A. THE THREE MAJOR NAMES OF GOD
1. Elohim – Creator God, Strong One.
2. Jehovah – LORD, Covenant Keeper.
3. Adonai – Lord, Master.
B. INTRODUCTION TO ELOHIM/GOD
1. The name of God (Elohim) is the most common designation.
a. It comes from El, meaning “strong one,” and alah, which means “to swear or bind with an oath.”
b. It is used 2,500 times in the Bible.
2. The name Elohim (God), is usually used with the unsaved or inanimate objects.
a. First name used for God in the Bible (Gen. 1:1).
b. Name used as the Creator in Genesis 1.
3. Elohim is plural and implies the Trinity.
C. THE TRINITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. The name of God—Elohim implies the Trinity because it is a compound unity.
a. “Let us make man in our image” (v. 26), “the man is become as one of us” (3:22), “Let us go down” (11:7), “who will go for us?” (Isa .6:8).
b. Modern-day Jews call this “plural majesty.”
2. The Trinitarian formulas in the Old Testament.
a. “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3).
b. The Aaronic benediction of God (Num. 6:24-26).
3. The Hebrew Shema (Jewish statement of faith), which maintains the unity of God, implies the Trinity, “The LOR
4. The Old Testament distinguishes between God and God (Gen. 19:24).
a. The Lord has a Son (Ps. 2:7).
b. The Spirit distinguished from God (Gen. 1:1-2).
5. Clear statement of the Trinity. “I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God (Father), and His Spirit (Holy Spirit), hath sent Me (Son)” (Isa. 48:16).
D. WHO IS GOD?
1. God is a person. Hegel, the German philosopher, said that God is an impersonal being, like a plate on the table.
a. God as a person. God has self-awareness (Ex. 3:14).
b. God has intellect. He speaks, listens, understand and has memory (Gen. 18:19; Ex. 3:7; Jer. 51:15).
c. God has emotion. He loves, hates, feels sorrow and kindness (Gen. 6:6; Ps. 7:11; 103:8-13).
d. God has a will. He decides (Prov. 21:1; Daniel 4:35).
2. God is spirit (John 4:24). This means:
a. He is an incorporeal being (nonphysical).
b. He is invisible (Col. 1:15).
c. He is pure (quality and quantify).
3. God is life. “The living God” (Matt. 16:16; Josh. 3:10).
a. What is life? Life is energy.
b. God is the energy that holds atoms and molecules together (Col. 1:17).
4. God is a self-existent being (Ex. 3:14). He exists by Himself, within Himself and for Himself.
5. God is immutable or unchangeable (Num. 23:19).
a. All change is for better or worse, but since God is perfect, He cannot improve or deteriorate.
b. Since God is unchangeable by His nature, He must continue in an unchanging existence.
c. When God appears to change, repent (1 Sam. 15:11), the changes is in a person, not God. When a person changes, this calls for a change in God’s response to this person.
6. God is unlimited in time and space.
a. Time is the sequence of events, and God exists beyond events (Ps. 90:2; 102:27).
b. Space is the distance between objects, and God exists beyond the last object in the universe. God inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15).
7. God is one (the unity of God). “The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6).
E. DISCUSSION
1. To curse by God’s name, to take it in vain is to reject God and His control over your life (Ex. 20:7).
2. The more you learn about the many names of God, the more you will know Him and His ways.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
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Dr. Towns' email is ELTowns@liberty.edu
