Bible Basics: Knowing God

Scriptures: Matthew 7:24-25, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

What is the Bible?

By Christopher Hyslop

The Bible is the most famous, most influential, most widely distributed, and most translated book of all time. People have risked their lives for it, and it has literally changed the world. From a purely historical perspective, the Bible is a collection of writings by various authors from around 2000 BC to 90 AD. It’s divided into two sections – a kind of before-and-after the life of Jesus Christ.

Many people misunderstand the Bible to be just a book of myths, stories, rules, and outdated teachings. In reality, all 66 books of the Bible form one overarching, unified story of God and His dealings with humankind. Every book of the Bible points to God’s loving, redemptive work on Earth as He pursues a relationship with the people He created.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul explains that all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible is alive. God breathed life into the scriptures the same way He breathed life into the first man, Adam. God used numerous different people to write down His words, but – amazingly! – we have the (real) author of the Bible, the Spirit of God, living in us. This is great news as we seek to understand the Bible: we can ask the writer Himself what it means.

Jesus told His followers that those who listened to His words and put them into practice would be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. When the storms rolled in, his house stood firm because it had a rock-solid foundation. The same is true for us. Listening to the Bible’s wisdom and putting it into practice helps us survive the winds and floods of life.

Each of us sees the world through a specific lens or worldview, shaped by our upbringing, education, social media, and other influencing factors. As followers of Jesus, we believe that God’s Word – and not the world’s teachings and traditions – should inform our worldview. What’s more, if you want to get to know God better, and if you want Him to speak to you, then the very best thing you can do is open your Bible. May the timeless, life-giving truth of God’s Word transform your worldview and may you find in the pages of scripture the courage and wisdom you need for the next step of your journey.

Scriptures: Psalms 14, Romans 1:19-20

Is There Really a God?

By Ross Marshall

Does God even exist? Is there any significant proof of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving deity? Can modern science and God coexist?

Perhaps you’ve asked these or similar questions. Perhaps you’ve been discouraged from asking them, because our culture doesn’t have much of an appetite for absolute truth. We’re told to just do what feels right and to live our own truth. ‘You do you’ is the philosophy of the day, and so the ideas of Christianity are pretty unpopular to some. Perhaps you’ve been ignored or excluded, or experienced aggression or antagonism, because of your faith. While God doesn’t need us to defend Him, it’s important that we can defend our beliefs, so we can live confident, courageous, unapologetic, and faith-filled lives.

There are three key arguments for the existence of God:

1. The cosmological argument centres around cause and effect. To argue that our universe came into existence from nothing is logically absurd. If the universe has a beginning, there must be a cause, originator, or power that initiated life as we know it: God.
2. The design-based argument asserts that it’s illogical to believe that the galaxies, laws of nature, ecosystems, human body, and so forth, could have just randomly appeared without an intelligent designer. The universe points to an ultimate designer: God.
3. The moral argument concludes that if there is even one universal moral law that spans all cultures and population groups, there must be a moral lawgiver because a moral law is contingent on a moral lawgiver. Moral laws govern people. People don’t govern moral laws. This essentially means that a moral law becomes authoritative and superior to us. If we are not above these moral laws, then who is? It can only be an all-powerful lawgiver who reigns superior over all things: God.

Psalm 14 gives us a good idea of what happens if people – foolishly! – reject God. History proves that ancient nations that denied the existence of God fell into moral decay and fell out of existence themselves. Even though atheism has become a trendy alternative for many, and even though people who believe in God are often mocked for their faith, still, God is raising a generation of young people willing to go against the flow of popular culture. He’s calling us to trust Him, standing for His Kingdom, brave and unashamed. As we answer that call, may we discover the wonders of life with God.

Scriptures: Job 38:1-12, Job 42:2, Psalms 139

The Eternal and Transcendent God

By Christopher Hyslop

The Bible teaches us that God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (He is present everywhere), and He is transcendent (above and beyond anything created or material). God is almighty, and He’s unconfined by time and space!

It’s important for us to understand God’s attributes so we can know Him better – although, because He is over and above our finite existence, we will never fully comprehend Him. God’s immense, incomprehensible vastness can feel intimidating – even terrifying – but thankfully He’s not only all-powerful and transcendent, but also wholly good and perfectly loving.

When we’re overwhelmed by the confusion, chaos, and suffering all around us, we can also take tremendous comfort from the fact that there exists a God who is not too weak to do anything about it. Things don’t ‘happen’ to God; He speaks, and things happen. He is never paralyzed or immobilized; He is powerful and in control, free to choose what He wills. In submitting to God’s great transcendence, we find peace for our souls that there is a King over everything who knows what He is doing.

The book of Job gives us amazing insight into God’s omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and transcendence. Job is a righteous man of faith who is severely tested. He’s plagued with pain, loss, and disease, and then wrestles with his wife, his friends, and God over what it all means. For the first 37 chapters of the book, Job and his friends pour out their accusations and assumptions. When their arguments are reaching a climax, God speaks to Job out of the storm. For four chapters, He asks Job various questions, like, ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.’ And, ‘Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place…?’ We might think it’s crazy that Job and his friends assume they know better than God, and yet at times we’ve admittedly been convinced that we know what God should or shouldn’t do in a particular situation.

At one point in their conversation, God says to Job, ‘Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!’ Of course, Job realises he’s losing the debate! We all need to get to that place of humbly acknowledging, ‘You are God; I am not.’ Job is finally able to admit to God, ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.’

We can live with incredible peace and authority when we realise that our mighty, transcendent, sovereign, truly awesome God is good, loving, and kind, and He wants to be in a relationship with us. He is for us! Take some time to be quiet in the presence of God. Open your heart to His greatness. He is much closer to you than you think. If you’re weighed down by anxiety or a particular burden, give it to God. He loves you more than you can imagine.

Scriptures: Genesis 2:18, John 14:8-17, Romans 8:1-4

The Trinity

By Ross Marshall

The Bible teaches that God is one, and yet He exists in three Persons. We relate to Him as our Heavenly Father, the Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It’s okay if you find this concept confusing! Let’s unpack it a little more…

Human beings weren’t designed to be alone. Whether we’re introverts or extroverts, we’re sociable, relational creatures who long to be loved by other people. We’re also spiritual beings, and we long for connection with the divine – with something or someone beyond ourselves. We get this longing for community from God Himself. He lives in eternal community: three Persons in One. For millennia, people have tried to wrap their heads around the idea of the Trinity. The global church’s basic statement of belief is twofold: God is one (we don’t serve three different gods; there’s one Creator and originator of our faith), and God is three-in-one (each person of the Trinity is fully God).

God is a divine community of love. Everything He does is done in love. Of course, that doesn’t mean He doesn’t care about sin. He wouldn’t be loving if He wasn’t bothered by people committing heinous crimes against others. God embodies justice and holiness, which means He must judge sin and evil. On the flipside, He’s completely loving and merciful. So, instead of judging us for our sins, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that our guilt is no longer attributed to us, but completely forgiven. God takes the issue of sin so seriously He came to Earth as a human and died a brutal death once and for all to clear our record. Each Person of the Trinity plays a role in God’s judgement of sin and His loving work of redemption and restoration.

When Philip says to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us,’ Jesus says that if they’ve seen Him (Jesus), then they’ve seen the Father too. Jesus goes on to explain that, when He’s no longer on Earth, the Father will send the Spirit to be with them and help them forever. This simple, heartfelt conversation between Jesus and His friends reveals the unity, equality, and deity of the three Persons of the Trinity.

Take a moment to marvel at the truth that we get to live in constant fellowship with God: Father, Son, and Spirit! It’s our natural impulse to seek out intimacy, and we find this in God’s community of eternal love. God is faithful to show Himself to those who seek Him, so draw near to God and He will draw near to you. May you experience the perfect peace of the Triune God.

Scriptures: Psalms 33, Matthew 7:7-11, Revelation 21:1-5

God the Father

By Lené Jonck

It’s wonderful to consider that God is both Father and Creator. If God were only a Creator without the essence of a Father, we might think of ourselves as automations or tools, only existing to fulfil a function. We’d be instruments in the hands of an immense, potentially aloof Being, possessing value but perhaps lacking in love. And if God were only a Father and not the Creator, our lives might be cherished but may seem accidentally formed, lacking in purpose.Our knowledge of God as Father and Creator influences our identity: we’re beloved, and we get to live meaningful lives.

If we’ve had any negative experiences with our earthly fathers, we often project these onto God, seeing Him through the lens of past hurts and power abuse. If that’s you, please draw near to your Heavenly Father. He’s perfect in every way and loves you more than you can possibly imagine.

God is not just the perfect Father. As Creator, He’s the originator and owner of our lives, and our purpose is to spend our lives worshiping Him. Each of us is intricately crafted as part of God’s grand design. He envisioned us before we took form. Our days are significant and filled with good works, even if we can’t comprehend their role in the broader scope of human history. What’s more, He brings order to chaos. We live in a broken world, but God has the power to create from destruction, and resurrect from death.

In Revelation, we get a picture of God as powerful Creator and loving Father. One day, He’ll make all things new and dwell with us, His beloved children. He’s the Alpha and the Omega – the initiator and completer of all things. You can call on Him if there’s an area of your life in which you need Him to powerfully kickstart something or lovingly resolve something.

Jesus gave us an analogy to help us understand the loving heart of the Father. Earthly fathers, though flawed, generally want to provide for their children, and children generally trust their fathers to do so. How much more do you think your perfect, powerful, loving, and generous Heavenly Father will provide for your needs? Jesus’ explanation underscores our vulnerable position in the universe and our profound need for the Father. The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking symbolize our pursuit of the things we lack. Like children, we seek because we don’t have. If you have particular needs at the moment that your earthly parents or others can’t meet, take your requests to God.

Maybe your life right now seems hopeless and beyond repair. Take courage: your Creator can redeem and restore even the most painful situations. And take courage because even if you’ve lost your way, through Jesus you can find your way back to your compassionate Father. He provides for you and loves you unendingly, no matter how much you might have messed up, and He will never abandon you.

Scriptures: Genesis 15, John 1:1-18, Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus the Christ

By Lené Jonck

Jesus is the most influential person in the history of the world, and knowledge of Him is the most important pursuit of our lives.

Countless events recorded in the Old Testament point to the coming of Jesus. God’s people were waiting for a promised Messiah from David’s family, who they hoped would free them from Roman oppression through military power. Instead, the Son of God came as a humble servant born in an animal stall.

The opening passage of John’s Gospel gives us a beautiful depiction of how Jesus existed with His Father in eternity past. He created the world we know and then came to inhabit that world, to be with us, the people He’d made too, and to show us what His Father was like. Perhaps we don’t often think of the God of the Old Testament as possessing the exact same character qualities as Jesus, whom we meet in the New Testament, and yet they’re one and the same.

John also paints a vivid picture of how Jesus became flesh. He became like one of us to show us the Father’s heart in a way we could understand. Jesus identified with our weaknesses and suffering, and He showed us what humanity was always supposed to be. Also, because Jesus was fully human, He felt every nail that pierced His flesh on the cross. Of course, He could’ve commanded a thousand angels to deliver Him, but He didn’t, because of His great love for us.

In Genesis, we read the story of God making a covenant with Abraham. Astonishingly, God makes it clear that He will pay the price for Abraham, if Abraham breaks the covenant with God. This event foreshadows what God would ultimately do for us, through Jesus. For centuries, God’s people had to offer animal sacrifices for their sins in order to enter God’s holy presence in the temple and have fellowship with Him, but Jesus changed all that by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for all of humanity, for all time.

Not only is Jesus the sacrifice for our sins, He’s also the King of our lives, on a mission to establish His Kingdom on Earth. He’s calling us to surrender to Him completely, and to partner with Him, the perfect King who rules with justice and love. He is inviting you into His Kingdom-building work, right where He has placed you. Take time to submit every part of your life to Him, the way Jesus submitted to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done.’ Be assured that when you encounter Jesus, everything in your life will change. He is the answer to every longing of your heart, and following Him will be the best decision you’ll ever make.

Scriptures: Genesis 1:2, Ezekiel 36:27-28, John 14:26, Acts 2:1-4

The Holy Spirit

By Lené Jonck

To understand more about the Holy Spirit, it’s helpful to clear up some common misconceptions. Firstly, the Holy Spirit is a Person – not a force, a miracle machine, or a tap we can turn on. We can’t control Him; He controls us. Secondly, the Holy Spirit is here to complete God’s mission, not just to give us various spiritual experiences. And thirdly, the Holy Spirit is just that: holy. He expects us to be holy like Him. God hates sin because it separates us from Him. We shouldn’t be elevating the Holy Spirit’s gifts above having a godly character.

It’s also important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the giver of life. He was actively involved in creation from the beginning, hovering over the surface of the waters the way a mother bird would brood over her eggs. This displays the Holy Spirit’s tenderness and love for creation. The Holy Spirit is also the one who creates new life in us. It’s through the Spirit that we become born again into God’s family.

Throughout the Bible, we see God’s desire to be close to His people. He met with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; He met Moses at the burning bush; He met with His people in the temple. Then the Old Testament ends, and we’re left wondering how God will fulfil His promise through Ezekiel, that He would put His Spirit within His people, changing their hearts and the way they lived. Of course, Jesus steps onto the scene: God in flesh, with us! The Holy Spirit revealed Himself as a dove anointing Jesus at His baptism and empowering Jesus’ earthly ministry. Then Jesus promised His followers that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit to fill them and help them too, and that promise was fulfilled at Pentecost. Imagine what would change in your life this week if you realised that you have, with you and in you, Jesus’ representative empowering you to be and do what Jesus has called you to be and do.

At Pentecost, God’s presence didn’t just fill a room, the way it filled the temple. It filled the people in that room, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. God’s temple – His dwelling place – became human beings. Once the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they couldn’t stop preaching the good news of Jesus wherever they went. That’s the kind of change the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives too.

Take a moment to celebrate that God has sent His Spirit to encourage you and empower you, for every step of life’s journey. May the Holy Spirit create in you a hunger for God’s Word and give you a deeper understanding of His truth. May He increase your love for Jesus and lead you to those who don’t know Him. And may He use you to change the atmosphere, every place you go.

Scriptures: Genesis 1:26-28, Luke 22:42, Romans 3:9-23

Humanity and Sin

By Lené Jonck

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, holy, and existing in perfect relationship with Himself. He certainly didn’t need us. He created people because He’s a loving God who wanted to be in relationship with us. God gave humankind the mandate of dominion over the world He’d created, and we’re called to reflect His character and nature by how we govern over our resources. Sadly, we haven’t done too well at managing this responsibility.

God designed us to bear His image and to reflect His light and goodness back into the world around us. Because God is love, He also gave people free will: we are free to choose to love, worship, and obey Him, and that makes our love, worship, and obedience genuine and sincere. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, in terms of the choice He gave them to eat (or not eat) from particular trees in the Garden of Eden. We’re still affected by their choice today. Sin causes death and destruction. Being separated from the very Source of Life means death. Adam and Eve’s disobedience removed them from God’s lifegiving presence. Sin is the exact opposite of God’s will for creation. Disobedience to God opened the door for every kind of evil to flow through humanity and cause chaos and destruction. And of course, we see evidence of sin in the world around us every day. Sin may not have directly caused a physical death in your life, but sin causes the death of relationships and opportunities too.

Although God’s image in humanity hasn’t been destroyed, it certainly is tarnished and distorted. We’ve all sinned, and our sin puts a massive divide between us and God. No amount of ‘good works’ can bridge that gap and restore us to God’s holy presence. The meaning of the word sin as it’s used in the New Testament means to miss the mark. It means considering a moral or relational standard set by God and saying, ‘My will, not God’s will!’ It’s a marvellous relief that Jesus, who lived a sinless life, came to restore everything that sin had wrecked. Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by saying, ‘My will, not Yours, God!’ Thousands of years later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, ‘Not my will, God, but Yours!’

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any sin in your life. If something comes to mind, repent, and chat to a friend who loves Jesus: bring that sin into the light so the enemy can no longer trap you with accusations and shame. Then rejoice in God’s forgiveness and the privilege of being a mirror that reflects His light back into the world around you.

Scriptures: Romans 8:3-4, Romans 10:10-13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:6-10

Salvation and Faith

By Christopher Hyslop

Many people believe that ‘good’ people will go to heaven and ‘bad’ people will go to hell. We hope our good works will outweigh our sins and earn us a spot in heaven. This type of thinking is called moralism. The problem with moralism is that we put ourselves in the judgment seat, instead of God. God is perfectly holy and perfectly just. This means that in order for us to approach Him in His perfection, we need to meet His standard – and that’s impossible, because no human being can live a sinless life.

The good news is that God knew we wouldn’t be able to save ourselves, and so He provided another way. Jesus, God’s Son, came to Earth in human form. He lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death, bearing the punishment that we sinners deserved. He was raised to life after three days, defeating death. He reigns in glory, and we will spend eternity with Him because He has forgiven us. Marvellously, we’re not just saved from sin, death, and hell; we’re saved for an incredible future in God’s presence and for the good purposes He’s prepared for us here on Earth. God has made us new creations: our old lives are gone! All we have to do is receive and accept God’s free gift of salvation.

As we wrap up this reading plan, spend some time thinking about the incredible truths we’ve uncovered together. The message of the Bible is the message of God’s pursuit of a relationship with humankind, His beloved creation. Even though we sinned and chose to reject God, He made a way for us to be saved from the sin that separated us from Him. More than that, He gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit to be with us and inside us. This gift of salvation is freely available to anyone who believes in their heart and declares with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, turning from their old ways and stepping into a new life with Him.

In closing, if you feel far away from God – unsure of your salvation – please consider praying this prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great love for me. Please save me from my sins. I confess that I am nothing without You. I need Your grace and love right here, right now. Thank You that You sent Jesus, Your Son, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. Thank You that You want to draw me into Your lifegiving presence. Lord Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and King. I submit my life to You and say, ‘Have Your way in me’. Holy Spirit, help me to daily follow Jesus my Lord. Help me to become more like Him and shine Your light to those around me. I pray this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.