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Introduction
Who Is God?
Contents
Introduction “One of the fundamental questions of the Hebrew religion is, ‘Who is really God?’”—Helmer Ringgren, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
3 Introduction 5 The Grandeur of Almighty God
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7 The Personal Nature of God 11 A Family Relationship 15 How Is God One? 21 Who Was Jesus? 30 Understanding God Through Christ 34 What Does Christ’s Resurrection Teach Us? 38 Is God a Trinity? 43 The Holy Spirit Is Not a Person
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47 Understanding “the Image of God” 51 Partaking of the Divine Nature
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ost people have their own distinctive opinions of a Supreme Being. But where do these impressions come from? Many are simply reflections of how people perceive God. As a consequence the word God has come to embody a spectrum of meanings, many of them quite foreign to the Bible. But which meaning is the true one? How does the Creator reveal Himself to man? The answer is, of course, a matter of debate. But we will state unequivocally here that the principal way God reveals Himself is through His Word, the Bible (for proof of its authenticity, download or request our free booklet Is the Bible True?). The Bible is a book about God and His relationship with human beings. The Scriptures contain a long history of God’s revelation of Himself to man—from the first man Adam to the prophet and lawgiver Moses down through the apostles of Jesus and the early Church. In contrast to many human assumpIn contrast to many human tions, the Bible communicates a true assumptions, the Bible commu- picture of God. This remarkable book nicates a true picture of God. reveals what He is like, what He has done and what He expects of us. It tells us why we are here and reveals His little-understood plan for His creation. This handbook of basic knowledge is fundamentally different from any other source of information. It is genuinely unique because it contains, in many ways, the very signature of the Almighty. The Creator tells us in His Word, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand’” (Isaiah 46:910). He tells us that He alone not only foretells the future but can bring it to pass. What a powerful testimony to the mighty God of the Bible!