What Does The Bible Say About God?

This article covers the answer to the question: “What Does The Bible Say About God?”

There is nothing that anyone can know about God’s nature unless He reveals it to humankind. Without divine revelation humanity will be in darkness. Fortunately, the Bible has told us about God’s nature. From the Scripture we can discover four basic description of God’s character.

1. God Is Spirit

God is a spirit being. Jesus described God in this manner.

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

God is not “a spirit” rather He is “spirit.” Spirit is His nature – He is not a physical being. Because God has no physical form Israel was forbidden to make any images of Him.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6).

2. God Is Light

The Bible also says that God is light.

This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

This can refer to the glory and majesty of God. Notice the Bible does not say that God has light; He is light. The Bible says that.

Which he will bring about at the proper time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen (1 Timothy 6:15,16).

3. God Is Love

The Bible says that God is love.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).

Love involves other attributes of God including grace, kindness, and mercy.

4. God Is A Consuming Fire

The Bible also describes God as a consuming fire.

For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

Fire is not God; God is like fire. The analogy of fire refers to the holiness and absolute righteousness of God’s nature.

Fire Is Frequent Symbol Of God

Fire is frequently used as a symbol of God and His judgment against sin.

The Smoking Firepot And Flaming Torch

The Bible speaks of a flaming torch and smoking firepot when God made a covenant with Abraham.

As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses (Genesis 15:17).

The Incident At The Burning Bush

There is the famous incident of Moses and the burning bush.

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he went deep into the wilderness near Sinai, the mountain of God. Suddenly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a blazing fire in a bush. Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn’t burn up. “Amazing!” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go over to see this.” When the Lord saw that he had caught Moses’ attention, God called to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he hid his face in his hands because he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:1-6).

Elijah And The Altar Of Fire

God’s judgment appeared on the altar of fire. Elijah the prophet taunted the false prophets of Baal.

Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed. . . . Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” (2 Kings 18:24,38,39).

Summary

The Bible does not attempt to prove God exists or give any definition of God. Yet it does describe His nature in four ways: God is spirit – His nature is not flesh and blood. God is also light – there is no darkness in Him at all. God is also love. Finally, God’s nature can be compared to a consuming fire. These four descriptions provide some insights into God’s nature and character rather than giving us a definition of Him.

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Throughout the Christian development of ideas about God, the Bible “has been, both in theory and in fact, the dominant influence” in the Western world.

The Bible usually uses the name of God in the singular (e.g., Ex. 20:7 or Ps. 8:1), generally using the terms in a very general sense rather than referring to any special designation of God.^[38] However, general references to the name of God may branch to other special forms which express his multifaceted attributes.^[38] Scripture presents many references to the names for God, but the key names in the Old Testament are: God the High and Exalted One, El-Shaddai and Yahweh. In the New Testament Theos, Kyrios and Pater (πατήρ i.e., Father in Greek) are the essential names.^[38]

The theology of the attributes and nature of God has been discussed since the earliest days of Christianity, with Irenaeus writing in the 2nd century: “His greatness lacks nothing, but contains all things”. In the 8th century, John of Damascus listed eighteen attributes which remain widely accepted. As time passed, theologians developed systematic lists of these attributes, some based on statements in the Bible (e.g., the Lord’s Prayer, stating that the Father is in Heaven), others based on theological reasoning. The Kingdom of God is a prominent phrase in the Synoptic Gospels and while there is near unanimous agreement among scholars that it represents a key element of the teachings of Jesus, there is little scholarly agreement on its exact interpretation.

In prayer and general conversation, Christians say “God,” “Lord,” and “Father” to which they might add “Almighty” or “Heavenly.” He is Elohim, and sometimes Yahweh or Jehovah. Writings about Jesus give us “Savior,” “King,” and “Immanuel,” and there is also “Spirit,” “Holy Spirit,” “Helper,” and “Comforter.” Since Christians believe in the Trinity, these are all names for God.

THE GOD OF CHRISTIANITY

“Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God.”³¹ That’s how one historian began his book on church history. It’s true. It is also true that Christianity is the only religion whose God is exalted through humiliation. As we ponder who God is—great and gracious, Creator and Savior, Triune Lord—may we do so with faith. And may we look forward all the more to the day when we will worship Christ, the eternal Son, the slain Lamb,

The Bible describes for us who God is. God is the All-Powerful Creator of the universe. The Lord is One in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is holy, loving, and perfect. God is totally trustworthy and safe. He alone is our salvation.

Background

In ancient times, most people were pagans who worshiped multiple gods and goddesses. But around 1800 B.C., God revealed Himself to a man named Abram, who was later known as Abraham. God promised Abraham that He would make two great nations of his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:20-22, 22:15-18).

Those two great nations are the Jews (also known as Hebrews or Israelites) and the Arabs. The Muslim Arabs trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18). The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob, also known as Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel descended from Jacob’s twelve sons (Genesis 35:22-26).

Jesus and His disciples were all Jews, and Christianity began as a small sect of Jesus’ followers within Judaism. So Christians trace their spiritual heritage to Abraham through the Jewish origins of their faith.

The three major monotheistic religions of the world, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all worship the same God who revealed Himself to Abraham. God is known by many different names around the world. He is Dios in Spanish, Dieu in French, Gott in German, YHWH in Hebrew and Allah in Arabic.

Bible Teachings About God

There Is Only One True God, and We Must Worship Only Him

Shortly after Moses led the Hebrews out of captivity in Egypt, God gave them the Ten Commandments as a guide for living as a free and holy people. The First of the Ten Commandments says,

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them… (NRSV, Exodus 20:2-5)

One day, a religious leader asked Jesus which of the commandments was most important:

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'” (NIV, Mark 12:28-30)

The Hebrews of Old Testament times tended to lapse into worship of pagan deities and statues of animals or other objects, but anything that takes the place of our devotion to God becomes an idol or false god. Jesus particularly singled out love of wealth as a false god (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13), and other Bible passages mention greed, covetousness, arrogance, gluttony and pride (conceit) as being equivalent to idolatry.

In today’s world, many things compete against God for our devotion. These are some of the things that can become modern-day idolatry if we let them become more important to us than God and His commandments:

• Excessive attention to material things such as houses, cars, clothes, jewelry, physical appearance, entertainment, etc.
• Pursuit of wealth, power, fame, pleasure or status
• Excessive devotion to self, job, hobbies, country, ideologies, heroes, leaders, even family

Related Bible references: Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:34-40, Luke 10:25-28, Acts 14:11-15, 1 Corinthians 10:14, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 3:5, Philippians 3:18-19, 1 Timothy 6:6-11, 6:17-20, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Hebrews 13:5

God Is All-powerful, All-knowing and Eternal

The Existence of God

The eternal existence of God is taken as a matter of fact in the Bible (Genesis 21:33, 1 Chronicles 16:36, Psalms 9:7, Romans 1:20, Revelation 4:8-9). The Bible never attempts to prove, argue or analyze the existence of God.

Many people ask for proof that God is real, but it is a matter of faith; there is no proof that will convince someone who does not want to believe. However, after a person makes a conscious decision for faith, a gradual change of attitudes and a new sense of peace and security often confirm that it was the correct decision.

Why Has God Done Things as He Has?

We cannot fully understand God with our limited human intellects, and almost everyone wonders why God has done things as He has. However, there are almost never any answers in the Bible. The Bible tells us the things we need to know to live holy and moral lives, but it does not attempt to explain or justify God’s actions. We are reminded that God’s intelligence and wisdom are far above our own human capabilities:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NRSV, Isaiah 55:8-9)

Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (NLT, 1 Corinthians 13:12)

Related Bible references: Genesis 17:1, Exodus 6:3, Psalms 90:2, 139:1-7, Proverbs 5:21, Jeremiah 23:23, Deuteronomy 33:27, Revelation 4:8-10

God Is the Creator

God is the creator of the universe and everything within (Psalms 33:6-9, Acts 14:15, Revelation 4:11), including mankind (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2, Mark 10:5-6).

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV, Genesis 1:1)

Related Bible references: Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-7, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalms 24:1-2, 102:25 ,Isaiah 43:1, 45:12, Acts 17:24-26, Romans 1:20

God Is a Spiritual Being

We cannot see or touch God, but we can see God’s work in the wonders of the universe. We can sense His presence when we pray humbly and sincerely. We can learn about God from the Bible and from the example of His Son Jesus.

No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (NRSV, John 1:18)

Related Bible references: Exodus 33:20, John 4:24, Romans 1:20, 1 Timothy 1:17, 1 John 4:12

God Is Loving, Compassionate, Merciful, Patient and Forgiving

God loves all people of the world and desires that they live in harmony with Him and with each other (Psalms 42:8, 103:13, Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 15:3-7, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:4-6, Galatians 3:28-29, 1 John 4:8-10).

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. (NIV, John 3:16)

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (NRSV, 1 John 4:16)

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (NLT, Mark 12:29-31)

Because God loves us, He is patient with us and treats us with compassion and mercy (Exodus 34:6, Luke 13:6-9, Romans 15:5-6, 2 Peter 3:9)

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. (NRSV, Psalms 86:5)

Because the Lord your God is a merciful God, he will neither abandon you nor destroy you; he will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them. (NRSV, Deuteronomy 4:31)

God is always willing to forgive our sins and give us another chance if we sincerely repent and forgive other people (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:12-14, Luke 5:31-32, 13:3-5, Acts 3:19, 13:38, Hebrews 10:17).

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (NRSV, Luke 15:7)

Related Bible references: Exodus 34:6-7, 2 Kings 13:23, Psalms 86:5, Matthew 4:17, 18:11-14, 26:28, Luke 10:25-37, 15:4-7, 6:36, Acts 2:38, 3:19, 17:30, Hebrews 10:17, 1 Peter 1:3-5

We Can Pray to God and He Will Answer Our Prayers

Prayer is loving communication with God. Prayer is the expression of our inner spiritual needs. Through prayer we can find strength of spirit, guidance, wisdom, joy and inner peace (Psalms 118:5-6, Psalms 138:3, Isaiah 58:9-11, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7).

God promised to answer our prayers and give us everything we need and more (Mark 11:24, John 15:7). But prayer is not a magical trick to get anything we want or a “quick fix” for problems that we should be solving ourselves. God answers prayer requests in His own way in His own time (Psalms 40:1-3), and will not grant requests that are against His holy and wise purposes (1 John 5:14-15), are selfish in nature, are not in our best long-term interest, or those made with impure motives (Psalms 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 59:2, Hebrews 11:6, James 4:3). Often, we must be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:5-13, Luke 18:1-8).

Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (NRSV, Matthew 7:7-11)

God Will Judge All People

God is patient and merciful, but when we die or Jesus comes again, there will be no more opportunities for repentance (Luke 16:22-26).

The Bible says that all the people who ever lived will be judged (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:25-29; Romans 14:10-12, Revelation 20:11-15). God will judge different people by different standards, depending on their knowledge of the Gospel and the wealth, gifts and abilities that have been entrusted to them (Matthew 10:14-15, 11:21-24, Luke 12:47-48, 20:45-47, 21:1-4, John 9:40-41, 15:22-24, Romans 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, Galatians 6:3-5):

… From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (NRSV, Luke 12:48)

Eternal life with God awaits those who are judged to be righteous, but hell awaits those who are judged to be wicked.

The Trinity

Unlike Jews and Muslims, most Christians believe God is three persons in one: God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity states the unity of these three persons in one divine Being known as the Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is inferred from numerous Bible passages, but it is not stated explicitly in the Bible.

There is more information in our article, “What Is the Trinity?”

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