The God of the Bible is the God of the universe who created heaven and earth. All things were created for Him and by Him, and knowing and understanding Him is the greatest thing that will happen to any individual here on earth. The greatest mistake any Christian can make is not to understand the God whom he or she worships. The Bible presents a rich and manifold nature of God. The Bible was explicit in describing God and showing us the true nature and character of God. The God of the Bible is sovereign, eternal, and a personal God who is supreme, omnipotent, omnipresent, and there is nothing comparable to Him. He is the beginning and the end. He was not created, but He created everything.
The Bible declares that the God of the Christians is the only living God, and besides Him, there is no other true god. This belief in a single all-powerful God sets the foundation for Christianity. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) Unlike polytheistic religions, the Bible presents God as unique, incomparable, and supreme over all creation. The God of the Christians is the origin of life, as stated in Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The earth was without form and void until his creative acts. He is omnipotent and controls everything that he created.
The Christian God is a loving and caring God who has gone the extra mile to demonstrate His love towards humanity by sacrificing His only begotten son so that the human race can be saved. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) His love is not passive but active, and He demonstrated His love by giving. His love is deep and merciful, and He expressed it in forgiveness and salvation towards a sinful world. Through His mercy and loving kindness, sinners are purified by the propitiation of His blood, which washes away the sins of the whole world.
The God of the Christians is a relational God who seeks to establish a relationship between Himself and all mankind. He is not distant from humans and is readily available to commune with His creation. He feels human pulses. He speaks and listens to those who have established a relationship with Him. The God of the Christians strikes a deal with those who have a deeper encounter with Him. He made covenants with individuals like Abraham, Moses, and David. Even in this present generation, He enters into a covenant with those who desire a deeper relationship with Him. He is not distant from humanity; it is only human sin that separates humans from Him (Isaiah 59:2).
God introduced Himself as "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14), which signifies He is eternal, self-existent, and self-sufficient. He is what He is and will be what He will be. These attributes emphasize God's ability to be whatever is needed in any given situation. He is the God on the mountain and also the God in the valley. He is the almighty, the healer, the provider, and the protector. He is also the God of justice as well as the God of mercy. He is perfectly moral and Holy. He rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness and has never failed in any of His attributes. When there was a clash between justice and mercy, He resolved it by sending His only begotten son to die on the cross for human sins to fulfill the law that says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This is justice in action, and mercy was made manifest by the propitiation of our sins by the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. It can be said that the justice character and the mercy character of God met on the cross.
The God of the Christians remains actively involved in the activities throughout the world through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was ascending to heaven, He sent to the world another comforter who He promised would remain with Christians to the end of the age. The Holy Spirit is the one responsible for the conviction and conversion of sinners and helps Christians live victorious lifestyles. The Spirit dwells within believers, guiding, empowering, and transforming them to live in accordance with God's will. The God of the Christians is always available to those who want to relate to Him, and through the Holy Spirit, He fulfills this attribute. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our teacher, our advocate, our friend indeed, our guide, our inspirer, our director, our vision revealer, etc. He is God, who is with us in today's world!
Recently, I came across a book titled Who is this God? written by Paul Bryan. According to Bryan, there are many different narratives of who God is by people who try to define God to suit their brand of Christianity. A holistic definition of God is needed to help us understand who the God of the Bible is. Paul Bryan should be celebrated for coming out with this expository and impactful book that will help global Christians have a paradigm shift from what they believe to the reality of the Christian God.
The biblical subject matter of this book is all-encompassing. In his effort to present to the readers a comprehensive God, Paul Bryan elucidated Him in full—His existence, responsibilities, triune nature, love, supernatural and miraculous nature, missionary command, and saving power through Christ, discipleship, maturity in Christ, etc. The supernatural, including the devil and demons, was not left out in this book. Paul Bryan explains how Christians can detect the devil's schemes, neutralize them, and live a victorious Christian life. The church's health was a concern to the author; he did a great job by giving us the keys to identify a healthy Christian church. Life after death is a component that points the reader to heaven, which should be the priority of every Christian.
The personal application part of this book is spot on, as readers are given opportunities to look inwardly, examine the impacts of what they have read on their lives, and apply the knowledge to know God and how to live in His kingdom. The author continues to keep the readers involved by asking pertinent and probing "What Do You Think?" questions throughout each chapter. These will inevitably help readers be part of this book, which is indeed a handbook for life. I noticed that Paul Bryan used the phrase "Our Book." It is clear that this is a book given to us by the Holy Spirit through the author. Those who helped edit the book and its readers are also all stakeholders.
In my quest to ensure that the knowledge in this book is disseminated, I have written to Paul Bryan requesting his permission to print this book in Nigeria to distribute and teach it in seminars and conferences. I am so thankful to Paul Bryan for authorizing us to adopt this book as a handbook for all our missionaries and trainees in the Afri-Mission Institute for Missionary Studies. This is a must-read book for everyone who wants to know God holistically and empirically. Who is this God? is an antidote to ignorance about the God of the universe who created heaven and earth. I, therefore, recommend it to every person, irrespective of religion and language. I sincerely pray that Paul Bryan will have the opportunity to translate this book into all the languages of this earth.
The consequence of deliberately or inadvertently worshipping a false god is terrible—it is an issue transcending life here on earth. Eternal punishment is not what any human being, no matter his or her nationality, race, tribe, or tongue, should experience. "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children" (Hosea 4:6). It is my earnest desire that Christians should know and understand who their God is and the entire world should know that there is no true God except the God of the Christians.
