Firstly, great emphasis is given that the contents of this series are intended to give Biblical information and insights on some of its contents. They are not intended to scare or offend anyone. It is one’s prerogative to read and never be shoved into one’s throat.
This piece is a simple sharing of bible passages. It doesn’t endorse any specific faith, religion, denomination, system of beliefs or theology aside from those in the bible.
It is in the “exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference” as provided by The Philippine Constitution that this article was made.
If you find them scary, intimidating or offensive, please feel free to take them with a grain of salt and regard them like a badly written movie script.
There’s a need to know God, the Father
God is the centrepiece of topics in the bible. It is Him that rules Supreme in the universe and has enormous power to create everything in it.
God, himself, is commanding humans to get to know him and not to be ignorant about what he is all about.
10Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10, New King James Version
Jesus also emphasized knowledge of God and Jesus, himself, is eternal life.
3And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3, NKJV
Here is a sample of how the bible describe the Father:
All things came from The Father and its Him for whom man was made
To a believer, the Father is the Supreme Being who made all things and for whom man exist.
6yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 1 Corinthians 8:6, English Standard Version
Get to know the Father more with these descriptions mentioned in this book:
(Click to go straight to specific bible description of God):
All things came from The Father and its Him for whom man was made
He identifies himself as “I AM”
He requires sole worship and is jealous of other gods
He has power one can only marvel at
He possess knowledge and methods higher than human understanding
He is merciful
He desires all men to be saved
He is upright and just
He is faithful and fair
He is compassionate to those who fear Him
More on God the Father
He identifies himself as “I AM”
The King James Version gives a clear answer on what His name in a direct response to a question from Moses:
13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. 15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Exodus 3:13-15, King James Version
Jesus Christ also used this description when he spoke about Him pre-existing Abraham during a discussion with religious leaders:
58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:58, KJV
He requires sole worship and is jealous of other gods
23Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:23-24, New International Version
8Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Matthew, 4:8-10, NKJV
He has power one can only marvel at
Photo credit: Hubble Space telescope (https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic0607a/)
He created the universe:
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,…3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
6And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 8God called the vault “sky.”
9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.”
11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
14And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Excerpts from Genesis 1, NIV
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1, NIV
[Go back to list]
He possess knowledge and methods higher than human understanding
With the advance of science and technology, humans kept on discovering beings, things and worlds that they could only marvel at.
That’s their capacity, there are tangible things that man could only watch but never create or duplicate. DNA, life, and planetary systems are just a few samples of the uncountable totals.
Humans have tried and will always try to play God. They attempted and will attempt to create new beings that are alive out of non-living things and new homes. They will surely fail.
There are just some things, tangible and intangible, that are reserved for God alone.
The scriptures say so.
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV
[The writer pointed out verses 8-9 is a comparison between the thoughts and ways of God compared to the thoughts and ways of the wicked in verses 6-7.]
11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11, NKJV
The same books pictured how human knowledge compares when put side by side with God’s:
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 1 Corinthians 3:19-20 NKJV
14Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” Isaiah 29:14 NKJV
Paul applied the Isaiah passage in elaborating why many won’t Jesus’ sacrificing his life for redeeming humans:
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 NKJV
He is merciful
36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36 NIV
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3. NIV
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us Ephesians 2:4, English Standard Version
He desires all men to be saved
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV
1Therefore I 1exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,… 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1,3-4 NKJV
He is upright and just
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV
6The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory. Psalm 97:6, NKJV
He is faithful and fair
13No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV
He is compassionate to those who fear Him
13As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; Psalm 103:13, NIV
6Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7, NKJV
More on God the Father
6And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7, NIV
Purpose of the bible
The bible made clear what kind of book is it. It is intended for those who want eternal life. It is not a medical, science, logic or history book. Many tend to forget this.
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39-40, New King James Version
It also made its theme clear. While there are many tales narrated by the bible, one thing remains clear from start to finish: Humans caught in a crossfire between powerful adversaries and one of them, a loving God, is offering redemption/salvation.
The bible says the devil rebelled and continues to rebel against God and dragged humans along to be involved in this godly battle he started.
7And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. Revelation 12:7-8, NKJV
…she [Eve] took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband [Adam] with her, and he ate… And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent…I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed…. Genesis 3: 6, 14-15, NKJV
12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:12, NIV
God’s love and the danger posed prompted Jesus to come to earth and provided everyone a way to get out of the mess.
16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16, NKJV
8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8, NKJV
These verses encapsulates what the new testament is for. If you are encourage by these verses, you are invited to search the bible deeper and find out more about Jesus and his teachings.
Conservative approach
The presence of spirits and unexplainable events and multiple scientific, medical, and logical reasons that supports the bible and its authors’ credibility project a possibility that God do exists. If you are still unconvinced of the existence of God despite these proofs, being conservative might be the best alternative here.
Accountants describe conservatism as selecting the option that would show the worst possible financial standing of a business entity when two or more unproven alternatives are available. This is to remove the user of the account’s output be exposed to a bigger risk in case the worst possible scenario happens.
As it stands, the risk of not believing in and obeying God far outweighs the benefits of doubting his existence. It might be best to act conservatively, believe what the bible says, until you have absolutely proven that there is indeed no God nor hell.
By: Armando M. Bolislis
If you are inspired and want to give Jesus a try, continue a deeper search of the bible, especially the New Testament. This will show you how to become his disciple. Always ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in your search.
If you feel the want or need to belong to a Christian church or organization, find one that preaches the Word of God and will help you improve your relationship with Christ and lead you to his eternal promises.
The theologies and doctrines about faith contained in this article are solely from God through the bible. The author is just an instrument used to spread the word for the glory of God. The personal opinions and suggestions on issues outside of biblical coverage from the author doesn’t necessarily reflect the stance of Baguio Herald Express management and staff.
