“I am that I am.”

The God of the Bible: Exodus 3:14

Secularism

Secularists do not believe in God. Neither do Christians believe in the multitudes of false gods that are worshipped around the world. Such gods are an embarrassment to the pious as well as to the rational mind, but their existence is enough to convince secularists that religion is not for them. Secularists overlook the fact that counterfeits usually point to a reality, especially when there is a demand, and man’s religious sensibility looks for God and finds false gods. Religion is in demand and there is plenty of supply to meet it.

The God of the Bible

Those who don’t read their Bible need to know that the God of the Bible is not like the puerile, superstitious gods that the Babylonians, Greeks or Romans worshipped. God told the Jews to avoid the astrology and the nonsense in which so many of their neighbours engaged. Indeed, He commanded Abraham to leave this superstitious religion behind him and to clear out of Ur of the Chaldees, that is, out of Babylon.

God revealed Himself to Abraham, the progenitor of the Jews and the arabs, and taught him that He was the invisible Creator Who cannot be comprehended by their wildest imaginations, far less imaged in stone idols. So He told them to avoid idolatry. He taught the Hebrews to avoid astrology because He was the Creator of the Universe and pointed to the stars of the night sky as an encouragement to Abraham about God’s purpose for him, and a continuous lesson to us.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the night sky shows His handywork.”

Psalm 19:1.

“I am that I am”

God is not what we think that He is. Sinners may not like it – but God is, and He is Who He is Ex 3:14. They may try to mold Him into an image of stone and employ their talents in decorating it with artistic gold, but God not only laughs at this but He forbids it because it demeans Him. People may try to mold Him into what they want Him to be, but it is a vain pursuit.

We may not be able to imagine God fully, but this does not mean that we can have no adequate thoughts about Him. Rather, God says that by contemplating the awe-inspiring majesty of the Universe we have some insight into His awe-inspiring majesty. Richard Dawkins wants to transfer this wonder due to God our Creator to science and its achievements, if not the worship.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the night sky shows His handywork.”

Psalm 19:1.

By considering the mystery of our own being, we may have some more insight into the mystery and wonder of God our Creator.

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.”

Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 9:6

Images and imagination

Our imagination is not good enough if we imagine God to be less than He actually is. A finite god is not God. A created god is not the God of the Bible. This is an aunt Sally, created by secularists in order for them to destroy. The greatest of all Beings is our uncreated Creator, but He is not defined by His creation. He is beyond His creation. He is even beyond the greatest conceivable being – part of the ontological argument for the being of God – because He is not confined nor encompassed by our imagination – He is beyond our imagination – and to be or exist is greater than simply to be imagined. God is – “I am”. In case we do not grasp what this means, God expands it for our benefit – “I am that I am” – not what you think I am, or what you think I should be, or what you want me to be. “I am that I am.“

“God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.”

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Answer 4.

A warning cry

“Don’t do that!” your mother used to cry.

God is better to you than your father and your mother combined. He tells you what to avoid because He knows that your companions will soon abandon you if you keep to His morality. Even Prince Harry has discovered that popularity can soon change and he has left the UK. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. Indeed, it happened to Jesus Christ Himself – received with popular acclaim into Jerusalem one day, and within a week betrayed, abandoned, denied, accused, condemned, rejected and crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem. God knows about the fickle nature of man and the baying fury of the mob and He warns you.

He knows what is best for you. He made you. It is in your best interests to follow His Word.

The way of transgressors is hard. It is time to change your mind about God. This is the first stage in evangelical repentance.

God knows what will inhibit your usefulness in His Kingdom and so He warns you against ruining your usefulness, because your breach of His morality will prejudice multitudes of the godly as well as the ungodly against you. There are multitudes of examples.

God speaks and gives the instruction of a father.

“For whom the LORD loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbrs 3:12.

He comforts like a mother.

“As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you.”

Isaiah 66:13.

God will provide for your needs as a father and He will love you as a mother, when others will try to put you down, use you, abuse you, control you, reject you and finally forget you.

Your value in God’s sight

God gives you your true worth. The malign opinion of others is not worth your attention, which has resulted in too much suicide and depression among those who do not have the support which comes from knowing their God.

Jesus said: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The Gospel of Mark 8:37.

Your soul is of infinite worth and it is not worth hazarding your life over the opinions of other people.

So it is advisable to learn about God in the Word of God – the Bible – and not to form an opinion of Him from those who claim that He does not exist and, by definition, who do not know Him.

Knowing God

Jesus prayed to His Father: ‘This is life eternal that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.”

John 17:3.

“I am that I am.” God is not what sinners want Him to be. Sinners hope that God does not exist or that He will approve their sin or at least let them off their guilt.

How much better to be reconciled to God? He has provided forgiveness for the chiefest sinner through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Priest that we need Heb 3:1 and the only Advocate available 1Jn 2:1.

“God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.”

2Corinthians 5:19

Jesus says: “If you do not believe that I am the Messiah, you shall die in your sins” John 8:24. So how will you atone for your sins and how will you prepare to meet your Unknown God without Jesus? Who will plead for you? Who will be your advocate at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

It is time to seek your God.

Don’t be on the wrong side of history, and on the wrong side of eternity.

Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.