Faith SimplifiedSample

Day 2: GOD IS

Christianity’s God isn’t like any of the gods of mythology. He is entirely different. He is entirely bigger and better. This one God is entirely self‑sufficient, lacks absolutely nothing, and exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are all one in essence, equally divine but distinct from one another. As mind‑blowing, awe‑inspiring, and head-scratching as the reality of his nature is, there is so much more to God than even that. So much that can, and should, leave us slack‑jawed in wonder. Infinitely so.

Infinite is exactly the right word to use here. It sums up everything about God. It is a catchall word that begins to describe the absolute lack of boundaries or constraints on God’s qualities and his existence (Job 11:7‑9; Psalm 147:5).

Now, here’s the problem: To go no farther than to say God is infinite fails to do justice to God’s nature. It is too conceptual, perhaps even too theoretical, to help us truly begin to grasp the greatness of God’s being. Fortunately, the Bible illustrates this in a few different ways for us:

• God is everywhere: Time and space place no constraints on him because he is outside of both (1 Kings 7:27; Acts 17:24). And because he is not bound by the limitations of time and space, God is everywhere simultaneously, or omnipresent. He is with us all the time, even when we don’t realize it or act as though he weren’t (Psalm 33:14; Jeremiah 23:23‑24; Matthew 18:20).
• God knows everything: When it comes to knowledge, he is omniscient, having all knowledge, perfect and complete, extending to the past, present, and future (Job 37:16). This also means that there isn’t anything he can’t know. Nothing is hidden from him. No one gives him counsel or teaches him (Job 21:22; Isaiah 40:13‑14). He knows the mysteries that no one else does (Deuteronomy 29:29). He knows our hearts in a way that even we do not (John 2:24). He even knows exactly how many hairs are on your head, because he numbered each one (Matthew 10:30). And if you are among the follicly challenged, he knows how many remain or have been lost.
• God can do anything: God is all‑powerful, that is, omnipotent, capable of doing anything and everything that conforms to his nature, character, and decrees (Genesis 18:14; Job 42:1‑2; Isaiah 14:27; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:19). This also means that he is incapable of doing anything and everything that conflicts with his nature, character, and decrees. So, in case you’re curious, no, God cannot create a boulder so big that he cannot lift it, because he cannot create something that negates his God-ness.

The whole notion of an all‑knowing, all‑powerful, ever‑present God is difficult to grasp. That God can be all these things reminds us that he is so completely unlike us. And we’re right to recognize that. God is different from us. He is distinct from everyone and everything in the universe—including the universe! God has no beginning; he simply is.