Spiritual Foundations Class is designed to teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
We used it in my church as our new member class.
This is the outline for SFC session #1
Getting To Know God
I. Knowing God
A. Our first duty is to know God as He is (Prov 9:10; Psalm 14:1)
We must know and accept God as He really is. We must not make up
our own god as we want him to be. God is who He is!
B. God has revealed Himself
We can only know about God what He chooses to reveal about Himself
1) Through nature
Everyone has some knowledge of God, admit it or not
Psalm 19:1-3; Rom 1:18-20
2) In Scripture
God reveals His love for us and His plan of salvation
John 3:16; John 20:30-31
II. Who Is God?
A. God’s Identity
He is the God who created everything that exists
Isaiah 46:5-9; Isaiah 40:25-28
He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Ex 3:16
not of Mohammed, Buddah, etc
There is only One God Deut 6:4
He is Three in One
The Hebrew word echad in Deut 6:4 means “one in unity,” like a bunch of grapes
The Hebrew word most often used for God, elohim, is a plural form Gen 1:1-31
“Let us create man in our own image” Gen 1:26-27
The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit are, like the Father, fully God
Matt 1:23; Acts 5:3-4
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all participated in Creation
Gen 1:1-2; John 1:1-3, 10-12
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- The Father is the Creator
- The Son is the Redeemer
- The Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier
-
-
-
-
-
-
Jesus commanded us to be identified in baptism with the triune God
(Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) Matt 28:18-19
The Son reveals the Father
John 14:8-9; Heb 1:1-3; Col 1:13-15
The Spirit reveals the Son
John 15:26; John 16:13-14
B. God’s Name
God names Himself simply “I AM” Ex 3:13-15; John 8:56-58
“Lord” translates the Hebrew YHWH (the Tetragrammaton), which comes into English (by way of German) as Jehova Ex 6:3
The Hebrew YHWH (“yah-weh”) sounds like and is derived from the Hebrew for I AM
C. God’s Character
1. God is eternal and self-existent
Nobody made Him; Him has always existed Psalm 90:2-4
He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last
Isaiah 48:12; Rev 1:8,17-18
He is unchanging in His essential character Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8
2. God is sovereign
He can do whatever He wants to do Isaiah 46:9-11; Eph 1:11
-
-
-
-
-
- He is omniscient (all knowing) Psalm 139:1-4
- He is omnipresent (everywhere present) Psalm 139:7-10
- He is omnipotent (all powerful, almighty) Gen 17:1; Rom 4:20-22
-
-
-
-
He works all things according to His own purpose and plan Eph 1:11
3. God is holy Ezekiel 39:7
-
-
-
-
- He is righteous 1 John 1:5
- He is just Psalm 9:16
- He is gracious Psalm 103:8-14; 1 John 4:8,16; Rom 5:8
-
-
-
4. God is love 1 John 4:8,16
-
-
-
-
- He is merciful and gracious Psalm 103:8-14
- He demonstrates His love in His dealings with us
Rom 5:8; Jer 29:11; 1 John 4:19
-
-
-
