Knowing God Study - Lesson 5 Ý
Copyright 2004 by William Meisheid

Chapter 4: The Only True God

Today’s theme: To God be the Glory

Scriptural background: Exodus 3:14 "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."

Quote for the week

"The God of Moses IS God." Pharaoh Ramses (Yul Brenner). The Ten Commandments, Paramount, Cecil B. DeMille ,1956

"God is in the details." Mies van der Rohe. New York Times, August 19, 1969.

"God creates, I do not create. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it—from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do." George Balanchine. New York Times, 16 Dec 63.

Concern: I have not apprehended the uniqueness of God

God is. God is before all else, first cause, first mover, first everything.
"He created all that is, seen and unseen." Nicene Creed

1   Do you ever doubt the existence of God? When? Why?

2   What is the difference between doubt and unbelief? Why is this distinction important?

Interacting with the text

Goal: To come to terms with the idolatry in our lives. To grasp how failing to do this separates us from the intimate relationship we seek to have with God and how coming to terms with our idolatries is an important step on the road of discipleship.

1   What are the two parts of idolatry according to Packer?

2   How can something be OK and not be idolatry unless it is part of worship?

3   Think about music videos and how they affect your mental images when you later hear the same music. With this in mind what inherent dangers are there in images?

4   In what ways might images dishonor God?

5   In what ways might images mislead us?

6   I like to think… How can metaphors and mental images be dishonoring to God?

7   Explain this statement and its significance: God is not the sort of person we are.

8   What test can we apply to ourselves to judge whether or not we are keeping the second commandment?

9   How can you reconcile the second commandment and Christian art that attempts portrayals of God and Christ? What is meant by symbolic, rather than representational, art?

10  How would you relate a movie like The Passion of the Christ to the concerns of this chapter?

What To Do Next

Continue Section One by reading Chapter Five: God Incarnate. Meditate on what it means that God become flesh in Jesus Christ. Think on the verse of a Christmas hymn “Lo, he abhors not the womb.”

Goal: Strive never to fall into the trap of idolotry.

Remember, when God told Moses "I AM WHO I AM” He meant it. He is not who we think He is, no matter how lofty our image. He is who He says he is. That has a lot of ramifications for us.