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The Bible is a book that reveals God Himself. All the words in the Bible are full of the revelation of God; therefore, we will first look at the line of the Triune God in the Bible. We will look at it in three sections—the names of God, the attributes of God, and the works of God.
In the Bible the first name by which God is called is God. In the Old Testament there are at least three different Hebrew words for God—Elohim, El, and Eloah, each with a distinct meaning. When modifiers are added to these names, compound names are produced.
Elohim is a word in the plural form; it is a plural word indicating a number higher than two. When we read Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” we often ask the question, “Since God is one, why is He called Elohim?” There are a few points that require explanation.
Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, prayer on the earth always consists of three requests, and praise in the heavens always consists of three holys. Thus, by inference, we can conclude that God is truly triune.
In Hebrew Elohim is related to two words. The first word El means “one who is strong and powerful,” and the second word alah means “to bind oneself with an oath.” Oath-making reveals God’s faithfulness; being strong and powerful reveals God’s might. God is a faithful mighty One.
The name Elohim is used more than two thousand five hundred times in the Old Testament. It is first used in Genesis 1:1, showing that the God who created the heavens and the earth is triune and that He is mighty and faithful. The emphasis on might relates to creation, whereas the emphasis on faithfulness relates to preservation and maintenance. Through His might the Triune God created the heavens and the earth, and through His faithfulness He preserves and maintains the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 shows us that the heavens and the earth were created jointly by the three-one God.
El is a word in singular form, meaning “the first mighty One, the preeminent mighty One.” This word is used approximately two hundred and fifty times in the Old Testament; it is first used in Genesis 14:18-20 and 22, revealing that God is the preeminent, high, and mighty One in the universe.
Eloah is the singular form of Elohim, derived from the word alah. Alah means “to [fear, revere, hence] worship”; therefore, Eloah denotes that God is the mighty One to be worshipped. This word is used approximately fifty-six times in the Old Testament; it is first used in Deuteronomy 32:15 and 18. From El three more compound names are derived.
El means “the preeminent mighty One,” and Elyon means “the Most High.” El Elyon denotes that God is the mighty One who is the highest in the universe. This name is first used in Genesis 14:18-20 and 22.
Shaddai means “breast” or “udder”; El Shaddai denotes that God is the mighty One with an udder, the all-sufficient mighty One. Our relationship with God is like that of an infant lying on the bosom of the mother and receiving the supply for all the necessities in life; hence, God is the All-sufficient One to us. This title is first used in Genesis 17:1. It is also used in Genesis 28:3; 35:11; and 49:25.
Olam has the meaning “hidden, concealed,” and “from generation to generation and from eternity to eternity,” similar to the Greek word aeon. The full meaning indicates that God is the mysterious mighty One in eternity. Some English versions translate this title as “the everlasting God,” while others translate it as “the eternal God,” yet neither of these expresses the meaning adequately. This word is first used in Genesis 21:33; in addition, Psalm 90:2 and Isaiah 40:28 use this word.
In addition to the above six Hebrew names for God, there is a Chaldean (Aramaic) word used as a title for God, Elah, which is also written in certain places as Elahah for emphasis. This word is equivalent to the Hebrew word Eloah. It is used approximately eighty times in Ezra and Daniel.
The name of God that occurs most frequently in the Old Testament is Jehovah or Yehovah. In Hebrew this name is composed of portions of three words: Je represents a portion of a word, ho represents a portion of a word, and vah also represents a portion of a word. Je indicates “will be,” ho indicates “is,” and vah indicates “was.” Therefore, Jehovah translated into English is “the One who is, was, and always will be.” The verb to be can also be translated as “to be present”; thus, in Revelation 1:8 the Chinese Union Version says, “He who is present, who was present, and who will be present forever.” So Jehovah means that God is present, was present, and will be present forever and also that He is, was, and will be forever. In addition, this word also means “self-existing and ever-existing, without beginning or end, forever remaining and never ceasing to be,” and “forever unchanging.” In Exodus 3:14-15 “I AM WHO I AM” is the meaning of Jehovah.
In the New Testament the Lord Jesus referred to Himself often as I Am. This can be seen in John 8:24, 28, and 58. I Am in the New Testament is Jehovah in the Old Testament. This name means that God is everything. It is mentioned more than seven thousand times in the Old Testament and is first used in Genesis 2:4. From the basic title Jehovah ten compound names and an abbreviated name are formed.
This title means “Jehovah our Maker”; it is used in Psalm 95:6.
This title means “Jehovah will provide”; it is used in Genesis 22:14.
This title means “Jehovah who heals you”; it is used in Exodus 15:26.
This name means “Jehovah is my banner.” Jehovah is our banner for going to war; He fights for us. This name is used in Exodus 17:15.
This name means “Jehovah who sanctifies you”; it is used in Exodus 31:13 and Leviticus 20:8.
This title means “Jehovah is peace”; it is used in Judges 6:24.
This title means “Jehovah is my Shepherd”; it is used in Psalm 23:1.
This name means “Jehovah our righteousness;” it is used in Jeremiah 23:6.
This name means “Jehovah Is There”; it is used in Ezekiel 48:35.
This title means “Jehovah of hosts”; it is used in 1 Samuel 1:3 and Jeremiah 2:19.
These ten compound names reveal Jehovah as something to us; therefore, we know that Jehovah is a particular name related to God’s coming to have a relationship with man. In Genesis 1 there is only the name Elohim. The name Jehovah is mentioned starting from chapter 2, when speaking of the relationship between God and man. This name shows us that God is everything that man needs, just as the Lord referred to Himself as I Am in the New Testament.
This word is an abbreviated form of Jehovah; it is first used in Exodus 15:2. In the book of Psalms it is combined with hallelu to form the frequently used word Hallelujah, meaning “praise Jehovah.” This name is also used in Isaiah. It is used forty-nine times in these three books.
God is often addressed also as Lord in the Old Testament. This is not only a title used by a slave to address his master; it is also a title used by a wife to address her husband (1 Pet. 3:6). There are two words for Lord in Hebrew.
This word in singular form is used approximately twenty times to refer to God. It is first used in Exodus 23:17.
This word in plural form is used four hundred and thirty-nine times. It is first used in Genesis 15:2 and 8. On the one hand, we are His slaves, and He is our Master; on the other hand, we are His wife, and He is our Husband. When Lord is used in the Bible, both meanings are included.
Throughout the Old Testament the name Jehovah is used almost seven thousand times; the name Elohim is used more than two thousand five hundred times. Together the two names are used almost ten thousand times.
In the Old Testament there are many instances where God appears to man in the form of a man; for this reason God as Christ is also referred to as a man and as the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13; Psa. 80:17). The first reference to God as man is in Genesis 18:1-2, 16-17, and 22. One of the three men who appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre was God as Christ. In Genesis 32:24-30 the man who wrestled with Jacob at the ford of the Jabbok was also God embodied in Christ. In Judges 13:6, 8, 11, and 15-22 the man who appeared to Manoah and his wife was also God in Christ. God appeared as a man even before the New Testament.
In the Old Testament the Spirit of God is a person, and He is referred to as both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jehovah. The title the Spirit of God is found in Genesis 1:2; 6:3; Exodus 31:3; 35:31; Numbers 24:2; Job 26:13; 33:4 Isaiah 4:4; and Joel 2:28-29. The title the Spirit of Jehovah is found in Numbers 11:25; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 2 Samuel 23:2; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 11:2; 44:3; 48:16; 61:1; 63:10-11, 14; and Ezekiel 11:5; 36:27; 37:14.
Theos means “God”; it is equivalent to El, Eloah, and Elohim in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God usually refers to the Triune God; in the New Testament, God sometimes refers to God the Father (1 Pet. 1:3), sometimes to God the Son (Heb. 1:8), and sometimes to God the Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). In the New Testament theos is used when referring to either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can see that each One of the three is God. God is a triune God.
Pater translated into English is “Father.” By the name Father in the New Testament, God reveals Himself to us in a particular way. God as the Father denotes God as the source of all things, the origin of all things, the initiation of all things, and the beginning of all things. The name Father implies the source, the beginning. In John 20:17, after His resurrection, the Lord said to the disciples, “I ascend to My Father and your Father.” First John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” The word for Father in these two verses is pater.
In the New Testament an Aramaic (Chaldean) word, abba, is used in reference to the Father. Its transliteration using the English alphabet also is abba. It so happens that in Chinese abba is also a term for father.
There are instances in the New Testament where the Greek word pater and the Aramaic word abba are used together. In English the term is translated “Abba, Father.” This can be found in Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6, and Mark 14:36 it is a more emphatic title.
In English despotes is translated “Sovereign Master,” or simply “Master.” However, this is very different from the Old Testament adonai, which is translated “Lord.” Here the word despotes refers to a master with authority. It is used in Luke 2:29, Acts 4:24, and Revelation 6:10 in reference to God. The New Testament also uses this title when referring to the Lord Jesus. Second Peter 2:1 and Jude 4 both refer to the Lord Jesus as the Master of the universe who has authority over everything.
The word Lord in Matthew 1:20 and Mark 12:29 is kurios, referring to the Lord Jesus; the word is equivalent to adon and adonai in the Old Testament. When the New Testament quotes an Old Testament verse, kurios is often used in place of Jehovah. Mark 1:3 is an example. Kurios is a title of the Lord Jesus in His divinity. On the one hand, the Lord Jesus is man, and on the other, He is God. When speaking of His being God, He is kurios, Lord. In John 20:28 when Thomas said, “My Lord and my God,” it is “My kurios and my theos.” Furthermore, Lord in “Jesus is Lord” in 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Lord in “Lord Jesus” in 1 Corinthians 5:4 are kurios. This is a title of the Lord Jesus in His divinity.
The Greek word Jesus and the Hebrew word Joshua are the same word. Je is Jehovah. So the meaning of Joshua, or Jesus, is “Jehovah Savior,” or “the salvation of Jehovah.” Jesus is Jehovah coming to be our Savior, Jehovah coming to be our salvation. Jesus in particular refers to the Lord being a man. This is a title of the Lord Jesus in His humanity. For this we can refer to Luke 1:31 and Matthew 1:21. Although Jesus is a name that refers to Him as a man, this man is Jehovah coming to be our Savior and becoming our salvation.
In English christos is Christ. Christos is Greek; in Hebrew the word is Messiah. Messiah and Christ both mean “the anointed.” For this we can refer to John 1:41. Messiah is used at least once in the Old Testament, in Daniel 9:25-26.
In the Old Testament times, in order for someone to become a priest, a king, or a prophet, he had to be anointed with oil; all the priests, kings, and prophets were anointed ones. In the New Testament, as Luke 4:18 says, God anointed the Lord Jesus when He came to the earth, so the Lord Jesus was also an anointed One. Christ is a title of the Lord Jesus in His office (Matt. 1:16; Luke 2:11; Acts 2:36).
Hagion means “holy” and pneuma means “spirit”; the combination of these two words is Holy Spirit. In the New Testament hagion pneuma refers to the Spirit as a person. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of this title.
The New Testament refers to the Lord Jesus also as the Son of Man (Matt. 20:28; Mark 2:28; Luke 19:10; John 1:51; Acts 7:56).
The New Testament refers to the Lord Jesus also as “the man.” 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is...one Mediator...the man Christ Jesus.”
First Peter 1:2 and Ephesians 1:17 speak of the Father as God; Hebrews 1:8 and John 1:1 speak of the Son as God; Acts 5:3-4 and 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 speak of the Spirit also as God. Matthew 28:19 speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit together. God in the New Testament is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—the Triune God.
There are some passages in the Bible that mention the Father, the Son, and the Spirit together. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” First Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “...but the same Spirit...yet the same Lord...but the same God.” First Peter 1:2 says, “Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
The names of God tell us who God is; the attributes of God show us God’s nature and character. The Bible not only contains numerous names of God, showing who God is, it also contains countless words describing what kind of God He is to us. If we are willing to spend the time, we could find a hundred points on the attributes of God. However, due to the limitation of time and energy, the thirty points we have found should be sufficient for now.
Among these attributes there are five basic attributes; if we can remember these five, the rest can easily be remembered. We may say that these five attributes are primary and the rest are derivative. The primary attributes of God are the sources, whereas the other attributes are derived from these five sources.
These attributes will be listed below. As we mention each attribute, we can give only a few references; we do not have the time to explain their meaning.
The above five points are the sources of the following attributes of God:
After reading the above attributes, we have some idea of the kind of God He is. We can see that God is sometimes very joyful and sometimes provoked to anger; yet He is long-suffering. He also grieves. He never repents of His words, even though He sometimes repents of His actions. He carries out salvation, judgment, recompense, vengeance, and retribution without the slightest imprudence. However, He is also a God who hides Himself; He often hides Himself. When He is hidden, arrogant men will certainly take the opportunity to speak arrogant words, and godly men will undergo severe trials. It may even seem that there is not a God in the universe. However, in times of necessity He will come forth to execute judgment and to vindicate Himself.
We should not forget that all of God’s attributes originate from these five basic primary attributes—love, righteousness, faithfulness, holiness, and glory. When speaking of His heart, He is loving; when speaking of His works, He is righteous; when speaking of His word, He is faithful; when speaking of His nature, He is holy; and when speaking of Himself, He is glorious. Countless attributes of God originate from these five points. For example, truthfulness surely originates from faithfulness and goodness from righteousness. I hope that the saints would commit these attributes to memory and consider them; this will certainly help us to know God.
Of all the matters concerning God in the Bible, the most important portions concern the works of God. The names of God tell us who God is, the attributes of God tell us what kind of God He is, and the works of God reveal God’s operation and move in the universe. Therefore, the works of God are the most central revelation concerning God in the Bible. Now we will discuss them in two groups.
The first group consists of five main points:
In Ephesians 1:9 and 11 and in 3:11 plan or purpose is translated into “will” in Chinese. Actually, the meaning of the original Greek word does not refer merely to a will; it refers more to a plan, a purpose, according to a will. For example, we may have the will to build a large meeting hall, but we may not have the plan; if we had a plan, the will would surely be included in the plan.
The plan of God is something in eternity. Ephesians 1:11 tells us that we were predestinated according to God’s purpose, God’s plan, and verse 4 says this predestination took place before the foundation of the world.
The Greek word for economy has the meaning of “arrangement, management, and dispensing.” According to the Greek, arrangement in Ephesians 1:10 and 3:9 is better rendered “economy,” since the meaning of economy is stronger than that of arrangement.
For example, if we were to set up chairs in the meeting hall, we can call it an arrangement because it is a trivial task. However, if we want to run a big business or open a large factory, we cannot call this an arrangement; instead we should call it an economy. God’s plan is a great matter; therefore, in God’s plan there is an economy, and this economy includes management, administration, arrangement, and dispensing.
The goal of God’s eternal plan is to build a dwelling place for Himself and to build the Body of Christ for His Son. In other words, it is to choose a bride for His Son and to gain a corporate vessel for Himself as His full expression. To accomplish this goal, He chose man, whom He had created, before the foundation of the world. God’s selection is not merely to save us, but to accomplish His eternal plan (1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2).
Predestination is to mark us out. In eternity, while carrying out His economy according to His plan, God chose us according to His foreknowledge and sealed and designated us (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:29).
The record in Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” refers to God’s original creation. At this point man had not been created; only the angels had been created. Among the angels there was a leader, God’s anointed cherub, whom God set over the original universe. At one point this anointed archangel, due to his pride, rebelled against God and became Satan, God’s adversary. The original universe under his rule became corrupted and was brought under God’s judgment with water covering the surface of the deep.
The matter of restoration is spoken of from Genesis 1:2 to the end of Genesis 2. The original creation was submerged under water; it was waste and emptiness, with darkness on the surface of the deep. Therefore, God came in to restore. First, He ordered the heavenly luminaries to give light, and then He ordered the water on the earth to gather together so that dry land would appear. This restoration rearranged and restored the heavens and the earth that had been judged. The sphere of His restoration is the universe, all things are the means, and human beings are the center. God’s creation is for the expression of God Himself.
Rebellion occurred not only in God’s original creation, which came under God’s judgment; it took place also in God’s restoration. Man, the center of this restoration, was deceived by Satan; he followed Satan and rebelled against God. Consequently, the restored universe once more became fallen and corrupted. At this point He had to find a way to save man or abandon His original plan. Thankfully, God is a God who does not change. Regardless of the damage done by Satan, God will accomplish what He planned; He would never give up halfway. Therefore, God came to redeem man.
Immediately after Adam sinned and fell, God came to seek him out (3:8-9).
God came and sought out the fallen Adam and promised him a Savior, who would be the seed of the woman; He also promised him a way of salvation, which involved killing an animal sacrifice and putting on its skin (vv. 15, 21).
God did not merely promise a way of salvation, He also revealed it through many types. The way of salvation is nothing other than the redeemed ones being identified with the Redeemer.
In order for Noah and his family to be saved through the ark, they had to enter into the ark. For us to be saved through Christ, we must enter into Christ. Therefore, whenever the matter of believing in Jesus is spoken of in the New Testament, the Greek word for to believe is always followed by the preposition into. To believe into the Lord Jesus means to be identified with the Lord Jesus; without identification there is no substitution. Noah’s family of eight was hidden within the ark; the floodwater assailed the ark instead of them. God saw the ark instead of them. The ark became their substitute by virtue of their being identified with the ark. In the same way, a sacrifice could be slaughtered in place of Adam because Adam was identified with the sacrifice. Furthermore, when the Israelites observed the passover, they hid within houses that were sprinkled with blood and consumed the meat of the lamb. These are all stories of identification. Rahab the harlot and her family were saved because they gathered in a house with a scarlet thread tied to it. Later, the Israelites entered Canaan and established six cities of refuge. Those who unintentionally committed sin could flee to a city of refuge to avoid punishment. Here God clearly reveals the way of salvation—there must be identification in order for there to be substitution. The Lord Jesus can replace us because we have been identified with Him. Therefore, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We must be in Him to become the righteousness of God.
In Genesis 12:1-3; 26:3-4; and 28:13-14 God called Abraham and promised that he and his descendants would receive the salvation that God gave for man. For this we need to refer to the covenant God made with Abraham.
After God called and promised man salvation, He was still concerned that man might not know the Savior or the way of salvation. So He established numerous types, like a kindergarten education, conveying thoughts through pictures and describing them in numerous ways.
God redeemed the Israelites with the Passover lamb in the land of Egypt, and with His mighty hand He delivered them out of Egypt through the Red Sea. In this type God revealed that His way of salvation causes the redeemed to receive His life through a substitutionary shedding of blood and delivers the redeemed from the bondage of Satan and the world with great power through the death of Christ.
God gave the law at Mount Sinai so that through the law man’s corruption and impotence would be manifested and proven. In this way man would be subdued, knowing that he could not do good, and thereby, would draw near to the way of salvation.
This is another group of the types of the way of salvation, explaining the means by which the redeemed ones fellowship with God in their daily living.
This is the third group of types of the way of salvation, explaining the process and the ultimate goal of salvation. Together, the three groups reveal the way of salvation in full.
In the Pentateuch and the books of history, God speaks of the Savior and the way of salvation through types. In the books of prophecy and the Psalms God promises the Redeemer and the redemption through prophecies in plain words.
All the above six points are matters in the Old Testament. However, God eventually became flesh to be man’s Savior according to what He had promised, typified, and prophesied. He accomplished redemption through crucifixion and resurrection. This is the record of the Gospels.
The Lord died and resurrected, accomplished redemption, ascended to the height, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and then descended as the Spirit to carry out His accomplished redemption in man for the building up of the church. This is seen in the book of Acts and in the Epistles.
The creation fell, so God came in to redeem; yet some of the creation would not receive redemption. Therefore, He came in and did some clearing up. This clearing up is judgment, and His judgment is directed toward three parties.
The churches should be fully redeemed; yet there are some unredeemable elements that have been brought into the churches. For example, the flesh, the will of man, the world, sin, the things of the devil, and corrupted things are being judged by God. The seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3 tell us that all the churches throughout the generations have had some unredeemable elements. Therefore, at the very beginning of Revelation the redeeming Lord comes as the judging Lord to judge all His redeemed churches. When He is manifested, His eyes are like a flame of fire, a sharp two-edged sword proceeds out of His mouth, and His feet are like shining bronze; this is a scene of judgment.
Revelation is a book on judgment. The first three chapters are on the judgment of the church, and chapters 4 through 20 are on the judgment of the world. Every unredeemed person, thing, or matter in the world will suffer God’s judgment in the last day, which is signified by the judgment of Babylon, the great city.
Last, God will judge His adversary, Satan, and the tools used by Satan, which are death and Hades. Everything that has gone through God’s judgment will ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire; all that remains will be the redeemed, who will gather in the New Jerusalem in the end.
God’s plan is completed in Revelation 21 and 22.
A new universe, a new sphere, will appear. Then God will declare, “They have come to pass” (21:6), and “Behold, I make all things new” (v. 5). What should be put away will be put away, and what should be gained will be gained.
The new heaven and the new earth will be the new sphere, and the New Jerusalem will be the new center. This New Jerusalem is the glorious expression of God in His Son through those who have been redeemed throughout the ages. In eternity without end, as Romans 9 says, the lake of fire will be the vessel making known God’s wrath, and the New Jerusalem will be the vessel making known God’s glory (vv. 22-23). At this point the works of God will be complete.
The second group of the works of God also consists of five main points.
Romans 1:19-20, Psalm 19:1-3, Acts 14:15-17, and 17:26-27 all show us that God has proven Himself through the heavens and the earth, which He created.
Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, and Matthew 22:31 all refer to a speaking God. God has proven Himself by creating the heavens and the earth, and God has spoken concerning Himself in the Holy Scriptures.
First Timothy 3:16 and John 1:14 say that God has come, becoming flesh and tabernacling among us. Not only has He been proven and has spoken, He has come.
After God passed through death and resurrection, He ascended and descended in the Spirit and is able to enter into man (14:16-19).
Revelation 21 and 22 say that in the end God will dwell in the holy city, New Jerusalem, taking the holy city as His dwelling place for His expression.
If we look at these two groups of the works of God, we will see what God is doing in the universe. When we read through the names of God, the attributes of God, and the works of God, the Bible will become clear and transparent to us.
