By Marvin Duncan
As we approach the end of the year 1989 and look forward to the beginning of 1990, it dawned upon me that there are many ways we can look at endings and beginnings. Today, I would like for us to think about new beginnings. Our Lord is giving us a whole new year in which to experience His Love and Grace, as well as to share Him with those who have never come to Him for the forgiveness of their sins.
In the Old Testament we find several different names of God that tell us something of the character and personality of our Creator. In the New Testament we find God using eight titles to describe Himself. eight is the number of a new beginning, in the Scriptures. It seems that God is taking a new beginning in revealing two different aspects of Himself in these New Testament Scriptures.
These Eight Titles are divided into two groups of four titles each. Four is the number of Creation. In these titles, we see God presenting two main aspects of Himself to His creation. He uses four titles with the word, god, in them and four titles with the word, father.
Let us look at these eight titles and see the picture God is painting of Himself.
Titles Using The Word, God
The first title we want to consider is found in Philippians 4:9 where Paul says:
“Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
In this verse we see God pictured as the answer to one of man’s greatest needs – peace. How many ways has the natural man tried in seeking peace? He will do almost anything to find rest for his soul, but every activity falls short of giving him the real peace he is seeking. With every failure, the natural man becomes more frustrated and more restless. Yet, God declares Himself to be the answer to man’s searching for rest and comfort. Our Creator truly is the God of peace.
The second title of this series is found in Romans 15:13. Here Paul tells these Saints at Rome:
“The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
In this passage, Paul is assuring these saints that even though they haven’t seen Christ with their physical eyes, through faith they have placed their trust for eternity in the finished work of Christ on Calvary. This promise of our spending eternity in heaven with Him will be realized because the God of hope (the God who cannot lie -Titus 1:2) has promised that we will. There are some who are not sure what the Scriptures mean when they use the word, hope. Some see this word as wishful thinking, or a strong desire for something. This is far from what the Scriptures mean when using this word. Paul tells us what true hope is. In Romans 8:24-25, Paul describes hope for us. He says:
“For we are delivered by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for uhat we see hot, then do– we with patience wait for it.”
Our third title is, the God of all grace. We find this title used by Peter. In First Peter 5:10, we read:
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablished, strengthen, settle you.”
This verse is directed to the Saints who will be living during the Tribulation period. This verse is an assurance that after a time of trial and suffering during the Tribulation period (this period is also called the time of Jacob’s trouble1‘ — Jeremiah 30:7), the God of all grace will make them complete and will stablish, strengthen and settle them in their stand against Satan’s wrath.
We can be assured that God will save all who call upon His name (Rom, 10:13). Because of this promise, our Savior surely is the God of all grace (Tit. 2:11 & 2 Cor. 9:8).
The fourth title with the name, God, in it is found in Second Corinthians 1:13, where we read:
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus, the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”
The title, the God of all comfort, is closely related to the title, the God of peace, for with peace comes comfort. Man is in need of both peace and comfort. When man is burdened by his sin and overwhelmed by the hopelessness of his own efforts to lift himself up, it is then that the God of all comfort forgives that sin. This forgiveness brings peace to the restless soul and comfort to the weary heart.
Another aspect in which our Lord is the God of all comfort is in time of bereavement for one of His saints, if the departed loved one is also a believer. We have the assurance of a resurrection to be caught up into the heavens to spend eternity with Christ (1 Thess. 4:13-18). With this assurance that we will be reunited with our departed loved ones, Paul says, “Comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). It is this God of all comfort who meets the needs of every believer and dispels the fears and doubts that Satan places in our minds to cause us to falter in our walk and service for our Lord.
Four Titles Using The Word, FATHER
In this series of four titles, our first to use, the Father, is found in Second Corinthians 1:3. We have already looked at this verse and seen in it the title, the God of all comfort, but we also find in this verse the title, the Father of mercies.
Usually we think of God’s mercy as identified with God’s dealings with Israel through out the Old Testament when she displayed her unbelief and disobedience. Yet, God is still the Father of mercies today. It is God’s mercy shown to the Body Of Christ that keeps Him from punishing us for our disobedience and unbelief in not following Paul as we are commanded for this dispensation of God’s Grace (1 Cor, 11:1).
To better understand the terms, mercy and grace, let us think of mercy as our not getting what we deserve. We all deserve God’s wrath and punishment because of our sin. Grace is our getting what we do not deserve. We do not deserve God’s forgiveness and salvation.
The second title using the word, Father, is found in James 1:17. Here we read that:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
This is an interesting title for God, but a very fitting one. Is it not true that the most perfect gift was the Lord Jesus Christ? And, did He not come down from above? Jesus Christ is called the Light of the World (John 8:12) and He came down from the Father of Lights. This is in perfect harmony with the truth of James 1:17.
LIGHT is a perfect description of God for darkness is the opposite of light and darkness is used to describe the condition of the world without Christ. The natural man is living in darkness and he needs to be living in the light.but he will not come to the Light,- because his deeds are evil (John 3:19-21).
Our next title using the word, Father, is found in Hebrews 12:9. The writer of this epistle spoke of God as the Father of spirits. We read in Hebrews 12:9:
“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and life?”
This title is not limited to any one dispensation. Rather, it is a title for all ages. God is a Spirit (John 4:24). When He saves a son of Adam, that individual becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). This “new creation” is a spiritual being. At redemption, we are born into God’s family and become an eternal Spiritual being. Truly, our God is the Father of Spirits.
The fourth title in this group is found in Ephesians 1:17 where we again find the word, Father, used. Paul prays for these Ephesian saints that:
“The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.”
It is the Father of glory who has given us the wisdom and knowledge of the Mystery. Paul’s prayer in verse 18 asks that:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Very few of the Saints will pray this prayer today, but I think it is one of the most important prayers in the Bible. If we really had our understanding enlightened; if we really could get a grasp of the hope of His calling; and, if we really had the wisdom and knowledge of Him in this dispensation of Grace, we would be more concerned that we were fulfilling our commission of Ephesians 3:9. Today every member of the Body of Christ is to be working:
“To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
Conclusion
Looking at these titles of God in the New Testament, we find that our Creator is the God ofPpeace; the God of All Grace; the God of All Comfort and the God of Hope. He is also the Father of Mercies; the Father of Lights; the Father of Spirits and the Father of Glory.
In keeping with these titles, God gives the promise of peace; hope; comfort; mercy; every good and perfect gift; all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and all grace to His redeemed.
Our question should be: Have you come to know God in all of these aspects, and in all of His fullness?
If you have never had a personal relationship with our Lord, He can and will meet your every need right now if you will only acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior recognizing that Jesus Christ is the Creator God manifest in human flesh and that as a man, He lived a sinless life, then offered Himself as a substitute sin offering for your sins. His Righteousness and Forgiveness is offered FREE to anyone who will receive it.
This would be an ideal time to end an old way of life and have a new beginning as that new creation that comes with salvation (2 Cor.5:17).