What is God really like

The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character.”

The Great Controversy, 678.

We often live and respond to others depending on our concept of God. If we think He is kind, loving, caring, forgiving, etc., we will respond the same way to others. If we think He is vindictive, uncaring, strict, looking for someone to make a mistake, etc., we will live and respond to others in the same way.

What is God really like? Let's look at the Scriptures, the Book He has given us throughout the centuries by men called prophets who have written this Book. Let's see what He claims He is, and then look at the examples of how He has dealt with us as human beings on this earth. Then we can better come to conclusions of what God is really like. We might be surprised at what we think and the way He really is. The author of this article hopes that you the reader will be pleasantly surprised, and that your concepts of Him will be enlarged to include the TRUE God of heaven. Now let's take a walk through the Scriptures, and see what God is really like.

Here we have a text of Scripture that says God is the Creator. The word God here in the Hebrew, the original language from which this word God is derived is Elohim (pronounced - 'El-o-heem). This can be either singular or plural. Let's take a look at a few Scriptures and see how this is rendered.

"Giving thanks unto the Father...Who hath ...translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son...Who is the image of the invisible God, [the Father] the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:12-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3

Here we have Scriptures that say that God, the Father, created all things by Jesus. From this we can conclude that God, the Father, gave the instructions to Jesus, and Jesus carried out the will of the Father.

God, the Father, was the One behind the creation of our earth and the things contained within it - the land, the seas, the plants, animals, the humans.

In John 1:1 it says that "the Word was with God, and the Word was God". This may seem to be contradictory, but is it? Here we see that "the Word", is not only Jesus, but Jesus is also God. We know from the Jewish language that the word "Yahweh" is the name of the Father. In the Old Testament the phrase "the Lord" is usually interpreted as "Yahweh", the Father. So then, what is this word "God"? It is a general term, and not the specific name of one like God, the Father (Yahweh), or God the Son (Jesus, "Yahshua" being the Hebrew word for our English word "Jesus".)

At this point, we have 2 involved in the creation of this earth, God, the Father (Yahweh), and Jesus, His Son (Yahshua)." Let's take a look and see that there is another involved in the creation of this world.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

Here is one called "the Spirit of God". At this point we can see that there are now 3 involved with the creation of this world. They are

It is interesting to note that these three are mentioned elsewhere in the Scripture. Let's take a look at Matthew 28:19 where it says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" The "Holy Ghost" is synonymous with "the Spirit of God". This is also synonymous with the more commonly used phrase "Holy Spirit". The phrase "Holy Spirit" is used only 7 times in the Scriptures whereas the phrase "Spirit of God" is used 26 times in the Scriptures.

We now ask, what is God like? We can conclude from the first verse in the Scriptures that He is the Creator of all things, and that He created everything by His Son, Jesus.

Let's ask the following question? Did God created everything good and perfect? In 5 of the verses of Genesis 1 the phrase "God saw that it was good" appears. In Genesis 1:4 the following phrase appears "And God saw the light, that it was good". Here we have 6 times in which reference to the Creation appears as "God saw that it was good".

We can conclude that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...and God saw that it was good".
This is consistent with other Scriptures such as the following.

"Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
He is the Rock, his work is perfect...' Deuteronomy 32:3,4

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

We have 2 Old Testament verses that say that "the LORD...his work is perfect", and "God, his way is perfect:". Both his work and His way are perfect. Jesus tells us to be like Him when He says we are to be perfect "even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Concluding then, we say that the LORD, our Father in Heaven (Jesus, in "the Lord's Prayer", tells us to address Him as "Our Father which art in heaven" Matthew 6:9) created everything by Jesus and He saw that it was good.

Let's ask this question at this point? Is God (the Lord, Yahweh) good? Is His creation good? Is He perfect?