What Do Christians Believe About God

God is... God. He is all powerful, all knowing and is present everywhere. He created life as we know it -- but what we know is very limited at this time. What we do know is what he has revealed to us -- and he has revealed to us a lot. AND, not all of what he has revealed to us makes sense, because we have only known the physical realm of existence.

God is spirit. The spirit world exists outside of time and space. God created the physical world, in which time and space exist. We get this information, this knowledge, from the Bible. For more on how the Bible came into being, see the article, How We Got the Bible.

Much of what we know about God comes from the Bible, which in all actuality is a compilation of many books that record the history of God's "chosen" people, the Hebrews -- what we refer to today as "Jews" (more about that is available here: Hebrew, Israelite, or Jew?) The Bible is not our only means of knowing God, but it is our best written resource for understanding "why" we desire to know more about who and what we are, the purpose of life in general, and our life in particular. In it we can see how God has revealed himself to us and has interacted with us throughout recorded history.

The Bible is not an encyclopedia, it doesn't hold all the answers to all our questions, but it does give us the answer as to who we are, where we came from and why we are here. And it does it in a way no other book ever has or ever can. For in the Bible we discover something that no other book has (or will ever have) -- the love God has for you and me. That love is our whole purpose for being. Everything that is in the Bible, all the recorded history, all the ideals put forth, give our lives purpose and meaning beyond anything we can conceive.

Everything that the followers of God (and the followers of his Son, Jesus the Christ) believe in, is contained in the Bible.

Now I want you to be aware that -- as I mentioned at the beginning of this article -- mankind has a tendency to complicate things, and the contents of the Bible is probably the most widely distorted and abused text ever compiled.

Throughout the ages, mankind has sought to use the Bible as a means of self gain and control over others. Yet the Bible remains the truest revelation as to the nature and relationship of God and man. It is only when we seek for ourselves the knowledge that is contained in the Bible, that we can come to know the truth.

If we allow others to read and interpret the Bible for us, we open ourselves up to lies and distortions. That is why there are over 1200 different denominations of Christianity in North America alone. In fact, in all truth, "Christianity" is just another religion.

God has not called us to be religious, He has called us to love. He wants us to love him and to love each other. He has provided a way for us to be close to him, and we can learn what that way is, in the Bible.

Only by reading the Bible yourself and trusting no one but God to interpret its contents, will you come to know who God is, who you are, and what your life is for.

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. --Acts 20:29-30 (NIV)

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. --2 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV)

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. --2 Peter 1:20-2:3 (NIV)

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. --2 Peter 3:14-18 (NIV)