How Can We Know Who God Is?

(Some material adapted and altered from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology)

There are three ways we can know who God is:

1. We can know who God is because He reveals Himself to us.

a. He reveals himself through His Word (1 Cor. 1:18-21) – Man’s wisdom is foolishness to God who alone knows all. God has decided to have his message preached.

b. He reveals himself through His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14) – The things of God are foolishness to man. Man can only know God through the Spirit. Question: How do we come to accept Christ? Do we find Him or does He find us?

c. He reveals himself through His Gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4) – Mankind’s minds are blinded unless the gospel of Christ shines on them.

d. He reveals himself through His Son (John 1:18) – Christ also reveals who God is to us.

2. We can know who God is but not completely.

a. We will never know God’s greatness (Ps. 145:3) God’s greatness is un-searchable. No one can find it.

b. We will never know God’s understanding (Ps. 147:5) We will never be able to fully measure God’s understanding – it is too big.

c. We will never know God’s knowledge (Ps. 139:6, 17-18) It is too high.

d. We will never know God’s ways (Rom. 11:33, 1 Cor. 2:10-12)

3) We can know who God is.

a. God is love (1 John 4:8)

b. God is light (1 John 1:5)

c. God is spirit (John 4:24)

d. God is just (Rom. 3:26)

e. God wants to be known (Jer. 9:23-24)

Application:

1) We can only really understand God through His Word. Praise God for showing Himself to us.

2) We will never run out of things to learn about God therefore we can keep learning wonderful things about God.

3) Now that we know who God is, let us truly know God by prayer and reading His Word.