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Key verses: John 4:24 "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Biblical truth: God is a Spirit. He is the object of worship, but must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.
The Bible does not attempt to prove that God exists; it accepts that as a fact from the first verse. The study of God is called "Theology" which has been defined as "The doctrine of God with regard to Himself, His works, His will, His worship, as well as our required obedience, our future rewards and punishments, all as revealed by God Himself to the glory of His name."
Who is God?
God is the one true God, the Sovereign Lord and Creator of all. We know Him by His Word and therefore our sole trusted source of information on God is the Bible. I John 5:20, I Timothy 2:5
He exists eternally of His own will and in the beginning of time, God already existed. John 1:1-2, He is the everlasting God. Isaiah 9:6, Psalm 41:13
God is the creator of the earth and all that exists. John 1:3, Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 40:28 Jeremiah 32:17, Job 26:7
He is the creator of man. He created man to have a Lord and for God to be man's God. Genesis 2:15, II Corinthians 6:16
There are no higher powers than God. Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, He gave all the other powers their power. Romans 13:1-6
He is the Father in the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; He is one God in three persons yet God is not divided. Matthew 28:19
He is holy: The word holy means sacred and deserving of reverence and worship. It means to be sanctified and set apart. He is completely Holy and righteous (without sin of any kind) I Peter 1:15-16, Leviticus 20:7-8 says that God sanctifies us. (makes us holy)
a. The divine attributes (qualities) that He exhibits come from that Holiness. Exodus 3:5, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8, Psalm 99:9
b. He is completely set apart from all other beings and things and for that because of that, He is not like anything else that exists or that can be seen. Exodus 15:11, Psalms 113:5.
How is God different than what I thought?
How can we know about God? How can I find out the truth about God?
God must reveal Himself to us. He must make Himself known or seeable to us in some way. It was and still is God's will to reveal Himself to us. (Titus 2:11)
God reveals His Son (Jesus) and Jesus reveals His Father (God). John 1:18, Matthew 3:17, Luke 10:22
We could not find Him without Him reveal Himself to us. Job 11:7-10, the only things we can know about God are those that He reveals about Himself. Isaiah 55:6, Exodus 33:18-23.
There are two major ways God revealed Himself
a. Through natural revelation. Psalms 19:1-6 As great as this creation is however, it can only reveal God the creator, and not God the redeemer. The entrance of sin has ruined both the earth and man to the point that the earth is now a monument to sin and man happily worships the material things instead of the creator of them.
i. All things were created by God for His glory and Pleasure. John 1:3
ii. The complexity of the human body and the majesty of creation testify to the glory of the creator. Psalm 139:14
b. Through special revelation. Psalms 19:7-14, Hebrews 1:1-2, Romans 1:16-22, 19 Hebrews 11:1-3 There are many special and supernatural ways including angels, miracles and visions but the greatest of His special revelations of Himself to us are His Word and His Son Jesus.
i. He reveals Himself by His Word. We don't know God by His face but by His Word. I John 4:12 It is His breath, or the Words that He breathed. II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12
Understanding this revelation requires faith. Hebrews 4:2, Hebrews 11:3
The Bible does not contain all there is to know about God or Jesus but all that we need to know for redemption. John 21:25
ii. He reveals Himself through His Son Jesus, which is God Himself incarnate (in a body) manifested in the flesh for us. I Timothy 3:16.
iii. The creation shows us a divine creator, but the Word of God reveals to us those things necessary for us to know God. Not just know of God, but know God. Romans 10:17, I Peter 1:23, II Timothy 3:15-17
How have I learned about God up until now? What have been my primary sources of information about Him?
How must He be worshipped?
John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." God cannot be approached or worshipped except in the truth of who He is and how He reveals Himself to us.
To worship God is to believe that He is who He says He is and worship Him in the truth that He revealed about Himself
a. He must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. John 4:24, Exodus 34:14, I Corinthians 2:5-12, Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7
b. If He is not worshipped in truth, the worship is vain (empty) Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7, Hebrews 11:6
It must be accepted that He is both Loving Savior and also the righteous Judge of all. Romans 2:16, Hebrews 9:27, John 5:28-29
He commands that He be worshipped alone without sharing our worship with any other gods. Matthew 4:10
How is this different from the way I have thought God was worshipped?
Reading: Additional verses: Search your Bible concordance or electronic Bible for "God, holy, worship and truth" See what verses you find and record the devotional thoughts, or questions. Answer the question about how you see your relationship with God right now, and how you think He may see it based on what you know about Him thus far.