(Does It Matter Who God Is or What He Is Like?)
Back to Homepage
July 1997
Who pays attention to the promises, the commands,
the warnings of a powerless pipsqueak?" Who pays attention
to anyone if it doesn't make any difference?Who jumps at the command
of him who does not have the will to show that he is sovereign?
Who fears and submits to a "person" who does not have
the guts or the sense of worth to show others that his judgment
regarding any person or matter had better be taken seriously?
(Galatians 6:7-8) Who respects (and heeds the words of) a person,
a ruler, a "lord" or master who does not have the will
or the power to do what is necessary even to preserve his own
dignity? Answer: nobody.
Disobedience to the commands of anyone, disregard
for the commands or other statements of anyone springs from disrespect
for the "person" who gave the commands.
The attitude of disrespect for the God of the Bible is often couched in the sneering comment, 'Who is the Lord?' When the powerful ruler of ancient Egypt [Pharaoh] replied to Moses this is just what he said: "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."(Exodus 5:2) That was the problem--he didn't know who the Lord was. He didn't know that the Lord is he "who does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."(Psalm 135.6) He didn't know the Lord was formidable and Almighty as the Bible sets forth in so many ways: "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Psalm 33:6-11). The ruler of ancient Egypt (like all unbelievers) didn't know that the Lord was such that he can (and will) bring to pass his prophecy: "`As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" (Romans 14:11) A person does not know who God is if he thinks that God is unable and unwilling to make his majesty known, to exalt his name,--to "preserve his dignity" in the sight of all! God says, "And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'" (Ezekiel 38:23) And again, "By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7) Who is the Lord that all unbelievers (like Pharaoh) don't know? Is he a 'pipsqueak' ? Jesus taught his disciples about God, saying, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)
This attitude of defiance of the Lord or looking
upon oneself as the master of his fate presumes (rests on the
assumption) that God doesn't have the power or the will to show
that he is holy--absolutely pure. If I believe this in my heart
then I feel free to defy God's revealed standards because it won't
cost me. (It is no coincidence that it was this idea-that God
is unable or unwilling to carry out his prophecies-that Satan
declared to Eve in the Garden of Eden, Genesis
3:4 with 2:16-17.) And it is this denial of God's sovereign
power to do as he has warned or promised that is the far more
fundamental sin; it is an act of mental "treason". It
is this "treasonous" attitude towards the God of the
Bible that is the fountain or source of innumerable
sinful acts--"eating the apple," lying, hatred, adultery,
murder, coveting, etc., etc., etc.
God is Almighty.
Disobedience springs from the belief that God
is one who is not true to his word. Disobedience springs from
'not knowing the Lord.' Obedience is the other side of the same
coin. Obedience springs from respect for the "person."
"'A son honours his
father, and a servant his master. If I [your God] am a father,
where is the honour due to me? If I am a master, where is the
respect due to me?' says the LORD Almighty."(Malachi
1:6-8) Obedience to God springs from 'knowing the Lord'.
While Pharaoh and all unbelievers do not know
God believers do. In the words of the apostle Paul: "I am not ashamed, because I know whom
I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what
I have entrusted to him for that day."
(2 Timothy 1:12) It was because the apostle knew the Lord that
he had confidence in him; it was because of that confidence that
he was willing to put his life and destiny into the Lord's hands.
It is because the apostle Paul knew God/Jesus Christ that he obeyed
his word.
Knowing God means knowing who his is, knowing
what he is like, knowing his likes and dislikes, knowing his character.
Back when the Lord appeared to Abram/Abraham (the father of all who believe) the Lord said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless (or, as some translations say, 'and be perfect'). (Genesis 17.1) It was not before just anybody that Abram was to conduct himself blamelessly or perfectly. It was before the Lord God Almighty.
(Is
the term "almighty" just so much elegant sounding fluff?
Or does it have a significance which I can forget only at my peril?)
Obedience, reverence, deference springs from the knowledge or
awareness of who/how "big" God is.
Who is the Lord? What do we know about the
him? What has he revealed about his being and character? Is God
"big" enough to demand respect or be worthy of it? What
does "Almighty" really mean? The Bible is packed with
displays of God and descriptions of who God is. Sometimes the
words in the Bible are his own words about himself and sometimes
they are descriptions of God that come from the mouths of the
people who know him.
--"For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar--the LORD Almighty is his name."(Isaiah 51:15)
--"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."(Jeremiah 32:17)
--"My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together."(Isaiah 48:13)
--"God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding."(Jeremiah 10:12)
--"In
the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens
are the work of your hands."(Psalms
102:25)
And again, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and
its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens
like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He
brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world
to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them
and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
'To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy
One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each
by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one
of them is missing."(Isaiah 40:22-26)
And again, "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."(Psalms 33:9-11)
--"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."(John 1:3)
--"For
by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by him and for him."(Colossians 1:16)
In the book of Hebrews we are told: "In these last days he has spoken to
us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory
and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things
by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."(Hebrews 1:2-3)
In the last book of the New Testament we hear
the song of praise: "You
are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and
power, for you created all things, and by your will they were
created and have their being."(Revelation
4:11)
In the Book of Job we read this description
of God: "His wisdom
is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come
out unscathed? He moves mountains without their knowing it and
overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place
and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does
not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches
out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea...."(Job 9:4-8)
And again, "'Should you not fear me?' declares the LORD. 'Should
you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for
the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may
roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot
cross it'"(Jeremiah 5:22 )
History is within his control and his plan. The day on which God settles accounts is the day on which he will bring that about: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."(2 Peter 3:10-14)
Other verses throughout the Bible speak of
the "bigness" of God by telling people what the only
appropriate response to such a One must be.
"The
LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the
one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,"(Isaiah 8:13) When the apostle Peter was instructing
the Christians to whom his letter was addressed he quoted God's
words recorded in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:44). He said,
for it is written: "Be
holy..." Why? Because that is God's
character. God said, "Be
holy because I am holy." The apostle
then described how the believer should respond to this command
of the Almighty God: "Since
you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live
your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."(1
Peter 1:16-17)
And again, "'Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding
will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter
it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe
of me,' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty."(Jeremiah 2:19)
Jesus told his disciples whose attitude they
should be concerned about: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy
both soul and body in hell."(Matthew
10:28)
And again, "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."(2 Corinthians 7:1)
And again, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot
be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with
reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."(Hebrews 12:28-29)
When we realize that we are in the presence
of tremendous power (if we live though it)--as when we see a volcano
erupting, a tornado leveling a town, a flood from a broken dam
sweeping away everything before it, etc., our natural response
is not to trifle with it--but to fear such power and take appropriate
action. So it is with those people who know how big God is and
what he can do.
Remember, there will be a day when accounts
are settled
Yet other verses speak of the "bigness" of God by indicating the certainty of the fact that he is not only able to punish but is determined to punish those people who do not behave according to his standards.
The Bible says: "He will punish those who do not know God and do not
obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with
everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the
Lord and from the majesty of his power."
(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
And again, "The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with
despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their
own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am
the LORD."(Ezekiel 7:27)
And again, "You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear
the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know
that I am the Sovereign LORD."(Ezekiel
23:49 )
The apostle Paul reminds believers in New Testament
times (Christians) of the truth and the words that God expressed
in the scripture that had already been written down. (Isaiah 45.23)."It is written,"
Paul said, "`As surely
as I live,' says theLord, `Every knee will bow before me; every
tongue will confess to God.'" (Romans
14:11) And again, the Bible says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps
what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from
that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please
the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."(Galatians 6:7-8)
And again, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers
nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God"(1
Corinthians 6:9-10) And again, "make every effort to live in peace with all men and
to be holy; without holiness no-one will see the Lord."
(Hebrews 12:14)
And again, "Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart,
you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's
wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
God will give to each person according to what he has done. To
those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and
immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will
be wrath and anger."(Romans 2:5-8)
And again, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.... For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."(Hebrews 10:26-27,30-31)
As it was in the presence of God ALMIGHTY that
Abram (Abraham) was to "walk ...and be blameless or perfect"(Genesis
17.1) so it is today that God's people--believers--are to walk
blamelessly and perfectly--in the presence of ALMIGHTY God. God
hasn't changed. God is God. In the New Testament portion of God's
word the apostle Peter reminds believers of who controls history:
"That day [of the Almighty God] will bring about the destruction of the heavens by
fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with
his promise we [who believe] are looking forward to a new heaven
and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends,
since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be
found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
(2 Peter 3:13-14)
The Bible reminds believers that it is the
power of the Almighty God that is at work in history to bring
about his purpose: "We know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose." (Romans 8.28); "In him we were also chosen, having
been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will..."
(Ephesians 1:11)
Yes, God is "big" enough to demand
respect. He is no mushy pipsqueak who is unable or unwilling to
punish people for "polluting" his creation and disgracing
his name. God is Almighty. He doesn't change. He is now what he
has always been--the Almighty God. The relationship of the Almighty
God to his people in Old Testament times, to Abram (Abraham),
to Israel, etc. was no different from the Almighty God's relationship
to his people now--to "those persons who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose."
What does that mean? When we hear the word
'Almighty' what other ideas or words (synonyms) come to mind?
-- total power or omnipotence, unlimited power, irresistible power,
total independence of outside control, autonomy= self law (or
in better English, a law unto oneself.)
It means no one can resist him, it means no force can overcome him, it means nothing can become an obstacle to the accomplishment of his purposes. It means not only that he has all power to carry out his purposes; it means he has the power to choose or create whatever plan he desires. This is sovereignty. The sovereign can do as he pleases. "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him."(Psalms 115:3)
The Bible says: "Many curry favour with a ruler, and everyone is the
friend of a man who gives gifts."
(Proverbs 19:6) Why do they do that? Because they are aware of
what sovereign rulers have the power to do to them if those rulers
feel inclined to do so. But where "democracy" or representative
government has long been in vogue the power of the rulers is limited.
Because in such regions of the world rulers do not have the independence
to do just as they please we who live in such regions are not
familiar with the meaning and practice of sovereignty.
The Bible makes it quite clear what sovereignty
means. What is sovereignty? The Bible includes
some rather vivid illustrations of sovereign power in action.
And even these pictures of sovereign power show only the sovereign
power that is limited to what human beings can exert.
The following quote is part of a godly prophet's
interpretation of a heathen king's dream. "Because of the high position he
[God] gave him [this king's grandfather],all the peoples and nations and men of every language
dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death,
he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted
to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.."(Daniel 5:19)This is not "democracy"
in action; this is sovereign power in action.
And again, "All the king's officials and the people of the royal
provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king
in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one
law: that he be put to death. The only exception
to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and
spare his life."(Esther 4:11)This
is sovereign power.
And again, "Nebuchadnezzar [the king] said to them,'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace."(Daniel 3:14-15) This is sovereign power
The existence and reality of sovereign power is assumed and underlies Bible teaching. Because such power is real it can affect our welfare. Therefore the Bible teaches about it: "A king's wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will appease it."(Proverbs 16:14) and, "A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; he who angers him forfeits his life." (Proverbs 20:2) and, "Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious." (Proverbs 24:21) and, "When a king's face brightens, it means life; his favour is like a rain cloud in spring."(Proverbs 16:15)
How much greater is the consequence of the
unlimited wrath or the eternal favor of the
Almighty God? (Matthew
10:28)
It is because of the sovereign power that some
human rulers have had that the Bible says that men are wise to
win the good will of such rulers (that is, if doing so does not
entail disobeying God)--because sovereign rulers have the power
to dispose of us as they see fit. Even an occasion in the life
of Jesus makes this point. After Jesus was arrested, early in
the morning of the day of his crucifixion, Pilate (the Roman ruler)
was surprised and perhaps offended when Jesus did not speak in
his own defense before him. Pilate said, "Do you refuse to speak to me?... "Don't
you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" (John 19:10) This is sovereign power.
Great as the power of mere human rulers is
their sovereignty and power is limited. In the first place, they
can be sovereign only during the ridiculously short period that
they are alive. Death is bigger than they are and it puts an end
to their plans and their rule. In the second place, they have
no power to create life--only the power to destroy it (the body,
that is). They are not almighty. But God is. Nothing is bigger
than he. Nothing , not even death, is or can be an obstacle to
him, nothing can be obstacle that prevents the achievement of
God's purposes.
There is no equality between the Almighty ruler
of this world and the ruled--his creatures. This concept is very
much at odds with the basic idea in democracy that there is an
equality between rulers and the ruled. In the "democratic"
environment everybody, the individual rulers as well as the ruled,
have (in theory) the same basic worth or dignity.
To be ruled by a sovereign with the power to do as he wishes is an alien concept to those people who have grown up in "democratic society." But God's kingdom is not a democracy. His kingdom does not conform to these human arrangements for a fallen world. His is a kingdom and... it is "not of this world." Jesus made a point of pointing out this latter truth. (John 18:36) God's creation or the domain of which God is the ruler is not arranged on the "democratic" pattern. In fact, the idea which is the foundation of "democracy" (the ultimate sovereignty of every individual) is in conflict with the pattern of God's kingdom which is ruled by the Sovereign God Almighty. [For a discussion of democracy and the idea on which it is built, see "sovereignty of the individual"] God's kingdom is not patterned off of the kind of society that men and women believe is the proper arrangement for earthly society of fallen men & women. God's kingdom does not have to conform to what sinners consider the best arrangement for a society that is necessarily populated with sinners who have different values and beliefs. God's kingdom is different.
(Democracy may well be the best possible political
arrangement for the mixed society on earth--but not for the pure
society of heaven.)
God's kingdom is not a mixture of the good and the bad; only righteousness will be present in it. "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27) And again, when Jesus was teaching about God's judgment day we hear this description: "The Son of Man [a title Jesus adopted as his own] will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father..."
(Matthew 13:41-43). God's kingdom is populated
only by the righteous, by the saved. God's kingdom is populated
by people who have been "rescued
...from the dominion of darkness and brought ... into the kingdom
of the Son he loves,"(Colossians 1:13).Believers
are already citizens of God's kingdom, "citizens of heaven."
(Philippians
3:20; Luke 12:32; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 12:22;
2 Peter 3:13) God's
kingdom will be populated only with those people who recognize
the sovereignty of the Almighty God.
While in a democracy the people
are sovereign (in theory), in God's kingdom they are not sovereign,
he is. God's power and authority is not limited. What people believe
or don't believe, the choices that individuals or groups make
for or against God do not place limits on his sovereignty. He
is Almighty. God's power and authority does not derive from the
sovereign people (as in a democracy) because, as the Bible says
over and over again, the world is his creation. In his kingdom
the people are not sovereign; he is. the Bible no where says (if
it were even possible) that God imposed limits on himself by delegating
absolute sovereignty to some of his creatures. The Bible does
not say that God's power is held in check by the superior power
of individuals who have sovereign power decide not to give their
permission to God so that he can use his power to intrude into
their world. This is a reversal of roles in which the
creature can place limits on what the Almighty God can do in his
own creation.
God's creation is not a democracy.
The roles of sovereign ruler and the ruled cannot be reversed.
God was not elected to his office of ruler. His relationship to
his creation is not "democratic" but "sovereign"
(like an author and the book he writes). In God's kingdom there
is complete inequality between the sovereign ruler and the ruled,
between God and his creatures.
Inequality is another biblical
concept that is at odds with what we have been conditioned to
think. It makes us resistant to the idea of sovereignty. "Inequality"
goes against the grain of "democratic society". The
very thought of slavery, servitude (or anything else) that implies
the existence of an "illegal" or improper relationship
seems wrong. A "master" -- "slave" relationship
in which the master has the right to do as he/she pleases while
the slave has no right except to do what the master asks seems
terrible--so undemocratic. Words like "servant" or "employee"
have better associations; they bring to mind people who do have
rights, not the master-slave (sovereign-slave) relationship. In
the U.S.A. we have been saturated with the idea that sovereignty
--unlimited power of one person (or group of persons) over another
person is wrong Yet, this is precisely the correct connotation
or meaning of sovereignty, especially the sovereignty of God Almighty.
Whereas the thought of inequality
is repugnant in "democratic" dreams of the ideal state
and we are constantly trying to stamp out every trace of inequality
God is not doing so. God is not disturbed by language which implies
inequality or the subservience to some people to others. Such
imagery is the essential ingredient in the way God indicates that
the circumstances he is going to bring about for the people he
is addressing is good change."This is what the sovereign Lord, says: ...Kings will
be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know
that I am the LORD"(Isaiah
49:22,23)
What an "undemocratic"
image--some people licking the dust at other people's feet! How
degrading! In "democratic" societies everybody in theory
has equal worth or dignity and we do not believe anybody should
have to bow and scrape that way. I am not accustomed to bowing
and scraping yet this kind of "body language" has been
a common way by which a submissive attitude has been shown. And
this is the imagery which God himself uses over and over again
to set forth the response he wants from his people. "When the LORD made a covenant with
the Israelites, he commanded them: 'Do not worship any other gods
or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the
LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched
arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow
down and to him offer sacrifices."(2 Kings 17:35-36) (For examples
of bowing, etc. see "Body
Language")
What the Almighty God purposes to bring about does not have conform to "democratic" standards.
How conditioned we are to judge God by our standards. In democracies or representative republics we talk of "rights." But in God's arrangement even the Son of God did not assert any rights. "Your attitude," the apostle Paul tells believers, "should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant [or, "slave"*], ..." (Philippians 2:5-7)
(*The majority of translations (which I have) of this verse use the term "slave" to convey the meaning of the Greek word. The term "servant" is often synonymous with "slave" in the Bible. It is only in more recent years that the term servant has come to indicate a voluntary relationship. I believe the term "slave" communicates more clearly the totally subordinate relationship of Christ on his mission from the Sovereign God.)
(To see those translations see "translations")
Even Jesus, our Lord, did not believe he had the authority or right to disobey the Almighty God. Jesus recognized the sovereignty of God Almighty. Although Jesus was the Son of God and had no sin (Hebrews 4:14) he exhibited that attitude of "reverent submission." (Hebrews 5:7) Hear the words of Jesus:
--"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to
finish his work."(John 4:34)
--"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me."(John
6:38)
--"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me
alone, for I always do what pleases him."(John 8:29)
--"The world must learn that I love the Father and that
I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "(John 14:31)
What God rules over is not a democracy with him at the helm. What God rules over is a kingdom. And he is the king. There is a gap beyond description which lies between the Almighty God and any of his creations or creatures--including men and women. How different is the realm in which the sovereignty of the ruler is absolute from the theoretically "democratic" world in which the ruler and the ruled are on a par and where we have become accustomed to having the "inalienable rights" of a sovereign being!
Back to Table of Contents/homepage
Back when the Lord appeared
to Abram/Abraham (the father of all who believe) the Lord said,
"I am God Almighty;
walk before me and be blameless"
(or, as some translations
say, 'and be perfect').
(Genesis 17.1) It was not before just anybody that Abram was to conduct
himself blamelessly or perfectly. It was before the Lord God Almighty.
How "big" is the
God of the bible? Is he "Big" enough to deserve respect?
Is he "Big" enough to demand respect?
In the Old Testament portion
of God's revelation God gives many commands to his people. Especially
in the Book of Leviticus these commands are followed by declaration
of the identity of the command giver. Disobedience to the commands
of anyone, disregard for the commands or other statements of anyone
springs from disrespect for the "person" who gave the
commands. God knows that his commands take on more weight or significance
when he reminds the people who are hearing the commands that these
commands "come right from the top"--from the Almighty
God.
"Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD."(Leviticus 22:31-33)
And again, "`Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD."(Leviticus 19:18 )
And again, "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own"( Leviticus 20:26)
And again, "`Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God."(Leviticus 20:7 )
This sequence-- 'command' followed
by this assertion about the identity of the "commander"
occurs over and over again in the Old Testament. [See "I am the Lord"]
Who is it who knew that just
the reminder of whose authority lay behind his commands was sufficient
to cause the commands to be taken seriously? Who the is Lord?
What do we know about the him? What has he revealed about his
being and character?
The Bible is packed with displays
of God and descriptions of who God is. Sometimes the words in
the Bible are his own words about himself and sometimes they are
descriptions of God that come from the mouths of the people who
know him.
"With my great power and outstretched arm I made the
earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give
it to anyone I please."(Jeremiah 27:5)
And again, Is God not the One "who shows no partiality to princes and does not favour the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand. His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step. There is no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide. God has no need to examine men further, that they should come before him for judgment. Without enquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place."(Job 34:19-24)
And again, "By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just."(Proverbs 8:15) And again, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."(Proverbs 21:1) An example of this is recorded in the 4th chapter of the book of Acts. Shortly after the religious authorities in Jerusalem had just had Jesus crucified (nailed to a cross) Jesus' disciples "raised their voices together in prayer to God. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them ... Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city [Jerusalem] to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen'." (Acts 4:24,27-28)
And again we hear the words of the Almighty God: "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfil my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:10-11)
And again, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded
as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and
the peoples of the earth. No-one can hold back his hand or say
to him: "What have you done?'"(Daniel
4:35)
And again, "This is what God the LORD says--he
who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out
the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its
people, and life to those who walk on it."(Isaiah
42:5 )
And again, "Surely the nations are like a drop
in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs
the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient
for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before
him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as
worthless and less than nothing."(Isaiah
40:15-17)
And again, "If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust."(Job 34:14)
Job says: "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted."(Job
42:2)
And again, "The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."(Psalms
135:6)
And again, "The LORD Almighty has sworn, 'Surely,
as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it
will stand'... the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart
him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"(Isaiah 14:24,27)
This is what the Lord says:
"Yes, and from ancient
days I am he. No-one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who
can reverse it?"(Isaiah 43:13)
We had better take him for what he is. That is, we had better take the Almighty God for what he is--God.
We acknowledge various truths--because
they are. They are not true because we acknowledge them. Just
the opposite: we acknowledge them because they are (or we believe
them to be) true. What is is. The sun "shines" whether
or not we acknowledge the fact. The force of gravity works on
us whether we acknowledge the fact or not. But it is better for
us if we do acknowledge that the "sovereign" power of
gravity. Those of us who do refrain from jumping out 10th story
windows because we are wise enough to believe that we will fall
to the ground and probably be killed. But even if we didn't acknowledge
that truth we would still fall to the ground and probably be killed.
Water does not wait for us to "agree" with the facts
before it flows down hill! So it is with God. God is what he is--whether
we accept him or not. While it is the wise thing to do--to acknowledge
the sovereign power and position of earthly rulers because it
might win the favor of earthly rulers, it has no affect on the
power of the sovereign ruler to do as he wishes. How much less
is the sovereignty and power of God Almighty affected by our attitude
toward him. We did not make the creator of ourselves or the creator
of the universe sovereign anymore than we created any other truth
or put the sun in the sky! What is is. And so is God.
"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD
is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other."(Deuteronomy 4:39) In the book
of Daniel we hear the words of a godly prophet as he interprets
the Babylonian king's dream:
"You will be driven
away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will
eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven.
Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the
Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them
to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree
with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you
when you acknowledge that Heaven rules"(Daniel 4:25)
Different verses in the Bible help us in different ways to "see" how "big" God Almighty is. One way is by describing the responses to the God of the Bible that are appropriate. Verses which speak about the particular reaction to God that reveals an awareness of how "big" he is are evidence to God and to the world of "respect" for him. Such verses also teach us more about who the Lord is--that he is great enough and majestic enough to create this reaction.
"'Who [the
Lord says] is
this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Where
were you,' the Lord said
to Job, 'when I laid the earth's foundation? ...Have the gates
of death been shown to you? ....Tell me, if you know all this"
says, the Lord.'"(Job 38:2,4,17,18; All
of chapters 38-41 of the book of Job present this idea)
And again, "Who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, `Why
did you make me like this?'"
(Romans 9:20)
And again, "You turn things upside down, as if
the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed
say to him who formed it, 'He did not make me'? Can the pot say
of the potter, 'He knows nothing'?"
(Isaiah 29:16 )
And again, "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter, `What are you making?' Does your
work say, `He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to his father,
`What have you begotten?' or to his mother, `What have you brought
to birth?' (Isaiah 45:9-10)
And again, in the words of
the greatest mortal theologian the world has ever known--the apostle
Paul: "Oh, the depth
of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known
the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?" (Romans 11:33-34--quoting Isaiah
40:13)
And again, "'Surely I spoke of things I did not
understand,' Job said, 'things too wonderful for me to know.'"(Job
42:3)
Job who went through many trials
and had reason to question God's ways, said, "I spoke once, but I have no answer--twice,
but I will say no more."
Silence...(Job 40:5)
In the book of Psalms God speaks:
"Be still, and know
that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth."(Psalms
46:10) And again, "But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth
be silent before him."(Habakkuk
2:20) And again, "Be still before the LORD, all mankind,
because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."(Zechariah 2:13)
The apostle Paul says, "Now we know that whatever the law [of
God] says, it says
to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced
and the whole world held accountable to God."(Romans
3:19)
"Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of
the LORD is near." (Zephaniah
1:7 )
(If I am disobedient to the
wishes of the Almighty God, if I disregard God's opinions, God's
values, God's commands what do my actions reveal about my view
of God? Is the God that I profess to believe in ...really Almighty
in my eyes? Do I display as much respect, reverence,
acknowledgment of God/Jesus as I do towards human beings who at
the most only have sovereign power (of destruction) over the body?
Oh, how the words of Jesus haunt me: "Do not
be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body
in hell." (Matthew 10:28)
If I feel moved to use particular
kinds of behavior to show rulers on earth respect-- behavior such
as "body language," such as silence (not talking back),
such as submission and obedience what does God think of me if
I can't be bothered doing even as much for him? Does God (who
can see through me like a window) think I am awed by his holiness,
his majesty, his "Almightiness", if I refuse to "bow
the knee" before him?
What does God ask? The response
of perfect obedience. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his
disciples: "Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) In the book of James and again in
the letter to the Galation church we are told what the level of
obedience is that is satisfactory to God. "Whoever
keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty
of breaking all of it."
(James 2.10) "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse,
for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to
do everything written in the Book of the Law.'" (Galatians 3:10) With this standard of judging our
behavior hanging over everybody's head (including mine) what hope
could there be? Who is perfect in motive, thought and deed--and
has been since the day of his/her birth? Certainly not me! The
psalmist puts this thought in biblical terms: "If you,
O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?"(Psalm 130:3)
This is where the gospel of
the Sovereign God comes in ...my deliverance from the "curse
of the law," from darkness and doom.
God is the absolutely holy judge. But that is not all he is or the only thing he is. Purity is not God's only essential trait of being or character. "Fortunately", or, to use a less anti-Christian concept, because of the Almighty God's deliberate action on behalf of his people condemnation and its consequences is not my destiny or the destiny of any believer. No, maintaining the standards of holiness as described in (Matthew 13.41; 25.31-34,41; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 21:27) is not God's only essential inflexible purpose. There is more to God, more to the Almighty God than that. Mercy and compassion is just as much part of his character or nature as is his purpose to punish those deviations from his perfect holiness. Love is just as much part of his nature as is his determination to eliminate all those people whose thoughts and deeds would "pollute" God's holy kingdom.
If being merciful were not
an essential character trait of the Almighty God persons such
as myself would have no hope. There are many traits or characteristic
of the Almighty God. What is awesome and baffling to us is that
none of his traits compromise or place a limit on the operation
of his other "traits". His wisdom found a way to maintain
the absoluteness of his standards of holiness and be a merciful
Father at the same time. The substitutionary death of Christ on
the cross was the way. In
the third chapter of Romans
we read: "God presented
him [his Son] as
a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this
to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate
his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one
who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
(Romans 3:25-26) And again, "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." ( John 3:16) The Death of Christ was the way.
The message of the gospel,
the "good news", is that believers have received mercy.
The apostle Peter tells his Christian readers: "Once you were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy."(1 Peter 2:10); the mercy believers
have received is that they are no longer under the law or the
wrath of God--the wrath of the ALMIGHTY God. Why is this? Because
Jesus has lived the righteous life and paid for them the
penalty that God's law demanded.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears
my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will
not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."(John 5:24) The apostle Paul told believers this: "When
you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful
nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our
sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations,
that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away,
nailing it to the cross."(Colossians
2:13-14) To the believers in Galatia the apostle said, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming
a curse for us, for it is written: ''Cursed is
everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that
the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through
Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of
the Spirit." (Galatians 3:13-14) Then there
is that briefest declaration of the new situation which believers
are in: "Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
But not everyone is in this
blessed position--in the Almighty God's favor,. Not everyone has
become the "object of God's mercy." "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's
wrath remains on him." (John
3:36) And again, "All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following
its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects
of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich
in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:3-5)
This is where his sovereignty comes in. It is because he is sovereign that it is up to him to choose if he will be merciful to anyone. And it is up to him, not to us, to choose to whom he will be merciful. God is Almighty. "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-- prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory--even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:21-24) The Bible says, "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."(Romans 9:18)
It is not only good to be on
the good side of the sovereign God, it is indispensable. How safe
we are when we have the Almighty God on our side, when we know
we are "objects of his mercy." This is what believers
have to rejoice about--that they (we) are in this favored position.
We know where we stand. We know what God's attitude towards us
is. He chose to send his Son to die for us that we might have
eternal life (John 3:16); He chose to lay our sins on him (Isaiah
53.6); God chose to make him to be sin that we might be cleared
of guilt (2 Corinthinans 5:21). "What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened
by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness
of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in
sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law
might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful
nature but according to the Spirit."(Romans
8:3-4) God is no longer angry at anyone who is clothed in
Christ's righteousness; God is no longer angry at those people
who have been, as it were, washed in the blood of Christ; God
is no longer angry at those people whose sins God as laid on his
Son (Christ). We are at peace with God because he is not angry
at us.(Romans 5:1) How frequently
the Bible reminds us of God's attitude toward us: "God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:8)
The only safe place to be is
in his favor, to be chosen to receive of his mercy, to be an "object
of his mercy." To be in his favor is a permanent refuge.
We are safe forever.
And the Almighty God does not change in the course of time. The actions and the attitudes of the Almighty are not conditioned by time. He is not a creature of time. He is not a creature at all. He is God Almighty. He is the Sovereign above death and time. His favorable attitude toward his people does not change. His favorable attitude is not a "mood of the moment." His attitude toward the objects of his mercy was present before the creation of the world. "He chose us in him[Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--" (Ephesians 1:4-5) In the parable of the Judgement Day "when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory." We read of the king's actions on that day: "Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'" (Matthew 25:31,34) And again, God "saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." (2 Timothy 1:9) Definitely not a mood of the moment!
And this favorable attitude
of the ALMIGHTY God towards the objects of his mercy will always
be there. We know this. His purposes and his power to bring them
to pass are not limited by time or history. Death or the disintegration
of the body does not end or interfere with the accomplishment
of God's purposes. He is Almighty. "Therefore he
[Christ] is
able to save completely those who come to God through him, because
he always lives to intercede for them."(Hebrews
7:25) And again, "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of
his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed
it with an oath." (Hebrews 6:17) And
again, "For I am convinced," says
the apostle Paul, "that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
How good it is that the sovereign
God--the God who is Almighty--is merciful. How good it is that
the Almighty God has chosen not to treat us who believe
according to what our thoughts, motives and deeds deserve ("according to our iniquities,"(Psalm 103:10) but according
to what Christ's blameless life and sacrificial death deserved.
This is what it means not to be under the law but under grace. (Romans
6:14)
Rather than being under the
threat of judgment believers have been transferred out of the
dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of his Son. (Colossians
1:13) Because the Almighty
God chose to lay our sins on Christ how blessed is our situation!
"Blessed is he whose
transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man whose sin the LORD
[the ALMIGHTY GOD] does
not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." (Psalms 32:1-2) The apostle
Paul in his letter to the church at Rome quotes these priceless
reminders of the Almighty God's attitude towards everybody who
is "in" Christ.
(Romans 4:7-8)
Does it make any difference to us who God is and what he is like? Yes. It makes all the difference in the world. Or, to be more accurate, it makes all the difference for eternity. Unless the Lord--the sovereign Lord, the Almighty God is on our side (forever) nobody can have any hope.
If you appreciate what you read here please tell your friends about this URL and sign my guest book on the homepage. Also, if, as you read any of the meditations, you feel you know of a situation that beautifully illustrates any of the points made I would be delighted to learn of it. I might incorporate it.) Click the following: camppp21355@comcast.net
If you wish to pursue your own study on issues (thoughts) raised or on the Scripture verses used try these links: The Goshen Bible Study Tools or Translate 2012 Bible Study Tools. An additional translation with many notes can be found at Net Bible. To search for related sermons (recent), sermon outlines, articles, devotions and topical sermons go here: Sermon Links.com
Back to Homepage