Episode 3 |
Episode 3: Who Is God and What Is He Like?
Special Guest – Dr. Craig Hazen
Eight Things You Can be Absolutely Sure of About God
1. God is Eternal. He is not defined by Time. He always was; He always will be. There was never a time when He did not exist; there will never be a time when He will not exist.
Key Scriptures: Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28
2. God Doesn’t Change. He is “immutable”—the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And He cannot be changed. Talk about Mr. Dependable!
Key Scriptures: Malachi 3:6; James 1:17
3. God is All Powerful. The theological word for this quality is omnipotent. No person, nation, or confederation, whether of this earth or beyond, can conquer God. He is able to do anything consistent with His own nature.
Key Scripture: Revelation 19:6
4. God is Everywhere. The theological word for this quality is omnipresent. If you are trying to hide from God, you can’t. If you are trying to find Him, He is there. Where you are, God is there.
Key Scripture: Psalm 139:7-12
5. God Knows Everything. The theological word for this quality is omniscience. God knows all things past, present, and future. He knows all things technical (like the chemical composition of DNA) and all things trivial (like the number of hairs on your head). He knows you better than you know yourself.
Key Scriptures: Psalm 139:1-4; Proverbs 5:21
6. God is Holy. He is righteous. No fault is found in Him. His moral character is without flaw. In the negative context, He has no evil in Him; in the positive context, He is completely pure. In other words, God is wholly holy!
Key Scriptures: Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16
7. God is Just. He is fair and impartial. He does not play favorites.
Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 32:4; Revelation 15:3
8. God is Love. While God’s justice holiness and justice require a penalty for our sin, His love caused Him to send His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins. God’s love is not a romantic feeling (as Hollywood usually defines love). Instead, God’s love means unselfishness and commitment. He is ready to forgive, longing to be merciful.
Key Scriptures: John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-9
Recommended Reading
Bruce and Craig Hazen on the set of Christianity 101
Dr. Craig Hazen is Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Apologetics at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Craig founded and is the director of the M.A. Program in Christian Apologetics at Biola, the largest program of its kind in the world. A popular speaker at conferences around the world, Craig is also the editor of Philosophia Christi, the world’s most widely circulated philosophical journal.
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