(Genesis 1:1) The Bible is God's revelation of Himself. Its purpose is not simply information or inspiration—it is given for us to know God! On the pages of Holy Scripture we discover the truth about God. (0940250213)

Understanding the Essence of the Bible

What is the Bible? At its very heart, the essence of this book we're studying, what is the Bible? Is it a book of science? Is it a book of history? Is it a book of poetry? Is it a book of literature? What is the Bible? 

The Revelation of God Through Scripture

While it has elements of all of that in it The bottom line is this, the Bible is God's revelation. The Bible is really not first about man. It's a book about God. It's not about things or events. It's all about us knowing God. As a matter of fact, the last book of our Bible is the book of what? The book of Revelation. Now the word revelation, It literally means to take the veil away. It's like pulling back the curtain.

God progressively in scripture starts taking the veil down, taking the veil down, taking the veil down until he gets to the final revelation and he just rips the curtain off. And he says, here I am in all of my glory. And here is what I'm doing in this world, and here's what I'm going to do in eternity.

Knowing God Through the Bible

Oh, friends, this is why I love the Bible. Because the Bible tells me about God. The Bible brings me to the knowledge of who God is. What is the very first word of the Word? Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." Psalm 14 verse 1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

Psalm 90 verse 2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Literally from vanishing point to vanishing point, he is God. Go back as far as you want, God is there. Go forward as far as you want. God is there.

Psalm 139 verse 7, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Isaiah 40 verse 28, "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding?" I'm telling you, the Bible is all about knowing God.

2 Corinthians 13 verse 14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen." What is this about? It's about revealing God to us. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And how does it all end? Revelation 19:6. "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude. And as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundering saying, Alleluia for the Lord, God omnipotent reigneth." This is what the Bible says about God, and we're beginning our series of what the Bible says with God himself because I don't see how you could start with anything else. It's all about God. From start to finish, in every book, God is revealing Himself to us. 

Different Beliefs About God

We're living in a world where some people don't believe in God at all. They're called atheists. They just say, we don't even believe there is a God. There are deists in the world. People that say that God made the world, but then he just let it go.

He doesn't sustain it or keep it. It's on its own. I'm glad that's not true. There are people who claim to be theists. They give some intellectual acknowledgement that there is a God, but they really don't know him. There are agnostics who don't outright deny God like the atheist does, but they just don't think God can really be known.

They are skeptics. There are pantheists. They believe that everything is God and that God is everything. There are polytheists, people who believe in many gods. I was traveling some time ago doing gospel work outside the United States and was in a part of the world where they believe in many gods. And you must begin with this, there is one God.

He is expressed in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. But there is one God. There are some people who are tri theist. They believe in three gods. We don't believe that. There are dualists, people that believe in two gods. One evil and one good and they're both equal in their power. They would almost give you the idea that the devil is equal to God. That's not true, friend. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 

Monotheism and the One True God

We are what would be referred to as monotheist. We believe that there is one God. The Jewish people, the nation of Israel, have historically always been monotheist.

You'll remember that there was a period of time in Israel's history where they served many idols. And so finally God said to them, Alright, I'm going to give you what you want. I'm going to let you go into Babylonian captivity. And so they went into captivity to the most idolatrous nation on the face of the earth.

Now let me ask you a question. Wouldn't you think that a people already given to idols, under the influence of the most idolatrous nation on earth, would come out idolatrous people? But they don't. No, they come out the most rigidly monotheistic people that ever lived. And why is that? Because they got a belly full of it.

And friends, you can try all the idols and all the false gods and religions you want, but in the end, you're going to have to come back to this conclusion. There is only one God and only one true God. But it's not enough to believe that there is one God. James chapter 2 verse 19 says, "Thou believest that there is one God? Thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble." See, the devil believes in one God. So he believes more than some human beings believe. But true believers are those who not only believe in one God, but they agree with God about his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts chapter four verse 12, "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none of the name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." 

God's Revelation Through Jesus Christ and Creation

We believe that there is one God and that one God has revealed himself to man, and revealed himself in creation. There's no question about that. Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork. Day into day uttereth speech. Night into night uttereth knowledge. There's no speech or language where their voice is not heard."

So creation speaks of God. And then God revealed himself more particularly and specifically through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the perfect man. That's why Christ came. To reveal God to us, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And so God has revealed Himself to man, so that man could know God. What a joy! What a privilege! 

Personal Knowledge of God

So may I ask you today, do you know God? Do you know what the Bible says about God? Some people know Him intuitively. I mean by that, they believe there is a God just because there's something inside them that says there must be a higher power.

I hear that a lot. Then there's some people that know Him intellectually. Philosophically, they've thought it through, and they look around at creation, and they say, Yeah, I believe that. I even believe some of what the Bible says. But it's just a mere intellectual knowledge. And then there are those who know Him intimately.

Those who've come to know the Lord God. Through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Personally, I wonder, do you have that kind of intimate knowledge of Christ? If not, you can know Him today. Right now, repent of your sin and by faith, call on the Lord Jesus for salvation. He'll hear that prayer. He'll come to live in your life and forgive your sin and make you His child forever.

Wouldn't you like to know God today? And then if you know Him as your personal Savior, don't stop there. Know the knowledge of God is the pursuit of a lifetime. Keep seeking to know the Lord through His words. Study the Word of Truth today. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a fresh and powerful way in your own soul.

Go deeper and further and higher in your knowledge of God. Make it your prayer today, Lord, I want to know what the Bible says. And I want to know that God in my life. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the Biblical reason behind what we believe. 

Outro

We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our library of Bible teaching resources, including book by book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content, and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.