Hi! If you've heard about God and don't know who He is, then this post will introduce you to Him. There is a lot of confusion in the world about God, so I'd love to share with you His true character.
People try to tell others that there are many different "gods" and that you should serve them all. Not only have other religions chosen to worship multiple false gods at one time, but other people serve false gods that they don't even know that they are worshipping. In this post, I'll be talking about the one true living God.
Whether you've just heard his name for the first time and it sounds completely different than who you worship, or if you've always been confused about God, this post could be for you.
Maybe you've lived your entire life just surviving or felt over and over that something was missing, and that you wish your life was different. I completely understand how it feels to maybe not trust people's word, especially after you've spent your life trying to rely on people but it was never fulfilling or enough.
The truth is that without God, we will always feel like something is missing, no matter what or who we have. Before you get to know who God is, a lot of things might sound backwards compared to what you've been used to. But have you ever looked around and wondered how the earth came to be? You know you've lived on it for years but you're unsure about how it all started.
Maybe you've been told by others that it all started with a Big Bang millions of years ago, or that the earth evolved over time. Maybe you've researched the origin of the earth and everything around it, and the dozens of different answers exhausted you.
The good news is, the Bible answers this question about how the earth came to be, how long ago, who created it, and who created me and you.
God is the creator of the universe
The first thing that should be said of God is that He is the Creator of the universe. He has eternal life and has always existed, long before the creation of earth. As humans who were born and will die one day, that might sound hard to wrap your mind around. I still cannot fully understand how God has always existed, but that's okay. You don't have to fully understand everything that God has ever done in order to get to know Him. Some things about God are a mystery, but it says in the Bible that He is the everlasting God; nothing came before Him.We all come from God- and He was alive before the earth was created. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, we see that God is existent without earth's existence.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the earth. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." - Genesis 1:1-2
The first two verses of the Bible, the book God wrote, state the very first thing that happened in the history of the earth that we live in. God created everything- the heavens and the earth included- and is king of the universe. He started all of creation that we see around us.
We are shown in the Bible that the earth isn't millions of years old- in fact, it's not even 10,000 years old based on the verses in the Bible.
He created all of the planets, stars, and galaxies that we know is around us in space. He created the sun, the moon, flowers, puppies, food, all of us, and everything in between.
"Look up and see! Who created these? He brings the stars by number, he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing." "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless." Isaiah 40:26, 28-29
All of scripture points to how God is the Creator of the earth, the heavens, and the universe. I may not know every single thing about God, but I do know by faith that He is my Creator, and He created the heavens and the earth.
Have you ever thought about how the natural things of the world that weren't manmade are the most peaceful, energizing things around you? Things like cars, buildings, and money can't compare to the beauty of a sunset, the beach, mountain ranges, flowers, and all of the things that God created, including you. The things that God made himself during creation are the most life-giving things, way more life giving and satisfactory than man-made creations.
If you believe that the earth came to be on its own, genuinely ask yourself this: if the water cycle is so efficient and beneficial to our survival, animals' survival, and food's survival, how did that just come to be out of nowhere?
Ask yourself: if the earth came to be out of nowhere with no creater, how is the sun at a perfect distance from the earth to where people will neither burn or freeze, and why is there an ozone layer to protect us from space?
Ask yourself: how did the earth come to be without a creator if trees give off the exact thing needed for humans to survive? What if they gave off poisonous things instead?
God created all of this with us in mind. He protects us and supplies all of our needs. This didn't just come about by a big bang or out of nowhere and it certainly didn't evolve. Nothing has evolved at all in history and it can be proven.
Why did God create us? He created us all with a purpose- you are not an accident. He knit you together in your mother's wound purposely and intently, because He loves you. He created us to live with him in heaven for eternity if we believe that He is God and if we believe in Jesus as the son of God.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent is only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." - 1 John 4: 7-12
The love that God has is pure love- and this passage states that if we don't know God then we don't love. God loves us so much that He created us, breathed life into us, and has raised us up. He gave his Son to die for our sins and wrongdoings so that we could live in heaven with him forever.
Each breath that you breathe in and out of your body is supplied by God. He supplies oxygen for us every second. Every movement that you make is by his power. Every heartbeat that you have is sustained by Him. That's how much he loves you!
Maybe some people think that there was a god before God. Although we were never there that far back in history when God created the world, we do know in His word that He states that there were no gods before him, and there will be no gods after him. He is the everlasting God.
““You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”
Isaiah 43:10 ESV
God is father to anyone who believes in Him
Not only does God love you enough to create you and the earth around you, he wants to adopt you into his eternal family. He sees the lost people around the world that need love, family, and care, and he wants to supply all of your needs himself.
If anyone accepts God and begins to believe in him, he or she is a new person, adopted as God's child. No matter what your childhood looked like-whether your parents were present or not- you have the choice to have the Lord as your heavenly father that you will meet one day. Even if you believe that you won't ever have a present father in your life, or even just a good friend, this can change your life if you let it. The emptiness and loneliness of not having someone truly there for you will be healed by God. I can attest to this.
There were times in my life where I felt lonely and empty. I felt like no one was there, but God reached out to me and healed me of my emptiness and despair. He can do the same thing for you because He loves you just the same, even before you meet him!
If you are a parent-whether a baby is on the way, or you have children, most likely this will resonate with you. Even before you saw your child face-to-face, you deeply loved and cared for them. Why? Because they are your child.
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will never forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."
- Isaiah 49:15-16
God gives anybody the choice to be adopted into his family and to be fully loved and protected by Him. Once you have accepted God as your father, you become a part of the greatest family there ever was- for eternity. You will never be alone again.
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10
God loves us so much that He sent His one and only son, Jesus, to die for us. (In another post, I'll be talking specifically about Jesus so stay tuned for that if you're interested in that!) In this world, it is rare for someone to sacrifice something for another person, even if they say that they love them. Not only did God sacrifice something for you- He sacrificed His son for you. That's how much He loves you and wants to reach out for you to join His family.
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" - Romans 8:15
God can save you from an eternity of suffering in Hell
For people who believe in God and are adopted into His family, they are also saved from their sins and forgiven by God, so that they can live in Heaven for eternity and not Hell.
The world likes to joke about Hell. They claim there will be parties and laughter and fun, but they couldn't be more wrong. The only place that will be full of fun and laughter after you pass away will be in heaven. But you have to put your faith in the Lord and in Jesus for saving you from your sins.
For anyone who doesn't know God, they will go to Hell after they die. Anyone that deliberately chooses to not believe in God will go to Hell after they die. Why? Because we are in need of God's saving in order to not go to Hell.
The truth is, everyone goes to either heaven or hell after they die, and they cannot change this after they die. I'm saying this out of love for you as a person because this will actually happen to the people that don't come to know God and Jesus. But the choice is fully yours- not your parent's, not your friend's, not your city's choice.
You get to choose either to believe in God and go to heaven, or not believe in Him and go to Hell unsaved.
Whether you choose to close this post and not believe what I've written, or you want to know more about God and how to be saved, it's up to you. Neither God or I will force you to do what you don't want to do- but out of love and care, God wants you to know that you can be saved. You can be rescued and adopted into his family for eternity! That's the greatest truth that anyone can share. If I didn't share this with you I would feel ashamed.
I pray that you make your choice today. I hope that you enjoyed reading about who God is, and I hope that this answered any questions that you had about Him. Below are some specific things I've written for you based on if you chose to believe in God or not.
What to do if I want to be saved now?
If you've realized that you want to believe in God and Jesus, first off I am so happy for you!! All you have to do are a few things:
Genuinely realize and confess that you are a sinner and are in need of being saved by God
Ask the Lord to forgive you for your past sins and believe that in that moment He has saved and forgiven you
Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you accept Jesus and God into your life. This means that you cannot serve any false gods anymore or live without a relationship with him. God wants to be your only true God.
In Romans 8, the Bible explains this process.
“But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””
Romans 10:6-13 ESV
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9 ESV
What do I do if I don't know if I want to believe in God or not?
If you don't know your answer right now, that's ok! The important thing is to eventually answer yes or no to this question about your life. Although God doesn't expect anyone to be driven to him through force, he does want for everyone to find an answer to this question, because there will be no in between. In the Bible, God says that you are either with Him or against Him. You are either a believer in God, or a follower of yourself and the world.
The best advice that I can give for you if you're unsure is to start talking to God about this uncertainty and ask yourself why you don't know what to choose.
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."
Matthew 12:30
What to do if I've chosen today to not believe in God?
If you've read this post and decided that you don't want to become a believer in God, God will not force you to believe. But unfortunately, he will not save anyone who deliberately denies Him as the Lord.
Even if today you think you want to deny God, please don't forget that God loves you. Please remember that He truly created you and can save you if you let Him. He can show you a relationship like no other.
Thank you for reading!
Bible verses to reflect on
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
- John 8:31-32
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- Romans 8:38-39
"If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possessions of it."
- Deuteronomy 30:16
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life."
- John 5:24
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
- Psalm 34:18