Tag: God

The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 20, 2012

The Great Three in One

The prophet Isaiah gives four descriptive names for Jesus. They are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

However, I tend to think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and so forth, but not so much the names Isaiah gives.

In fact, to me, Wonderful Counselor seems more descriptive of the Holy Spirit, while Everlasting Father and perhaps even Mighty God seem to point to God the Father.

Does Isaiah have his names mixed up? Am I confused? The answer to both questions is “no.”

If we truly perceive the God who is revealed in the Bible as three persons in one, then the names given to one part of the godhead appropriately applies to all three.

Therefore, Jesus really is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace—as are the Holy Spirit and God the Father.

They are, three in one.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags God, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, trinity

Bible Insights

God’s Promises to Father Abraham

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 28, 2012

One of the central characters in the book of Genesis is Father Abraham. God calls Abraham to move to a different place, a location that God would reveal to him as the journey progressed.

Because of Abraham’s obedience and faith. God promised to make him into a great nation. But the story doesn’t end there. As Abraham continues in obedience to God, God keeps promising him more and more.

Consider the following sequence:

“I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2).

“You will be the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4).

“I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you” (Genesis 17:6).

“All nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:18).

With each step of obedience, the scope of the promise increases. God’s ultimate promise to Abraham is that all nations will be blessed through him.

Why? Because Abraham obeyed God.

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Tags Abraham, God

Bible Insights

Pursuing God Can be Risky

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 5, 2011

I have heard some claim that if you follow Jesus, all your problems will be solved and life will become an idyllic and blissful existence.

While I suppose that could be the case, I don’t reach that conclusion when I read my Bible.

In one of the more obscure passages, this is shown figuratively in The Song of Songs.

Twice, overcome in desperation to be with her lover (the king), the girl makes an ill-advised nighttime foray into the dark to find him. Both times, she encounters watchmen.

The first occurs without incident, but the second time she is mistreated by them.

The degree of abuse is unclear, but it could be understood as severe.

Just as she is willing to risk much to be with the king she loves, so to do God’s followers take risks to be with the King they love.

And if we truly love him, no risk is too great.

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Tags follower of Jesus, God, love

Christian Living

The First Step is Recognizing Our Need for God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 3, 2011

The Twelve Step program, developed by Alcoholics Anonymous to help people struggling with alcohol addiction, has been extended to address a wide range of destructive, compulsive behaviors.

Key applications include drugs, food, sex, gambling, and smoking.

The Steps aptly apply to spiritual issues, too. Whatever the situation, be it a compulsion, a habit, a temptation, a struggle, a worry, or a distraction, the underlying premise of the 12 Steps provides the right focus.

Essentially, it’s realizing we can’t deal with it on our own, and we need God’s help to see long-term victory. We have a need for God to deal with our issues. Whatever they may be.

Whatever we want to change about ourselves, there’s a limit to how much we can accomplish by our own will and strength.

While God has the power to immediately remove issues and struggles from our lives—and I’ve seen it happen—often it is a slower process. It takes time, one day at a time.

It is frustrating for God to not immediately remove something from our lives when we ask, but I wonder if the main point might just be the journey.

Perhaps he wants us to learn something and mature as we move down our path to freedom. If he granted instant success, we would miss whatever lesson he has awaiting us.

Regardless if the resolution is immediate or a process, the beginning step is to realize it’s beyond us, and we need God’s help.

All of us have a need for God.

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Tags God

Bible Insights

Seeking God’s Favor

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2011

There are several places in the Bible that talk about seeking God’s favor. In reading these sections it becomes clear that when people seek God’s favor, good things result; when they don’t, bad things result.

For example, Hezekiah sought God’s favor and disaster was averted, whereas the Jewish people did not seek God’s favor and spent 70 years in captivity.

What isn’t readily apparent is how one goes about seeking God’s favor, but Daniel provides the answer. It is simply by stop doing bad things and acknowledging his truth.

Seeking God’s favor isn’t hard, but it’s not often done.

[Jeremiah 26:19, Daniel 9:13]

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Tags Daniel, God, Hezekiah

Bible Insights

God is the Best of the Best

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 18, 2011

The God who is revealed in the Bible is number one. Consider these explanations of who he is in comparison to all else:

He is the King of kings.
He is the Lord of lords
He is the Prince of princes
He is the God of gods

Quite simply, God is over all and above all. He is numero uno. He is the Best of the best.

So what should be our response?

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Bible Insights

Give to God What Belongs to God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 12, 2010

In Jesus’ parable of the tenants, there is a man who plants a vineyard and rents it out. When it is harvest time, he sends his representative to collect some of the harvest, which is likely the terms of lease.

Instead of remitting to the owner what is due him, the tenants refuse, mistreating everyone the owner sends, even to the point of killing his son. The owner then kills the evil tenants and leases the vineyard to others.

Perhaps the first part of this parable is a picture of what God wants from us. As tenants in his creation, he desires us to give part of our “crop” to him as a form of “rent” for the privilege of living here.

This seems simple enough, but often we are greedy, wanting to keep everything for ourselves. The implication is that God will then find someone else who is willing give to him what is due him.

This is perhaps what Jesus had in mind when on another occasion says “…and give to God what belongs to God.”

[Luke 20:6-19 and Matthew 22:21]

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Tags give, God, Jesus, parable

Bible Insights

Amos Protests and God Relents

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 16, 2010

Amos was a shepherd, called by God to be a prophet. His story is found in the book of Amos in the Bible.

Amos says what God tells him, but after a while, the people of Israel—the primary target of his God-given proclamations—get tired of Amos and what he says, telling him to be quiet and go back home.

Interestingly, Peter, the disciple of Jesus, is given a similar warning by the authorities (Acts 4:18-20). Both Amos and Peter decline, insisting that they must do what God tells them to do.

At first Amos has no qualms about sharing God’s judgments regarding other nations, but he does eventually object. God shows Amos what will happen and Amos protests—and God relents.

Similar things happen when both Abraham and Moses plead with God (Genesis 18:16-33 and Numbers 14:11-20).

God then gives Amos another stinging word. Amos protests and God again relents.

Then God gives Amos a third oracle. This time Amos says nothing.

I wonder if Amos gave up too soon. I wonder if we sometimes make the same mistake.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Amos 7-9 and today’s post is on Amos 7:1-9.]

Learn more about all twelve of the Bible’s Minor Prophets in Peter’s book, Return to Me: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope from the Minor Prophets

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Tags Abraham, Amos, God, Moses, Peter, prophets

Bible Insights

The Implications of Omniscience

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 21, 2010

The entry “Omni God” mentioned that God is “omniscient.” This means that he has total knowledge, knowing everything.

This is a huge and all-encompassing thought that God knows everything about everything everywhere. It is grand and a bit overwhelming.

Embedded in this idea that God knows all things, is the reality that he also knows me—and he knows you. He knows all there is to know about us, including the things we keep to ourselves and even the things about us that we are unaware of.

He knows us individually, in every detail, totally and completely.

It is true that God’s omniscience is huge and all-encompassing, but it also means that he knows us fully and intimately.

God may know all, but he also knows me—and you!

[Also see “The Implications of Omnipresence” and “The Implications of Omnipotence” and for other similar considerations.]

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Tags God, omniscient

Bible Insights

The Implications of Omnipresence

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 25, 2010

The entry “Omni God” mentioned that, among other things, God is “omnipresent.” This means that God is present everywhere or that he exists in all places, at all times.

This is a grand and awesome concept, to realize that God simultaneously exists everywhere. It is huge, immense, and at times a bit overwhelming. Sometimes this reality makes me feel small and insignificant.

However, if God is everywhere, then he is also here, right now. His omnipresent reality allows him to be here with me and to be with you—wherever you may be and whenever you may be there.

Yes, God’s omnipresence is big and grand and all-encompassing; it also means that he is intimate and personal and readily accessible.

God may be big, but he’s also here, right now, for each of us.

[Also see “The Implications of Omniscience” and “The Implications of Omnipotence”]

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Tags awesome, God, omnipresent