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The Identity of God — Part 2: Key Points
Evil vs Good: The Identity of God
That is the identity of God? The Old Testament was translated primarily from Hebrew, and in Genesis 2:9, 17 we read about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the first part of this class addresses that. God’s picture of the word evil is from two Hebrew letters, Resh (originally a picture of a man’s head) and Ayin (a picture of an eye). In Psalm 23:1, the word “shepherd” also has the letters Resh and Ayin. Why would the words “evil” and “shepherd” have the same letters? While both words share the same letters, they have different meanings. God’s picture of evil is a man looking out for himself, and a shepherd is a man that looks out for the sheep.
The Goodness of God: The Identity of God
On the other hand, the word good is from three Hebrew letters: tet (a serpent); vau (a nail); beth (a house), so goodness is depicted as serpent nailed to the house. When we hear “GOOD” we think of a lucky charm or winning the lottery but God’s mindset is different, as He said, “…the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). God’s “GOODNESS” is something that makes you want to repent! The Psalmist says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psa. 119:71). It is good when we learn through the consequences of sin that God’s word is right and true, and that what God said is going to come to pass. It’s GOOD for us when God doesn’t allow our sin to be successful! With this understanding of goodness, we can see what was good in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
All of the Godhead is in Him: The Identity of God
The second half of this class explores God and His greatness. In Genesis 1:1 the word for God is ‘Elohiym. The root word of God is El which is made up of two letters, Aleph (originally a picture of an ox which speaks of strength), and the letter Lamed a (picture of a shepherd’s staff which relates to teaching, learning or leading). God’s picture of God is Him being a STRONG LEADER! The Hebrew letter “Mem” at the end of a word speaks of plurality. God is a plural God but His plurality is not in His number of beings but in His number of being. In the Old Testament, the SAME God would show up in many parts and many ways but He was still ONE God. In the New Testament, the Bible shows us that the only way God shows up is in the form of Jesus! Jesus is not a part of God; all of the Godhead is in Him. Every part of God is wrapped in Jesus. This video and class notes are packed with Biblical examples and scriptures of the identity of God. Though there is multiplicity with God, God is still ONE God!
