c] Incommunicable and communicable ‑ some things you can talk about and some you cannot. You cannot talk much about the concepts of infinity and eternity as we cannot conceive of such items for we are controlled and constrained in our very thinking by the limits of time and space.
This type of approach to the subject, which is theological and philosophical, may not be helpful from a practical point of view. In order for all to understand in the church you must understand it and approach it humbly and with worship as your end goal. Some scholars list 14 attributes, however its not about how many we can list, but knowing that the Lord has every wonderful attribute that we could ever think of and more.
Other examples of the characteristics of God’s character are; Eternity [EL], Freedom, Holiness [R+J], Immutability [U], Infinity, Love [L] , Omnipotence [AP], Omnipresence [E] , Omniscience [AK] , Righteousness [R] , Simplicity, Sovereignty [S], Truth [T] , Unity, .Freedom – means God is independent of His creatures and His creation Isaiah 40:13-14, Infinity – means that God has no bounds or limits by time or space Acts 17:24-28, Simplicity – means God is not a composite as we are, He is Spirit – John 4:24, Unity – means that there is one God who is indivisible. Deuteronomy 6:4 Ephesians 4:6
God is independent of his Creation and is free to use His free will in whatever way He chooses. We cannot put God in our debt which is the answer to legalism. This is why this study is important; it solves many theological issues by simple reflection on God’s character.
God does not change. Application - we can depend totally on Him.
Holiness is the standard of God which we need to attain as a believer to attain. Application - When you have to decide what is all right to do and what is not, ask the question.
Is it holy? Is there no hint of sin in it? Is this in accordance with the character and plan of God? Do not be concerned about teaching your congregation an odd long word which they may learn as a category such as omniscience rather than simply saying “all knowing”. They may remember that characteristic when they are in trouble as one of the three O's and be able to use it in a practical way. You “count it all joy” when in difficulty as you can apply this characteristic of God’s character to your problem. God is a spirit and not three things.
Sovereignty of God ‑ he is in charge but this does not blot out the free will of man. The Calvinists magnify this attribute above the others whilst the liberals magnify the love of God almost to a point of heresy. It is keeping all the characteristics of God’s character together that protects from doubts in daily pressure and heresy in theological thought.
The names of God, the Tetragrammaton, JHWH, often translated Jehovah (Latinized), but as the letter J does not appear in the Hebrew or Greek alphabets, it is incorrect and Yahweh is a nearer translation. The Jews however treated the Divine name with fear and would not to speak it out directly; it would seem that they took the command ‘Not Taking the Lord Gods name in Vain’ literally as prohibition for using Gods name and used the word “Adonai” instead. These gave additional characteristics and by going through the names of God you can impress the importance of the perfection of the characteristics of the Almighty God. In the N.T we have Theos, Kurios (Lord) and others.
We have seen that God is omnipresent but this has to be balanced by God as a personality otherwise we fall into pantheism that God is in everything which is an eastern religious concept. The Almighty supreme God ‘Is Holiness’ and that is what he requires. The mercy of God is also so important and includes the Grace and faithfulness of God. Always remember God is always faithful.
When all else fails God does not. We should realise that we are in the hands of the mighty God. Our God is not small, but He is the almighty BIG God over every situation.
The understanding of the holiness of God has to come before the love of God. Do not teach the character of God simply alphabetically.
The following table has been found by many to be a good way of remembering the Character of God.
CHARACTER OF GOD [NAMES]
CHARACTER OF GOD [LETTERS]
SOVEREIGN
ALL KNOWING
S
AK
RIGHTEOUSNESS
ALL POWERFUL
R
AP
JUSTICE
EVERYWHERE
J
E
LOVE
UNCHAGEABLE
L
U
ETERNAL LIFE
TRUTH
EL
T
DOCTRINES
CHARACTER OF GOD
1. Whilst God is three persons all three persons have exactly the same essence or character:
a) SOVEREIGNTY
The Father (Ephesians 1:11, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 6:10, Hebrews 10:7, 9)
The Son (John 5:21, Revelation 19:16)
The Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:4)
b) RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Father (John 17:25)
The Son (Luke 1:35, Hebrews 7:26, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
The Holy Spirit
c) JUSTICE
The Father (Job 37:23, cf 8:3)
The Son (Acts 3:14, John 5:22, Revelation 19:11
The Holy Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20)
d) LOVE
The Father (John 3:16)
The Son (Ephesians 5:25, 1 John 3:16)
The Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:10)
e) ETERNAL LIFE
The Father (John 5:26)
The Son (Micah 5:2, cf John 1:1-2, 1 John 5:11
The Holy Spirit (Isaiah 48:16)
f) ALL-KNOWING
The Father (Hebrews 4:13, cf Matthew 11:27, 1 Peter 1:2)
The Son (John 18:4, cf Matthew 9:4, John 2:25, 1 Corinthians 4:5)
The Holy Holy Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, 1 Corinthians 2:11)
g) EVERYWHERE
The Father (2 Chronicles 2:6)
The Son (Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 1:23)
The Holy Spirit (Psalm 139:7)
h) ALL-POWERFUL
The Father (Mark 14:36, 1 Peter 1:5)
The Son (Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 24:30, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 3:21)
The Holy Spirit (Romans 15:19)
i) UNCHANGEABLE
The Father (Hebrews 6:17, Psalm 33:11)
The Son (Hebrews 13:8)
The Holy Spirit (John 14:16)
j) TRUTH
The Father (John 7:28, John 17:3)
The Son (1 John 5:20, John 1:14, 14:6, Revelation 19:11)
The Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6, cf John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13)
GOD CARES FOR YOU
1. God knows.
a) Our sorrows. (Exodus 3:7)
b) Our devotions. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
c) Our thoughts. (Psalm 44:21)
d) Our foolishness. (Psalm 69:5)
e) Our frailties. (Psalm 103:14)
f) Our deeds. (Psalm 139:2)
g) Our words. (Psalm 139:4)
h) The composition of the universe. (Psalm 147:4)
i) All things. (Proverbs 15:3)
j) Our needs. (Matthew 6:32)
k) About animal creation. (Matthew 10:29)
l) Mankind. (Matthew 10:30)
m) What might or could have been. (Matthew 11:23)
n) His own. (John 10:14)
o) Past, present and future. (Acts 15:18)
2. God is able to...
a) Save forever those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ - Hebrews 7:25
b) Supply every need - 2 Corinthians 9:8
c) Deliver all who are tempted - Hebrews 2:18
d) Sustain the weak believer and make him stand - Romans 14:4
e) Keep us from falling and make us blameless - Jude 24, 25
f) Surpass all that we could ask or think - Ephesians 3:20
g) Raise us up in resurrection in the likeness of His Son - Hebrews 11:19
3. With God, all things are possible - Matthew 19:26
4. God is in control. Nothing will ever happen to you that you are not able to deal with. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
5. God's character is stable.
a) If God is for you who can be against you. (Romans 8:31-34)
b) No matter what happens God's love is stable. (Romans 8:35-39)
6. God's promises are secure for he is always with us. (Matthew 28:19-20, Jeremiah 1:19)
7. God's power is always the same:
a) He will always keep us. (John 10:29, 2 Timothy 1:12,)
b) God does not forget us or lose His power to keep. (Jude 24)
c) Even if we fall away from fellowship we still are saved. (2 Timothy 2:13)
8. God knew before time what we would need in time and has provided for the supply of all our needs. (Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:12)
9. God has the power to bless us. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
10. God is able to make all grace abound towards us. (Ephesians 3:20)
MIRACLES AND GOD’S CHARACTER
Miracles demonstrate the attributes of God:
1 The Sovereignty of God was illustrated in:-
a) The Lord's creative work of turning water into wine at Cana. (John 2:1-11)
b) His power when stilling the storm on Galilee. (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:18)
c) The feeding of the 5000 and the 4000. (Mark 6:33-44; 8:1-9)
d) Walking on the water at Galilee. (Mark 6:47-52)
e) His arrest in Gethsemane. (John 18:6)
2. The Righteousness of God was illustrated in:
The Lord's transfiguration before the disciples on the mountain, when they saw the Holiness of God in the Lord displayed. (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36)
3. The Justice of God was illustrated in:
The cursing of the fig tree during the last week before the cross as a sign of His coming judgment upon unresponsive Israel (Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-26)
4. The Love of God was illustrated in:
All the healing ministries as the Lord's compassion flowed into action, even to the exhaustion of His humanity. While thirty-six specific miracles of the Lord are recorded, many thousands of healing miracles are passed over in a few isolated verses. (e.g. Matthew 9:35-36, 14:14, 15:30-31, 8:16-17 etc.)
5. The Eternal Life of God was illustrated in:
The great miracle of the resurrection of Christ.
6. The Omniscience of God was illustrated in:-
a his knowledge of where unseen shoals of fish were. (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 21:1-14)
b where the fish was with just enough money in its mouth to pay the required tax. (Matthew 17:24-27)
c the knowledge about Nathaniel and the woman at the well at Sychar also shows his omniscience. (John 1:45-51; 4:5-43)
7. The Omnipresence of God was illustrated in:
His ability to appear in various places many kilometres apart, demonstrating the truth of His promise to be with believers always. (Matthew 28:20)
8. The Omnipotence of God was illustrated in:
The raising of people such as Lazarus from the dead
9. The Immutability of God was illustrated in:
The repetition of the miracle of the draught of fishes both before and after the resurrection showing that His character and power were unchanged.
10. The Veracity of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of the Centurion's servant and also the Nobleman's son. The Lord said they were healed, and at that moment, many kilometres away, they were. (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10, John 4:46-54)
11. The Grace of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of Malchus' ear in the garden on the night of the Lord's arrest (Luke 22:50). It was a testimony to His Grace that as he faced the horror of the cross, our Lord could still stoop and heal one of His captors. It is significant that the last recorded miracle performed by the Lord before the cross benefited an enemy, one who had come to arrest him.
Romans 11:33-36
Character of God
God Cares for you
Miracles of God
INTRODUCTION
People have slightly different approaches to this subject as this is one of the regions in Bible study where creatures with limited concepts are attempting to come to terms with the characteristics of God the creator of space and time and all that is within these categories. When you are teaching this vital doctrine, you will be alright as long as you keep remembering that you are a creature of space and time and you are talking about the one who created all things.
This is a very deep concept to which you will go back time and time again. This foundation doctrine combined with the confession of sins should be thoroughly taught to your congregation. Understanding the nature of God assists in all the testing situations of life, for we rest for our total security upon the perfection of the character and plan of God.
The various perfections of God, which some call them are not component parts of God. Even when we have a list it is not exhaustive. All of the qualities of God are absolute. He is the creator of everything. The definitions are therefore human attempts to speak of a unique subject. We however are limited, and theologians who forget this get into the most arrogance and trouble. In our introductory series of lectures we covered the concept of what in philosophy is called “category mistake”. This means to predicate of a being in one category the characteristics of a being in another and totally different category. We try to speak of God in terms he has used in his revelation of himself, but our words and thinking is limited and we must remain humble as we walk into this subject.
Romans 11:33‑36 ‑ this is Paul talking about the attributes of God. Paul ends his brief talk to the Romans about the character of God with a prayer. He ends with a poem of praise. You should ensure that when you are teaching this there is practical application to those you are teaching for every attribute. When you study this subject it should be with thanks and awe. If talk of the character of God does not end in worship, then I suspect you have got something wrong. This is not a theoretical subject, but one that will always lead to a response in the heart of the genuine believer. “Be very scared” if there is no response in the teacher of these things, for their lack of response indicates they are fakes.
ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
[a] The attributes of God are not component parts like bricks in a wall.
[b] He is much more than the sum of the attributes that we see in Him.
[c] They are known through revelation. The sole source of knowledge about this is the Word of God.
[d] The character of God describes equally the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is one in essence and three in person.
WHAT DO THESE CHARACTERISTICS MEAN TO ME?
There are three categories given which is the classical theological approach:‑
[a] Moral and Non Moral - self existence and infinity are non moral, Justice and holiness have moral impact.
[b] Absolute and Relative - Absolute deal with the essence of God as considered in itself such as eternity and infinity whilst Relative deal with his relationship with his creation such as righteousness, justice and truth.
[c] Incommunicable and communicable ‑ some things you can talk about and some you cannot. You cannot talk much about the concepts of infinity and eternity as we cannot conceive of such items for we are controlled and constrained in our very thinking by the limits of time and space.
This type of approach to the subject, which is theological and philosophical, may not be helpful from a practical point of view. In order for all to understand in the church you must understand it and approach it humbly and with worship as your end goal. Some scholars list 14 attributes, however its not about how many we can list, but knowing that the Lord has every wonderful attribute that we could ever think of and more.
Other examples of the characteristics of God’s character are; Eternity [EL], Freedom, Holiness [R+J], Immutability [U], Infinity, Love [L] , Omnipotence [AP], Omnipresence [E] , Omniscience [AK] , Righteousness [R] , Simplicity, Sovereignty [S], Truth [T] , Unity, .Freedom – means God is independent of His creatures and His creation Isaiah 40:13-14, Infinity – means that God has no bounds or limits by time or space Acts 17:24-28, Simplicity – means God is not a composite as we are, He is Spirit – John 4:24, Unity – means that there is one God who is indivisible. Deuteronomy 6:4 Ephesians 4:6
God is independent of his Creation and is free to use His free will in whatever way He chooses. We cannot put God in our debt which is the answer to legalism. This is why this study is important; it solves many theological issues by simple reflection on God’s character.
God does not change. Application - we can depend totally on Him.
Holiness is the standard of God which we need to attain as a believer to attain. Application - When you have to decide what is all right to do and what is not, ask the question.
Is it holy? Is there no hint of sin in it? Is this in accordance with the character and plan of God? Do not be concerned about teaching your congregation an odd long word which they may learn as a category such as omniscience rather than simply saying “all knowing”. They may remember that characteristic when they are in trouble as one of the three O's and be able to use it in a practical way. You “count it all joy” when in difficulty as you can apply this characteristic of God’s character to your problem. God is a spirit and not three things.
Sovereignty of God ‑ he is in charge but this does not blot out the free will of man. The Calvinists magnify this attribute above the others whilst the liberals magnify the love of God almost to a point of heresy. It is keeping all the characteristics of God’s character together that protects from doubts in daily pressure and heresy in theological thought.
The names of God, the Tetragrammaton, JHWH, often translated Jehovah (Latinized), but as the letter J does not appear in the Hebrew or Greek alphabets, it is incorrect and Yahweh is a nearer translation. The Jews however treated the Divine name with fear and would not to speak it out directly; it would seem that they took the command ‘Not Taking the Lord Gods name in Vain’ literally as prohibition for using Gods name and used the word “Adonai” instead. These gave additional characteristics and by going through the names of God you can impress the importance of the perfection of the characteristics of the Almighty God. In the N.T we have Theos, Kurios (Lord) and others.
We have seen that God is omnipresent but this has to be balanced by God as a personality otherwise we fall into pantheism that God is in everything which is an eastern religious concept. The Almighty supreme God ‘Is Holiness’ and that is what he requires. The mercy of God is also so important and includes the Grace and faithfulness of God. Always remember God is always faithful.
When all else fails God does not. We should realise that we are in the hands of the mighty God. Our God is not small, but He is the almighty BIG God over every situation.
The understanding of the holiness of God has to come before the love of God. Do not teach the character of God simply alphabetically.
The following table has been found by many to be a good way of remembering the Character of God.
CHARACTER OF GOD [NAMES]
CHARACTER OF GOD [LETTERS]
SOVEREIGN
ALL KNOWING
S
AK
RIGHTEOUSNESS
ALL POWERFUL
R
AP
JUSTICE
EVERYWHERE
J
E
LOVE
UNCHAGEABLE
L
U
ETERNAL LIFE
TRUTH
EL
T
DOCTRINES
CHARACTER OF GOD
1. Whilst God is three persons all three persons have exactly the same essence or character:
a) SOVEREIGNTY
The Father (Ephesians 1:11, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 6:10, Hebrews 10:7, 9)
The Son (John 5:21, Revelation 19:16)
The Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:4)
b) RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Father (John 17:25)
The Son (Luke 1:35, Hebrews 7:26, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
The Holy Spirit
c) JUSTICE
The Father (Job 37:23, cf 8:3)
The Son (Acts 3:14, John 5:22, Revelation 19:11
The Holy Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20)
d) LOVE
The Father (John 3:16)
The Son (Ephesians 5:25, 1 John 3:16)
The Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:10)
e) ETERNAL LIFE
The Father (John 5:26)
The Son (Micah 5:2, cf John 1:1-2, 1 John 5:11
The Holy Spirit (Isaiah 48:16)
f) ALL-KNOWING
The Father (Hebrews 4:13, cf Matthew 11:27, 1 Peter 1:2)
The Son (John 18:4, cf Matthew 9:4, John 2:25, 1 Corinthians 4:5)
The Holy Holy Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, 1 Corinthians 2:11)
g) EVERYWHERE
The Father (2 Chronicles 2:6)
The Son (Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 1:23)
The Holy Spirit (Psalm 139:7)
h) ALL-POWERFUL
The Father (Mark 14:36, 1 Peter 1:5)
The Son (Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 24:30, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 3:21)
The Holy Spirit (Romans 15:19)
i) UNCHANGEABLE
The Father (Hebrews 6:17, Psalm 33:11)
The Son (Hebrews 13:8)
The Holy Spirit (John 14:16)
j) TRUTH
The Father (John 7:28, John 17:3)
The Son (1 John 5:20, John 1:14, 14:6, Revelation 19:11)
The Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6, cf John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13)
GOD CARES FOR YOU
1. God knows.
a) Our sorrows. (Exodus 3:7)
b) Our devotions. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
c) Our thoughts. (Psalm 44:21)
d) Our foolishness. (Psalm 69:5)
e) Our frailties. (Psalm 103:14)
f) Our deeds. (Psalm 139:2)
g) Our words. (Psalm 139:4)
h) The composition of the universe. (Psalm 147:4)
i) All things. (Proverbs 15:3)
j) Our needs. (Matthew 6:32)
k) About animal creation. (Matthew 10:29)
l) Mankind. (Matthew 10:30)
m) What might or could have been. (Matthew 11:23)
n) His own. (John 10:14)
o) Past, present and future. (Acts 15:18)
2. God is able to...
a) Save forever those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ - Hebrews 7:25
b) Supply every need - 2 Corinthians 9:8
c) Deliver all who are tempted - Hebrews 2:18
d) Sustain the weak believer and make him stand - Romans 14:4
e) Keep us from falling and make us blameless - Jude 24, 25
f) Surpass all that we could ask or think - Ephesians 3:20
g) Raise us up in resurrection in the likeness of His Son - Hebrews 11:19
3. With God, all things are possible - Matthew 19:26
4. God is in control. Nothing will ever happen to you that you are not able to deal with. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
5. God's character is stable.
a) If God is for you who can be against you. (Romans 8:31-34)
b) No matter what happens God's love is stable. (Romans 8:35-39)
6. God's promises are secure for he is always with us. (Matthew 28:19-20, Jeremiah 1:19)
7. God's power is always the same:
a) He will always keep us. (John 10:29, 2 Timothy 1:12,)
b) God does not forget us or lose His power to keep. (Jude 24)
c) Even if we fall away from fellowship we still are saved. (2 Timothy 2:13)
8. God knew before time what we would need in time and has provided for the supply of all our needs. (Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:12)
9. God has the power to bless us. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
10. God is able to make all grace abound towards us. (Ephesians 3:20)
MIRACLES AND GOD’S CHARACTER
Miracles demonstrate the attributes of God:
1 The Sovereignty of God was illustrated in:-
a) The Lord's creative work of turning water into wine at Cana. (John 2:1-11)
b) His power when stilling the storm on Galilee. (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:18)
c) The feeding of the 5000 and the 4000. (Mark 6:33-44; 8:1-9)
d) Walking on the water at Galilee. (Mark 6:47-52)
e) His arrest in Gethsemane. (John 18:6)
2. The Righteousness of God was illustrated in:
The Lord's transfiguration before the disciples on the mountain, when they saw the Holiness of God in the Lord displayed. (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36)
3. The Justice of God was illustrated in:
The cursing of the fig tree during the last week before the cross as a sign of His coming judgment upon unresponsive Israel (Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-26)
4. The Love of God was illustrated in:
All the healing ministries as the Lord's compassion flowed into action, even to the exhaustion of His humanity. While thirty-six specific miracles of the Lord are recorded, many thousands of healing miracles are passed over in a few isolated verses. (e.g. Matthew 9:35-36, 14:14, 15:30-31, 8:16-17 etc.)
5. The Eternal Life of God was illustrated in:
The great miracle of the resurrection of Christ.
6. The Omniscience of God was illustrated in:-
a his knowledge of where unseen shoals of fish were. (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, John 21:1-14)
b where the fish was with just enough money in its mouth to pay the required tax. (Matthew 17:24-27)
c the knowledge about Nathaniel and the woman at the well at Sychar also shows his omniscience. (John 1:45-51; 4:5-43)
7. The Omnipresence of God was illustrated in:
His ability to appear in various places many kilometres apart, demonstrating the truth of His promise to be with believers always. (Matthew 28:20)
8. The Omnipotence of God was illustrated in:
The raising of people such as Lazarus from the dead
9. The Immutability of God was illustrated in:
The repetition of the miracle of the draught of fishes both before and after the resurrection showing that His character and power were unchanged.
10. The Veracity of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of the Centurion's servant and also the Nobleman's son. The Lord said they were healed, and at that moment, many kilometres away, they were. (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10, John 4:46-54)
11. The Grace of God was illustrated in:-
The healing of Malchus' ear in the garden on the night of the Lord's arrest (Luke 22:50). It was a testimony to His Grace that as he faced the horror of the cross, our Lord could still stoop and heal one of His captors. It is significant that the last recorded miracle performed by the Lord before the cross benefited an enemy, one who had come to arrest him.
No comments:
Post a Comment