The Bible tells us what God is
like and that
He alone existed before everything and everyone else.
Scripture:
Genesis
[创世纪] 1:1
In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.
起初,上帝创造天地。
1. God begins His story with these words, “In the beginning.”
God began His
story with these words so that we would know there was a beginning to all
things. Everything that we can see and everything that we know about but cannot
see had a beginning.
·
None of the things we see around us have always existed.
Before the
beginning, the earth did not exist. Before the beginning, things on the earth
did not exist. The mountains, oceans, rivers, rocks and trees did not exist. Before
the beginning, the sky, sun, moon and stars did not exist. None of the things
we see on the earth or in the sky existed before the beginning.
·
No human beings existed before the beginning.
Knowing that the
earth, sun, moon and stars did not exist before the beginning, do you think it
is possible that there were any people? Think about it. Could your
ancestors or my
ancestors have been living then?
We human beings
cannot live without the sun, the earth, water and food. None of
these things were
here before the beginning; therefore, we know that human beings were not here
either.
None of my
ancestors were alive before the beginning. None of your ancestors
were alive before
the beginning.
·
The spirits did not always exist.
Many people have
different ideas about the spirits. God's Word will explain more about them as
we continue to study, but for now we want you to think about a time when none
of the things you see or know about existed. All people and all spirits had a
beginning.
2. God is the only One who has always existed.
Before the earth
was here and before there were any people or spirits or anything else, God was
already living. God is the only One who existed before all things began.
Although there was no earth, ocean, sun, moon, stars, animals, people or
spirits, God was already living.
·
Because God was the only One who existed before everything else,
we know that God is greater than all.
God is greater
than the earth, the ocean, the moon, the sun and stars. God is greater than all
animals, all people and all spirits. God existed before all other things; therefore,
we know that He is greater than all.
·
God alone can tell us about the beginning of all things.
God is the only
One who was here before all things began. Therefore, God is the
only One who can
really tell us what happened in the beginning.
·
God alone is eternal.
God has always
lived. God had no beginning. He was not created. He was not
born. He did not
make Himself. He has always been alive, and He will never die.
·
God is completely independent of everything and everyone.
God does not need
anyone or anything. God lived before the beginning. He lived
before the earth,
sun, moon, stars or anything else was here. You and I were born into this
world. We needed someone to take care of us when we were babies. But God was
not born. He did not need anyone to take care of Him.God does not need the
earth or anything on it. He can see without any light, so He
doesn’t need the
sun, moon or stars in order to see. He does not get tired, so He
does not need the
darkness of night to sleep.
God lives by His
own power. He does not need anything to keep Him alive, so He
does not need air
to breathe. God never gets hungry or thirsty, so He does not need food to eat
or water to drink. We are dependent on many things. Think about this: Could you
live without the sun, the rain or the ground? Could you live without food? What
do you need when you get hungry or thirsty?
·
God is supreme and sovereign — He is greater than all.
God is greater
than the sun, the moon, the stars and everything on the earth. He
existed before
the sun, the moon, the stars and the earth.
God is greater
than all people. He existed before all people, and He doesn’t need
any of the things
that people need.
God is greater
than the spirits. He was alive before any of the spirits.
Psalm 86:8; 詩 篇 86:8
No pagan
god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do!
主啊,诸神之中没有可比你的;你的作为也无可比。
3. God is Spirit. [John (约翰福音) 4:24]
Human beings,
animals, birds and reptiles each have bodies of flesh and bones.
We need many
things. But God does not need the earth to live on or the many
things that
people need because God does not have a body as we do. God does not have a body
of flesh and bones. God is Spirit. As you learn more and more about God from
His Book, you will understand that God is Spirit.
We have already
learned that, before the beginning, there was no earth, no sun, no moon and no
stars. Where do you think God lived before the beginning? Where do you think
God is now?
4. God is in all places at the same time. [Psalm 139:6-8; 詩篇 139:6-8]
·
The Bible tells us where God is.
We cannot see
God, and we cannot know where He is unless He tells us. Through God’s Book, we
learn that God is everywhere.
God is where the
sun, the moon and the stars are. And God is in all places on the earth.God is
here right now and can see us all.
·
God is greater than people.
Think about this:
Can a person be in more than one place at a time?
o We humans can only be
in one place at a time.
·
God is Spirit, and He is everywhere at the same time.
God does not say
in His Book that He travels to every place or that He has a big
body that is
everywhere. God’s Book simply says that God is everywhere.
God is near each
one of us all of the time, no matter where we go. He can see all of us all of
the time.
·
God is the only One who is everywhere at the same time.
There is no one
and nothing like God. He is greater than everything and everyone.
5. God is a Trinity.
·
As you listen to God’s message, you will learn that there is only
one God, yet there are three Persons who are equally God.
The three Persons
who are God are absolutely equal in every way.
These are the
three Persons who are the One God: The Father who is God, the Son who is God,
and the Spirit who is God.
Questions
1.
What exists on this earth that did not have a beginning?
2.
Who is the only One who has always existed?
3.
Did someone make God?
4.
On a specific day, each of us was born. Was God also born?
5.
Did God make Himself?
6.
Was there ever a time when God wasn’t living?
7.
We need food, water, air, the earth and the sun in order to live.
What does God need?
8.
Since God does not need food or water or air to live, by what
power does He live?
9.
Who is greater than the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, all
people and all spirits?
10. Does God have a body of flesh
and bones like we do?
11. Where is God?
12. How many true gods are there
according to the Bible?
13. Who are the three Persons who
are the one God?