Who Is He Really?

In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth.”

Got that? Two places – Heaven and Earth. Then He populated both places – physical beings on Earth and spiritual beings in Heaven. Both kinds of beings were given ‘free will’.

Having ‘free will’ means the ability to choose how we spend our time, how we think and what we believe. The consequence of that is some beings of both realms have chosen not to recognize God as the creator of everything. The effects of a decision in that direction are profound for all involved. A great deal of the Christian Bible is dedicated to teaching about it and how and why to avoid or correct such a decision.

A few beings, among those who have decided not to recognize God, we find some who imagine themselves to be gods and even some who would like God Himself to serve them. This is, of course, absurd. However, absurdity doesn’t seem to inhibit everyone. We see evidence of that every day among the physical people.

So, who is God that even wanting to be like Him is absurd? Lets take a brief look some of His more obvious characteristics.

He actually passes some of His characteristics on to us. For example “holiness”. While we can never achieve perfection in holiness, we can strive for that. The same things are true about “mercy” and “grace”. There are other characteristics of God which are never given to other beings – not to physical beings or spiritual beings. Here are four such attributes God never passes on (with illustrating Bible verses) –

Omnipresence: (pronounced: om-nip’-pra-zunce) He is everywhere at all times. He is always there. No matter where we go, He is there. (BTW, in these “omnis” the pronunciation emphasis is always on the second syllable)

Jeremiah 23:23-24 – “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? “Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

Psalm 139:7-10 – I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

Omniscience: (pronounced: om-nish’-unce) He knows everything about everything. He knows everything about the past, present and future. And He knows all the possibilities.

Psalm 147:5 – Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.

Revelations 19: 6 – And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth’.

Omnipotence: (pronounced: om-nip’-o-tense) There is no limit to God’s power. He can do anything.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Isaiah 40: 13 – Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him?

Omnichronence: (pronounced: om-nik’-ro-nence) God is eternal and has always existed and will always exist. He exists outside of time. In fact He created time itself and we reside in it. To us, He appears to exist everywhere in time simultaneously.

Colossians 1:17 – He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Psalm 102:25-27 – Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.

These four “omnis” are never given to any other being. The magnitude of these four attributes alone should serve to separate the true God from the idols and pretenders. Without these four “omnis” no other being could possibly be God and any attempt to even appear to be like Him is absurd and doomed to failure. It’s incredible, but some do try. Allowing yourself to be deceived by those who try is perhaps the most dangerous thing possible – we do have eternity to consider. So be careful – especially in these distorted times!

Copyright © 2021 Sam Dronebarger | All rights reserved