A Way to Understand His Nature and Character
The Names of God used in the Bible act as a roadmap for learning about the character of God. Since the Bible is God's Word to us, the names He chooses in scripture are meant to reveal His true nature to us.
His Titles Revealed in Scripture
"ELOHIM" (or Elohay) is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power", and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible. Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples: Elohay Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27). Elohay Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18). Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17). Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6). Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23). Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2). Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1). Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:47, 25:5). Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19). Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10). Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis. Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18). Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10). "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples: Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19). Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1). Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23). Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).
"YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". Found more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times), the title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton," meaning the "The Four Letters". YHVH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHVH as "Jehovah" or "Yaweh," scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). (Today's rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHVH.) Here are some examples of YHVH used in scripture: YHVH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4). YHVH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28). YHVH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14). YHVH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15). YHVH Shalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24). YHVH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16). YHVH O'saynu - The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).
The Lord Revealed in YHVH is the Lord Revealed in Yeshua (Jesus)
The LORD who revealed Himself as YHVH in the Old Testament is revealed as Yeshua (Jesus) in the New Testament. Jesus shares the same attributes as YHVH and clearly claims to be YHVH. In John 8:56-9, Jesus presents himself as the "I AM." When challenged by some Jewish leaders regarding His claim of seeing Abraham (who lived some 2000 years earlier), Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." Those Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be YHVH. This is clearly established when they tried to stone Him to death for what they considered blasphemy under Jewish Law. In Romans 10:9, Paul declares, "if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as LORD... you shall be saved." Immediately thereafter, in Romans 10:13, Paul backs up this declaration by quoting the Old Testament, "Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD (YHVH) will be saved" (Joel 2:32). Calling on Yeshua (Jesus) as Lord is the same as calling Him YHVH, because Yeshua (Jesus) is YHVH (LORD), the Messiah foretold throughout the entire Old Testament.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Repentance
What else is the will of the Father that we may please Him so that we can go to Heaven? Jesus says in Luke 13:3, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." It is either repent or perish; the choice is ours. But Satan does not want us to repent. Acts 17:30, "Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." All people everywhere, and that includes you and me, are commanded of God to repent. Repent of what? Repent of our sins. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Repent of not fully serving and following all that God says.
God is pleading with us to repent. He greatly desires that we turn to him. He tells us in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God wants us to repent so we can be saved. He is patiently waiting on us. But eventually our time will run out. The longer we put off repentance, the harder our heart gets.
Repentance is not just being sorry. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." If one is only sorry he got caught, then this will not lead to repentance. Godly sorrow helps bring on repentance. Repentance is not sorrow for sin, but one cannot repent without being sorry he has sinned. “Let the wicked forsake his way…let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him…for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). In repentance, one must first understand he has sinned, feel sorrow for the sin, and then stop and turn away from that sin. Repentance is a change of heart and a change of mind. We must make up our mind to stop living life our way and start living it God’s way. It is making up our mind that henceforth we are going to serve God with all our might and do everything He says. Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." In other words, we must do it with all of our being.
Paul says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2). To show our repentance we are to “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Why should we repent of sins? “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is separation from God in eternity. Unless one repents he cannot go to Heaven, but will eternally suffer the torments of Hell. We must give up our sin and “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sin shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Repentance is a change of heart, which results in a change of actions for the better. Without repentance we cannot receive forgiveness and be saved. Where we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell, is determined by our repentance. All of Heaven is anxious for us to repent. Jesus says, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing the goodness of God leads you to repentance." God has been so good to us, and this should cause us to want to please Him in every way. God, because of His love for us, has done so much for us, and because of this we read in I John 4:19, "We love Him, because He first loved us." This should cause us to want to repent and do all the things that He has asked us to do, otherwise we do not love God. Jesus said in John 14:24, "He who does not love Me, does not keep my words." 1 John 2:4 says, "He who says 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Do you know and love God and Christ? If you do, you will want to do everything that He says. In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love Me keep My commandments." Are you willing to show your love to God by repenting?
God is pleading with us to repent. He greatly desires that we turn to him. He tells us in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God wants us to repent so we can be saved. He is patiently waiting on us. But eventually our time will run out. The longer we put off repentance, the harder our heart gets.
Repentance is not just being sorry. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." If one is only sorry he got caught, then this will not lead to repentance. Godly sorrow helps bring on repentance. Repentance is not sorrow for sin, but one cannot repent without being sorry he has sinned. “Let the wicked forsake his way…let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him…for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). In repentance, one must first understand he has sinned, feel sorrow for the sin, and then stop and turn away from that sin. Repentance is a change of heart and a change of mind. We must make up our mind to stop living life our way and start living it God’s way. It is making up our mind that henceforth we are going to serve God with all our might and do everything He says. Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." In other words, we must do it with all of our being.
Paul says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2). To show our repentance we are to “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Why should we repent of sins? “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is separation from God in eternity. Unless one repents he cannot go to Heaven, but will eternally suffer the torments of Hell. We must give up our sin and “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sin shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Repentance is a change of heart, which results in a change of actions for the better. Without repentance we cannot receive forgiveness and be saved. Where we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell, is determined by our repentance. All of Heaven is anxious for us to repent. Jesus says, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing the goodness of God leads you to repentance." God has been so good to us, and this should cause us to want to please Him in every way. God, because of His love for us, has done so much for us, and because of this we read in I John 4:19, "We love Him, because He first loved us." This should cause us to want to repent and do all the things that He has asked us to do, otherwise we do not love God. Jesus said in John 14:24, "He who does not love Me, does not keep my words." 1 John 2:4 says, "He who says 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Do you know and love God and Christ? If you do, you will want to do everything that He says. In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love Me keep My commandments." Are you willing to show your love to God by repenting?
Our Sin Problem
Man has a sin problem. Our sins separate us from God. Isaiah 59:2, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear". It is our sins that have caused the separation. In Romans 3:23, we are told, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". There is not an accountable person living or who has ever lived (except our Lord), who can say that he has never sinned. We are all in need of salvation. 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us". The easiest person to deceive is ourselves. We rationalize away what God says when we say we have not sinned. God says that man has a sin problem, but man says that he does not. Who is right and what are we doing to God when we say that we have no sin? Continuing our reading in 1 John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." God is always right when He tells us that we have all sinned.
In Romans 6:23 we read, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord". Death is a separation. When we die physically, our body is placed into the grave, but our spirit is separated from our dead body and goes back to God who gave it. We are told in Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it". In physical death, there is a separation between our body and our soul.
In Romans 6:23, we saw that, "For the wages of sin is death". This is a spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God for those who are lost. The majority of people will experience spiritual death and be separated from God. They cannot go and be with God in Heaven. This leaves only one place for them to go, Hell. We see Hell spoken of as the second death in Revelation 21:8, "the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death". The second death is eternal separation from God.
Questions Lesson 4
Our Sin Problem
(click on the button of the answer of your choice)
1) (Isaiah 59:2) What separates us from God?
A great space.
Our goodness.
Our sins and iniquities.
2) If we stay in our sins, God will still hear us.
3) (1 John 1:8) If we say we have no sin
We are deceiving ourselves.
We are correct.
We don't really know for sure.
4) If we say we have never sinned we are telling the truth.
5) (Romans 3:23) How many accountable people have sinned?
Few.
Many.
All.
6) God knows when we sin.
7) (Ecclesiastes 12:7) In physical death
Our soul is separated from the body.
Both our soul and body go into the grave.
Both our soul and body cease to exist.
8) In death our soul ceases to exist.
9) (Romans 6:23) If we die with our sins
We will have a second chance in purgatory.
We will be eternally separated from God (spiritual death).
We will cease to exist.
10) If we are separated from God, we are lost.
11) (Revelation 21:8) The second death
Is when we die physically.
Will never happen.
Is Hell which is the lake of fire and brimstone.
12) If we do not go to Heaven we will go to Hell.
In Romans 6:23 we read, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord". Death is a separation. When we die physically, our body is placed into the grave, but our spirit is separated from our dead body and goes back to God who gave it. We are told in Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it". In physical death, there is a separation between our body and our soul.
In Romans 6:23, we saw that, "For the wages of sin is death". This is a spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God for those who are lost. The majority of people will experience spiritual death and be separated from God. They cannot go and be with God in Heaven. This leaves only one place for them to go, Hell. We see Hell spoken of as the second death in Revelation 21:8, "the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death". The second death is eternal separation from God.
Questions Lesson 4
Our Sin Problem
(click on the button of the answer of your choice)
1) (Isaiah 59:2) What separates us from God?
A great space.
Our goodness.
Our sins and iniquities.
2) If we stay in our sins, God will still hear us.
3) (1 John 1:8) If we say we have no sin
We are deceiving ourselves.
We are correct.
We don't really know for sure.
4) If we say we have never sinned we are telling the truth.
5) (Romans 3:23) How many accountable people have sinned?
Few.
Many.
All.
6) God knows when we sin.
7) (Ecclesiastes 12:7) In physical death
Our soul is separated from the body.
Both our soul and body go into the grave.
Both our soul and body cease to exist.
8) In death our soul ceases to exist.
9) (Romans 6:23) If we die with our sins
We will have a second chance in purgatory.
We will be eternally separated from God (spiritual death).
We will cease to exist.
10) If we are separated from God, we are lost.
11) (Revelation 21:8) The second death
Is when we die physically.
Will never happen.
Is Hell which is the lake of fire and brimstone.
12) If we do not go to Heaven we will go to Hell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)