An Important Note To Students And Teachers
The central figure of the Bible is God. The Bible begins with God creating. God chose Abraham. God gave Abraham Isaac. God fashioned the nation of Israel from the descendants of Abraham through Isaac. When those descendants became slaves in Egypt, God delivered them by (a) providing Moses for leadership and (b) by performing miracles to reveal to those slaves and to Pharaoh who He was. God provided them passage across the Red (or reed) Sea. God gave them the Law. God gave them leadership. God gave them Canaan. God gave them judges. God gave them kings. God gave them prophets. God gave the world Jesus to become the Christ. God declared His willingness to forgive all and to provide all a hope that death could not destroy. That hope is found in God acting in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ reigns now and will continue to reign until all things that are in rebellion to God are conquered, then Jesus Christ will restore all things to God so that He is the all in all as He was when He created (read 1 Corinthians 15:24-28).
For years our view of God seems to center in these concepts: (a) God is a huge teddy bear who is cuddly, not fearsome; (b) God is infinitely predictable; (c) serving God is principally a matter of respecting His authority, doing as He says, and obligating Him because we have obeyed Him.
Scripture constantly emphasizes that human encounters with God are occasions full of fear (consider Exodus 3:3-6; Isaiah 6; and Acts 9:1-9). Why are encounters with God frightening events? (a) There is a new understanding of the concept of holiness. (b) There is a profound sense of sinfulness and unworthiness. (c) There is a deeply disturbing awareness that the person has failed to meet Gods objectives.
In this series we will briefly focus on the fact that (from a human perspective) God is unique. The series will stress that God is holy (totally separate from sin), that God is not predictable (humans cannot dictate to Him what He can and cannot do); and that humans cannot manipulate or obligate Him through any means. In the words of Hebrews 12:12, 13 the struggling are to be helped because, in the words of Hebrews 10:30, 31, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Why? In the words of Hebrews 12:29 -- our God is a consuming fire.
The objective of this series is not to define God. The objective is to challenge common assumptions about God, and to move you to think about God. As you consider your views of God, (a) read and learn, (b) recognize your deductions and assumptions when you encounter them, and (c) approach your discoveries with an informed openness. Never forget your conclusions do not define God, but revelations about God should transform your conclusions.
Always realize there is more to learn about God than any of us know about God. Do not put God in your bottle, but develop the faith to let God be God. With or without our permission, God will be God.
