Who is God? / What is God?

Every person worships a god, whether they accept the idea or not. For the majority, their god is some type of being that has powers beyond their own. Some call themselves atheists, but you can be assured that they worship something, whether they realize it or not -- it may be money, it may be position, or it may even be self. There simply seems to be something within human beings that recognizes their own weakness and need. Over the ages, many societies have created and worshiped their own god. Their worship took many forms, and many have created idols to provide a visual focus for their worship. Judeo-Christians believe in one God, who is the former of all creation, is ruler of all, and rejects the attempt to create any kind of image through which He can be worshiped.

I am a Christian and fully subscribe to the Judeo-Christian position. I am also a physical scientist, and I have found nothing to dissuade me from this position. Rather, I have observed and experienced many things in my life that support the position. But I still must ask “Who and what is this God?” As I grow older this question grows in my mind, likely because I believe there is a God, and every day brings me nearer a face to face meeting. As to identity, in ancient times (still today??) knowing someone’s name gave you power over them. One Jewish tradition is that God appeared to Moses and commissioned him to take the descendants of Jacob out of Egypt. Moses asks, “Who shall I say sent me?” God responded, “I am. Tell them I am sent you.” In other words, I will not give you a name. Simply let them know I am in charge.

Even today, we want a name and/or an image. Lacking either we have no choice but to examine the Bible for hints of character. In the Jewish records that also became the Christian Old Testament, we see God as a ruler who expects acknowledgement and obedience. We see a strict judge who gives sentences appropriate to the “crime” – nothing more, nothing less. We also see a father providing behavior guides to his children, as well as serious discipline for misbehavior. And we see a father who loves and cares for his children.  Unfortunately, His children so misbehaved that, as we read the record, his strict discipline seems to stand out. However, as we read the Christian New Testament, His love and care for his children stands out, although discipline is still there for those who reject Him and his gifts. No, God is not a benign grandfather, as often depicted.

So, who is the God we worship? We live in a ‘box’ of three-dimensional space and unidirectional time, and must put everything into the perspective of this box. It is impossible to really understand God, because He is not in the box. Not only is His existence outside the box, but He created the box for us. Does, perhaps, “Star Wars” really depict the on-going battle actions outside the box? Is, perhaps, God really a ‘force’ which we absolutely cannot understand and have no hope to describe? One thing is certain, there is a rebellion which we also cannot see or understand. If you accept the understanding of an all-powerful God, you must also accept the presence of a Satan who is in rebellion, always seeking a way to destroy God. Somewhere outside our existence box there is a perpetual war raging between Satan’s forces and God’s Angels, but Satan’s rebellion is always destroyed just when it seems to be ready to destroy God’s force. The rebellion is a spiritual war, but battles are also fought within our existence box. Who’s side are you on?