Have you ever been asked this question, either by a close friend or by someone you are trying to evangelize? “Who is this God you preach?” Or in a more direct way: “Tell me who God is!”
This is one of the most important questions a Christian can face. The way we answer it reveals the depth (or shallowness) of our knowledge of the true God of the Bible. It shows what our Christian life is really built upon.
There are many people who have “head knowledge” of God. They can quote Bible verses, write good academic articles, pastor large churches, and attract thousands of followers… yet they do not truly know the God of the Bible. Their knowledge remains superficial because it has never reached their hearts or transformed their lives.
On the other hand, there are genuine believers who know God intimately through the word of regeneration but still possess only a shallow understanding of who He is, because they have not been taught the Scriptures properly. This is why sound doctrine and theology proper matter so greatly.
Who Do You Say That I Am?
In a deeply personal moment, the Lord Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered boldly: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). This confession was not the result of academic study. Jesus made it clear: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
True knowledge of God is not merely intellectual. The Holy Spirit alone reveals Christ to the heart through the Holy Scriptures. Not through visions, inner voices, or mystical experiences as many people think.
Christ’s Own Revelation
When the Scriptures speak of God, they leave no doubt about who He is. In the Gospel of John, Jesus declared:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Philip then said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” This is the very same question many ask today: “Show us God!” “Tell me who God is!”
To this, Jesus gave one of the most profound answers in all of Scripture:
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father… Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” (John 14:9-10)
He also said, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (v. 7).
This is Immanuel — God with us!
So Jesus, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the true Light who enlightens every man. He is the image of the invisible God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Colossians 1:15-17).
This truth is not a new revelation, it filled the hearts of God’s people throughout history. Old Simeon, waiting for the Messiah, took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God saying:
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace… for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” (Luke 2:29-32)
This is also the answer to Moses’ cry to Yahweh: “Please, show me Your glory!” (Exodus 33:18). God has answered him and all of us by pointing us to His beloved Son. At the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father declared: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).
He Is the Fullness of God
Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of who God is. He is Immanuel – God with us. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sustainer of all creation, the Redeemer and Savior of His people. He is the King of kings, infinite in beauty and holiness, full of grace and truth, omnipotent and merciful, perfectly just and perfectly good.
In Him dwells all the fullness of deity in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). He is “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).
As John MacArthur has said: “Unlike man, Jesus Christ is the perfect, absolutely accurate image of God. ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9).”
To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
