Searching for God

Perhaps you have had thoughts lately about who God is and about what is after life. If this is the case, God is trying to speak to you! You can rest assured and know that God does care. But perhaps there also may be some unanswered questions you have about the things of God. Perhaps your religion offers false hope, or maybe you are wondering which religion is right. Which version of God is accurate? These are questions we will answer from God’s Word itself.

Who is God?

First of all, we must know Who God is and our position before Him. Here is the first verse in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. God is our Creator, which means He makes the rules and we are accountable to Him. From the smallest grain of sand to the largest galaxy — God made them all. We must realize that nature is not God, but rather it is what God uses to point us to Him. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1a.

In God’s Word, there are two main aspects of Who God is. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” 1 John 1:5b. (God is righteous; in Him is no sin).  “God is love” 1 John 4:16. Today, we see much of an emphasis on God’s love and yet not much emphasis on His holiness. Both are equally true, and so we must see what both qualities entail.

God is Light. Look at the sun. Look at the moon. Look at the stars. They are a beautiful display of lights that God made, but they are incomparable to God’s glory. God’s glory is a reflection of His perfection. If God is a holy God (which He is) and if we are accountable to Him, it means we are responsible to be righteous. How do you live up to God’s standards? Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? If we have broken even one of God’s laws, God says we are just as guilty as if we’ve broken them all. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. The broken Law is but a reflection of the condition of our heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Not only that; but because of the condition of our hearts, this verse is true of us: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6. Before God, we are guilty and deserve the punishment our sin merits, which is this: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15. We either spend eternity with God or in the lake of fire. Why? Because God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

God is Love. Thankfully, we can know that God not only upholds righteous standards, but He loves His creations. Every good gift is from above; our health, our families, etc. — they are all from Him. While we can say that God is love all day, how can we know that He cares? Is there a solution to our problem of sin?

Does God Care?
So how can we know that His love exists? Again, the answer is found in His Word. First of all, we must remember that God is love, which means that any love He shows us is really a manifestation of His very person. “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. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son – the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9,10. “Some would scarcely die for a righteous man; perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die; but God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7,8. God does care! We know, because Jesus Christ Himself willingly gave His life for sinners who didn’t deserve even a kind look from God. We’ve broken God’s Law, we’ve rejected His authority, and yet He stepped down and showed love, in spite of our hatred toward Him.
Notice the phrase toward us in both verses. God is directly showing His love to us, in spite of the fact that toward God we are not faithful. What a contrast! Man is by nature a self-centered being who lays up treasure for self, while God has given us the gift of His everlasting love. And He proved His love by suffering and dying on a cross, paying for our sin as a Substitute. God has chosen to show Himself in the best way possible to redeem lost and guilty sinners from sin and its wages. You need to know this today: God does care!

Can I Find Peace?
And so we are faced with an opportunity. Why did God choose to show His love to us? What implications does it have? The answer is in 1 John 4:9,10 — “that we might live through Him” and so He could be “the propitiation (one who satisfies God’s wrath against sin) for our sin.” Because the debt of our sin was paid by Christ, God offers us a pardon for it and eternal life. These corrupt bodies will die, but our spirit will live on – either with God or in the Lake of Fire. God did all He could to provide salvation for us, and now it is our responsibility to respond to His offer of eternal life.
How, then, do we respond and receive it? Here is what God says: “Unless you repent, you shall likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (trusts) 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.” (John 3:16,17). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9). God says we simply must repent (agreeing with God) and receive the gift He offers through the work of Jesus Christ. If you want eternal life, look to Christ! There is no salvation by going to church, by confessing our sin to a man, by doing good works, etc., because God says: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8,9). 
      God is looking for a personal relationship with you; but in order to have that relationship, there must be peace with God. Here is the question: can I find peace? Here is God’s answer: “Therefore (because Christ is risen), being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Do you want peace with God, forgiveness of sins, eternal life? Look to Christ. Trust Him. Receive Him as Saviour and Lord. He is the only way to God.