Preview: This lesson is part 1 of a 3 part series that walks through the identity of the Godhead. This lesson covers the identity of God the Father.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-16.
Memory Verse: II Corinthians 6:18.
1. How does God choose to be addressed? Exodus 3:13-15.
Note: God is addressed in many ways throughout the Bible, but His most holy and revered name is Yahweh or, as most English translations show it, LORD. Yahweh translates to I AM, which shows the true divinity of God. He is everything He says He is all of the time, whereas we are what we say we are only some of the time (2017, Tim Mackie). God is consistent in all things.
2. How is God physically described? Exodus 33:20, John 4:24, Ezekiel 1:26-28, I John 3:2.
3. Discuss what it means to serve a living God. Acts 14:15, Jeremiah 10:10-11, Hebrews 4:12-13, Hebrews 9:13-14, Matthew 16:16-18.
4. How many gods do we have? I Corinthians 8:5-6.
Note: When it says that there are many that are called gods and lords, this simply means that there are “gods” that people worship – people may think that they are worshipping a god because miracles may occur, but people also forget that demons perform miracles as well. If you are not worshipping the God of Israel, you are worshipping a demon.
5. How many entities make up the Godhead? Are they separate? Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 8:6, II Corinthians 3:17, Colossians 2:8-9.
6. What is God? John 4:24, I Timothy 1:17, Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 40:28, John 1:1, I John 4:16.
7. What are the attributes of God? Exodus 34:6-7, Ephesians 2:4-6, I John 1:5, II Corinthians 1:3.
8. Describe the justice of God. Exodus 34:7, Malachi 3:5-6, Romans 2:11-13, Jeremiah 18:7-8, James 2:12-13.
Note: God is both love and justice, but God is described as having love that triumphs even over justice. This is not to say that God doesn’t enact justice or that justice in any way gets canceled out, but that even through judgment, God is loving you. If you think God is always out to get you or that He is monitoring you to try to catch you in sin, you are distorting the character of God. God cares deeply about how we treat each other because He loves us; if you are sinning against your neighbor and God enacts justice on you, He is not doing so because He hates you, He's doing so because He loves them (and you), and He wants you to reform your ways.
9. Does God punish children for their parent’s sins? Explain. Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 18:20.
Note: God judges the individual for their own actions – i.e. everyone will be punished because of their own sins – not for the sins of their parents or their children. God will judge as many generations as needed to get people to hold themselves accountable for their own actions, He will not punish the generation that owns up to their own faults and takes them to Him. Your parent’s sin doesn’t condemn you, but if you perpetuate the sins of your parents, you will be judged.
10. Why does God give us freewill and how does that reflect His character? Galatians 5:13, Romans 10:9-10, John 1:12-14, Ezekiel 18:30-32, Romans 6:12-18.
Note: Free will is given because God wants US to choose HIM on our own. He does not want puppets that “love” Him out of obligation, He wants a relationship akin to a Father and His children. All beings have free will, including angels, which is why Lucifer and his angels rebelled.
11. Where is God the Father? I John 5:7, Isaiah 66:1, Psalm 11:4.