My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
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| GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST |
| 2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. |
| Paul has spent much time in this letter to the Corinthians speaking of his apostolic authority, defending against those who would defame him, who would vilify him, and seek to negate his impact on this church. The Corinthian church was a difficult church that Paul spent much time with. Not only the 18 months when he originally evangelized, but then again on his second missionary journey. This painful visit he spoke of in 2 Corinthians 2:1 was followed by his second letter, of which we read today. Even after this second epistle, he visited again. Three trips by the apostle, with extended stays associated with the visits. Even in his writing, 1 & 2 Corinthians are two of the longest letters written by Paul to his churches. All of this history is to give context to the name we have for today. During all of his stay with the Corinthians, and for the majority of the second epistle, Paul has been defending himself, generally to the claim that he is a liar. That there are those who claim he is not an apostle, yet he says that he is. After a period of time, of defending his position and reputation, of teaching and preaching, of writing to these believers, Paul resorts to the bedrock of his own stability. God knows he is not lying! As I sit here and consider the strength of that claim, the inner peace that claim provided, of the defense made against his detractors in the realm of reality! Awesome. To possess the truth and then to state that God also knows this truth is unassailable. Paul appeals to the very God and Father of the Lord Jesus. Now whether you consider this phrase a description of the trinity, (with God representing the Holy Spirit), or that God the Father is described with two different names is for others to debate. Paul is hauling God Himself into the courtroom of church opinion, before these Corinthians who are judging Paul to be a liar. What a witness for Paul to call, for the Corinthians claim to know God, His ways and thoughts! I find it amazing that Paul calls on the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, especially after he speaks of his own weakness, and the shame associated with the escape from Damascus. The Corinthians seem to not have solidly grasped the self sacrificial life of the believer, and would rather listen to those who may glamourize Christianity into something it is not. But Paul knew. And the God and Father of our Lord Jesus knew Paul, and the truth of his claims. As moderns, we also need to be reminded of the truth of Paul’s claims, and reject those who whisper in our ears that he is a liar. He represented the God and Father of the Lord Jesus with his words and life, of which we have the privilege to share. May the name of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus be praised today in our lives |
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
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