We all have questions.
Who am I? Why am I here? Is there a God?
Who is He? What does He want from me? What is wrong with the world . . .
and me? What happens after I die? How can I know for certain? These
matters and many more can trouble us. But the most important questions
really come down to who is God and what does He want from you?
Every person is a theologian—each of us thinks and operates out of a
set of beliefs about God. A fundamental truth of theology is this: there
is a God. A second truth necessarily follows: you’re not Him. We may
deny or at least doubt that God exists but the Scripture declares, “The
fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (
Psalm 14:1). The
fool
is one who lacks understanding, often arrogantly and deliberately
dismissing what is obvious. This rebellion against the one true God of
the Bible permits us to appoint gods of our own making (
1 John 5:21), namely pursuing our own wants and desires (
Philippians 3:19; James 4:1–4).
Even in the perfect Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were enticed to rebel
against God’s holy command so they could advance their own desires (
Genesis 3:1–6).
But there is a God and you’re not Him. Other questions we have in
life can only be answered by starting with God. Let us consider just a
few truths about who God is and what He wants from us.
God Is Knowable and He Wants You to Know Him.
The invisible God has revealed Himself in many ways. One way is
through the work of His hands: “Since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (
Romans 1:20; cf.
Psalm 19:1–2).
He is also knowable through the human conscience. This knowledge of
what is right and what is wrong reflects (albeit imperfectly) God’s
moral standard of holiness (
Romans 1:32).
God is the source and author of all that is good, true, and right, and
our capacity for moral judgment rests upon knowing Him.
God has also particularly revealed Himself through special means.
Many supernatural historical events testify of His direct intervention,
including the
global Flood, the
confusion of languages, and the
crossing of the Red Sea. He also spoke directly to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. He revealed Himself through visions and dreams (
Numbers 12:6; Matthew 2:12) and, of course, through prophets and apostles (
Ephesians 2:20; 2 Peter 3:15–16). This self-revelation of God has been faithfully recorded for us in the Bible (
2 Timothy 3:15–17).
But the Scripture identifies a fuller revelation of God: the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, is “the image of the invisible God”
(
Colossians 1:15) and surpasses all previous revelation.
God, who at various times and in various
ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these
last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all
things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1–2; cf. John 14:9)
With all this self-revelation, we should be persuaded that God wants us to know Him (
Jeremiah 9:23–24).
We ought therefore to study Him in creation and history; to understand
and follow His moral standards; to read His written word; and to greatly
esteem His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God Is the Creator and He Wants You to Honor Him.
The Bible declares, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (
Genesis 1:1). He spoke and “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (
John 1:3).
For thus says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18)
Of all His creation, humans alone are
made in His image (
Genesis 1:27). He made humanity (
Psalm 100:3) and gave them dominion over all creation (
Genesis 1:28).
Thus we are able to appreciate Him and to reflect His perfect
attributes. He wants us to glorify Him—to honor Him with our words and
our works—and give thanks to Him (
Romans 1:21). We must fear Him with reverence and self-reproach so that we would not sin (
Exodus 20:20), knowing that He will judge us in righteousness (
Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).
God Is Faithful and He Wants You to Trust Him.
God keeps His promises; He cannot lie (
Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). He is the true God (
Jeremiah 10:10; John 17:3) and what He says is true (
Psalm 19:9; Matthew 22:16; John 5:32). The psalmist David says,
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust. . . .
His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him. (2 Samuel 22:2–3, 31)
When
we trust God, we rest securely in His faithfulness. The Scripture says,
“Those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You,
Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (
Psalm 9:10). The patriarch Abraham “trusted in the
Lord, and He credited righteousness to him” (
Genesis 15:6,
author’s translation). The Apostle Paul encourages us to follow
Abraham’s example, for “those who are of faith are blessed with
believing Abraham” (
Galatians 3:9).
We must trust God, since “without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (
Hebrews 11:6).
God Is Present and He Wants You to Love Him.
God doesn’t need anyone since He is sufficient for Himself and truly
independent. Yet from the Garden of Eden to the new heavens and new
earth, God has delighted to dwell among men. Before the Fall, Adam and
Eve enjoyed a perfect relationship with God. Many centuries later He
chose the nation of Israel to be His special people, and He invited them
to draw near to Him (
Deuteronomy 7:6–9). The Apostle John told of the time when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (
John 1:14)—this
was the Lord Jesus Christ who lived among His people, teaching them
God’s Word and healing their diseases. When Jesus returned to heaven, He
sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His followers (
John 15:26).
The Apostle John also prophesied that in the new heavens and new earth
“the tabernacle [“dwelling”] of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God” (
Revelation 21:3).
Given God’s immense desire to be with humanity, it is only
appropriate that we should love Him, enjoying His presence and living
our lives in relationship with Him (
James 2:23).
When Jesus was asked to summarize the entire Law of Moses into the
greatest commandment, He responded, “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (
Matthew 22:37).
This love for God should characterize our thoughts, words, attitudes,
actions, and affections, so that He is at the center of every aspect of
our lives (
Psalm 73:25–26).
God Is Sovereign and He Wants You to Obey Him.
All authority and power belong to God alone. He fears no challengers or usurpers.
He who is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling
in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be
honor and everlasting power. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:15–16)
Because God is the supreme authority, we must obey Him. Jesus told His followers, “if you love Me, keep My commandments” (
John 14:15). He also directed us to “make disciples . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (
Matthew 28:19–20).
We must also stand before Him in judgment when we disobey. He is the
lawgiver and judge and “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but
all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give
account” (
Hebrews 4:13). God righteously judges and all men are worthy of eternal punishment and separation from God (
Revelation 20:11–15).
God Is Eternal and He Wants You to Live with Him Forever.
Distinct from time and His creation, God has no beginning and no end. God is eternal; that is, He is
outside of time (
Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 9:6–7; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 9:14). He alone is the living God who revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM” (
Exodus 3:14). He has life in Himself and does not depend upon anyone or anything.
God, who made the world and everything in
it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made
with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed
anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (Acts 17:24–25)
The living God created Adam and Eve to live with Him and not die. But
suffering and death came into the world because of Adam’s disobedience
to God’s command (
Romans 5:12–21; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22).
God commanded and warned Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may
freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (
Genesis 2:16–17). When our first parents ate the fruit, they were separated from God (
Isaiah 59:2); became conscious of their own sin; and their physical bodies became subject to illness, infirmity, and
ultimately death. Because God is eternal, the punishment for sin is also eternal (
Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46).
Hope and Help for Sinners
Even with this limited overview of who God is and what He expects,
each of us should recognize how far we fall short of Him. Every aspect
of our lives is tainted by sin, and we are forced to agree with God’s
assessment of humanity:
There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no not one. (Romans 3:10–12)
Is there any hope for sinners? How can what is wrong be made right?
We must admit that the problem is within us and the solution must come
from outside of us. We cannot save ourselves from God’s wrath, but He
has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him.
Agree with God that You Are Sinful and Turn from Your Sin to God.
Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (
Luke 19:10).
You must first admit that you are lost, separate from God because of
your sin, subject to His just and holy wrath. You must confess that “all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (
Romans 3:23)—including
yourself in that confession. “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” (
1 John 1:8–9).
Repentance means you must turn away from your sinful desires,
thoughts, and actions, rejecting them as shameful and leading to death (
Romans 6:21),
and turn to God. Since an idol is anything that we worship or place
trust in rather than fully trusting in God, true salvation means you
have “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (
1 Thessalonians 1:9).
Believe That Jesus Paid for Your Sin.
Because God is just, He cannot just pass over sin and excuse it with a
divine decree. Consequently, “without shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness” (
Hebrews 9:22 NASB).
The first shedding of blood was the animal that died to provide “tunics
of skin” to cover the shameful nakedness of Adam and Eve after they had
sinned (
Genesis 3:21). The ultimate covering for sin came through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ:
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. . . .
The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)
To receive the gift of salvation you must believe the truth of the gospel:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture
says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9–11)
The Gospel Changes Everything
When a person calls upon the Lord for salvation, God delivers him (
Psalm 50:15, 116:17, 145:18).
This comprehensive deliverance means that a person is saved from the
penalty of sin, is being saved from the power of sin, and will be saved
from the presence of sin (
2 Corinthians 5:15).
You Are Saved from the Penalty of Sin.
Because Jesus has died in the place of sinners, the perfect justice
of God has been satisfied for those who believe: “Therefore, having been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. . . . [And there is] now no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus” (
Romans 5:1, 8:1). The righteousness of Christ replaces the guilt of sinners (
2 Corinthians 5:21).
You Are Being Saved from the Power of Sin.
Believers have been freed from slavery to sin and are set apart to God to lead sanctified lives (
Romans 6:12–14; Titus 2:11–14). Instead of living in bondage to sinful thoughts and actions (
Galatians 5:19–21), the Holy Spirit of God enables us to live holy lives (
verses 22–25),
“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts,
as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy
in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (
1 Peter 1:14–16).
You Will Be Saved from the Presence of Sin.
Believers who die enter the presence of the holy God (
2 Corinthians 5:8) and are “spirits of just men made perfect” (
Hebrews 12:23).
All believers alive or dead look for the glorious resurrection of the
body, and the whole creation yearns for the time when all things will be
made new (
Romans 8:18–23; Revelation 21:1–4, 27, 22:3).
Conclusion
Since God wants us to know Him, honor Him, trust Him, obey Him, love
Him, and live with Him forever, how are you doing? How have you grown in
your knowledge of Him? How often do you honor the Lord and give Him
thanks? Do you find comfort in His faithfulness? Is your life
characterized by obedience to God’s Word? Are you trusting in Christ’s
death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins? Do you
draw near to Him and desire Him? All praise to God that He never
changes and that He is near to those who call upon Him in faith. Draw
near to God today and forever grow in your enjoyment of Him.
