The True Nature of GodSample

One reason many Christians struggle to fully trust God’s promises is that they have not yet come to know Him as He truly is. When God’s nature is misunderstood, it becomes difficult to develop a close, personal relationship with Him. We may know many things about God, but growing in an intimate knowledge of Him opens the door to deeper joy in the Christian life.

The only reliable way to truly know who God is comes through His Word. People everywhere form opinions about what God is like and what He will do, but Scripture reveals His nature with certainty. At times, however, the Bible can appear to present an inconsistent picture of God if it is not understood through the fullness of His revelation.

For example, God commands death by stoning for gathering sticks on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32–35), yet Jesus forgives and does not condemn a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3–11). Passages like these have confused and polarized believers for generations. Some conclude, “You just can’t know what God is really like.” But that simply isn’t true.

In the Old Testament, we are given a partial revelation of God’s nature—one that must be understood in light of Jesus. When people form their understanding of God from the Old Testament alone, they miss the fullness of who He is. Only by reading the Old Testament through the lens of the New can we clearly understand who God truly is and the relationship He desires with us.

Some are afraid to draw near to God because they have been taught that He will strike them with something negative—such as sickness, poverty, depression, or even death. However, this is not even close to what the Word truly teaches.

Many have embraced Old Testament views of God that have hindered them from pursuing a close relationship with Him. Yet intimacy with God is what He has always desired. For that intimacy to become a reality in our lives, we must gain a clearer understanding of His Word.