Who is God?

The Bible tells us that God is the Creator of all the universe – He created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). The Bible doesn’t try to prove God or offer an explanation for His existence, it simply says “In the beginning GOD…” By the word of God the heavens were made.

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Later, verse 26 of the same chapter makes a profoundly life orienting statement:
God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”

Getting to know God for yourself begins with an understanding of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him. The very first book in the Bible explains that the Creator of the heavens and the earth also created mankind (you) in His likeness. That means you bear the image and likeness of God – in other words, you resemble God. Often what we ascribe to the best parts of humanity are actually just evidence of bearing God’s image: justice, compassion, empathy, wisdom, courage, joy in relationship and stewardship of the earth’s resources. These are all parts of us that we inherited as image-bearers of God. That also means that if you don’t know God, you won’t know who you truly are.

This is key to understanding the entire Bible. If you don’t know this, then nothing else you read in the Bible will make sense.

Here is what the Bible tells us about God:

God is a spirit. He doesn’t have a body which would limit Him to be in one place at a time. God is omnipresent – which simply means He is everywhere at the same time. He is beyond time and beyond the dimensions we are subject to on earth.

God does not change – ever. Our world experiences constant change – nothing stays the same for too long. But God says, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” (Malachi 3:6) He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 41:13).

God is holy and righteous. You cannot understand God’s relationship with mankind until you understand that He is absolutely pure and holy. He cannot look on any kind of sin with any sense of approval whatsoever.

God is just. He is the supreme judge. Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” There is a judgment day coming and all who have not believed in Jesus Christ will be called to give an account for every word they have spoken, motive of their heart and action they have done.

God is love. The Bible also tells us that God is love. He is a God of mercy and grace. He loves every human being individually. God’s love is divine, unlike the love between and husband and wife or brotherly love. God’s love for you is beyond comparison to any human love that you can ever experience.

The beauty and greatness of God’s love is that He loves us even though we don’t deserve it – even though we sin. The love of God is summed up in John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in humans gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself. – J. I. Packer (Theologian)