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Who is God? part 2

God is wise. That sounds like an obvious statement, and it really is, but God’s wisdom must be looked at. Many people are wise, but our wisdom either comes because we have been taught, or it comes through trial and error. God’s wisdom did not come about by either of these means, which is why God’s wisdom is unique. In God’s sovereignty He possesses total knowledge, and wisdom is simply the application of that knowledge. Therefore, we can conclude that God is totally wise.

God acts in wisdom for His glory and for our good. I Corinthians 1:25 teaches that no one will ever compare to the glory of God, which brings Him glory, and He puts that wisdom into place for our good. Jeremiah 29:11 shows that God is so much wiser than us that we cannot even figure Him out sometimes. God also gives His wisdom to us, and James 1:5 says that if we lack wisdom we simply need to ask God for more. To see what this godly wisdom looks like, read James 3:17.

God is eternal and immutable. God’s eternality is clearly stated in Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 1:8. Exodus 3:14 shows the same idea. But God is also immutable, which means that He cannot change or vary. This idea is demonstrated in James 1:17 and Malachi 3:6.

God’s word won’t change: Psalm 119:89
God’s love won’t change: Jeremiah 31:3
God’s mercy and truth won’t change: Psalm 100:5
God’s rewards won’t change: I Thessalonians 4:17
God’s punishments won’t change: Ezekiel 8:18

God is jealous. This sounds like such a nasty attribute of God; in fact, it even caused Oprah Winfrey to walk away from Christianity when her Baptist pastor in Mississippi preached on God’s jealousy. But there are actually three ways to define jealousy.

The first meaning is “feeling of resentment against someone because of that person’s rivalry, success, or advantages.” An example would be he is jealous of his rich brother. A second meaning of the word is “suspicion of rivalry or unfaithfulness, as in love. An example of this would be he is a jealous husband. The third definition is “vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.” An example of this kind would be the American people are jealous of their liberty.

Only the second two meanings can apply to God, for He has no rival, but He is a jealous husband, and He is vigilant to maintain His holy name.

God’s jealousy is caused by our sin. When we choose to love someone or something else more than God we make Him jealous, and when we sin and lower His reputation, we make Him jealous.
This is not an attribute to be ashamed or to leave the church the over. It simply shows that God hates sin. Grab a concordance and look up the multitude of verses that show God’s jealousy, and if you understand it, then thank God for it. If you are making Him jealous, then repent of the sin and get right with God.
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Tommy Mann Ministries said…
You can order the sermon God is Jealous at tommymannministries.com or hear it for free at philipibaptistchurch.com on the sermons page
June 19, 2010 at 10:00 AM
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