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Becoming a Man of God

by Jay Powers © 2011

                                                  

CHAPTER 2- THE CHARACTER OF GOD (PART 1)

After one becomes firm in the fact that the only true God is the God of the Bible, the next step is to learn about the character of God as revealed in the Scriptures. Once we learn how God operates, we can spot deception working in our lives and then replace those lies with truth that will shape us as men. Here are 9 basic points to remember (the first five being covered in this chapter). Ask God to help you apply these character traits to you own life.

 

  1. God is good (Psalms 100:5). It is not God’s nature to be bad. Just like it is in a dog’s nature to bark or a lion’s nature to hunt, so it is God’s nature to be good. James 1:17 states that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” God is only good-- no matter how things look; he works for our good.

 

  1. God is holy. In Leviticus 19:2, God declares, “You shall be holy; for I the Lour your God am holy.” God’s holiness is not merely ceremonial; it is a real, tangible holiness that allowed Him to be our Savior. A spotless sacrifice was required for our sins. And also in this verse, we learn that as we let God into our lives, we become holy. Why is holiness important? We shall discuss that much more in a later chapter. But a simpler reason for now is this: an undefiled vessel gives more glory to God than a compromising, sinful vessel and best shows Him to others.

 

  1. God is love (1 John 4:8). Read this again slowly three times, each time emphasizing a different word. God is love. This is significant. According to this passage, if I don’t know God, I don’t know love. There can be no love without God, for only God is love. Without God, I have no love, just some sort of warm feeling. I do not love you unless I point you to Jesus. God is love. Again, just as it is God’s nature to be good, so it is His nature to love. That’s who He is. God is love. God is not hate (except He hates evil because it is just that, evil). God wants the best for us.

 

  1. God is merciful. Through the blood of Jesus, He gave a second chance at fellowship with Him, a fellowship that gives power, joy, and love to someone so undeserving of such fellowship. In Psalms 136, we learn that His mercy endures forever. This means that as long as there are sinners in need of salvation, He will save. This is the God we present to the world, not a God who came to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17).

 

  1. God is faithful. He stays with us as long as it takes to get the victory in every aspect of our lives. He stays through the ups and downs. He stays faithful through times we fail. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7). While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).

 

KEY VERSES: Psalms 100:5, James 1:17, Leviticus 19:2, 1 John 4:8, Psalms 136, John 3:17, 1 John 1:7, Romans 5:8