God's Divine Nature | Access-Jesus.com

Bible Summary.

God nature is perfect. The essence of God's divine nature is love and righteousness. He is the source of a divine love called “agape” love. This is a love of unmerited favor. It is a love that is offered to all of mankind through God's grace. God's divine nature is also the source of righteousness in the world. His nature is the source of all goodness, love, truth, and wisdom. God's divine nature is so awesome that we cannot fully comprehend God. His nature is a great mystery to us that He reveals to mankind at the right place in time. See below for Biblical commentary and scriptures concerning God's divine nature. Key Bible verses: 1 John 4:17, Psalms 33:5, 1 John 4:8, Colossians 2:3, and Colossians 2:2.

The Perfection of God's Divine Nature.

God’s nature can be summed up in two words: love and righteousness. God is the only one that is perfect and only through discovering and growing closer to Him, can we be made perfect in righteousness.  See Scripture Commentary: 1 John 4:17 advises us how to obtain the perfect nature of God.

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YEHOVAH Declares HE IS THE ONLY GOD and SAVIOR

“Thus says YEHOVAH, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer,YEHOVAH of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.

^{Isaiah 44:6}

 “Listen to Me, O Jacob,
And Israel, My called:
I am He, I am the First,
I am also the Last.
 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens...

^{Isaiah 48:12-13}

“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am YEHOVAH,
And besides Me there is no Savior.

Isaiah 43:10-11

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” 

^{Rev 1:11, 17, 2:8, 22:13} 

If you will open your Bible and read the passages from Isaiah in context you will see that they are a powerful personal testimony. YEHOVAH, Himself, is speaking. He boldly proclaims that He is God! He is not just a god, He is the only God, and He offers proof. His proof is His Omniscience. He knows all things and He has no rivals, not men or false gods. He knows and has declared the truth about the beginning and the end. The Bible is full of His prophetic revelations about the past and the future and none has been proven false. So, YEHOVAH'S testimony is trustworthy.

YEHOVAH declares that He is the ONLY GOD. There was no god before YEHOVAH and there will be no god after YEHOVAH. He is the ETERNALLY EXISTING "I AM." To be clear, in the Bible, YEHOVAH has revealed Himself as existing eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All Three Persons of the Godhead are YEHOVAH. They are One God in three Persons: the Trinity.

YEHOVAH is the CREATOR of heaven and earth! He tells all about His creative activity in Genesis. He says He spoke everything into existence in six days and rested on the seventh day. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all evident in the creation process. 

YEHOVAH says He is the King of Israel. Jesus, in His resurrected body, will reign over this renovated earth in the city of Jerusalem for 1000 years and then over the new earth for eternity! Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in human form but the Trinity will abide with believers forever.

YEHOVAH is also the Redeemer of mankind, and the Only Savior. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us with the Father. When we believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, the Holy Spirit brings us into the body of Christ and guarantees eternal life. 

Reading these three verses you find two critical concepts: belief and unbelief. Our place in eternity depends on belief in Jesus or unbelief concerning Jesus.

A believer is not currently condemned and will not be condemned in the future. He will not be called before YEHOVAH'S Great White Throne for judgment and perish eternally. He has now and will continue to have everlasting life. His name is written in the Book of Life. He will stand before the Bema Seat of Jesus Christ to receive rewards for good deeds done after salvation, or he will lose rewards if He has no acceptable deeds. Either way, he has everlasting life with YEHOVAH, Angels and all Believers because he was saved by grace for Jesus' sake.

On the other hand, an unbeliever is currently under the wrath of YEHOVAH for rejecting the sacrifice made for him by Jesus, God's Son. He is condemned to perish. His name is not written in the Book of Life and all his evil deeds are recorded in a book which will be reviewed when he appears for his trial and sentencing at the Great White Throne judgement. He will never experience life. All who go to that judgement will be cast into the Lake of Fire with Satan, fallen angels, demons and unbelievers to suffer for eternity. This is called the second death. See Revelation 20:10-15. 

If you have not believed in Jesus before now, I urge you to consider your situation. YEHOVAH (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) loves you! Jesus died for you! 

If you sense the Spirit of God drawing you through His Word, please respond to Him. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He paid your sin debt you will be saved. Today is the day of Salvation and there is no other Savior. Please put your trust in Him and call on Him today.

May you experience peace, joy, love and everlasting life! 

 All scriptures are from the NKJV but I have removed "the LORD" and reinserted YEHOVAH to restore
God's Name to His Word as He intended it to be there originally. 

Instantaneous Creation Out of Nothing!

We are living at a time in history when evolution is trumpeted far and wide. Our schools use textbooks which call it a theory but teach it as an unassailable fact. Teachers, college professors, and even scientists are censured and excoriated if they question its validity at any level. Museums are filled with preposterous exhibits purporting to display factually accurate depictions of the evolutionary development of animals and even "homo sapiens." And, the media is saturating our society with the "billions of years" lie of evolution.

These times remind me of David's lament in Psalm 11:3, " When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Well, he doesn't advise us to head for the hills or to keep our mouths shut. The contextual answer is we can remember that God is in charge and He is watching. Therefore, we need to live righteous lives and trust Him to deal with the wicked in due time. And, the practical answer is, we can continue to stand on and share the truth revealed in His Word. And, in that light, I want to talk to you about God's Good Creation.

The Universe Was Spoken into Existence by Jesus

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3

"...by (Jesus Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:16

First, notice who existed prior to creation. John says, "in the beginning" (the starting point in eternity for the creation process) the Word (Jesus) existed. He existed with the Divine and as the Divine. The eternally existing Divinity dwelt in the Perfection He had in Himself. Nothing had been created so there were no angels, good or bad, as yet.

Next, John and Paul both testify that Jesus Christ created all things! All things in heaven and on earth. All things seen as well us unseen! All things inanimate as well as animate- including all powerful beings, mortal (human) and immortal (angelic).

By faith we understand that the universe was perfectly fit together by the spoken word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Heb 11:3

Notice the connection between faith and reason! "By faith we understand." It's not that we merely have a hope or a theory. Since the universe is a single, intricately designed unit, wherein every part operates in an orderly fashion as it is governed by ordained physical laws, we have evidential reason to firmly believe that it was created by a powerful, intelligent Being.

And, a Being powerful enough and intelligent enough to create and govern such a magnificent universe is surely capable of revealing Himself to us and telling us about His creative activity; which is exactly what He did. Thus, "by faith we understand" that Jesus spoke everything in the universe into existence. He said it. It's demonstrably reasonable. I believe it.  That's faith! And that's loving God with "all your mind!"

No random process could have caused the intelligent design we see throughout the universe. No random process could have created the laws governing the universe. There are no missing links. All reasonable, un-tampered-with evidence, points to the truth revealed in God's Word. There was nothing but God and then Jesus spoke and everything came into existence as He called it into existence.

In a matter of six days God created a mature, fully functioning universe including the angelic beings and the earth and all its life forms with Adam and Eve to rule over it. God's revelation to us in this verse alone completely voids any claim concerning evolutionary progressionism wherein the things that we see are supposed to have evolved from primitive matter to a more complex state over a lengthy period of time.

 This verse says the things which we see came into existence instantaneously out of nothing according to the spoken command of Jesus.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Exodus 20:11a

The Angels Were Spoken into Existence by Jesus.

Praise Him, all His angels...all His hosts...sun and moon...all stars of light...heavens of heavens... waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. Psa 148:1-5

Christians often speak as if they believe Satan has been around a lot longer than mankind. They imagine that he and myriads of angels were faithfully serving God for eons before God created man. They even suppose he must have fallen before Adam and Eve were created. I say, according to the clear teaching of scripture, they need to think again. These misconceptions demote man from his unique position as God's original image-bearer and heir- the very purpose of creation. The universe was created as man's habitat. The earth was created to be his home. Angels were created to minister to "the heirs of salvation."

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit? Heb 1:14


Unlike the special, personal, creation of Adam and Eve as individuals by Jesus, Himself; notice that all these celestial creations of God were created on command. Their creation was instantaneous and impersonal. He spoke. They came into existence.

Also notice when the heavens and angels were created. In His discourse with Job, God asked him, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"  Job 38:4-7

In the beginning God created the heavens (atmosphere, outer space, God's place) and the earth. ...So the evening and the morning were the first day. Gen 1:1,5

Since the angels 'shouted for joy' when God 'fastened' the foundations of the earth and 'laid its cornerstone', they must have been called into existence by God early on the first day of creation.

God's Creation Was Completed and Very Good on the 6^th Day.


Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Gen 1:31

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Gen 2:1-3

Note: God says everything was finished in six days. He didn't just get things started and then let things evolve, they were perfectly formed and functional. He even placed mating barriers between species to maintain their physical integrity. (Barriers- not links!) And since God said that everything- including the heavenly host- 'was very good', it clearly means Lucifer and his followers could not have fallen yet.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens... Gen 2:4


The Word of God tells us His Story about His Good Creation! And, no matter what other voices declare otherwise, we can rely on His veracity. This is our true foundation.

 

Why Do YOU Ask My Name?

<sup>We've all heard the stories of little children attempting to baptize their dolls or animals. Having seen and heard the ceremony performed by adults, they feel like they know what needs to be done. They just need some water, something or someone to dunk and the right words to say. It seems so simple to them. So they get their doll or a pet or even another child and a little water and seem to be performing the ritual quite well until they say, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and in the hole you go." The children, not knowing about the Holy Ghost, aren't even aware of the problem, but an adult overhearing those words immediately realizes they lack understanding. Because it's done by children, in innocence, it's funny. But, on the serious side, it  reveals just how important it is to know names and their meanings.

As human beings, apart from special revelation, we just don't know God. We don't know who He really is, what He can do, or what He wants from us. So, throughout history, He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through supernatural activities linked to Divine Names. In the Old Testament, God primarily revealed Himself as Yahweh, The Existing One, The Great I AM! However, He also revealed Himself as I AM Who Sees, I AM Who Heals, I AM Who Provides, I AM your Peace, I AM your Banner, I AM your Righteousness, etc. And finally, in New Testament times God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, Who is just like Him, to give us the clearest revelation of God that it is possible. He Is the ultimate fulfillment of all the names of God.


In this lesson, Manoah asks God, "What is your name?" And God responds with a question, "Why do you ask my name?" It's a very personal question that applies to all of us. Are we just curious and eager for more head knowledge or do we truly want a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Let's look at the story.</sup>

Again the Israelites did what was evil in the LORD’S sight, so Yahweh handed them over to the Philistines, who kept them in subjection for forty years. In those days, a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, "Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazarite from birth. He will (begin to) rescue Israel from the Philistines."

In this passage, we find Israel in need of a deliverer. God will provide for them so the wife of Manoah is visited by the Angel of Yahweh. She is given instructions for Samson's care and prophetic insight into his required lifestyle and accomplishments.

The woman ran and told her husband, "A man of God appeared to me! He was like one of God's angels, terrifying to look at. I didn't ask where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name. But he told me, "You will become pregnant and give birth to a son.  You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazarite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death."

Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh. He said, "Yahweh, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born."

Manoah displayed no lack of faith in his wife’s word or God’s promise so he responded more appropriately then the priest, Zechariah, who was personally visited by the angel Gabriel concerning the coming birth of his son, John the Baptist! The difference is, Elizabeth didn't ask for more instructions when Zechariah gave her Gabriel's report but Manoah wanted to hear it first hand, possibly because he thought it was the man's place to hear from God, not the woman's.  

God answered his prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her.
So she quickly ran and told her husband, "The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!"
Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, "Are you the man who talked to my wife the other day?"
 "Yes," he replied, "I am."
So Manoah asked him, "When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?"

This is a rather humorous passage seeing that God answered Manoah's request for another visit but met with his wife again when he wasn't there. (It was apparently the only way He could speak directly with her.) Was God trying to show Manoah He knew what He was doing the first time? Perhaps. At any rate, his wife knew how anxious he was about the situation so she ran to get him. And, when he arrived, he took control and asked all the questions. He expressed a simple, surface kind of faith, and then he asked for more rules. But he received nothing new, just a repeat of what his wife had already told him.

A desire for rules always indicates a lack of desire for relationship. Rules seem safe but they aren’t dynamic and vital. The letter of the law deprives of spiritual life and the Holy Spirit makes alive. But the Lord worked with him as he was.
[See 2 Cor 3:6]

The angel of Yahweh replied, "Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food."
Then Manoah said... "Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat."
"I will stay...but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to Yahweh."

Sadly, Manoah didn’t realize he was talking with God– the Pre-incarnate Jesus. Even when he was told he could make a sacrifice for God, he still didn’t get it.

Then Manoah asked ... "What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you."

His spiritual dullness is appalling. He doesn't exhibit a reverential fear of the angel of Yahweh. He doesn't fall down before Him and try to worship Him as others in scriptural accounts did. He just asks, in a casual way, "What’s your name?" Which, of course, revealed that he had no idea with whom he was speaking.

"Why do you ask my name?" the angel of Yahweh replied. "You wouldn’t understand if I told you." NLT
King James says ‘Why do you ask My name, seeing it is secret?’
New King James says, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?"

The New Living Translation actually tells you what the angel of Yahweh meant, not what he said. Whereas, the King James and New King James tell you what he said. The angel of Yahweh actually said His name was secret or wonderful because God, in Himself, is impossible to understand. He is Incomprehensible! He has no limits or bounds. He works Wonders. Everything about Him is Extraordinary and thus beyond the comprehension of mortals. And, more particularly, mortals who are spiritually dull-- not in close relationship with Him.

Does this sound like a conversation between two people who are struggling to communicate with one another? The relationship is so shallow that a real depth of understanding is unlikely, so the angel of Yahweh simply stated the truth.

Manoah lacked the ability to understand His name. Why? There are at least two reasons.

1. God’s name is Wonderfully Incomprehensible– even for those Who have a personal relationship with Him.

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations–- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using — according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-©imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Col 2:20-23(NKJV)　

2. Manoah had a shallow relationship with God which was based on ritual behavior (rules). In other words, he lacked the intimacy with God that only comes from mutual personal revelations and shared experiences. How can we tell that?

Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to Yahweh.

Notice Manoah’s response. Instead of pleading with the Angel, "Help Me! I really want to know you." He just offered a ritual sacrifice. He fulfilled the letter of the law but lacked the Spirit of it. He is no Moses, no Abraham, no Job, no Jacob. We see no change wrought in him by this encounter. He just believed. He didn't expect much from His God. He certainly didn’t expect great things.

What a tragedy! What a missed opportunity! If Manoah had known God better, Samson's life might have turned out differently. You remember Samson grew up as a Nazarite. He was not to cut his hair or partake of the vine or come in contact with the dead. He started out trying to live by those rules but he failed because rules have no power to restrain the fleshly nature. Samuel and John the Baptist each fulfilled their lifetime Nazarite vow, but we are clearly told they had devout parents whose personal relationship with God mentored them. Because Samson failed to maintain a personal relationship with Yahweh, he lived an immoral life and eventually broke all the Nazarite rules and literally brought destruction on his own head and he only partially delivered Israel from the Philistines.

Note: God’s people often live in a state of partial deliverance because they don’t really know God. They have a ritual relationship which leads to a ‘whited sepulchre’ existence and an avoidance of wholeheartedly pursuing God. They wither on the vine and their children often perish.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being a priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." Hosea 4:6

"If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me (with all your heart). I will be found by you, says Yahweh. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes." Jeremiah 29:13 -14a NLT

And as Manoah and his wife watched, Yahweh did an amazing thing. As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of Yahweh ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground. The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. 

Rather than tell them His name, He gave them a small exhibition of His power. It was only a little sample of the wonders He can perform; but, it left an impact on them.

Manoah finally realized it was the angel of Yahweh, and he said to his wife, "We will die, for we have seen God!"

Maybe this response was why Jesus didn’t clearly reveal Himself – lest Manoah die of fright!

But his wife said, "If Yahweh were going to kill us, he wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles."

Here’s another passage of encouragement for women! Hers was the voice of faith and reason.

When her son was born, they named him Samson. And Yahweh blessed him as he grew up. And in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the Spirit of Yahweh began to take hold of him. Judges 13:1 - 25(NLT)

Let’s Review What We’ve Learned from this Story.

 1. God truly reveals Himself (Who and How He Is) only to His intimates.

He made known His ways (character) to Moses, His acts (deeds) to the children of Israel. Psalms 103:7 NKJ/NLT

2. God can only be even partially understood in the context of a personal relationship with Him because He's incomprehensible, but revealed in Jesus.

"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it. Luke 10:22-24     

3. God wants a heart relationship with His people.

And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote." Isa 29:13

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  Matt 22:37 KJV

                            "Why Do YOU Ask My Name?"

  

A Singular Retreat

Three blackbirds on a naked tree limb overlooking

The confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassi rivers

On a gorgeous October day. What more could one desire?

Add a soaring, circling hawk, the mowed grass, the beautiful

Greenery God so bountifully supplies and a tractor kicking up

A trail of dust in a distant field; all lovely signs of given life.

Hark, the hawk shares its plaintive cry

And a dog barks from afar.

The smaller birds trill and whistle, sight unseen,

Then a whippoorwill outdoes them all, and I marvel

At God’s created world; His great supply.

Nine buzzards are aloft in search of prey and nature’s grand

Parade continues to entertain and delight my senses.

How good to be here in retreat from the hustle and bustle

Outside our cloistered neighborhood.

On your back porch with Princess and Annabel

Bringing companionship to this perfect scene,

I am at peace; stilled in my heart before my God.

Enjoying His benefits, and experiencing His gracious love.