THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
There lived in Greece many years ago, a famous philosopher named Simonides. One day, a group of students approached him. "Most noble Simonides", began the spokesman, "We have come to ask of you a very important question. We are baffled about, "The One called God! What or Who is He"? The learned man thought for a moment and said, "Return in 24 hours for my answer". The following day Simonides replied, "I need longer - Come back in 30 days and I will tell you, What or Who is God"!
One month later he reasoned, "This subject is much deeper than I thought - I need one year to consider the matter". The following year they returned; "Most noble Simonides", began the leader, "We are troubled and wish to know, What or Who is God. Can you tell us"? The great philosopher thought for a long time - Finally he stood to his feet and said, "I have contemplated for 365 days on this matter, and must confess that I do not know and I cannot tell, What or Who is God"!
Does God really exist or is He only the product of our imagination, as the atheists say? If He does exist, what are His attributes, where does He dwell and how does He feel about us? Who is God, and is it possible to make contact with Him? Does He really love us? And is Jesus Christ the world’s only Saviour?
THE HOLY BIBLE DECLARES HIM!
Who is God, and is it possible to make contact with Him? How do we know if God is a “He” and not a “she” as modernist and militant feminists intimate? Is God eternal, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent? What of the Trinity? Is there any Scriptural basis for the “three-in-one / one-in-three” doctrine?
And is the Bible really God's Word or is it only a compilation of wise, inspirational and philosophic sayings? Is the Word of God infallible, eternal and authoritative? Can God and His Word be trusted? Is He definitely the fountain - head of truth, wisdom and goodness? Does He really love and care for the human race, or is our submission to His authority His only concern?
Is it certain, that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Saviour of the world? What or Who is God? In this Work, I will seek to answer these and other pertinent questions about "The Eternal One", we call God!
IN THE BEGINNING GOD !
I like the way God introduces Himself in the Tenach (O.T.). In the beginning God! His formal introduction is staggering to say the least! He does not excuse Himself for intruding into our lives - He has a right to enter. He was here before we were!
In the beginning, there was nothing - except God. Then, He spoke into existence that which has been created from the beginning, until now! He is the "Eternal One, the Creator, the Almighty, the Great I Am, and The Lord God of all flesh"!
In the very first verses of Genesis (Heb. Bereshit), God announced Himself to humanity, as the Triune God: "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH". The English language cannot contain this spectacular declaration...neither can the grammatical rules of the Hebrew encompass this staggering statement! God Almighty has spoken and our finite minds are boggled! His first disclosure about Himself to man, is a colossal grammatical discord...
For in the Hebrew language the noun, its verb and its adjective MUST all agree in number and gender! Yet, in the opening statement of Genesis, these rules of Hebrew grammar are totally shattered, because the singular verb לְחוֹלֵל . "created" is used with the plural masculine noun אֱל֙וֹהַ֙ (Eloah), literally "Gods".
Strange but true; God, who is perfect in harmony - in order to introduce Himself to the human family, had to do so with an excruciating, discordant note! Let me repeat: "Gods" (plural) "created" (singular) is a colossal grammatical error!
UNIQUESNESS OF DIVINE UNITY!
Why did He do it? Because of the UNIQUENESS of the DIVINE UNITY of the ETERNAL GOD! No language can contain the description of ONE who is Three Persons: co-eternal, co-equal and co-existent! The Eternal God our Heavenly Father is so GREAT that no human language can express Him or His greatest of all names in the Universe!
God spoke to me in 1966, while sitting on the platform at the Ghandi Freedom Park in Guntur, Andrah Pradesh, India. There were about 15,000 people sitting on the grass with about a hundred dignitaries on the platform. Suddenly, I heard a voice saying, “Son, you are helping to fulfill My Word.” I turned to see who was speaking to me. No one looked my way. I prayed, “Is this You, Lord? He repeated His Words. I said, “But Lord, how could I, a young preacher from Canada possibly help to fulfill Your Word?”
He answered: “Ask Brother Vandenam, how many people in this throng, have never once heard the name of Jesus, My Son.” I asked Brother Vandenam, “How many people in this crowd, do you believe have never heard the name of Jesus before? He answered, “About 95 %.” Immediately, I was led to Isaiah 45: 5,6: “I am the Lord, and there is None Else, there is no God beside Me. I girded thee, thou thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is NONE else.”
What does that mean? The Eternal God and Creator of the universe and all else, wants everyone to know the reason for our being on this earth and the immense sacrifice He made to save us all for time and eternity. In His great love and mercy, He sent His only begotten Son to REDEEM us through His vicarious death on the Cross on Golgotha, outside Jerusalem’s City walls.
Jesus Christ’s death for us all and His resurrection from the dead purchased our complete freedom from the Evil Satan and his filthy empire!
IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD?
Is anything too hard for God? To the father of a deaf and dumb and demon possessed boy, Jesus said: “If though canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:23).
“When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, Come out of him and enter no more into him. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And He said unto them. This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9: 23-29)
St. John stated: "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
"When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with Devils and He cast out the spirits with His Word and HEALED all that were SICK. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias, saying, HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES, AND BARE OUR SICKNESSES." (Matt. 8:14-17)
JESUS HAS ALL POWER & AUTHORITY!
"And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: And they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master carest thou not that we perish?
"And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, Be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, WHY ARE YE SO FEARFUL? How is it that ye have No faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the waves obey Him?" (Mark 4:36-41)
JESUS FREES DEMON POSSESSED MAN!
"And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
"Because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him. And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou torment me not.
"For He said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he besought Him much that He would not send him away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave.
THE UNCLEAN SPIRITS WENT OUT!
"And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and n his right mind..." Mark 5:1-15)
JESUS RAISED A LITTLE GIRL!
"While He yet spake, there came from the ruler certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He sayeth unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
"And when He was come in, He saith unto them, Why make ye all this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn, but when He had put them all out, He taketh the father and mother of the damsel, and them that were with Him, and entered in where the damsel was lying. And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
"And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years . And they were astonished with a great astonishment." (Mark 5:365-422). All honour, glory and praise to God! Hallelujah!
NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR THE LORD!
The Bible records: “And the Lord said unto Abraham…Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Gen.18:14); When you consider the fact that Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years of age when Isaac was born, no one can doubt that God performed a miracle to keep His promise to Abraham! On top of that, we know that Sarah was barren!
“By
faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the
promises offered up His Only begotten Son. Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall
thy Seed be called: According that God was able to raise him from the dead;
from whence also received him in a figure.” (Heb.11:17-19)
“Therefore it is of Faith, that it might be by Grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law, but to that which also is of the FAITH of Abraham, who is the father of us all…Who against hope believed in hope so shall thy seed be. That he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb; He staggered not at the promise of God through UNBELIEF; but was strong in FAITH, giving glory to GOD; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness.
“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we BELIEVE ON HIM that raised up Jesus from the Dead; who was Delivered for our offences, and RAISED again for our justification. Therefore being justified by Faith, we have Peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom.4:16, 18- 25)
When God commanded Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac.." (Gen. 22:2), He used the word "Yahid" to describe Isaac as Abraham's ONLY son; but, when God joined Adam and Eve as man and wife, they became "one flesh". Here the word "ehad" is used to denote the compound unity of one.
Moses also used the word "ehad" for one, which correctly denotes a compound unity - rather than "yahid", which is the word for an absolute unity or singularity, in His declaration: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD". Elohim. Let us go DOWN - Let us make man.
The famous scientist Herbert Spencer spoke of five ways to make the unknowable (God) divisible: They are space, time, matter, energy and force! The Holy Bible gives us the Answer. Although Herbert Spencer was not a Believer, he has given us the Proof of God’s existence and the Truth of God’s Word, the Holy Bible!
Here it is: In the beginning (time), God created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter) and the spirit of God (energy) moved (force). There it is in a nutshell! As far as we know, Herbert Spencer didn’t connect the two, but we see it clear. Praise the Lord!
An atheist, seeking to confuse a young Christian asked, "Have you every seen God? How big is He, what does He look like"? The new convert to Christ replied, "My God is so BIG the heavens can't contain Him, and so SMALL He lives in my heart"! Hallelujah.
GOD’S WORD EFFECTS US ALL!
The Holy Bible states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten SON that whosoever believeth in Him should not PERISH but have Everlasting Life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be SAVED.
“He that believeth on the Son hath Everlasting Life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3: 16,17, 36)
JOHN KNOX, founder of the Protestant Church in Scotland was a mighty Soldier of the Cross. Bloody Queen Mary stated that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than the armies of England. By the grace of God he kept Scotland free from the Papacy!
When he was dying John Knox said to his wife, “Maggie bring me the book”. When she brought him the Bible he said, “Read me the place where I first cast my anchor.” He had been a galley slave on a French ship. She instantly turned to John Knox’s ‘salvation verse’, St. John 17:3: “And this is Life (Zoe Gr.) Eternal, that they might know Thee the Only True God and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.”
ALL HAVE SINNED AND ARE GUILTY!
The Bible says: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 ); “There is not one that is perfect, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10 ): “Come now, and let us reason together, sayeth the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Is. 1:18)
“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid; yea, let God be true and every man a liar…Now we know what things soever the law sayeth, it sayeth to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” (Rom.3:3,4,19)
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if we were enemies, we were reconciled by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be SAVED by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we now have obtained the Atonement.
“Wherefore, as by one man Sin entered into the world, and death by Sin; and so that death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised to from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of Sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve Sin. For he that is dead is freed from Sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” (Rom. 5: 1,6-12; 6:3-8)
His holy and pure BLOOD was shed on the CROSS for the SINS of the entire world from Adam until Christ’s Return! God's gift of Eternal Life is available to everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is God's Eternal Son who died for their sins and rose from the dead. They must receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, repent of their sins, and follow Him as their Lord!
His Resurrection from the dead on the Third Day purchased our Justification and Eternal Life: “In this was manifested the Love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9)
The Bible Says: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you the Eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also my have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His SON Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1: 1-7)
The Holy Bible states: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His SON Jesus Christ. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in Darkness, we lie, and do not the Truth. But if we walk in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His SON cleanseth us from all sin.
“If we confess our sins (to God), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin NOT. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; And He is the Propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1:3, 6-9; 2:2)
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the Love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the Pride of Life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2: 15-18)
They said that little boy should have died before and that they believed God would raise him up. They stated that the parents told them that their son would be healed and that is why they came to the meeting!
I asked everyone to stand to their feet, lift their hands toward Go and pray after me. We prayed a lengthy prayer asking God for forgiveness and inviting Christ to come into their hearts. We prayed the Lord's prayer. After that, we made the Confession of Faith and the Prayer of Thanksgiving.
I prayed the Prayer of Thanksgiving. Then, I prayed for Mercy and Grace, and for Faith to believe that God would grant a Miracle. I was overwhelmed by the great challenge as I had never before been in such a situation. They had come to the service to see a miracle and now it was too late. The little boy was dead! Up to this point, I did not have the faith to command the little boy to come back to life!
In desperation, I began to praise God for His faithfulness while confessing my weakness and lack of power. Suddenly, something happened to me and I felt God's power moving in me. I reached over and touched the little boy, commanding the spirit of death to leave and the spirit of life to come back into him. I asked God for a miracle of healing in his body, in Jesus' mighty Name.
At that moment, his left leg moved out and so did his right arm. I asked for a cup of water and in Jesus' Name, I threw it in his face! His eyes opened and almost immediately, he was on the ground walking about.
The whole crowd came alive and were excitedly rejoicing and worshipping Jesus Christ who had showed Himself alive in open view for them all to see! I tremble as I write this today as I recall those very tense moments before Jesus put His Gift of Faith in my heart and took control of the situation! Truly, all things are possible to those who believe His Word and Promise to hear and answer Prayer. Amen.
No thanks to me, whatsoever. All the honour, glory, and praise belong to Jesus Christ our Lord and our Heavenly Father! Amen. - Max Solbrekken
