Character and Nature of God

Week of October 12, 2010

Summary of Lecture Points:

• The three [false] views of God: (1) The “harsh man” view of God; (2) The “indulgent” view of God; (3) The “remote” (distant) view of God.
• The Holy Spirit is always trying to bring us close. He is constantly at work to draw us near to God.
• You can know me as much as you want to get to know me. How high do you value knowing God?
• We learn to trust God through our knowledge of God. Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you.
• The motivation to know God comes from understanding God’s infinitely greater value than anything else in our lives.
• The unique worth of God is worthy of pursuit since there is no being of infinite value that deserves our reverence and devotion like God.
• Philippians 3:7-11 : Paul’s value system

• Nothing should compare with knowing God.
• Suffering the loss of anything in comparison to knowing Christ.

• God’s Oneness: Three persons united in love. God is a trinity of loving beings. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit loves the Father, etc. Perfect love relationship within the trinity.
• God’s character is who God chooses to be based on who He is. God exercises character perfectly and therefore has become THE model for the development of our character- CHOICE being a major factor.
• The Character of God

• Love: The sacrificial, unselfish choice for the highest good of another person. God loves out of commitment. He continually loves us through any pain, hurt, or offence. His love is highly sacrificial- THIS is covenant love.
• Holiness: The obedience to all known light.
• Mercy: Not getting what we deserve. Mercy is a revelation of the cross. Seeing yourself on the cross and then see Jesus in your place.
• Righteousness: God is absolutely right in all His decisions toward mankind.
• Justice: Because God is absolutely right, He is absolutely just. Do not judge God by the circumstances, but judge the circumstances by God’s character. Go straight to God (who He is), then judge the circumstance through His perspective.
• Wisdom: The loving use of knowledge.
• Faithfulness: God is absolutely consistent in showing His love toward us, always.
• Truthfulness: The willingness to be open and transparent of one’s character and personality. God held nothing back of Himself when He, as God, revealed Himself to all creation (Hebrews 1:3). God walks in the light (1 John 1:7) – the amazing humility of God. We are called to be open, honest, truthful, accountable and vulnerable before God and each other.