God Is

I should probably start by stating that … "God is." If you don't believe that, you might as well stop reading right now. Everything I am going to put on paper starts with this fact … "God is."

God was before all things … and therefore will still exist, and quite well I might add, even after, (if there ever is) an end someday to eternity. God was before us and will be after us. God was not created. God did not just suddenly appear from a big bang in the universe. That's what makes Him God … He just is.

To quote God Himself, He said … "I AM." Period. No matter what … God will still be able to say … "I AM." He is the only "anything" that always was and always will be.

"I AM" … what is He saying by this statement?

It's found in Exodus 3:14 … "And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM …"

"I AM WHO I AM" … The Vulgate translates these words … "I am who am." The Septuagint reads … "I am He who exists." The Arabic paraphrases them this way … "The Eternal, who passes not away."

It is difficult for me to put an exact meaning to the words; but they seem intended to point out the eternal and self-existence of God.

God in speaking to Moses of the first of two names God would now be known by, a name that speaks to what He is in Himself, "I am that I am," means to me … "I'm here, like it or not … I AM." In other words … "Deal with it."

One of the names or titles of the God of Israel was and is … Jehovah; and it signifies at least these three things …

1.) That He is self - existent; He has His being in and of Himself, and has no dependence upon any other. And being self existent, He cannot but be self sufficient, and therefore all sufficient. Exodus 3:14 … "I AM" …

2.) That He is eternal and unchangeable; He is always the same, yesterday and today, and for ever; and He will be what He will be and what He is. Malachi 3:6 … "For I am the LORD, I change not" …

3.) That He is faithful and true to all His promises, unchangeable in His word as well as in His nature; that He is not a man that He should lie; and a name that speaks what He is to His people. 1st Corinthians 1:9 … "God is faithful" …

Just in case the name "I am" should be a problem for Israel, Moses is further directed to give and make use of another name for God, a phrase that will become more familiar. After declaring … "I Am that I Am" … He also takes, as His name on earth, the name … "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob."

Jehovah, the great "I AM" is His name, as He reveals Himself to be such; but His name or title, by which He is to be remembered forever to all generations is … "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob." As Christian believers, we still quote that phrase today.

Another statement from God that I find interesting is also in Exodus 3:14, where God speaking to Moses says … "I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE" … (Amplified)

And a little later in Exodus 6:2-3 we find (again in the Amplified version) … "And God said to Moses, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty (El-Shaddai), but by My name the Lord (Yahweh) I did not make Myself known to them."

So … what has been said so far?

God is self existent; eternal; unchangeable; faithful; that He is … "El-Shaddai," God Almighty and that His name is "Yahweh," the LORD.

One could say that God is immutable … "not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form, quality or nature."

The Believers Creed … is just one of many in print that makes an attempt to say something right and fitting about God. This one states …

"God is the Creator of all things, and doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern … all … creatures, actions, and things from the greatest event to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise and glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy."

More than two centuries ago, smarter men then I also wrote this statement … "God, by His wise and holy providence governs all the actions of men and devils."

God is … and will be God … forever. Forever is a long time.


Comments welcome.