Five Truths About God

Through the first few chapters of Crazy Love, Francis Chan sets the stage based on where we are now and exactly where we need to be. First and foremost, in order for us to be in love with God, it is so important to understand who He is. As merely human, we can never understand fully the majesty of our Lord. But look around you at all the beauty and sophistication of the world and imagine the complexity for which God created all things. Through this, we can catch a glimpse of His greatness as we marvel at the uniqueness of all that is around us. And though we can never fully comprehend, we do know some truths about God that are there for us to grasp as we seek a closer relationship with him.

I. God is holy.
The word holy can be translated into something that is set apart. Isaiah 6:1-3 says "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings; With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'" For the Jews, saying something three times meant ultimate perfection. So to say the Lord is "holy, holy, holy" means that the Lord is perfectly holy, perfectly set apart. In other words, there is none like Him. And to understand that God is perfectly holy means that words cannot contain who He is. Chan puts this into perspective for us by asking the question: Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?

II. God is eternal.
"Each of us had a beginning; everything in existence began on a particular day, at a specific time. Everything, that is, but God." For me, this is evidence enough to look past all the theories science wants you to believe about the creation of the world and us. Think about it: Some being had to make all of this happen at one time or another. That being is our eternal God. Psalms 102: 12&27 says, "But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever, your renown endures through all generations...But you remain the same and your years will never end." Though God is perfectly holy and eternal, He remains the same loving Father for us always.

III. God is all-knowing.
This can be a really scary and a big reason we should fear God. As Chan says, "Each of us, to some degree, fools our friends and family about who we really are." But God certainly knows every bit of who we are. In Psalms 139: 1-4, David shares the following:
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
And he continues in verse 13 saying, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

IV. God is all-powerful.
Colossians 1:16 tells us, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." The key words in this verse are that all things were created for Him. Not for us, but for God. He has power and control of all things and we should not question that authority. I am reminded of Louie Giglio's DVD series "Prayer A Remix". The idea of Giglio's series is that God has blessed us with everything, so lets turn around and bless him and thank him FOR everything. After all, all things were created for him. We are on this earth to be stewards of his blessings.

V. God is fair and just.
In Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14, Solomon tells us, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Simply put, God hates and must punish sin. However, I do feel that there is a caveat for us and that is God's love and his grace that He sent His Son to die for our sins that we may be forgiven. So the real issue is unrepentant sin. It is our responsibility to accept Christ and what he did for us on the cross and then to ask God to forgive us of our debts, allowed by what Christ did.

Even through (or should I say "especially through...") this greatness and majesty of God, He cares for each and every one of us as his own. Even though God is perfectly holy, eternal, all-knowing, and all-powerful, God wants an intimate relationship with each and every one of us. It is our responsibility to answer this call. Not because we should do it but because we want to do and we want to fall in love with God. And understanding who He is can be the start of something very special.