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Open Thou mine eyes, that I
may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Make me
understand the way of Thy precepts so shall I talk of
Thy wondrous work. I will run the way of Thy
commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart.
—Psa. 119:18, 27, 32.
FIVE LINKS
(PAGES)
LINK
01
Introduction…
Chapter 01…The
Bible
Chapter 02…How To Use Your Bible
Chapter
03…The First Chapter of Genesis
Chapter 04…How Does
the Bible Teach Us About God?
LINK
02
Chapter
05…What the Bible Teaches Us About Man
Chapter
06…The Cross in Creation
Chapter 07…God’s Gallery
LINK
03
Chapter
08…How Christ Saves Man
Chapter 09…The Significance
of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 10… The Divine Pattern of
the Church
LINK
04
Chapter 11…
How Men Serve Christ
Chapter 12… How to Deal with
Special Cases
Chapter 13… How the Old Indian Found
Peace
LINK
05
Chapter 14…
The Only Remedy
Chapter 15… How to Avoid Pitfalls
and Backsliding
Chapter 16… The Christian’s Hope
Sayings About the Bible
Introduction...
In case you
are wondering what this Bible Study is all about, let me
say first of all that it is an elementary Bible
Correspondence Course. It begins with an introduction to
the Bible giving its structure and purpose. This is
followed by an explanation of how the Bible reveals God
and how it estimates man; The plan of salvation is
outlined; you will discover a brief survey of God’s
glorious church, and last of all, several chapters are
devoted to personal work.
It is
assumed that you have a Bible. If not it would be wise
to obtain one. Get a good clear print in a King James
Version, preferably with marginal references. An
expensive Bible is not essential. It is wise to mark
passages that will become part of your working knowledge
thereof.
Bible study
is not dry. It is the most interesting as well as the
most helpful study you can take. You should approach the
Bible as an adventure for it is full of interest and
full of the unexpected, the beautiful and true. Be
prayerful and ask for guidance and for strength to put
into practice what you have learned. Remember the
purpose of Bible study is to learn about God and to
serve your fellowmen in a better way for Christ’s sake.
One cannot
truly learn to know God without learning to love Him.
God’s love is shown to us in the death of Christ on
Calvary that we might be saved from our sins and lead a
pure and righteous Christian life. Having these things
in mind we now approach this great adventure. Our first
lesson is about the Book itself—the BIBLE.
Instructions...
You have all
heard that old proverb “If a thing is worth doing it is
worth doing well” have you not? This certainly applies
to Bible Study. Bible Study is worth doing and is worth
doing well. You are not just trying to “get through”
something. You are tying to prepare yourself for
something worth while, for the greatest task there is—to
win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In
approaching each lesson you should do so in a prayerful
attitude. You are seeking for truth and for power to
influence men and women. May we point out that back of
the “great book” that some one wrote there were years of
preparation and toil by the author. Back of the famous
picture you saw in the art gallery there were years of
patient practice by the artist. The man who won that
grueling race spent months in rigid training before the
competition began. And if you hope to accomplish
something worth while for God you will find that it
takes hard work both in prayer and in Bible Study, as
well as in practical Christian work. There is no short
cut or easy way to success. But the means of success are
within the reach of all. See 2 Peter 1:3.
It is
important to look up each Bible reference. If there is
any part you do not quite understand, be sure to write
in for help. Try to obtain a Bible with marginal
references. Memorize a verse each day. We suggest you
make a list of verses with each lesson. Read the
connecting passages if the verse itself is not clear to
you. Study each lesson carefully and go over it until
you are convinced you understand it thoroughly. Having
done so you are ready to answer the questions.
Turn to the
back of the book and read over the questions on the
lesson you have studied. If you feel capable of
answering them take a clean sheet of paper and write
your name and address at the top of the page. Then
carefully set forth the answers in clear writing.
Proceed with the next lesson and treat it the same way.
After you have completed three or four lessons send the
answers in for instruction or correction. Keep in mind
at all times that a beautiful two-color diploma awaits
you upon successfully finishing all the lessons. Try to
have a set time for your study. It is a good habit to
form and you will be better able to continue through the
Course if you set apart a certain time of the day or
week for “study time.” If possible do one lesson each
week at least. Last of all, if you come across teachings
that you have never heard before, or have heard
explained in a different manner previously, all we ask
is that you take your Bible and consult the references
and the connecting passages and like the noble Bereans
in Acts 17:10–11, search the Scriptures and like them
receive the Word gladly. If you follow this method
faithfully you will find the Bible unfolding to you in a
truly marvelous way. Now to your first lesson.
Chapter 1
The
Bible...
The word
“Bible” means book. The Bible is actually a collection
of books—66 in all. They were written over a period of
1600 years and no less than forty authors made
contributions. It is sometimes called Holy Scriptures,
which term means “writings.” A favorite term by which it
is known is “The Word of God.” The most common name by
which it is known however is The Holy Bible. Let us now
see what this wonderful book contains.
There are
two main divisions of the Bible called the Old Testament
and the New Testament. The word Testament means a
Covenant or will. It could also be called an agreement.
In the Old Testament there are thirty-nine books while
the New has just twenty-seven. An easy way to remember
these numbers is to count the letters in the words “Old
Testament”. You will find three in the first word and
nine in the second—39. You will then take the number of
letters in “New Testament” and multiplying them together
you have 3 X 9 = 27 making in all 66. A further division
of the Bible in the O.T. is that of Law, History,
Devotion, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. The first
five books are Called Law; a next twelve are History.
Following History are five books of devotion. After that
you will find the five Major Prophets and the last
twelve books are called Minor Prophets. Look them up and
write out the names of each group.
Likewise the
New Testament has different divisions. First come four
books of Biography which are also called the gospels.
Next is the lone book of history, namely Acts. After
that you will find fourteen special letters followed by
seven general letters, closing with a book of Prophecy.
It will not be hard for you to write out the names of
the books in each division.
The Old
Testament was written originally in Hebrew. The first
five books were written by Moses. The word “Genesis”
means beginning. In this book it tells the beginning of
creation, of light, sun, moon and stars, grass, herbs,
animals, man, of nations and more particularly the
Hebrew nation. It tells of the fall of man in Eden and
the beginning of redemption, the great purpose for which
the Bible is written. The first promise of a Redeemer is
in Genesis 3:15. It indicates the Virgin Birth. Look it
up and mark it. “Exodus” means “going out” because it
tells of Israel’s going out of Egypt. The book of Psalms
is a collection of hymns that were sung in temple
worship. The Old Testament is the Bible Jesus used.
The New
Testament was originally written in Greek because it was
the most widely used language of the time. Eight persons
helped to write it, namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Paul, Peter, Jude and James.
The first
four books are called gospels which means “glad tidings”
because they tell about the life of Jesus. The book of
Acts was written by Luke and it tells of the work of the
apostles in spreading the gospel. It can almost be
called the Acts of the Holy Spirit because of the
prominent part that Divine Person occupies. The Apostle
Paul wrote most of the Epistles, or letters in the New
Testament. They were written to instruct people on how
to live the Christian life. The Revelation is a book of
prophecy, though much is already fulfilled. It tells the
future about the judgment and the end of the world.
“Revelation” means “unveiling.” In Rev. 19:10 we read,
“For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.”
All the
Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 2 Tim. 3:16.
“Inspired” means “God breathed” and by inspiration all
of the writers of the Bible were divinely enabled to
give utterance to truth. 2 Pet. 1:21. The Bible was
completed more than nineteen hundred years ago and it is
still the world’s best seller. For years it has
continued to outsell any other book in print. In it is
given the one certain foundation upon which to build our
hopes for time and for eternity.
Chapter 2
HOW TO
USE YOUR BIBLE...
Someone has
said that the Bible is the most widely sold book but the
least read book in the world. While this is an
exaggeration, it is nevertheless a fact that many people
know very little about the Bible. There are many
professed Christians who have but a hazy knowledge of
this priceless treasure. There are others who have tried
to learn about it but not having any system of study
they have become discouraged.
There are
many ways to study the Bible, such as by periods,
beginning with the creation, the fall, the antediluvian
age or before the flood, the postdiluvian age, or after
the flood. One can study the Bible by chapters, by
books, by its outstanding characters, or by subjects. Or
one can concentrate on the great doctrines of the Bible
and even its key words are immensely important. Each of
these methods is profitable and will yield good results.
There is a danger of one’s learning “about” the Bible
without knowing the Bible, just the same as many know
“about” Christ while not “knowing” Him as a personal
Savior. The object of Bible study is to acquaint one
with the Bible and its Savior in such a way as to make
them live in one experimentally. Some idea of the
importance of knowing the Bible may be gained from the
fact that our salvation depends upon knowing the truth
contained therein. Paul wrote to Timothy, “From a child
thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 3:15). God is quoted as saying in
Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will
also reject thee.” Note also Jeremiah 23:21–23: “I have
not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken
to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in
my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words,
then they should have turned from their evil way, and
from the evil of their doings.” “He that hath my word,
let him speak my word faithfully” (Jer. 23:28).
It will be
noticed from the foregoing texts that our knowledge of
God depends to a great extent upon our knowing our
Bible. It is possible to get saved through reverently
reading God’s Word. It is an irreparable loss to reject
its plain teaching. True ministers (prophets) will
preach it faithfully and the result of hearing the truth
will be that people will turn from evil. Inasmuch as the
Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is evident that
we need His help and guidance in order to have a right
understanding and interpretation of it. This aid is
promised us in John 16:13: “When he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”
Without His aid we cannot understand the Bible, for,
according to I Corinthians 2:14, “The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.” We should
approach the Bible with the prayer that is recorded in
Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, and I may behold the
wondrous things out of thy law.” That prayer will be
answered by Jesus who, according to Luke 24:45, “opened
… their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures.”
It is well
to settle upon a rule of Bible interpretation since we
are told in II Timothy 2:15 to “Study to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth.” We must
heed II Peter 1:20: “No prophecy of the scripture is of
any private interpretation.” Setting dates for the end
of the world is a “private interpretation”, because
Jesus said that no man knows that time. He said, “Watch,
for ye know not the hour.” He is coming, but we do not
know when. We must reject all private interpretations.
A good plan
to follow is to use the marginal references. For
example, in Deuteronomy 18:15 it says, “The Lord thy God
will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me.” You will notice a
small letter beside the verse, and looking in the margin
you will find the letter again and a reference to Acts
3:22 is given, where the Apostle Peter quotes this verse
and interprets it as being fulfilled in Christ. That is
an example of comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Private interpretation is where a man gives his views
without scriptural proof.
The Bible is
not a book of systematic theology, but it does teach us
doctrine. Theology means the study about God. Doctrines
are really “teachings” and here are a few examples of
doctrine.
The most
important doctrine in the Bible is that which teaches us
about redemption or God’s plan of salvation. This
doctrine involves many others, one of the first of which
is the “incarnation.” This word means “the act of
clothing with or assuming of flesh; the assuming of
human nature by the Son of God.” Matthew 1:18 states
this truth as follows: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused
to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Ghost.” Read verses 21–25 now and
notice Matthew’s reference to the prophecy fulfilled in
Jesus’ birth. Your marginal reference refers to Isaiah
7:14. Look it up. The word “Emmanuel” means “God with
us.” “Jesus” means “Savior.” You should compare this
reference with Luke 1:34–35, where Jesus is referred to
as the Son of God before birth. This is in perfect
agreement with John 1:14, “The Word was, made flesh
(incarnated) and dwelt among us.” By putting all these
Scriptures together, along with many more on the
subject, we formulate what is known as the Doctrine of
the Incarnation, which God was pleased to bring about in
the Virgin birth. A glance at the above scripture
reveals the activity of God the Father and of the Holy
Spirit, as well as teaching us that Jesus Christ is
eternal with the Father (John 1:1) and that He is the
Son of God. In other words, we discover the doctrine of
the Trinity. This doctrine is very clearly taught all
through the Bible. The first reference to the plurality
of the Godhead is in Genesis 1:26: “God said, Let us
make man in our image.” The words “us” and “our”
indicate there was consultation in the Godhead, implying
two or more persons present. There are three persons in
the Godhead, namely God the Father; God the Son; God the
Holy Ghost.
While you
were reading Matthew 1:21–25 you noticed these words:
“Thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his
people from their sins.” Ponder this a moment and you
will discover the doctrine of human sin (indirectly
taught), along with the doctrine of salvation—the great
purpose for which Jesus came into the world. Both of
these doctrines are more clearly taught elsewhere, but
we point them out here to show how many doctrines are
involved in this one statement. The word that best
describes redemption is “atonement,” which literally
means “at-one-ment”, the state of being at one with or
reconciled with God. In reading your Bible you will find
it both interesting and profitable to, watch for
doctrines and note them down. We shall go into these
matters more fully in following chapters.
Chapter 3
THE
FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS...
Many have
the idea that the Bible can be read and understood by
reading a chapter here and a chapter there. Sometimes
people begin to read wherever the Bible happens to open,
it may be a Psalm or a few verses of the gospel or
perhaps an epistle. Sometimes people even try to study
the Bible by reading “texts” here and there to support
certain doctrines. We would never think of reading any
other books in that manner, and while we may get a
blessing from reading selected passages at random we can
never “know” our Bible that way. The Bible should be
read through from start to finish in order to gain a
clear understanding of its content.
We must
begin with Genesis. The first verse makes a profound
statement: “In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth.” It does not tell us when that “beginning”
was or try to explain who God is. But it does tell us
that God is the Creator. In other words, God is the
“First Cause.” The next verse says: “And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters.” So here we are
introduced to the Spirit of God. The marginal reference
here refers us to Colossians 1:16 which says that “all
things were created by him (Jesus Christ) and for him.”
So we see that God is the Creator but he acts “by”—or
shall we say “through”—Jesus Christ. Thus we discover
the fact of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit in the first two verses in the
Bible.
It is a
sublime introduction. The word “create” means to cause
to come into existence; to form out of nothing.
It is hard
for us to understand how there can be three persons in
one God. Mere speculation is unprofitable. It is
sufficient to know that the Bible clearly teaches this
truth. However, there is nothing unreasonable about the
doctrine and we find many other things that are really
three in one. For instance a man is really body, mind,
and soul. He is not all body, for when he dies the
entire body is still here but something has gone. Yes,
man is more than body and more than mind. Every object
has three dimensions—length, breadth, and height; all
three are equally necessary to form one object. Time is
measured in terms of past, present, and future. Water
can be manifested either as water, steam, or ice. These
are but a few examples of how trinities exist in the
natural realm. God is a divine Trinity, almighty,
all-knowing and all-wise.
Verse six
tells about the creation of the firmament, which means
sky. The Hebrew word is “expanse.” Now note verse nine:
“Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together
into one place, and let the dry land appear.” This
sentence was written almost three thousand years before
Columbus discovered America, long before modern travel.
Yet it tells a truth which men verified less than five
hundred years ago—the truth that all the oceans are
gathered to one place; that is, they are joined together
while the continents and islands are surrounded with
water. Today every student of geography knows the oceans
are all joined together but how did Moses know? This
verse of Scripture is an example of inspiration—that is,
of the Holy Spirit enabling the writers to write the
truth about things which they had no human way of
knowing. The Bible abounds in such examples of
inspiration and they are a never failing source of
wonder, inspiring our faith.
We pause to
note in verse twenty-one that fish and fowl made their
appearance on the same day. This fact is well attested
by modern scientific research. Perhaps you, too, have
noticed the scaly legs on birds similar to the scales on
fish. On the sixth day God made the animals and last of
all man. But man was different both in kind and degree
from the animal kingdom. Of man, God said, “Let us make
man in our image.” Thus man was made pure and sinless,
having the power to choose and the desire to worship.
God saw that everything was very good and He placed man
in a garden and gave him dominion over all the lower
orders of life. The name “Adam” means “man”.
Man was
created in the image and likeness of God. Because of
Adam’s fall into sin, the whole human race fell under
condemnation and needed to be redeemed. In Genesis 5:3
we read: “Adam … begat a son in his own likeness, after
his image.” Thus after Adam’s fall each person was born
in the image of the fallen man instead of in the image
of God. The evolutionist theory claims that man evolved
from the brute creation. But if this claim could be
established there would be no “fall” of man and if no
fall there is no need of redemption, hence no need of a
Savior; the entire plan of salvation would then be
unnecessary. We need have no fear that the evolutionists
will ever succeed in their claims. The poet has well
said:
Hammer away,
ye rebel bands;
Your hammer breaks,
God’s Anvil
stands.
God’s
eternal Word is an anvil which has worn out and broken
many hammers. Now let us make a few comparisons between
the first part of Genesis and the first part of Matthew.
In Genesis we read the story of the “Creation.” In
Matthew 1, we are introduced to the “Creator.” In
Genesis we read of Adam who soon fell into sin. Matthew
tells of Christ who saves us from sin. “As in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Cor.
15:22). In Genesis 2:4 the creation story is called,
“The generations of the heavens and of the earth.” In
Matthew 1:1 we see “The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ.” Adam died because of sin (Gen. 2:17). Jesus
died because of our sin (John 10:11). Adam lost the
image of God through disobedience. Jesus Christ not only
bears the image of God (II Cor. 4:4), but by His
sacrificial death on Calvary, He redeemed us back to God
and thus makes possible the restoration of the divine
image in us (II Cor. 3:18). We shall pursue this theme
more in succeeding chapters.
Chapter 4
HOW
DOES THE BIBLE TEACH US ABOUT GOD?
Sometimes a
little child will ask, “Mama, how old is God?” or, “who
is God?” This profound question is really very difficult
to explain. As we approach the study of this divine
Being, our hearts are inspired to worship. It is fitting
that we pause in silent reverence before Him. “From
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God,” sang the
Psalmist in Psalm 90:2, and perhaps no words better
describe the eternal God. God is eternal, without
beginning and without end, and remains ever the same
unchangeable God. We can never fathom the depth of this
mystery.
The Hebrew
word for God is translated “Jehovah.” This word was held
in such awe by the Hebrews that it was seldom even
pronounced by them. Perhaps we can learn a lesson from
this fact and be more reverent in our worship and in our
conduct as we come into God’s sacred presence. The name
El Shaddai introduced in Genesis 17:1 is of outstanding
significance. It is translated “God Almighty” and means
literally “the God that is enough.” We would say “the
all-sufficient One” or “the God who is equal to every
eventuality or emergency.” It is wonderful to know
God in this
sense. No matter how great the task or how dark the way,
no matter what obstacles we may have to overcome, God is
enough to ensure victory. Read the story in Genesis
17:1–22; 21:1–5 to understand how the name originated.
The word “Jehovah” is first found in Exodus 6:3: “I
appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by
the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I
not known to them.” The place where God first revealed
himself as Jehovah was at the burning bush when Moses
asked God his name. God replied, “I AM THAT I AM” (Exod.
3:14). This was truly a great revelation and we will do
well to ponder it for a while. Jehovah is in a special
sense “the covenant God.” Exodus 6:4 says: “I have also
established my covenant with them.” The revelation of
God as Jehovah, the Covenant God, constitutes the
greatest contribution of the Hebrew religion to mankind.
No other religion contains this lofty conception of God.
It is a basic principle which differentiates revealed
religion from all others. The heathen custom is to
sacrifice to their gods merely to obtain favor or avert
trouble while the inner character of the worshipper
remains unchanged. The Hebrew revelation advanced the
conception of the Covenant God which introduces the
basis of an agreement between God and man; and which
demands man’s obedience to God in order to obtain the
blessings God has promised to him. This view of God
affects the inmost character of man including his
motives, will and purpose; faith in this God always
inspires the worshipper to become like Him.
The word
“Jehovah” means also “the self-existent One that will
provide for the needs of his people.” It contains the
thought of “the One who is revealing himself.” Thus God
is ever revealing himself and providing for the needs of
the people under His covenant. Each Christian is under
the new covenant or testament, in which God is revealed
in Christ as our Father, as we shall study more fully in
a later chapter. How personal God is! What depth of
meaning is contained in His Name, especially the name by
which Christ has made Him known. John 17:6, 11, 12, 26.
You will
remember the story of God calling Abraham to offer his
son Isaac as a sacrifice. Remember, too how God
prevented his sacrificing Isaac and showed him a goat
which was caught in the bushes near by. God told Abraham
to offer up the goat instead, so Abraham called the
place Jehovah-jireh, which means “the Lord sees” or “the
Lord provides.” This name indicates how God makes
provision for all our needs, particularly our spiritual
needs, in providing a Redeemer to save us from sin when
we were all guilty and condemned to die. Read the story
in Genesis 22.
The origin
of the title Jehovah-rophi which means “I am the Lord
that healeth thee,” is told in Exodus 15:22–26. It is
perhaps one of the most convincing proofs in the Bible
that God will heal us. Apart from the blessing of divine
physical healing shown here we have the spiritual lesson
of how the cross of Christ makes all of life’s bitter
experiences more sweet and easy to bear. If the fountain
of life from which you have been drinking has become
bitter, then put Christ the tree of life, into it and
notice the healing of the waters. Life with Christ is
sweeter!
Now we turn
to Exodus 17:15. A great battle was raging and sometimes
the people of God appeared to be winning, but at other
times losing. The Israelites finally won as Aaron and
Hur came to help Moses hold up his hands in prayer.
Moses called that place Jehovah-nissi, which means “the
Lord, my Banner.” This name is the pledge that under His
banner God will give us victory over all our foes,
especially over the flesh, since the Amalekites may be
taken as a type of the flesh. As they attempted to
thwart the Israelites from entering Canaan, so the flesh
will seek to prevent us from enjoying the fullness of
God’s presence and victorious rest in the experience of
sanctification. Read the account in Exodus 17:8–16.
Israel
sinned a great deal after the death of Moses and Joshua.
Sin always brings punishment. At one time Israel was
suffering terrible oppression from her enemies, so God
raised up a deliverer, or judge as he was called, named
Gideon. The Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “Peace be
unto you.” Gideon called the place Jehovah-shalom,
meaning “the Lord is peace.” Sinners are afraid to meet
God, and when he speaks to them it brings fear. But when
they yield to God He brings peace for He is our peace,
and the God of peace. Do you know Him by this name? If
you can call God by this name it means that all is well
between you and God. You will find the story in Judges
6:21–24.
The name
Jehovah-shammah is found in Ezekiel 48:35. It means “the
Lord is there.” This name contains the idea of God’s
abiding presence. He will not leave us nor forsake us.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God’s
habitation is now in the hearts of His children as we
read in 1 Cor. 6:19 “What? Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost.”
The last
name to consider is hard to pronounce. It is
Jehovah-tsidkenu (sid-ken-oo), meaning “the Lord, our
righteousness.” This is a Messianic title referring to
the benefits we derive through the atonement wrought by
Jesus Christ. Man without God is poor, wretched, blind,
and naked. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa.
64:6), so our heavenly Father provides us with robes of
righteousness through faith unto salvation in Christ.
(See Jer. 23:5–6). There are seven names altogether and
they describe the very nature of God.
A careful
study of these names will reveal that God is the creator
and sustainer of the universe, that he provides for us
temporally and spiritually, gives us victory over sin,
grants peace and pardon, makes us righteous, never
forsakes us, and is constantly revealing Himself as well
as being our healer. We often repeat the verse: “Where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am
I in the midst”; or, “If ye ask anything in my name.” …
That Name means all that has been stated above. Do we
really meet in that Name every time we claim the
promise? The names of God signify His totality, His very
essence, and reveal Him as being able to meet our every
need or, as Paul put it, “Christ is all and in all.”
When we ask anything “for His name’s sake” we can
understand why the petition must be granted—but we must
be sure it is for His name’s sake.
The Bible
teaches us that God is omnipresent, or present in all
places at the same time. Acts 17:27 is one text proving
this point. Omnipotence is ascribed to God in many
places, for example in Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too
hard for the Lord?” Omnipotence means having power to do
all things. God also knows all things—both the past, the
present, and the future. He even knows our thoughts and
motives (I Cor. 3:20). We call this omniscience, or
all-knowing. These characteristics are known as
attributes of God. When we say that God is infinite we
mean he is without limit, or boundless. The word
“immutable” means unchangeable. The chapter about Jesus
Christ, tells how these names and attributes were
manifested by Him during his life and ministry.
God is also
infinitely holy. He is so constituted that He cannot sin
and cannot make mistakes. God is love, and He manifests
His love toward us according to His divine attributes in
an infinite degree, as is shown by His sending His Son
to die for our redemption. These are just a few of the
many things the Bible teaches us about God.
David sang
long ago: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament showeth His handiwork.” God’s glorious majesty
is beautifully expressed in a hymn written by B. E.
Warren:
Our Father’s
wondrous works we see
In the earth, the sea, and
sky;
He rules o’er all in majesty,
From His
royal throne on high.
What a mighty God we serve.
It would be
well to look up Exodus 34:6–7 and mark the verses, and
if possible memorize them: “And the Lord passed by
before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God,
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that
will by no means clear the guilty.”
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