WHO GOD IS!

Charitoō

Listening to patients we visit during our weekly hospital outreach ministry, I have often wondered if we Christians have relationship with the same God?

I am frequently told by patients that God brings them adversity or sickness or tragedy or accidents or setbacks or some kind of affliction to test their faith.

That god stands in direct contrast to my God Who is always a God of all love goodness, kindness, patience, mercy and truth.

And so, I'm baffled by this other god who pretends to be the Christian god of so many Christians. 

I realize there must be a very potent deception and perversion of the Gospel infiltrating the institutional church in a sly and cunning way to portray an angry, sadistic and schizophrenic god that brings afflictions and punishment and chastisement.

Suddenly Good News turned to bad news ...

Yet, if we'd only fellowship with God on this and open ourselves to His truth - the Gospel of Grace!

I take it that James, the brother of Jesus, was serious when he said:

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man Jas 1:13 

When Moses asked God who he should say sent him, who should he reveal, He revealed to Moses Who He Is.

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth Exo 34:5-6

So, when Jesus manifested in the likeness of flesh, this is exactly what He revealed about Himself, God, throughout.

But lets look at those words...

1. Merciful: רַחוּם rachûm - means God's compassion, God's love, God's tender affection, to deeply love (same as Greek Agape). The pictograph says: The Highest revealed blood pointing to the Highest expression of affection and what Jesus did on the cross - no greater love has anyone shown than to die for a friend! John 5:13
2. Gracious: channûn from the root חָנָה chânâh - means gracious, unconditional favour, to bestow great consideration (same as the Greek Charis). The pictograph says: Reveal seed of Grace speaking of the Seed of Man, Jesus - God's ultimate Grace.
3. Longsuffering: אָרֵךְ 'ârêk אַף 'aph - from two words: the word long meaning long, slow, patient and the word suffering meaning anger or anxious.
4. Goodness: חֵסֵד chêsêd - means goodness, kindness, faithfulness, mercy. The pictograph says: Fence (security) turned (opened) to enter pointing to Jesus as being the door to life John 10:7.
5. Truth: אֶמֶת 'emeth - means faithfulness, surety, reliability, confirmation, firm-standing. The pictograph says: leader (power) blood cross (covenant) talks about the faithfulness of the most powerful leader (Jesus) who shed his blood on the cross as a covenant for us!

Again. Look at Jesus! He manifested the very prophecy contained even in these words. He manifested the very character and being of God. He displayed the all-true being of YHVH (the Hand by Grace Nailed by Grace):

being good only
being merciful only
being patient only
being gracious only
being truth only
... being LOVE!

So, I guess Paul was right when he said:

... the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2Co 4:4

A relationship is not to just to know of the existence of someone and then attribute hearsay and our own interpretations at will.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. Jas 2:19 

Beloved, as New Testament heirs we are so, so privileged to know the One and True God, Jesus ... to daily be reminded and embraced and shaken-up and encouraged and comforted by the Spirit of Truth abiding and working from within about Him! 

Glory to the Holy Spirit!

Glory to Jesus, The Truth, The Way, The Life Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature Col 1:15