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The Importance of Understanding God
Once you grasp who God really is and what he is like, it will make a difference in your life.
Daniel 11:32 But the people who know their God will be strong…
To properly understand God is the key to trusting him enough that he can live through you. Every facet of who God is becomes practical as we learn to live on the basis of his character. One of the biggest problems in understanding God is when we project human attributes on God. We see God as an image of ourselves – or of our earthly fathers.
Psalm 50:21 (NIV) When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you.
But God has revealed himself in the Bible. Our finite minds cannot reason through to who God is, but the Bible communicates what he is like so that we can know him.
God’s Attributes
The Bible reveals God in terms of his attributes, such as love, justice, holiness, and many more. An attribute of God is not a “part” of God. An attribute is something that is true about God in his basic nature and character. For example, justice is not a part of God. Justice is an essential characteristic of God. Justice cannot be separated from God’s reality or being.
God Is Omnipotent
This means that God is all-powerful. To put it in terms that we can remember and apply, think “he can do it”. God’s omnipotence makes a difference in our daily lives.
- It allows us to pray for the impossible.
- It gives us strength when we are weary and want to quit.
- It gives us hope when facing problems that appear to be insurmountable.
In situations like this, “God can do it.”
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Why is it important to understand what God is really like?
- What are some ways that we tend to project human attributes on to God?
- In what ways have you tended to see God as a reflection of your human father – for good or bad?
- What is God’s omnipotence? How does this make a difference for you?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
