Our next task is to become familiar with what the Bible says about God. The first thing we want to look at is the effect the corruption in human nature has on the average person’s perspective on God’s existence. What effect does the corruption in human nature have on someone’s life?

The Bible describes people as dead in “trespasses and sins.” This description is found in Ephesians 2:3 (ESV). In 1 John 2:11 (ESV) the Bible says that “darkness has blinded” their eyes. In Isaiah 42:18 (ESV) people are described as being “deaf” as well.

The end result is that people have no ability to see God, no ability to hear God, and being dead in trespasses and sins they have no ability to respond to God. This is the human condition, and the Works of the Flesh are symptoms of a person’s complete indifference to God.

It takes a divine intervention on God to remove the deadness, blindness, and deafness that keeps people trapped in complete indifference to God. Just so you know we will take a closer look at how God deals with our complete indifference to His existence later.

Discussion Questions:

#1. Do you believe people are spiritually deaf, blind and dead? (Why or why not?)

The Knowledge of God

Since we have made the claim that people are spiritually deaf, blind and dead, we need to consider for a moment what the Bible offers as a solution to this problem. In John 17:3 (ESV) we are given the answer: “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

What exactly is the kind of knowing that is being referred to here? There are two basic ways to answer this that were common during the time the Bible was being written and each of them persist in the world even today, some two thousand years after the last portion of the Bible was written.

The first kind of knowledge I want to introduce you to is the kind that we are probably most familiar with, it is grounded in the cultural habits of the people who received the letters in the New Testament writings. To keep things simple, I am going to call them Greeks. If you asked a Greek person what they know about fire, they would show you where to find the best kind of wood to burn, how to cut it down safely, what to use for kindling, and how to cook or work as a blacksmith when you had a fire started. This was how they would display their “knowledge” of fire.

The second kind of knowledge is grounded in the cultural habits of people we read about in the Old Testament writings. To keep things simple, I am going to call these people Hebrews. If you wanted to ask a Hebrew person what they know about fire, they would show you some part of their body where they had been burned in the past. They would point to a scar to display their “knowledge” of fire.

I want you to consider the difference between building a fire and being burned so badly you have a scar as a reminder of how dangerous fire can be, and I hope you get “burned and scarred” by the knowledge of God available to us in the Bible, which we want to help you look at next.

Discussion Question:

#1. Is your personal “knowledge of God” more Greek or Hebrew?

The Name of God in the Bible

The first way to know God is to learn His name. In Exodus 3:13-14 (ESV) we are told that the name of God is “I Am Who I Am.” This is His identity, and it was given at a time when there were all kinds of “gods” being worshiped. We can take a closer look and talk in detail about the significance of knowing God’s name later when we get into the Bible.

Discussion Questions:

#1. Have you heard of God’s name before? (Why or why not?)

The Titles of God in the Bible

In addition to His name, there are titles that God was given by people who experienced different aspects of His character. These titles are a second way that we can know God. Let me give you one example of God’s titles.

When a woman named Hagar was in a bad situation, her problem was resolved by God. In response to God, she gave God the following title: “You are a god of seeing” for she said “Truly I have seen Him who looks after me” in Genesis 16:13 (ESV). There are a lot of titles in Scripture like this one we can look at to know what His character is like, based on what people in the past have personally experienced in their own lives.

Discussion Questions:

#1. How many titles of God found in the Bible are you familiar with?

The Word Pictures in the Bible

At hundreds of different places in the Bible, God uses word pictures taken from nature and human experience to help us understand more about who He is. As far as word pictures from nature go, God is described in the Bible as a lion in Isaiah 31:4 and an eagle in Deuteronomy 32:11. These two animals can help those who are familiar with nature understand a small part of God’s character.

There are also word pictures taken from human experience and culture as well. God is called a husband in Isaiah 54:5, a Father in Deuteronomy 32:6 and a shepherd in Psalm 23:1. God has used things that are familiar to us to point us in the right direction. In the Bible God is described as having eyes in Psalm 11:4, and ears in Psalm 55:1 to give two examples.

Discussion Questions:

#1. How many word pictures describing God in the Bible are you familiar with?