It’s not your connection. The image above is never going to finish loading. It is there to represent how incomplete is my (and likely your) understanding of God.
Getting to know a mere human being you love is a lifelong exercise. Our ability to truly know them seems governed by the time we spend observing them, listening to them, talking with them.
People are hard to fully grasp because they are forever changing. As my 36th wedding anniversary approaches, I realize I’m still learning things about my dear wife. As I learn more, I change too. For example, I’m no longer foolish enough to accuse her of changing her answer to simple questions like “do you want milk in your tea?” I’d swear she never says the same thing twice (if you don’t count her saying “nothing!” when I later ask “what’s wrong?”).
You think it would be easier to grasp someone who never ever changes (i.e. God), but it is infinitely harder! People try. You may have heard people say “God is Love” as a way of short-handing what they think they know about the Creator of all that is seen and unseen.
But love, powerful as it is, is but one of the innumerable attributes of the God. Elevating one attribute ahead of others is a mistake. Getting to know your Lord and your God is a loving journey that will take the rest of your corporeal life and the rest of your eternal life. And that is really good news! Would you still find fascination with someone you 100% figured out?
Here are some attributes of our God and supportive scriptural references to reveal the source of these assertions that God is:
- Eternal: God is described as existing outside of time, without beginning or end. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2).
- Omnipotent: God is all-powerful, capable of doing anything that is in accordance with his nature and will. “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17).
- Omniscient: God is all-knowing, having perfect knowledge of past, present, and future. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” (Psalm 147:5).
- Omnipresent: God is present everywhere at all times, transcending space and location. “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”(Jeremiah 23:23-24).
- Immutable: God is unchanging in his nature, character, and purposes. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6).
- Holy: God is completely separate from sin and evil, perfectly pure and morally perfect. “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'” (Isaiah 6:3).
- Just: God is fair and righteous in all his judgments, upholding justice and moral order. “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
- Merciful: God is compassionate and forgiving, showing kindness and grace to those who seek him. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8).
- Love: God’s nature is love, and he demonstrates this love towards humanity through various means, including sending his son Jesus Christ. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8) and “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
- Creator: God is the maker of all things, bringing the universe into existence by his will and sustaining it. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) and “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16).
- Trinity: While this term is not explicitly used in the Bible, the concept is understood to mean that God exists as three persons in one essence: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19).
While you’ll never finish the task, don’t limit the time and places you spend trying to get to know God. Learn about Him, read about Him, listen to others describe Him.
Did you notice most of the above references come from the “Old Testament” (OT)? Though portions of the OT are often harder to grasp when compared to the New Testament, it is still well worth reading. For a sermon summary of the OT, be sure to watch this sermon entitled “The Old Testament from Space“.