03/12/18 Post:
God is simply God. In Deuteronomy 6:4 (the Shema), we see this “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:…” He is not “composite or compounded” as Ryrie says, but simply God. Ryrie goes on to say, “This has to do with His essence so that it in no way contradicts the revelation of the Trinity.” John 4:24 says “God is a Spirit:…” God also has a physical face and that is Jesus. Jesus ascended into heaven, but as he promised, He sent his spirit to be with us and He (the Holy Spirit) resides in us as believers. We experience God in three ways: as God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit within us, but He is still simply “One God.” God’s Word also makes simple statements about what God can do. We will see a number of these throughout this week’s postings.
03/12/18 PM Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is a consuming fire. (Deuteronomy 4:24 KJV)
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God… 25 to provoke him to anger:
The Israelites provoked God to anger because they turned to other gods and graven images. This action angered Him. Do not provoke God by disobeying him.
03/13/18 Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is good. (Psalm 73:1 KJV) Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. The Psalmist here is giving praise to God for His goodness. As believers, we should always praise God for His Goodness to us.
03/13/18 PM Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is gracious. (2 Chronicles 30:9b (KJV) …for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. God told Israel that even when they sinned, he would forgive them if they would but ask. So when you make a mistake or stumble into sin, remember that God is gracious.
03/14/18 Post:
Ryrie in his scripture reference and comment gives us the following: “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). He says, “By contrast, for example, human beings are spirit and matter. In the Incarnation, of course, our Lord became flesh, but the deity of the God-man was always and only Spirit.” Ryrie stops wit the “God is Spirit” part of the verse, but the verse goes on to say “24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Keep in mind that when John wrote this Jesus was still in the flesh with the disciples. What John wrote was applicable to God the Father during Jesus’ earthly ministry. But after Jesus’ death, and ascension as written in Acts 1 and what John wrote in Revelation, this also applied to Jesus in heaven as He is also God. As believers, we must worship Jesus and the Father “in spirit.”
03/14/18 PM Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is faithful. Whatever God promises, He will do. (1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13 KJV) These two verses in 1 Corinthians tell us a lot about God’s faithfulness. He called us and accepted us as His own. No matter what we are tempted to do He provides a way out of it. He never puts on us more than we can handle, but we need His strength to make it through. God is there with wisdom and insight into how to work through the challenges we experience in life. He reminds us that we are not to try to do it alone. We work with Him and it will always come out right.
03/15/18 Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is within. (Luke 17:20-b, 21) The Pharisees were demanding an answer from Jesus about the Kingdom of God. Jesus reply: he answered them and said The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. His reply was a spiritual one which they did not understand. Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit that would come and indwell believers. We have these words of Our Lord that when we believe, we are given the Holy Spirit. It is a truth that we can depend on.
03/15/18 PM Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is according to truth. (Ro 2:2) For any believer, this verse should be the unquestioned base for all he believes. God is the bedrock source for truth, for He is the creator of truth, which is His character and what He ascribes as the basis for His actions. All people, saved and unsaved, will be held accountable in judgment for what God has deemed as truth. Failure to acknowledge this will be judged a punishable offense. This is what Romans 2:2 says “2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” Be sure that you are on the right side of God’s truth!
03/16/18 Post:
Under ramifications, Ryrie makes the following comment “The simplicity of God underscores His self-existence.” On the face of it, his statement seems to be self-evident, but is it? We need to look at one key word: underscores. Merriam-Webster dictionary gives as definition 2 for this word, : to make evident : emphasize, stress. How does Ryrie connect “simplicity” and “self-existence” by his use of underscore? Let’s see if we can unravel his thinking.
First, the Bible states again and again that God has no beginning or ending. Therefore, God is, was, and always will be. There is no way to prove or disprove this statement in God’s Word, but He preformed miraculous actions again and again. He must have powers that we as humans cannot duplicate or explain. That said, God as a being, He is more than just simplicity. However, it stands that He is!
Second, scripture tells us again and again that God is the creator. This being that “speaks” and our entire universe is created, is simple in that He controls all that is created. What God speaks is truth. Without beginning or end, He must be self-existent. The simplicity of God is that He is, never was He created, nor will He ever have an end. This last statement is probably what Ryrie was trying to say without going into all kinds of “proofs” and “truth” statements. To emphasize the simplicity of God, he wanted to have just a simple statement. You judge, did Ryrie accomplish his purpose with this comment?
03/16/18 PM Post:
Simplicity statement about God: God is king. (Psalm 47:7KJV) How many believers really think of God as their King? As king, He is the highest authority. As king, He will have the final word for all of us. The verse in Psalm 47 reads this way “7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.” The last word is the key. Do we really have “understanding?” Probably not, but the day will come when we will.
03/17/18 Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is my defense. (Ps 59:17 KJV) Many times God defends us and we do not see or recognize what He is doing. The next time you are in difficulty, pray for God’s help and then look for how He defends you and get you out of trouble. He is our strength as well as our defense. Read Psalm 59:17 and truly you will be singing!
03/17/18 PM Post:
A simplicity statement about God: God is my refuge. (Psalm 46:1; 62:7, 8 KJV) When you have or anticipate trouble or a struggle with something in your life, remember that God is your refuge, that place that you can turn to and share what you are going through. Don’t try to go it alone, let God be that one you unload all your problems on to. He is quite able to handle it! (Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.)
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