Can You Ever Know Enough About God?
Can you ever know enough about God? In his book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan asks this provocative question: “Is it possible to get enough or even too much God? Is there a point when a person can be satisfied with the amount of intimacy, knowledge, and power of God he or she experiences?”[1] He responds to his own question by adding, “I don’t see how there can be, because doesn’t every encounter with God only cause us to thirst for Him more?”
El Olam – The Everlasting God
What does the phrase El Olam mean? In Psalm 90:1-2, it says Lord [Adonai], you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting [olam] to everlasting [olam] you are God [El]. The website, “Discovering the Jewish Jesus” beautifully describes the meaning…
El Elyon – The Most High God
We learn of the name El Elyon in Genesis 14. The chapter opens with 9 kings engaging in battle—four against five. These are kings of city-states, meaning “each man was like the mayor of a great city, ruling over those within his walled city as well as those in the immediately surrounding area.”
El-Shaddai – The All-Sufficient One
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord [YHWH] appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17:1-2)
Who is Jehovah?
We said in a separate article that God revealed His name to Moses as YHWH. Now, please understand that I am not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, and I certainly don’t have a seminary education, so I asked Jeff Pallansch, one of my coworkers, to read and comment on this article and help me navigate these rather turbulent waters.
Adonai – Lord, Master, Owner
Your first reaction to this title, Adonai, is probably to recoil in disgust or distress, quite possibly because of the context of slavery not only in the US, but in other countries where even today people are held in slavery and treated abominably. But would you, for just a moment, put away all your preconceptions of what it means to be the Lord—the master—and what it means to be a slave? Let the Bible inform you of what God is like as a Lord, and what He sees as His responsibility to those He rules.
Why Can’t Books Still Be Added to the Bible?
Some have wondered if it is possible for later books to be added to the Bible. Several “lost books” of the Bible have been suggested over the years. Yet the Bible and history reveal important reasons this should not and cannot take place.
Talking about our faith can be tough. How can we get started in sharing how someone can come to faith in God?
YHWH – God’s Memorial Name
In Exodus 3:13-15 God identified Himself to Moses as YHWH (pronounced Yahweh), and identified that as His “memorial name to all generations.” The root of this name is the Hebrew verb hayah, “to be”. This is the God who is—who He is now, who He has always been, and who He will always be.
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