By R.Andrew
A question that has graced the minds of many is, "Who is God?" There always have been many theories from the human mind, all leading in several different directions, but to know who God really is is to read through His Holy Word, the Bible.
Reading the Bible is like reading through God's personal journal. Through it, we are shown a glimpse of who this mysterious, mighty, Creator is really like. God is loving, (1 John 4:8). God is graceful. He is merciful. God is forgiving, and most of all, God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9).
According to the Bible, God decided to create a world that would be pleasing to Him. Above all of God's creations, His most special creation was Man, ADAM. God specifically designed the human life with a loving intention that we would be His children. God had His angels and His animals of all kinds, but He wanted to be a parent, which is why He created us specifically in His own image (Genesis 1:27).
Early on in the beginning, one of God's high ranked angels, Lucifer, grew power-hungry and wanted to be God. God then ejected Satan (Lucifer) out of Heaven and onto the earth. Angry and vicious, Satan decided to hit God where it hurt the most, by going after God's special creation, Man. At the time, it was just two people on earth, our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Among many trees in the Garden of Eden there were two most famous ones, the first one being the tree of life, and the second one being the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned both Adam and Eve not to eat from the second tree, because if they did, they would die (both spiritually and later physically). The two humans failed when Satan tricked Eve by enticing her with fruit of the second tree. She then shared some with her husband, Adam, who willingly ate it. From then on, sin entered the world through the human race, and created a wedge between God and Man.
Though sin had separated God and Man spiritually, He still loved those who continued to worship and follow Him, and who did not follow the sinful, terrible world that it had become. He protected those whom He knew loved and followed Him. He made covenants that would allow a way for people to be spiritually redeemed enough that God could fellowship with them—but He knew that those ways were not strong enough to fully repair the damage that Satan had created in the Garden of Eden.
Prophecy, going all the way back to the Old Testament, foretold of God sending a Messiah to fully restore the spiritual damage that was created in the Garden, and eventually God did as He promised, He sent the promised Messiah to restore what had been broken:
"See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel , which is translated "God is with us (Matthew 1:23, Holman Christian Standard Bible [HCSB])."
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:1-4, HCSB). "The Word became flesh, and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14, HCSB)."
Simply put, God came down from Heaven in the form of the Son, Jesus Christ, so that He could make a permanent way of rebuilding the spiritual bond between God and people. He especially had a mission to free those who loved Him, and wanted to follow Him, from the eternal sin that surrounded over them. Christ dying on the cross and resurrecting in three days was God's plan of redemption for the human race from sin. No more animal sacrifices were needed anymore to cleanse people. Jesus Christ became the living sacrifice that would finally create a way to bring Man and God together again, permanently. What Satan tried to destroy, God repaired. No longer did people have to stay spiritually dead, they were given the choice for eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and Reigning King.
Though God made a way for a person to be saved from eternal death, He left it up to the person to choose his or her own fate. As John 3:16 says, the loving Father loved us so much, that He gave up His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, for our sins, so that we can have everlasting life. Even though He loved us enough to pay the ultimate sacrifice, He will not force us to choose Him. What is the consequence in not choosing Him though? Eternal life of being consumed by burning flame in the Lake of Fire. Another reason God sent Christ to die for our sins was that though the animal sacrifices were an alternative, they were not strong enough to save us from the path to Hell. If it were not for Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we'd all be heading towards the eternal burning fire, where we'd burn forever. Receiving Christ as our savior and calling upon Him to deliver us from sin is the only way to escape. No other alternative can rescue us, except Jesus Christ.
But, as I said, though God created a way for us to be saved from Hell, He will not force us to choose His way. He leaves it up to us to make that important decision. God is a loving, heavenly parent who loves every one of us. He is the only God alive (Isaiah 44:8). He is merciful and ready to forgive our sins (Psalm 86:5). God even promises to be there for us, give us strength when we desperately need it. He will comfort us in the hard times. He will even make a way for us to escape our pains and addictions that we could never let go before. All we have to do is call upon the name of Jesus Christ and He will be there. He is a wonderous God; a loving, caring Father who wants to be reunited with His people, with His children (all of us—Jew and Gentile).
One more thing, John 4:24 says that God is a spirit, and to worship in Him, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. How do we do this? Through prayer. Pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and God will hear your prayers that come straight from your heart.
Bible used: Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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