God Is God, God Is Not A Man
By Mary L. Lyon
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“God is not a man, that God Should lie, Nor a son of man, that God should repent; Has God said, and will God not do it? Or has God spoken, and will God not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NASB)
God Is God rightly puts to rest the age old argument of God's maleness. It answers questions about God that every person should consider. Your knowledge of God will be greater after reading this book.
While the Bible does portray God as a male, God is not modelled after man. When you consider Numbers 23:19, the Bible is very clear on this subject. The verse begins with 'God is not a man.'
The use of a pronoun does not define who God is. It does not make God a man. It only makes it easier for us in referring to God. God's actions and words define who God is. Numbers 23:19 tells us that God's actions and words are the very reason we know that God is not a man.
The book will explore who God is. It also will explain the need for Jesus, the Son of God, to be a man.
Mary L. Lyon
Mary studied Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate student. While studying she traded semesters working at NASA in Houston, Texas. It was while working at NASA that she felt the tug on her heart that God had another plan for her life. Upon graduation, Mary proceeded to serve as a missionary for the next 11 years of her life; she served in Greece the last two years of her service.Upon returning from Greece, she pursued her Master's degree in Counseling, which led to a job with a major university. It was while working there that God did what God faithfully does and she found herself again working as an engineer. She managed major construction for the university. She also obtained her Master's degree in Engineering Management and her Professional Engineering License.She had her first outline for a book in 1989 (a book she has yet to write). Her first book was published in May, 2014, with the second quickly on its heels in December, 2014. She continues to write and is developing an evangelistic series of books centered around Jesus Christ..Her prayer is that her books will bless others' relationships with our God and His word.
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God Is God, God Is Not A Man - Mary L. Lyon
This book is dedicated to everyone who has struggled with the maleness of God. It is hoped that you will be able to see God with new eyes and a new heart. He is so worthy of our love and devotion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In every endeavor, there are those who labor in love to support those of us who pursue our dreams. Those who have labored in love with me bless me. Each of them shared their gifts to help me.
NB - You continually lift me up and encourage me. As you share what God is doing in your life, I grow.
RS - You have listened as I have shared my struggles. You believe in me when I have my doubts. You add so much to all God is teaching me. Thank you.
CT - You read my manuscripts in the roughest of stages and are always positive. Thank you.
KS - If I write it, you read it. You have been a faithful supporter. Thank you.
CT - You asked for it, here it is. I truly hope the words answer your questions.
BK - You listen when I get frustrated, when I am encouraged, and when I just am blah. You always communicate your complete confidence in me. Thank you.
I am very thankful to the Lord for equipping me to write this book. It was a wonderful journey to study God's word while writing this book. I know my God so much better. May you too be blessed.
INTRODUCTION
For since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes, God's eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:20
Any discussion of God needs to begin with the fact that God does exist. Romans 1:20 explains how we can know this truth. The verse is basically an apologetic (systematic argument to defend a position of thought) for the existence of God. The Apostle Paul, the author, argues that God can be clearly seen in what has been made. In other words, our world itself testifies to the existence of God.
Numerous apologetics are used to defend the existence of God. Defending the existence of God, however, is not the same as proving God’s existence. Scientifically, in the technical sense of how we measure our world, the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven. God cannot be measured as we measure the physical world.
We cannot physically see God as we see the world around us. We cannot put God under a microscope. We cannot take a measurement tape to God. God is outside our ability to measure. That does not mean God does not exist. It just means God does not exist as we do.
We can say the same about wind. We cannot physically see it. We can see its impact, but we cannot see it. We do not know where it comes from or where it goes. We cannot put it under a microscope. Yet, we still know it exists by the effect we can see and feel. We see the trees move. We can feel our skin respond. Ultimately, it is the impact of the wind on our lives that causes us to believe in it.
Romans 1:20 affirms that we can know God exists by the impact God has on our world. God's attributes, eternal power and nature are seen in our world. The verse says that they are clearly seen. God can be known.
Not just our world testifies of God's existence. God has spoken to us with words. There is God's written word, the Bible, which tells the story of God's relationship with man. Moreover, there is God's living word, Jesus Christ, through Whom man may have a relationship with God.
God can also be known by studying God's impact in the lives of people. God has had a tremendous impact on my life. The challenge is that studying people is not the best mirror of God. For some people, men are the very reason they do not believe in God.
God is God, however, and is not a man. In the chapters that follow, it is hoped that the reader will grow in their understanding and appreciation of who God is. God is a very personal God.
This book discusses God and, in the process, how God is different from man. The only begotten Son of God, the person of Jesus Christ who became man, and the significance of His being born into our world will be introduced. It is through Jesus Christ that God has chosen to have a relationship with us and be known by us.
The lives of biblical characters who suffered evil at the hands of men will be shared. In spite of their pain, these biblical characters were still able to trust and worship God. They had personal relationships with God. We will look at the personal qualities of God that were part of those relationships and are a part of our own relationships with God.
The focus of the book is to know God as God. The use of the male pronoun for God will be avoided so it does not get in the way of knowing God better. Romans 1:20 actually uses the male pronoun for God. The pronoun was replaced with an italicized 'God.' As you read verses in this book, if you see italicized words within verses, you know that the male pronoun is being replaced. This change was adopted until the final chapters.
It is important that we allow ourselves to know God as God wants to be known. Taking time to know God is the most important decision a person can make. Where do we begin our search to know God? We begin where God begins the story.
CHAPTER 1
THE BEGINNING
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be…’
Genesis 1:1-3
We celebrate beginnings. First days of life. First days of school. First days of college. First days of work. First days of marriage. First days of retirement. There is not a first day of God to celebrate.
The Bible, God's story, does not open with the beginning of God. The Bible opens with our first day. Genesis 1:1 opens with ‘in the beginning God created.’ God said, let there be
and there was. In addition, while God was creating, we read these celebratory words,
…and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25
And God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good...
Genesis 1:31
The Bible opens with God celebrating the creation of the world and man. It pleased God to create our world. It pleased God to create us. God is the beginning and end of all things we know.
While our birth is the opening to the Bible, we are not the most important characters. God is the main character. The Bible is about God’s continued relationship with man. The Old Testament (OT) describes God's standard which man could not keep. The New Testament (NT) offers God's solution through Jesus Christ for man's inadequacy. The OT tells the story of God’s relationship with man and specifically, with the nation of Israel. The NT tells the story of Jesus, the Son of God, and His church.
God was first. Man came second. The Apostle John recorded these words of God,
’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’
Revelation 1:8
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega the last. God is first and last. God is the beginning and the end. God is today, yesterday, and tomorrow. God lives forever. The Psalmist wrote concerning man,
…And he should cease trying forever – That he should live on eternally; That he should not undergo decay. For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish, And leave their wealth to others.
Psalm 49:8-10
Man will not live on forever in this world. We will all die one day. Yet, while our bodies do perish, God does tell us that we will exist