Eternity, Purpose and the Nature Of God

Who is God?

This is a very good question that many people are still struggling with and still trying to 

get a handle on. Essentially, God (The Father) is the Creator of all things and the Author and planner of salvation. Jesus (The Son) is the one designated by God to carry out the plan of salvation and is the bridge that reconciles us back to God. Once we are saved by belief in Jesus' atoning work on the Cross, our sin no longer imprisons us, we are forgiven and receive the free gift of eternal life. We also receive the Holy Spirit who indwells in us and is the change agent that transforms us into the likeness of Christ a person and helps us live a life set apart to God. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in ones life is the proof that we are saved representing the sign and seal of our salvation.

Godhead passages:

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 New Living Translation  

 It is God (The Father) who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He (Christ) has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

Matthew 3:16-17 New International Version 

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he (Jesus) saw the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven (God , The Father) said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

.Known as the Godhead or Trinity, (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) these

3 persons are distinct, divine and Holy. Three personalities yet one God - one God in three persons.

So even though the relationship between the three persons of the Godhead can be somewhat difficult to understand and explain, we can still relate to others God's incredible love and provision for our eternity. 

So what is our purpose in relationship to God's plan? (Ministry, Relationship and the Gospel):

The Bible tells us that followers of Jesus need to be prepared to tells others about Him. The reason is so that others can know it is possible to have an everlasting relationship with a loving God.  There are those who don’t know or refuse to believe in that there is a God who wants to be in a loving personal relationship with them. As followers of Jesus we can help others to see that Christianity is more than a religion, it is a joyful relationship with the creator of the universe that will last forever.

Preparation is an important part of ministry. This verse says it all:

1 Peter 3:15 NIV

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect 

Here is another verse why God's word is so important when it comes to ministry:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New International Version 1984  

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

A Deeper understanding of God through the knowledge of God's Word can help us help others know why He is worthy of giving our lives to. Ultimately our goal is to surrender our desires for His and obediently follow His principles. 

So in light of eternity why is eternity so important? We are told we will all either spend forever with God or forever separated from Him. 

1 John 5:11-12 New Living Translation

And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

With eternity staring us in the face, we need to go a bit deeper when it comes to understanding time and the role of the Godhead. 

God Is Eternal/Everlasting:

God’s nature is without beginning and without end, free from what we understand as time. Man understands

Time as a value that can be measured and understood as precise measured moments moving into the future.

Or, Time can be categorized as events that have taken place in the past at precise moments that have been

recorded in the historical record. God however, dwells in eternity. Eternity is not just an extended amount of

time with no end, but rather Eternity is existence above and apart from time. God is the creator of Time. Time has no control over God and He does not have to work within the structure of time unless He so desires. The Bible records that God created time and the universe as we know it. God must have existed before the moment of the creation of Time in order for us to get a grasp at the His appearance at the

beginning of Time.

Here is the Bible Record of the beginning of time as we know it:

Genesis 1:1 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Here is Jesus’ role in creation (Jesus is the Word):

John 1:1-5 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Holy Spirit plays a role in creation as well:

Genesis 1:2 NIV

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God

was hovering over the waters.

The Bible confirms that God is Eternal and is the Creator of all things:

Psalm 90:2 NIV

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Isaiah 40:28 NIV

Do you not know? Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

1 Chronicles 29:10 TNIV 

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, LORD,

the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Isaiah 43:15 TNIV 
I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King."

Genesis 2:2-3 NIV

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

The word “Eternity” as it relates to God contains three ideas to explore.

(1) The nature of God is without beginning or end.

(2) God is free from all the constraints of time.  

(3) God is the Creator of Time.

So in trying to describe an Eternal God we run into the problem of trying to explain how God

has always existed.  There are things we may never understand fully this side of heaven.

God's Word even tells us that we will never fully understand Him in our current state of humanity.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

OK so we are going to need to have faith and trust in what the Bible says: God is eternal.

He has always existed but not in the way we understand time because God created time

and the physical laws that we can comprehend today.  We must imagine God existing in a

different dimension not bound to the constraints of time as we understand it.

Does this concept about a timeless God help you see how magnificent, wonderful, powerful, and

amazing God really is. Think about all the lives He has transformed. Think about all the miracles

that have been accounted to Him.  Think about His creation stemming from the smallest atom   

to the farthest reaches of our incredible universe. Think about the miracles and prophecy surrounding

the birth and life of Jesus. Think about the hope that we have because of all that God has done.

In order to help those who don’t know who the God of the Bible is, we need to explain

In layman’s terms who God is and the Good News He wants His people to know and experience.

We also need to display our enthusiasm over a God who is personal, relational and more powerful

than the universe He created.  God uses us to reach the lost. In fact, that is our mission:

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

What God has done for us:

Imagine the creator of the universe making Himself like us so we could know the depth of His love in a

way we could understand. We can grasp the concept of sacrificial love which is the most powerful way anyone could express their love to someone else. In order to defeat sin and death and reconcile God’s people back to Himself, Jesus willingly fulfilled God’s plan of Salvation by becoming the sacrifice that atoned for the sins of man.

Our sin had to be covered in order for us to be able to be in the presence of an Eternal Holy God.  God

accomplished this for us because we were unable to do this for ourselves. Because is nothing we can do

to make ourselves sinless and Holy, Jesus’ purpose was to take care of the sin problem for us.

God is a loving God:

So we have a God who existed before the beginning of the world as we know it. He has always existed and

His attributes are unchanging. One of His Greatest attributes is His love for His creation. We have a God

that loves us even though we are unable love Him to any degree of comparison.  He created us

for the reason of fellowship and for us to have the thrill of observing and enjoying all He has created.

When sin entered the world God was not done with us. He made a way for us to be restored back to Him.

John 3:16-17 NIV

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

We should tell others our story in order for them to get a picture of who God is:

Our story is also part of God’s story. When we tell others about God through our own story we will 

give them a picture of God's grace and love along with His many amazing attributes. 

• Holy, Sovereign, Great, Awesome, Almighty, Creator
• Loving, Gracious, Merciful, Faithful, Patient
• Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omni-benevolent, Self-Existent
• All wise, Eternal, Infinite, Immortal, Invisible, Immutable
• Transcendent, Immanent
• Alpha, Omega
• King of kings, Lord of lords 
• God who was, is, and is to come 
• The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, the Counselor
• The Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace
• The Door, the Gate, the Good Shepherd
• The Bread of Life, the Living Water
• The Way, the Truth, the Life
• Savior, LORD
• The soon and coming King
• The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Question: How many of God attributes can you relate to your story?

So if someone asks you about God tell them through your own personal story, your life before

and after Christ.  God is always present and actively working through us to reach others with a

message of hope and salvation. The Holy Spirit will provide the right words to communicate the

Gospel through the events in your life. God brings people into our lives that can benefit from hearing

our personal God story. Don't be surprised that the people He does bring can easily relate to our stories

and are captivated by the supernatural power of God. 

This Christmas season, focus on telling others why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. That way

they will understand the joy of having the gift of eternal life, forgiveness of sin, and a personal and

loving relationship with God.   

So Who is God?

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

The Bible is very clear!

Just Sayin………..Dave