God is the consummate leader. He is in command of all things. His authority can be questioned by no one. “God is with us; he is our leader” (2 Chronicles 13:12) was the battle cry of the Jewish nation in the Old Testament. Matthew 28:18 (NIV) says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” God granted Jesus disposition of the entire universe in the New Testament.
God is present everywhere in the universe at the same time. We say that He is omnipresent. In Jeremiah 23:24 (NASB) God says, "Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?" declares the Lord. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the Lord.
God is straight, “and the train of His robe filled the temple” (vs. 1d). He is complete in nature and character. There is no turning with God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17-18, NKJV). God does not change.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about* with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them (Hebrews 13:8-9, NKJV).
Jesus is the same. Hebrews 13:8-9 tells us that Jesus does not change. The words both comforting and convicting that He said, the miracles He granted, the temptations He resisted, the punishment verbal and physical that He suffered, the blood He shed as a sacrifice for our sin, the resurrection He completed as proof that He had the power over death. All These things have not changed in two thousand years. Our Savior still lives and argues our case before God (1 John 2:1-3).
God’s word is the same. The same word that predicted salvation in the Old Testament and saw its fruition in the New Testament is still alive and active. It still comforts us and at the same time, convicts us to move us back toward God. Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV) reminds us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
God’s grace is the same. God’s grace is established in us by our salvation and continues to work in us through sanctification (being set apart from the world for God’s purpose and service). In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NKJV), Paul reminds us that Jesus promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Then Paul continues, “Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” We allow God to give us grace when we willingly accept the trials and tests laid upon us by this world, the flesh, and the devil.
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do (Isaiah 46:9-11).
God Most High invites humanity to know Him. To know the Lord, man must recognize He exists (Hebrews 11:6)). People must then acknowledge Him concerning everything (Exodus 20:3, Isaiah 46:9-11). Man cannot know the Lord while trying to place Him alongside other false gods in their lives. Only then can man love, obey, and worship Him as the only covenant Lord over their lives. [1]
[1] David Jenkins, Where Do We See El Elyon in Scripture? biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/worship-god-as-el-elyon-the-lord-most-high, used by permission, Article 107 of the Fair Use Copywrite Law.
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