I Believe in God the Father Almighty

He is Risen!

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. So, I thought it would be good to do a blog series on what we believe, like the fact that we believe Jesus rose from the dead. I’ll be following the Apostles’ Creed as a guide as we explore what we believe and how that affects our lives.

What can God handle in your life and what do you have to take care of, yourself?

“I believe in God the Father Almighty.”

The idea of a deity is not uncommon nor is it only found in the Christian faith. In fact, despite the recent prevalence of secularism in the western world, the truth is that the vast majority of people believe in a god or gods. Less than 3% of people claim to be atheist. It seems we have an innate sense that there is someone or something greater than ourselves.

However, just because most people in the world believe there is a god or gods, doesn’t mean we all believe in the same god. Studies indicate that about 2.2 billion of the over 7.5 billion people in the world are Christian. The other 5 billion non-atheists believe in some other concept of god or gods. Even among Christians, some profess they do not believe in God as described in the Bible.

When we confess that we believe in God, the Father, almighty, we are confessing a very specific thing. We are confessing that we believe…

There is a God.
He is God as described in the Bible, in particular, God the Father in this section, but as we will see in the coming weeks, we also confess God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. So, we are confessing the Trinity.
God is almighty.

God, as described in the Bible, is different than other “gods” and this has a huge impact on our lives.

God is Relational

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” – 1 John 3:1

When God describes Himself as “Father”, He is showing us that He is relational. Throughout the Scriptures, we see a God who desires to know us and be known by us, on a personal level. This stands in stark contrast to other “gods” who are distant and uninterested in us, personally. God cares about you, personally.

God is Revealed

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” – 2 Timothy 3:16

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” – John 1:18

While there are certainly aspects of God which are a mystery, God reveals Himself. In His desire to be known by us, He reveals Himself to us, particularly through His Word (the Bible) and through Jesus. This means we do not get to assign arbitrary characteristics to God or form Him in our own image. We receive Him as He reveals Himself to be.

God is Almighty

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”” – Palm 91:1-2

There are some faiths which believe that there are multiple gods which control certain aspects of life/nature. One is in charge of the harvest, another in charge of weather, another in charge of the oceans, etc. These gods often interact with each other, and possibly with humans, in much the same way humans interact with each other. God, however, is not like this.

God reveals Himself in the Bible to be one and to be Almighty. There is none greater than God. This is both terrifying and reassuring. It is terrifying if you stand against God. For His judgment is final and His punishment unstoppable. However, if you stand in His mercy and grace, there is nothing more reassuring. When God says we are forgiven, we are and no one can overrule Him. When He promises grace, mercy, protection, and provision, we know nothing can stand in His way of delivering.

We even see, as we just celebrated on Easter, that death, itself, has no power over God. So, when He promises deliverance from death and the devil, we know He can and does do it!

Almighty Father,

Nothing is impossible for You. Thank You for loving us and desiring to know us. Thank you for revealing us. Help us to believe in You as You truly are. Keep us from distorting our image of You to an image we create. Help us to trust in You and Your loving kindness.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

I Believe in God the Father Almighty

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL