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SOME people believe that God is everywhere, present in the stars and planets, in the rainbow, in a bird’s wing, in a blade of grass. However, the Bible teaches that God, as a Person, has a definite location. Wise King Solomon said in a prayer to God: “You must also hear from the heavens, your established place of dwelling.” And in the Bible book of Isaiah, God himself is quoted as saying: “The heavens are my throne.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post.
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Though God himself is not present in his creation, his personality traits are reflected there. Said the apostle Paul at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.” The psalmist David similarly wrote: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling. One day after another day causes speech to bubble forth, and one night after another night shows forth knowledge.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Yes, look out on a starry night and contemplate for a moment the enormous wisdom and power needed to create and maintain our universe! (Compare You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..) Indeed, creation is an inexhaustible source of information about God’s personality. And man can never fully perceive the enormous witness it sounds out regarding God’s qualities and attributes. The book of Job reminds us: “Look! These are the fringes of his ways, and what a whisper of a matter has been heard of him!” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) There is an old Swedish saying: ‘The master is greater than his works.’ Accordingly, if creation is great, God must be greater; if creation displays wisdom, God must be wiser; if creation demonstrates power, God must be even more powerful!
The Bible—God’s Book
Creation thus yields much information about God. However, can a study of creation tell you God’s name? Will it reveal what is the purpose behind creation or why he permits wickedness? Answers to such questions require more than a study of God’s material works. Fortunately, God has seen to it that such information about him is set out in the Bible.
There God is never presented as an abstract, indefinable intellect or an omnipresent force or power. At You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. we read about “the person of Jehovah.” When his Son, Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead, the Bible says that he entered into heaven itself to appear before “the person [literally, “face”] of God.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., Kingdom Interlinear) Certainly, Jesus never called God a Great Force, Infinite Intellect, or any other abstract term when he talked about him or prayed to him. On the contrary, he often called him heavenly Father, a term revealing his deep intimacy with God.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
God is therefore not a nameless “Something” but rather a Person with a name. Says You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” True, the Bible also uses titles or descriptive terms for God: “Almighty,” “King of eternity,” “savior,” “Shepherd,” “Ancient of Days,” “overseer,” “Grand Instructor,” “Grand Maker,” “Rock.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Such terms, however, reveal further facets of God’s personality, such as his almightiness, his loving concern for his people, and his infinite wisdom.
Because God is a Person, he also has likes and dislikes—even feelings. The Bible tells us that he loves his people (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), rejoices in his works (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), hates idolatry (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), and feels hurt over wickedness. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) At You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. he is even called “the happy God.”
Knowing God Intimately
True, no human mind is roomy enough to hold the entire revelation of God’s personality. “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are! For ‘who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his counselor?’” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Nevertheless, for one with faith, God can be as real as any other person. The Bible tells us that “Noah walked with the true God,” as if Jehovah were by his very side. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) God was also so real to Moses that it was as if he were “seeing the One who is invisible.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) And of Abraham it was said that he was “Jehovah’s friend.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Of course, God personally revealed himself to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. ‘Well, if God would reveal himself to me in such a personal way,’ some might say, ‘he would be real to me too.’ Remember, though, Noah, Abraham, and Moses did not have the Bible. They did not know about Jesus Christ nor of all the dozens of prophecies he fulfilled. As a result, all that Jesus Christ revealed about God was unknown to them. Under such circumstances, it was necessary and appropriate for God to make such direct revelations of himself.
Today, however, we have both the Bible and the perspective of centuries of fulfillment of Bible prophecies. We have the Gospel records of the life, works, and words of Jesus Christ. And says Paul: “It is in him [Christ] that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Yes, we are in a position to know God with an intimacy that was not possible in the days of the patriarchs. Does this not overwhelmingly compensate for the fact that he has not directly revealed himself to us?
Bible Reading Brings Us Close to God
We read at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” By reading the Bible, we can draw close to God. But how? For one thing, by reading a portion of the Bible each day, you learn new characteristics and attributes of his personality. As you read, repeatedly stop and ask yourself: ‘What did I learn about God in this verse or portion?’ In addition, you can pray for God’s spirit to act as a “helper” in your comprehension and in your drawing close to God.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
“I have appreciated getting a much better understanding of Jehovah as a person,” declared one Christian woman who read the Bible from cover to cover. She was a student at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, which trains missionaries who are sent all over the world. What method of Bible study is used in this school? Explains one of the instructors: “We started on a project of studying the whole Bible as a group. We took 10 to 15 pages a day, with all . . . students doing research and contributing to our discussion. If we encountered a difficult verse, we considered (1) the context, (2) the circumstances at the time of writing, and (3) the meaning of key words in the text. We constantly asked, ‘What does this tell us about Jehovah and his qualities?’ We found it always told us something about him.”
Although you may not have the privilege of studying the Bible formally at this school, some of these study methods may work well for you and your family. For example, among Jehovah’s Witnesses it is the custom to study a few chapters of the Bible each week in connection with their congregation meetings. Why not follow this schedule of Bible reading as a family? Further, the Watch Tower Society publishes research helps, such as Aid to Bible Understanding and the New World Translation Reference Bible, which can help you with difficult Bible passages.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. A regular program of Bible reading can greatly enhance your appreciation of Jehovah’s personality.
You may also select a portion of the Bible that has particular appeal to you. If, for example, you choose to study the 17 verses in You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., you will find at least 15 traits in God’s personality: He is good, ready to forgive, abundant in loving-kindness, willing to answer prayers, unequaled among the gods, unmatched as a creative worker, a sovereign ruler, a great doer of wondrous things, a deliverer from death, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in trueness, a helper, and a comforter. What better goal could you have than trying to learn about your Creator?
Great Benefits From Knowing God
Reaching our ultimate goal of everlasting life is just one benefit from knowing God. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Additionally, there is the benefit of having a daily companion who cares for you and is as stable as a rock. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) When King David felt surrounded by enemies and burdened down by problems, he found that God was the only real helper available. He therefore said: “Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
You, too, can enjoy such a relationship with God, if you but take the time to come to know him. It is not too difficult. Put forth the effort to read his Word. Associate with those whose lives demonstrate that they know God, such as the ones who brought you this journal. Call upon Jehovah in prayer. For God is not some impersonal force that will be deaf to your outcries. He is a living God and a “Hearer of prayer.” And “if you search for him, he will let himself be found by you.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Though God himself is not present in his creation, his personality traits are reflected there. Said the apostle Paul at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.” The psalmist David similarly wrote: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling. One day after another day causes speech to bubble forth, and one night after another night shows forth knowledge.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Yes, look out on a starry night and contemplate for a moment the enormous wisdom and power needed to create and maintain our universe! (Compare You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..) Indeed, creation is an inexhaustible source of information about God’s personality. And man can never fully perceive the enormous witness it sounds out regarding God’s qualities and attributes. The book of Job reminds us: “Look! These are the fringes of his ways, and what a whisper of a matter has been heard of him!” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) There is an old Swedish saying: ‘The master is greater than his works.’ Accordingly, if creation is great, God must be greater; if creation displays wisdom, God must be wiser; if creation demonstrates power, God must be even more powerful!
The Bible—God’s Book
Creation thus yields much information about God. However, can a study of creation tell you God’s name? Will it reveal what is the purpose behind creation or why he permits wickedness? Answers to such questions require more than a study of God’s material works. Fortunately, God has seen to it that such information about him is set out in the Bible.
There God is never presented as an abstract, indefinable intellect or an omnipresent force or power. At You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. we read about “the person of Jehovah.” When his Son, Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead, the Bible says that he entered into heaven itself to appear before “the person [literally, “face”] of God.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., Kingdom Interlinear) Certainly, Jesus never called God a Great Force, Infinite Intellect, or any other abstract term when he talked about him or prayed to him. On the contrary, he often called him heavenly Father, a term revealing his deep intimacy with God.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
God is therefore not a nameless “Something” but rather a Person with a name. Says You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” True, the Bible also uses titles or descriptive terms for God: “Almighty,” “King of eternity,” “savior,” “Shepherd,” “Ancient of Days,” “overseer,” “Grand Instructor,” “Grand Maker,” “Rock.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Such terms, however, reveal further facets of God’s personality, such as his almightiness, his loving concern for his people, and his infinite wisdom.
Because God is a Person, he also has likes and dislikes—even feelings. The Bible tells us that he loves his people (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), rejoices in his works (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), hates idolatry (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), and feels hurt over wickedness. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) At You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. he is even called “the happy God.”
Knowing God Intimately
True, no human mind is roomy enough to hold the entire revelation of God’s personality. “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are! For ‘who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his counselor?’” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Nevertheless, for one with faith, God can be as real as any other person. The Bible tells us that “Noah walked with the true God,” as if Jehovah were by his very side. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) God was also so real to Moses that it was as if he were “seeing the One who is invisible.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) And of Abraham it was said that he was “Jehovah’s friend.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Of course, God personally revealed himself to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. ‘Well, if God would reveal himself to me in such a personal way,’ some might say, ‘he would be real to me too.’ Remember, though, Noah, Abraham, and Moses did not have the Bible. They did not know about Jesus Christ nor of all the dozens of prophecies he fulfilled. As a result, all that Jesus Christ revealed about God was unknown to them. Under such circumstances, it was necessary and appropriate for God to make such direct revelations of himself.
Today, however, we have both the Bible and the perspective of centuries of fulfillment of Bible prophecies. We have the Gospel records of the life, works, and words of Jesus Christ. And says Paul: “It is in him [Christ] that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Yes, we are in a position to know God with an intimacy that was not possible in the days of the patriarchs. Does this not overwhelmingly compensate for the fact that he has not directly revealed himself to us?
Bible Reading Brings Us Close to God
We read at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” By reading the Bible, we can draw close to God. But how? For one thing, by reading a portion of the Bible each day, you learn new characteristics and attributes of his personality. As you read, repeatedly stop and ask yourself: ‘What did I learn about God in this verse or portion?’ In addition, you can pray for God’s spirit to act as a “helper” in your comprehension and in your drawing close to God.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
“I have appreciated getting a much better understanding of Jehovah as a person,” declared one Christian woman who read the Bible from cover to cover. She was a student at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, which trains missionaries who are sent all over the world. What method of Bible study is used in this school? Explains one of the instructors: “We started on a project of studying the whole Bible as a group. We took 10 to 15 pages a day, with all . . . students doing research and contributing to our discussion. If we encountered a difficult verse, we considered (1) the context, (2) the circumstances at the time of writing, and (3) the meaning of key words in the text. We constantly asked, ‘What does this tell us about Jehovah and his qualities?’ We found it always told us something about him.”
Although you may not have the privilege of studying the Bible formally at this school, some of these study methods may work well for you and your family. For example, among Jehovah’s Witnesses it is the custom to study a few chapters of the Bible each week in connection with their congregation meetings. Why not follow this schedule of Bible reading as a family? Further, the Watch Tower Society publishes research helps, such as Aid to Bible Understanding and the New World Translation Reference Bible, which can help you with difficult Bible passages.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. A regular program of Bible reading can greatly enhance your appreciation of Jehovah’s personality.
You may also select a portion of the Bible that has particular appeal to you. If, for example, you choose to study the 17 verses in You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., you will find at least 15 traits in God’s personality: He is good, ready to forgive, abundant in loving-kindness, willing to answer prayers, unequaled among the gods, unmatched as a creative worker, a sovereign ruler, a great doer of wondrous things, a deliverer from death, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in trueness, a helper, and a comforter. What better goal could you have than trying to learn about your Creator?
Great Benefits From Knowing God
Reaching our ultimate goal of everlasting life is just one benefit from knowing God. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Additionally, there is the benefit of having a daily companion who cares for you and is as stable as a rock. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) When King David felt surrounded by enemies and burdened down by problems, he found that God was the only real helper available. He therefore said: “Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
You, too, can enjoy such a relationship with God, if you but take the time to come to know him. It is not too difficult. Put forth the effort to read his Word. Associate with those whose lives demonstrate that they know God, such as the ones who brought you this journal. Call upon Jehovah in prayer. For God is not some impersonal force that will be deaf to your outcries. He is a living God and a “Hearer of prayer.” And “if you search for him, he will let himself be found by you.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..