THE ESSENCE OF GOD by Don Rogers
(Thirty plus years ago God put Don Rogers in my life. He trained and mentored me in spiritual ministry. When he was no longer able to minister, I had the privilege of taking over his “Spiritual Warfare Ministries.” He wrote many fine articles about spiritual warfare. I have edited and printed one below.)
In order for us to correctly relate to God, we must understand Him as He is. Too often bad experiences with authority figures in our lives give us a wrong picture of God. This blog is to help us understand Who and what God really is.
When I talk about “essence” I’m speaking of substance or elemental nature; that which underlies the outward manifestation.
- God is spiritual in nature. He does not have material substance, except for the body of Jesus Christ, which has been transfigured. God is an Infinite Spirit, which means that He has no limitations. He is inexhaustible in every aspect of His nature. He has given to each of us a spiritual part to our nature for the purpose of uniting with Him and having a personal relationship with Him.
- God is personal. A force does not have personality. God has self-consciousness, self-determination and character. He has intellect, emotions and will on a level of perfection which dwarfs our finite abilities. In fact, we cannot make any significant comparison that is meaningful.
Unbelievably, God desires an ongoing personal relationship with each of us. Even though He is our creator, He also wants to fulfill our lives by being many other things to us as well. He is a Father, Redeemer and Provider. He desires to be a Teacher, Counselor, Comforter, Protector and Friend if we will allow Him.
- God is self-existent. He is completely sufficient in Himself. The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are the perfect community, yet They are One. God has chosen to move beyond the sufficiency He has and share Himself with His creation. As humans, we are not able to find sufficiency and meaning within ourselves, independent of other sources. We only find meaning, sufficiency and completeness outside of ourselves in God. Through Jesus Christ’s work and the Holy Spirit’s presence, we are able to commune (come into community) with God.
- God is infinite. He has no limitations in any area or circumstance. In fact, all that exists depends upon Him. He is beyond space and time, yet He is in the midst of it. All that exists are products of His creative will. All of creation is held in place by His power. Nothing can withstand or resist His will. God is the One who always is. He revealed Himself as “I AM.” He was, He is and He always will be. (Ps 90:1-2)
We should be greatly encouraged by the magnitude of God’s essential nature, because He has the infinite ability to back up His revelation and promises to His people. But let us build upon this understanding by looking at His attributes. (Continued in next blog.)
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