CHARACTER OF GOD

“But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation!” (Jer. 10:10 NKJV).

In our society today, false and erroneous views about God’s character abounds. To learn the truth we need to get into the Word of God. We therefore want to note four important truths about God’s character as defined by the following four words: authentic, alive, authority, and anger.

Authentic - “The LORD is the true God.” The word “LORD” here in all caps refers to Jehovah. Israel called God by the name Jehovah. The prophet Jeremiah is here stating that Israel’s God is the true God. The literal translation is “Jehovah is God in truth.” This means that Jehovah is the true God in contrast to the idols. And while the idols and other false gods were sometimes viewed as deceptive and dishonest, Jehovah is true. Therefore, His Word is true. Argue with the Word and you argue with truth.

Alive - “He is the living God.” Idols were pieces of dead wood or metal. This means that other false gods are also dead. Many religions in the world have a dead god. Other folks may try to say that God is dead, but God is alive. A dead God cannot give life, but a living God can.

Authority - “the everlasting king.” God is Sovereign and will always be. Man may try to make himself the authority, but our final authority is God. His Word is authoritative. We need to submit to His authority if we want blessing in this life and in eternity.

Anger - “At his wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” People like to emphasize the fact that God is a God of love. But the Bible says He is also a God of wrath. He is angry with sin. And His anger will bring devastating judgment on man. Knowing this fact about God should help purify our conduct.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The permanence of God’s character guarantees the fulfillment of His promises!”

Arthur W. Pink (1886 – 1952)

English Bible Teacher and Author

Word Study

Distinguished

In 1 Cor. 4:10 we read, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!” (NKJV).

Distinguished is the Greek word endoxos (ἔνδοξος = en'-dox-os). It is made up of two words: “en” which means in, and “doxa” which means glory. Thus, the word means to be held in high esteem, honored, of high repute, distinguished, eminent. Endoxos also speak of spiritual excellence, that which is glorious, splendid, wonderful.

In classical Greek, endoxos means to be honored or esteemed in the opinions of others. Men held in such high esteem were thought to be extraordinary or magnificent. In the Septuagint endoxos is used to refer to honorable men. Most often, however, it relates to the “awesome thing” God promised Moses that He would do for His covenant people (cf. Exodus 34:10). In the New Testament, endoxos relates to gorgeously splendid clothes which were made for the elite. Luke also used the word to refer to the glorious acts of the Lord Jesus in Luke 13:17.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – God’s will that Messiah bear sin for all mankind (Isa. 53:6)

New Testament Fulfillment – Gal. 1:4

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that Jesus is the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Proverb, what is better than secret love?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to Matthew 21, out of what did Jesus say God perfected praise? “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise” (Matt. 21:16).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Head of the Church”

"For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body!” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus leads the church.

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus Christ is the leader and Lord of the church. True believers will follow Him as He cares for them and directs their way.

3. Related Titles – Head of the Body (Eph. 4:15-16).

Did You Know – Christian History

J. Gresham Machen was born on July 28, 1881 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was an American Presbyterian New Testament scholar and educator.

Machen was educated at Johns Hopkins University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the universities at Marburg and Göttingen. In 1906 he joined the faculty of the Princeton Theological Seminary. He criticized liberal Protestantism as unbiblical and unhistorical in his book Christianity and Liberalism, and struggled to preserve the conservative character of the Princeton Theological Seminary.

Machen’s battles against modernism were mostly waged at Princeton Seminary. He insisted that Modernist Christianity and Bible Christianity were two different religions. As the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. began to adopt Modernist ideas, he fought the drift. Typical Modernists doubted the truth of the Resurrection of Christ, forsook the Virgin Birth, and were skeptical of miracles and of the Bible’s accuracy. On the other side, J. Gresham defended all these things. His most famous book was The Virgin Birth of Christ. In it he answered objection after objection.

Eventually Machen left Princeton. He founded Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. Next, he formed the Independent Board for Presbyterian Missions because some Presbyterian missionaries made statements that watered down faith in Christ. He was suspended from the ministry for creating this schism. So, he founded the Presbyterian Church of America, known today as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Machen was suspicious of mixing religion and politics. He was even more concerned about the corrupting influence of politics on Christianity and saw the social gospel as a terrible warning. He was a major theological voice in support of conservative Christianity.

Machen’s influence can still be felt today through the existence of the institutions that he founded. In addition, his textbook on basic New Testament Greek is still used today in many seminaries, including PCUSA schools.

Machen died of overwork in 1936, preaching and traveling right up to the day before he died..

A Little Humor

During his fourth week of basic training, Tom was able to make a brief phone call to his mother. He told her he was attending church on base every week; she was pleased to hear. “Everyone goes to church here,” he added. “It’s the only place we don’t get yelled at.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“What we believe about the world to come shapes how we live in the world today!”