Name: Uncovering the Mysteries of God
Price: 12 USD

A lot of us have a fragmented image and grim perspective of who God is.

Leslie introduces herself and gives us a glimpse into her personal background with God and how she came to the realization that she hated God because she didn’t really know Him.

Leslie explains that the Bible is not just a piece of ancient Jewish and Christian literature, but the actual Word of God. It is what He wanted to reveal about Himself to us, His creation. When you don’t really understand who God is, then it’s difficult if not impossible to understand where you stand with Him.

Course Introduction

The Divine Attributes

God wants us to know who He is and the only place we can find out more about Him is through the Bible.

Isaiah 44:6-7
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.”

Isaiah 44:24-28
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

Digging into Isaiah 44, we gain a deeper understanding of Israel’s story and how regardless of what it looked like, God was still in control. 

Isaiah emphasizes, probably more than any other prophet, the depths of Israel’s rebellion against God and contrasts it with the heights of God’s glory. All of which points to God’s coming kingdom which would come at the Second Advent of the Messiah. 

Part of Israel had been exiled to a land that wasn’t their own due to their constant disobedience to God. They were constantly being bombarded with idol worship of pagan gods. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had been crumbling under political and spiritual corruption. And they finally fell under the Assyrian Empire. The Southern Kingdom of Judah is basically watching all of this happening and Isaiah comes in to deliver a message to them from God. Isaiah wants to remind the people of Judah of their unique relationship with the Creator of the Universe and call them back into a proper covenantal relationship with God. A relationship that is honored with obedience. And why should Israel be obedient? Because the Lord is the only God who is in control of everything. Regardless of how it looked for Israel, they didn’t need to be discouraged because their hope was in the Sovereign God, Yahweh.

God being sovereign means that what is prophesied in His name by His appointed messengers would be confirmed through His making it happen. He is showing His divine control and ability over absolutely everything. Isaiah uses some very big images. Prophecies being fulfilled. Cities being risen up from literal ruins. Creation is even under the command of God and must yield to His authority and commands.

God is Sovereign 

God being Sovereign means that as King of kings and Lord of lords, God has absolutely no limitations. God is in control.

Exodus 15:9-12
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ 10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

Luke 4:34
34 “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

It is important to understand the holiness of God because when you do, you begin to realize that He is unlike anything the world will have to offer. And this Holy God desires to be close to His creation. He will always continue to be the only one of Him, the only one like Him, and the only one able to do everything that He has done, continues to do, and will do for humanity. Because God is holy, He deserves our admiration and our attention.

The word holy is used when referring to something that is separate from everything else or something that is unique and unlike anything else. Holiness is a biblical word that basically means “unique and set apart.” So, we can see why this is the word that is used for God. In actuality, God is the only one that accurately fills the true meaning of this word! It is from this “separate from all things” that the characteristics of God and His nature pour out. Everything that He is and everything that He does has this amazing way of pointing back to His holiness. In other words, He will never act outside of holiness. It is impossible for Him to do so.  It is His permanent state.

No statement in Scripture is repeated more than the declaration that God is holy. Both Testaments depict the heavenly creatures around the throne crying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.” God is holy, God makes things holy (Ge 2:3, the 7th day), and God calls believers to be holy. The term holy appears 584 times in Scripture. In both it signifies separation from sin and evil. Even more properly, “holiness” describes active absolute moral purity—a characteristic that the triune God expresses internally (each with the other) as well as externally, calling his people to be holy as he is holy.

God’s holiness was displayed in His ability to deliver His people like HE said He would, in showing His power over what was seen as the most powerful force on earth. But this isn’t just about God’s dominion, but about His nature and character being unlike anything and anyone that mankind would ever encounter.

God is Holy 

God is holy in character and nature and is unique from all things in existence.

I Kings 18:20-39 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”

God’s power isn’t just over matters dealing with mankind, but He has power over all of nature.

As Creator of all things, He holds everything together under His command and will. He has the power to do so. He is able to do all things and accomplish all things. Whatever He desires to do in His creation, He does through His own power. He doesn’t depend on any other source to accomplish anything. God’s power is not limited by or threatened by earthly kings or pagan gods. He is above all things. He has ultimate authority, and He is able to display it in ways no one else can. He is the ultimate source of power, authority, and in control of everything that exists. Seen and unseen.

God is Omnipotent 

God’s power is without limit. It is limitless power. He will never ever run out of it or not have enough to accomplish what He says He will.

Psalm 139:1-6
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down  and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue,  behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before,  and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

TEN WAYS GOD CAN BE “PRESENT”
Transcendently. In a special sense, God is present exclusively to himself, the glorious reality of the ontological Trinity (Jn 17:5).
Heavenly Presence. God is said to be exalted in heaven on a throne amidst seraphim and a myriad of angels (Job 1:6; Isa 6:1-3; Da 7:9-10).
Immanent Presence. God is present in all creation, sustaining, ordering, revealing (Ps 19:1-6; Isa 40:25-26).
Perceivable Presence. God inhabits the Tabernacle and Temple; God’s presence is said to dwell at Zion and in the Holy Land (Nu 10:33-35; 2Sa 6:2; Pss.  26:8; 46:5; 48:1-3; Joel 3:16-17).
Visible Presence. Exceptional revelatory appearances include theophanies, the Shekinah glory, and other physical manifestations in history (Ex 33:18-34:8; Nu 12:5-8; 1Ki 8:10).
Personally Incarnate. The eternal Son is incarnate in Jesus Christ, assuming human nature—first on earth (Jn 1:18; 2Co 5:19; Col 2:9) now in heaven with the Father (Ac 7:56; Rev 5:7)—yet in another sense in the midst of believers (we are “in Christ” 2Co 5:17,19).
Corporately Present. God indwells the church as his collective temple (1Co 3:16-17; Eph 2:12ff; 2Pe 2:5).
Intimately Present. God indwells the regenerate believer as his individual temple (Jn 14:23; Ro 8:9,11; 1Co 6:19).
Effectively Present. Our Lord’s special power, filling and fullness enables believers and the church to worship and to do his will (Ac 4:8,31; 7:55; 10:44-45).
Gloriously Present in the Future. God will dwell with man in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:3).

There is absolutely no place where we could escape from the presence of the Lord. We cannot escape the Lord’s sight and there is nowhere we can hide from God. We can not be concealed from God, for darkness and light are the same to Him because of His omniscience and omnipresence. There’s nowhere in the entire universe, whether it be on dry land or in the depths of the sea, in all of heaven or even in hell, where we can flee from God’s presence. This isn’t meant to scare us, but comfort us. God is always with us and He is always aware and in full knowledge of what has happened, what is happening and what will happen.

God is Omnipresent and Omniscient

God is omnipresent, and omniscient. God is eternal and He is everywhere. Everywhere at all times for all time! 

Deuteronomy 6:4
4 “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” 

Each person of God is equal in perfection, status, authority, and deity, but each is distinct in their roles and functions. God is the Creator of all things, sustainer of all things, judge of all, ruler of all, and He is all knowing, all powerful, and ever present. God is ONE. One here indicates the God of the Bible is set apart and higher than the pagan gods. There are major differences between the God of the Bible and other gods that are worshiped. God over and over would display His authority and power in ways that could never be matched and He did so through unity and as one.

God is the personal Creator and Lord of the universe. He is the Redeemer of His people, the ultimate author and principal subject of Scripture, and the object of the church’s confession, worship, and service.

God exists as three distinct persons. In referring to the personhood of God, person does not carry the same meaning as human, individual persons. It is incorrect to suggest that since there are three separate persons of God, there must be three separate Gods. As a distinct person in the Godhead, each person has freedom, a will, consciousness, relationships within the Godhead, and roles.

Each person of the Godhead has unique functions within the plans of God in bringing about the salvation of mankind, restoring unity between God and creation, and securing God’s eternal reign. These functions or roles differ yet work in unity and harmony with the other functions of the Godhead. No one function or role suggests superiority. Let’s start with the first person of God. The first person of God, the Father, is fully God. The Father has sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to act in creation, revelation, and the plan for redemption. The Father has also sent His Son, Jesus, to enter the earth as a human man and be the perfect sacrifice for all sin. The Father is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler over all, through all and all. He is self-existent, self-sufficient, free, perfect, sovereign, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immanent, immutable, eternal, and infinite. He is a spiritual being, yet personal as He is the Father of all believers of His Son, Christ Jesus.

The person of Jesus Christ is considered the Second Person of God. While He is fully human, He is also fully divine. These are the two natures of Christ – human and divine. He did not come to earth and operate out of His divine nature but emptied Himself to take on the fullness of human suffering yet remained sinless and perfect. The reason He came as God in human form was to be the propitiation for sin. Through His substitutionary death on the Cross, Jesus was the atoning sacrifice to fulfill the Law and thus, securing the redemption of man from sin and the restoration of the relationship between mankind and God. Upon dying on the Cross, Jesus was buried in a tomb and resurrected from the dead on the third day. Before fully ascending into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father, He appeared to a number of disciples and other eyewitnesses. He is now the Mediator for all who believe that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the World and He will return in glory to judge the world and finish the redemptive plan for humanity, forever sealing the unity of Creator and creation, and establishing His eternal reign.

The person of the Holy Spirit is considered the Third Person of God, but that does not mean that He is less than God the Father or God the Son. Whatever we find to be true of the triune Godhead, this is also true for the Holy Spirit. There are often misunderstandings of the Holy Spirit as being just a thing or a force and not fully a person. There is also the misconception that the Holy Spirit does not maintain the same level of deity as the First and Second Persons of God, the Father and the Son. These statements are reckless and irresponsible viewpoints to withhold. The first thing that we must know is that the Holy Spirit is a person. He holds traits that allow Him to operate in the same capacity and equally to the other two persons of the Godhead. To be very clear, the Holy Spirit is not separated in the trinity of the Godhead. So the Holy Spirit is a person who is able to teach and direct others, He has a mind, He is intelligent, He has feelings, a will, and ministries that He must carry out. We must obey the Holy Spirit and not grieve Him by lying to Him, resisting Him, blaspheming Him, or insulting Him. The fact that the Holy Spirit can be grieved shows the proof of Him having emotions as a person. This also shows that a relationship can be formed with the Holy Spirit and a believer, just as a relationship is formed between the Father and the Son and a believer. This can be achieved by acknowledging the transformative power that the Holy Spirit releases within a believer upon the moment of salvation.

God is Three in One 

There is one true God who has always existed and exists forever as three persons. God is the Father, God is the Son, and God is the Holy Spirit.

God is in control at all times. He is unmoved by anything and anyone. If He sets out to accomplish something, there ain’t nothing in all of creation that can stop Him! But He is not some far off distant God. No, He is intimately connected to and concerned with Creation. He takes all that He is and reveals it to us right here in His Word.

* God is sovereign
* God is Holy
* God is Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient
* God is three in one

When we are equipped with the knowledge that is within the Word of God, we are equipped with a powerful weapon that will encourage us, strengthen us, guide us, and comfort us. Our Lord’s moral splendor—his truth, wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, faithfulness, love, and mercy—are but a part of a more splendid magnificence that we will seek to fathom for all eternity.

Conclusion

Uncovering the Mysteries of God  

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Who is God? Many of us have a fragmented image and understanding of God and this causes us to distrust Him. Instead of believing that God is gracious, good, just, or merciful, we assume God is mean, judgmental, angry, egotistical, and unfair. So how do we come to know who God really is? Through His Word.

The Bible is the actual Word of God. It is what He wanted to reveal about Himself to us, His creation. In this course, we will dig into scripture to discover who the God of the Bible is.

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Leslie Kristina Garcia

Theological Student | Ministry Laborer

Leslie Garcia teaches about the foundational characteristics of God found in the Bible. She explores important aspects of God such as his sovereignty, holiness, ultimate power and knowledge. Leslie uses special passages and reveals their important background and context that describe who God is.

That Through a Better Understanding of Who God Is, Our Faith Grows  

Who God Is Through the Exploration of His Word 

About These Divine Attributes of God:  His Sovereignty, Holiness, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience and Trinitarian Personhood  

Your guide, Leslie Kristina Garcia