Winter Bible Seminar 2023 (05 - 07 July)

Presented by Bishop Mosa Sono

Day 1: The Existence of God Day 2: The Nature of God & The Attributes of God Day 3: The Names of God

Day 1: The Existence of God

A. The fact of the Existence of God

- Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:1; Romans 1:20

Day 2: The Nature of God & The Attributes of God

The Nature of God

- Ephesians 4:17-18; Matthew 11:27; 1 Corinthians 1:19-21

A. God is a Spirit (John 4:24)

•     Luke 24:39; Deuteronomy 4:15-19; Exodus 33:20; John 1:18, Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16; Deuteronomy 4:14-2; Isaiah 40:25; John 4:20-24; Genesis 1:2. 2 Corinthians 2:11

B.  God is Light (1 John 1:5)

•       1 Timothy 6:15-16, 1 Timothy 1:17

C.  God is Love (1 John 4:17)

•       John 3:16

D. God is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29)

-       The Lamp of Fire (Genesis 15:17)

-       The Burning Bush of Fire (Exodus 3:1-6)

-       The Altar of Fire (1 Kings 18:24, 38)

-       The Coals of Fire (Isaiah 6:6,7)

-       The Tongues of Fire (Acts 2:1-4)

-       The Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15)

The Attributes of God

Two main groupings: Essential and Moral

A. Essential Attributes

1.     God is Eternal  o Isaiah 43:10; Psalm 90:3

Various Biblical expressions:

a)     I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58)

b)    The Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33)

c)     In the beginning God (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:10; John 1:1)

d)    Thy years are throughout all generations (Psalm 102:24)

e)    The Lord of Hosts, He is the First and the Last (Isaiah 44:6)

f)      The High and Holy One inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15)

g)     The Eternal God is our refuge (Deuteronomy 33:27)

h)    God’s eternal power and Godhead (Romans 1:20)

i)      The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending (Revelation 1:8)

j)      Him which is (time present), which was (time past), and which is to come

(time future)” [Revelation 1:4; 4:8]

k)     The King Eternal (1 Timothy 1:17)

2.     God is Self-Existent

a)     I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4)

b)    I am Jehovah, that is My Name (Exodus 3:14-15; 6:3)

c)     With Thee is the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9)

d)    In Him is life (John 1:4)

e)    The Father God has life in Himself. He has also given the Son to have life in

Himself (John 5:26)

f)      God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)

g)     God is the King eternal, immortal, invisible (1 Timothy 1:17)

h)    The believer who has the Son of life, for God has given eternal life and this life is in the Son (1 John 5:11-13)

Day 3: The Names of God

MAIN TEXTS/ANCHOR SCRIPTURES - 2 Tim 3:16-17 NKJV

In the bible, God is referred to by many names.

THE THEOLOGY OF NAMES

-       Names seem to correspond directly to the one designated by the name, thus the Southern Sotho idiom ‘bitso le be, ke seromo’.

-       This principle holds true with regards to the names of God.

-       The bible refers to God by many different names, and each one reveals some aspect of God’s character or His relationship to us; therefore the names of God:

•       Reveal Him.

•       Act as a roadmap for learning about His character and His true nature.

•       Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character.

People did not know the name of God.

Gen 3:8-9 NIV

After the separation of mankind from God in the garden of Eden, God had to ‘re-introduce’ Himself to the human race; and He did so by different names.

In the Old Testament we have the Creatorship or Elohistic names of God, and the Redemptive or Jehovahistic names of God.

CREATORSHIP OR ELOHISTIC NAMES OF GOD

•       Names of God are those names which have to do with the relationship of God with His creation or creatures. 

•       The name “El” signifies “to be strong powerful or mighty”. “Elhohim” is the plural of “El” and speaks of plurality of divine Persons in the Godhead. 

•       Elohim (or Elohay) is the first name of God found in the bible. 

•       It is used in OT 2,500 

•       ‘Elohim’ means ‘strength’ or ‘power’ and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form.

El signifies the object of worship rather than a divine name.

- When the name “El” is used as a compound name, it is generally associated or used to show some power or attribute of God in relation to His creation or creatures. 

THE GENERAL LIST OF ELOHISTIC NAMES

•       El- to be strong, powerful, mighty. It is in the singular. It is used of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

•       The Father is El [Gen 14:18].

•       The Son is El [Is 7:14], Emmanu-El [Is 9:6-9]

•       The Holy Spirit is El [Job 33:4; 37:10]

•       Elohim- Plurality of Divine persons. Used 2500 times in the Old Testament. 

•       [Gen 1:1]. Used of the triune God

•       [Ex 3:1-6;15]. Used also of the fulness of the Godhead in the Son  • [Ps 45:2,6]

•       El- Elyon- The Most High God. [Gen 14:18]

•       El-Roi- The God that sees. [Gen 16:13,14]. He is the God who sees all our lives and knows how to take care. God who watching over all. Omniscience.

•       El-Shaddai- God almighty, God all-sufficient [Genesis 17:1]

•       El-Olam- God the everlasting. [Gen 21:33]. Eternity of Being

•       El-Beth-El- God of the house of God. [Gen 31:13; 35:7]

•       El-Elohe-Israel- God, the God of the Prince of God. [Gen 33:20]

•       Eloah- The one God. [Deut 32:15; Dan 2:11]

•       El-Gibbor- The mighty or great God. [Is 9:6, Jer 32:18-19]

•       Elohim-Elyon- God, The Most High. [Ps 91:1,2; 78:56]. 

•       God above all gods, God who reigns supreme, God who is greater than any force of darkness in this world.

•       Elohim-Saboath- God of Hosts. [Ps 80:7,14]. 

•       Omnipotence

•       Adoin or Adonai- Master, Owner or Masters, Owners, Ruler of all. [Ps 147:5; 86:12]

•       Immanu-El- God with us. [Is 7:14; Mt 1:21-23]. God made flesh. The incarnate Logos. [Jn 1:1-3; 14-18]

REDEMPTIVE OR JEHOVAHISTIC NAMES OF GOD

•       The Redemptive names of God revealed as Jehovah (or Yahweh) are God’s own personal and distinct names. 

•       The name Jehovah appears in the Authorized Version about 6,823 times and is generally translated as LORD. 

•       The Hebrews referred to His name as the unpronounceable or incommunicable name of God. The Hebrew letters for His name are four, the English letter are JHVH or YHWH.  

•       These are spoken of as being the four-letter tetragrammaton.

•       The name YAHWE/JEVOVAH speaks of God as the 

•       self-existent one

•       self-sufficient one

•       the source of all life

Jehovah is the I AM THAT I AM. 

•       It signifies “to be”, or “I will be all that I will be”. 

•       It tells us that God is the eternal, the Unchanged and Unchanging One, and He will be all that He is ever needed to be. 

•       This is more particularly seen in the compound redemptive names of the Lord. 

•       These compound names are always linked with some need of man, and it is here that Jehovah will be all that His people ever needed Him to be. 

•       He says of Himself “The LORD is MY name …this is MY memorial unto all generations”. (Exodus 3:14, 15: 15:3: Isaiah 42:8; Jeremiah 16:21; 33:2; Amos 5:8; 9:6)

THE GENERAL LIST THE REDEMPTIVE OR JEHOVAHISTIC NAMES OF GOD

•       Jehovah [Yahweh, or Lord]. I AM THAT I AM [Ex 3:14,15]. ‘I will be what I will be’. The

Self-Existent one revealing Himself to man in redemptive purpose. [Mal 3:6]

•       Jehovah-Elohim- The Lord God, the Redeemer-Creator.     [Gen 2:4]

•       Jah- Abbreviated form of Jehovah. [Ex 15:2; 17:16; Ps 68:4]

•       THE LORD IS MY HEALER (JEHOVAH-REPHEKA) God made our bodies, and God is able to heal them and keep them healthy when we meet His conditions by obeying His instructions. [Ex 15:26]

•       Jehova- Elohim-Saboath- the Lord of Hosts. [Ps 69:6]

•       Jehovah-Elohim- Lord God. [Ps 68:18]

•       Jah-Jehovah- Lord Jehovah (for double emphasis). [Is 12:2; 26:4]

•       Jehovah-Jireh- the Lord will provide. [Gen 22:14]