Who Is God?
Many people wonder, “Who Is God?” He is often thought of as a spirit being and independent of the material creation, while pantheism holds that he is the universe itself. Many believe “there are many such gods” (1 Corinthians 8:5 REB).
This article does not claim to be all-inclusive, but these are some of the primary things we are told in the scriptures about the Almighty, such as who and what he is, but also about what he is not.
“He, Shaddai (Almighty), is far beyond our reach. Supreme in power, in equity, excelling in saving justice, yet no oppressor”—Job 37:23 NJB
“But these are only hints of his power, only the whispers that we have heard. Who can know how truly great God is?”—Job 26:14 GNB
We cannot fully understand him, yet we do know that his power, equity and justice are supreme.
He is “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God”—1 Timothy 1:17 NIV
“God is a spirit” (John 4:24 GWT). “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV), but he is only referred to in the male gender, such as “Father” (Matthew 6:9), “he”, “him” (Mark 12:33,34).
“God is only one” (Galatians 3:20 NASB). He is not more than one person, such as a Trinity.
“I am Yahweh, that is my name! I shall not yield my glory to another”—Isaiah 42:8 NJB
“Declares Yahweh . . . my people will know my name”—Isaiah 52:5,6 NJB
“He does not lie”—Titus 1:2 NJB
“Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy, maintaining his faithful love”—Exodus 34:6,7 NJB
“His work is perfect”—Deuteronomy 32:4 NJB
His is the only “one who has perfect knowledge” (Job 36:4 NIV)
“The Lord God Almighty . . . created all things”—Revelation 4:8,11 NIV
“Jesus Christ” is “the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 NRSV), but is not Almighty.
This scriptural summary is not all encompassing, but gives us an overall picture about the Almighty.
One thought on “Who Is God?”
BA: WHO is God?
GW: We know who God would be, if he/she did exist. We now have a standard definition.
BA: Many people wonder, “Who Is God?” He is often thought of as a spirit being and independent of the material creation, while pantheism holds that he is the universe itself.
GW: First, God would be sexless and genderless, not a male. Second, God would be a “spirit being,” a person composed of some spiritual substance. Thirdly, God would be separate but not independent of “material creation.” God would create our universe and interact with it, especially with other persons.
BA: Many believe “there are many such gods” (1 Corinthians 8:5 REB).
GW: REB? What the heck is that? If God did exist, it would be the only deity which exists. God would not create any others.
BA: This article does not claim to be all-inclusive, but these are some of the primary things we are told in the scriptures about the Almighty, such as who and what he is, but also about what he is not.
GW: It would take a whole book to describe who God would be.
BA: “He, Shaddai (Almighty), is far beyond our reach. Supreme in power, in equity, excelling in saving justice, yet no oppressor”—Job 37:23 NJB
GW: No, God would not be beyond our reach. He (I’ll just use the male pronouns for now) would be within our reach, and he would reach out to us. Yes, God would be maximally powerful, just, moral, and invulnerable.
BA: “But these are only hints of his power, only the whispers that we have heard. Who can know how truly great God is?”—Job 26:14 GNB
GW: Well, nobody can know because God does not exist. We can only know what God would be like, if he did exist. Yes, he would have maximum power.
BA: We cannot fully understand him, yet we do know that his power, equity and justice are supreme.
GW: Already covered these.
BA: He is “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God”—1 Timothy 1:17 NIV
GW: Yes, God would be eternal and ordinarily (but not always) invisible. We already mentioned that there would be no other deities, if God did exist.
BA: “God is a spirit” (John 4:24 GWT). “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV), but he is only referred to in the male gender, such as “Father” (Matthew 6:9), “he”, “him” (Mark 12:33,34).
GW: Already covered most of these. God would not be a human person. He would be a divine person.
BA: “God is only one” (Galatians 3:20 NASB). He is not more than one person, such as a Trinity.
GW: Yes, God would be just one person.
BA: “I am Yahweh, that is my name! I shall not yield my glory to another”—Isaiah 42:8 NJB “Declares Yahweh . . . my people will know my name”—Isaiah 52:5,6 NJB
GW: “Yahweh” was just an early name for God.
BA: “He does not lie”—Titus 1:2 NJB
GW: I can’t think of any reason for God to lie, if he did exist.
BA: “Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy, maintaining his faithful love”—Exodus 34:6,7 NJB
GW: We already covered this in another post.
BA: “His work is perfect”—Deuteronomy 32:4 NJB
GW: Yes, anything which God would do, he would do in the most effective, efficient, and ethical manner. This includes communication. Think about what that would mean.
BA: His is the only “one who has perfect knowledge” (Job 36:4 NIV)
GW: Yes, God would be all-knowing.
BA: “The Lord God Almighty . . . created all things”—Revelation 4:8,11 NIV
GW: Yes, if he did exist, God would have created all things, except himself.
BA: “Jesus Christ” is “the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 NRSV), but is not Almighty.
GW: This claim is false. It implies that Jesus Christ is a deity, and this conclusion contradicts an earlier one that God would be the only deity. At any rate, God would not use offspring, other deities, prophets, or messengers in his work. God would do his own work.
BA: This scriptural summary is not all encompassing, but gives us an overall picture about the Almighty.
GW: Here is a better summary, i.e. the standard definition: “God is 1) the hypothetical, unique, exclusive, supernatural, independent, spiritual, normally invisible person, conscious intelligent agent, or sentient entity (primary traits). He/she* is maximally enduring, present, intelligent, rational, knowing, creative, powerful, and resilient (primary traits). He/she is also maximally loving, compassionate, cooperative, and moral with respect to other persons (secondary traits). He/she is designer and creator of the cosmos, occasional interventionist in the world, and the afterlife manager who decides the favorable or unfavorable disposition of human souls after they die (secondary traits). or 2) the Greatest Imaginable Possible Person (the “GIPPer”) or ideal person who, if he/she existed, would possess all desirable traits to the highest degrees and no undesirable traits, and who would be worthy of our greatest respect, admiration, and worship. (*Since God would not have a sex or gender, both male and female pronouns will be used to refer to God.)” (28A)