Knowing God by His Names: Elohim

Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, (who died in 2019) was a Presbyterian minister and who, for thirty years, was pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, Los Angeles. He was also from 1995-2003 Chaplain of the United States Senate. In an interview with Billy Graham, Ogilvie said that "Agnosticism is the silent agony of our age. Millions of our citizens do not question the existence of God. But they do question what He is like and how they can know Him. They have unanswered questions about God's nature, about His character and about His will. The ultimate question aching in the hearts of millions is: "What is God like — and how can I know Him?”"

In light of what Dr. Ogilvie writes, let me ask you an important question. "What do you believe about God. I mean, deep down, what do you really believe about God?" How you answer that question has significant impact on everything else you believe and how you act.

What you believe about God affects what you believe about all other Christian doctrines: Salvation, the person of Christ, the Holy Spirit, church organization and polity, sin, ethics and morality.

What you believe about God shapes your everyday life: It will determine your life-goals, and your life-style. It will determine your priorities, your moral choices, and your attitudes toward people and events. You will interpret and respond to the crises of life in terms of your understanding of who God is, what He wills, and how He acts.

Lastly, what you believe about God determines your worldview. Your responsibility to others — both lost and saved, to the institutions of society, and to the physical world in which we live.

A faulty, inaccurate or unreasonable view of God will distort everything else you believe about life. That's why I've chosen to examine God in a series of sermons that will help us Know God through His names.

The best way to discover what God is like is to contemplate His character through the various names He ascribes to Himself in the Scriptures. Those names give us a glimpse into God's personality and help us gain an understanding of who He is.

I. OUR GOD IS ELOHIM

1. the Bible begins with the simple statement: "In the beginning, God"

a. Genesis chapter one refers to God thirty-two times

1) nine times we read “And God said ... “

b. in Genesis, God reveals himself as Elohim — the Supreme One who stands over and above His creation

1) it is the first of many names by which the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob reveals his character and nature

2. God makes no logical of philosophical argument to prove His own existence

a. Biblical revelation simply assumes that “God is” and argues that He progressively reveals Himself though His great acts, and through His various names until He reveals Himself incarnationally through the person of Jesus Christ

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:1–3, ESV)

1) to see Jesus at work is the see God at work

2) to hear the words of Jesus is to hear the words of God

3) to believe upon Jesus and receive him into you life is to believe upon God and to have Him in your life

3. Elohim is the most frequently used name for God in the Old Testament — what some refer to as the generic name for God

a. it is used 2,532 times

4. Elohim is also the plural form of God’s most common name, and as Christians we see the hint of the Trinity in the name

a. one of the most unsettling verses in all the Old Testament is found in the opening chapter of the Bible

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:26, ESV)

b. who is the “us” and the “our” of this verse?

1) the great theological confession of Israel is the Shema Yisrael — "Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one"

ILLUS. Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah — a religious commandment. It comes right out of Deuteronomy 6:4. Jewish parents teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.

5. in an era where every other culture in the world worshiped multiple gods, Israel worships one God — they are unique and alone in this

a. both Old and New Testament teach that God is One

b. yet, here in the opening chapter of Genesis we hear God say, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness

c. it obviously begs the question, Who’s the us?

1) is God referring to the angels?

a) this is the traditional Jewish explanation — God called a meeting with the angels and asked them for advice

b) there is no biblical basis for suggesting that angels took part in the creation of humankind or that humankind was created in the image of angels

2) is God actually a plurality of gods?

a) this is the explanation of religious cults

b) while other world religions have a plurality of god’s, nowhere in the Bible are we taught that God the creator is a god over a pantheon of other lesser deities

3) is this what some scholars call the plural of majesty — what we commonly refer to in our day as the royal we?

ILLUS. It is a way for a monarch or other dignitary to refer to themselves in official capacity as leader of a nation or institution.

a) this is the explanation of the bible scholar who rejects the next view

4) the ongoing revelation of Scripture undergirds the us as one God revealed in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each eternally distinct

a) this is the only view that satisfies the “Us” in the passage

6. El — which is the singular name for God — is a name we find incorporated into other names for God, into Jewish place name and also into personal names

a. El in other names for God includes El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Elyon (God Most High), and El Roi (God who sees)

b. El in Jewish place names: includes Beth-el (House of God), Jezre-el (God will sow) and even Isra-el (Prince of Israel)

c. El in Jewish personal names: Dani-el (God is my judge), Nathana-el (Gift of God) Samu-el (Heard by God), and El-ijah (God is Yahweh)

II. ELOHIM IS THE CREATOR GOD

1. the first characteristic found in the name Elohim is that God is Creator

a. Elohim tells us that God is uncreated, beginningless, infinitely transcendent over and above His creation

2. God did what we cannot — He took nothing and made something — In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, (Genesis 1:1)

a. how did He do it?

1) He simply spoke it into existence

ILLUS. One of the most disturbing beliefs of the Prosperity Gospel is the heresy of the Word of Faith Movement that teaches that Christians can create reality by the power of our spoken word, because we are all just “little gods”. False teachers like Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch, Fred Price, and Joyce Meyers all teach that Christians are little gods. Kenneth Hagin has asserted, “man…was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority…. He made us the same class of being that He is Himself… “

Their primary proof text a passage in Psalms which reads, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you" (Psalm 82:6). Such an interpretation of Psalm 82:6 is a classic example of taking Scripture out of context. This passage is a warning to unjust leaders who consider themselves “gods” in their judgments upon others.

3. it’s the prophet Isaiah who best helps us understand Elohim as the only creator of the universe; there is no other creator but God (Isa 42:5–9)

“Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”” (Isaiah 42:5–9, ESV)

III. ELOHIM IS THE SUSTAINER GOD

1. the second characteristic found in the name Elohim is that God is Sustainer

a. God upholds the universe by His word of power

1) every universe, every star, every molecule is being held together by the power of God

b. if God would ... could ... somehow stop being God, the universe would simply devolve away

“in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” (Colossians 1:14–19, ESV)

IV. ELOHIM IS THE SOVEREIGN GOD

1. several thousand years ago, the Pharaoh of Egypt asked Moses the question, “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?” (Exodus 5:2)

a. it is a question that has followed mankind for centuries

1) some, like Pharaoh, ask it in a sarcastic manner so that they might throw off authority while others genuinely want answers to their questions

b. Pharaoh was soon to find out that God is sovereign over all things and Pharaoh is not

2. in the Book of Revelation we’re told “God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him” (Revelation 21:6)

V. RESPONDING TO ELOHIM

A. IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN CREATOR THAN WE OUGHT TO WORSHIP HIM

Psa 95:6 "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;"

1. we live and walk in a universe which a heavenly Father has fashioned for His children 2. in all of the natural processes of the earth which we call physical laws we see the direct expression of God's active will

2. of God's creative effort two great truths stand out

a. first: nothing is so small or insignificant as to escape His attention and care

1) He knows when each small sparrow falls to the earth and ends its little chapter of life

2) He sees that the flowers of the field are clothed in beauty and that the birds are fed

3) He is like a shepherd who is aware of the absence of even one sheep from His flock

b. secondly: God is directly involved in His creation

1) when man invents religion or tries to improve upon faith he tends to distance God from His creation

2) even in the Christian faith there is a tendency for some to rely on the mediation and intercession of patron saints, angels and spiritual men

3) through the shed blood of Christ, God is approachable

4) not only is God approachable, but He approaches

4. if God is Sovereign Creator we ought to worship Him

a. the foremost command in all the Bible is to love God and worship Him above all else (Mark 12:29-30)

“Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29–30, ESV)

B. JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD

"He is the image of the invisible God . . . “

1. Paul declares that Jesus is the picture-perfect representation of God Almighty

a. do you want to know what God ‘looks like’? then all you have to do is look at the life and character of Jesus Christ

1) I like the way that the New American Standard Bible translates John 1:18 . . .

John 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."

2) Jesus explained God to the world through the miracles He performed, the things that He taught, the life that He lived, and the death that He died

2. outside of Jesus Christ, God is invisible

a. God is inconceivable to our sinful eyes and unattainable to our grasping but sinful hearts

b. but in Christ the invisible becomes visible

1) now we can see what God is like

2) why?

3) because we have seen Him - the only begotten son

c. Philip said to Jesus: “Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

1) Jesus replied: “Have I been with you so long and you have not known Me Philip? He who as seen Me has seen the Father . . . “

3. in Christ, Jesus we know what the God ‘looks like’

Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. . . "

a. this doesn’t mean we know what God looks like physically

b. it means we know the heart, the character, the mind and the will of God by looking at the life of Jesus Christ

4. do you want to see God?

a. you’ll not see Him in the life of Mohammad

b. you’ll not see Him in the life Buddha

c. you’ll not see Him in the life of Confucius

d. you’ll not see Him in the life of some New Age mystic or Spiritual Channeler

e. you’ll not find Him in the Jewish Synagogue, the Hindu Temple, or a Shinto Shrine

f. all religious roads do not lead to God!

ILLUS. The great Reformer, John Calvin, wrote: “We must be careful not to look for Him anywhere else, for apart from Christ whatever offers itself to us in the name of God will turn out to be an idol.”

5. only in the person of Jesus Christ will you see the image of the invisible God

As we begin to draw to a conclusion, let me ask you a second significant question. I began the message by asking you the question: "What do you really believe about God?" The second question is: "Is the God you worship the God of the Bible?" If you really believe that God is the Sovereign Creator . . . if you really believe that God is Lord and Master . . . if you really believe that God is Almighty . . . then that faith ought to shape everything else you believe and how you act. It ought to affect what you believe about other biblical doctrines. It ought to determine your life-goals, and your life-style. If you really worship the God of the Bible, His will ought to determine your priorities, your moral choices, and your attitudes toward people and events. Is it?

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