Bible Questions and Answers

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 The problem with trying to describe God to man is that of describing colour to the blind or sound to the deaf. We have no point of reference.  God is infinite, we are finite. We cannot begin to grasp what form the infinite takes. God sees but not in the way we see; he sees everything. God hears but not in the way we hear; he hears everything.

God has a focal point of presence.

1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto...

But is also everywhere present, we cannot begin to understand how.

Psalms 139:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Solomon says that the heaven of heavens cannot contain God.

1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

God through Isaiah says that he inhabits eternity.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

This is the God with whom we have to do. To argue whether he physically has arms, legs or body serves no useful purpose, for we cannot know. The point is made:

Psalms 94:9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

Whatever form these physical attributes take, they are none the less real. It is not a matter of God worrying about his face being seen, rather that the physical presence of God would destroy us.

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

1 Timothy 6:16... whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

God’s dealings with men are always through the angels. When God is said to appear he is represented by the angel of his presence.

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

For us to see God, we need the promised change of nature from mortality to immortality. Seeing God physically, as we are, would serve no useful purpose. Seeing the character of God, as we are, is essential.

John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Knowing God does not consist in knowing him physically but knowing him in the way he would have us we live.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

To say ‘he is only a spirit’ is to misunderstand what the Bible means by spirit. The life which we now have is mortal because we live by oxygen in the blood. In the eternal life which we are promised we will live by the spirit of God.

Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God...

2 Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

If you want to come to grips with what the Bible really teaches, why not take the free online Bible study course available on our website, www.thisisyourbible.com? This course will give you a background in the major themes of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. As with everything we offer, there is no cost to you other than your time and effort... You will also have a personal tutor to whom you may pose questions either from the course itself or those questions which come to you as you read the Bible.

I hope this helps.

Glenn Smith