Theology is the study of God. We ask, Who is He? What does he do? How does he do what he does? Through studying theology, we want to know Him more, glorify Him, and be conformed to the image of Jesus.
The sophomores and our professor, Tim Sanford, are kicking off the spring semester with this class. Here is a peek into what they are learning.
“Those who know Your name will put their trust in You” (Psalm 9:10).
God has many different names in the Bible, each of which gives us a glimpse into who He is. This list isn’t exhaustive, but consider, with out sophomores, the gravity of what these five names tell us about our God.
-Elohim: This is God’s official title. It’s the Hebrew word for “God” in Genesis 1:1 : “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth”. When God wanted to introduce Himself for the first time, he used this name. Elohim means, “the putter forth of power; the Strong One.”
Tim Says: “This same God is the One who wants to put forth power on your behalf!”
-Jehovah/Yahweh: Used a total of 5,300 times in the Old Testament, “Jehovah”, or “Yahweh” is God’s personal name. It is the word used when you read “LORD” in your English Bible. Jehovah means, “Self-Existent One; the One who made Himself known.” Not only is God Elohim, the strong Creator, but He wants to be known!
Tim Says: “It indicates his desire to be personal with us. He wants you to get to know Him.”
-El Chanun waw Rachum: “The gracious and merciful God”. An example of this name is its usage in Nehemiah 9:31, “Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” Not only does God give us this name for Himself, but He sent his Son to live out this name in His life here on earth. Jesus Christ was known to be full of both grace and truth.
Tim Says: “You want to understand grace? Study Him [Jesus].”
-Jehovah-Rophi: “The Lord that Heals”. First seen in Exodus 15:26, God reveals Himself as Israel’s Healer. Whether a person is physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually broken, it is Jehovah-Rophi Who has power to heal.
Tim Says: “If He is going to be a God who heals, and if we are going to understand that aspect of Him, it will necessitate that we be hurt. We will never understand the depth of His healing without depth of hurt.”
“His ability to heal transcends every realm in which healing is needed.”
-Jehovah-Shalom: In John 14:27 Jesus said to His disciples, “My peace I give to you”. This is the peace of Jehovah-Shalom, which means, “The Lord our peace”. Because God is Jehovah-Shalom, He provided Jesus, who brings us peace with God and bestows on us the peace of God.
Tim Says: “We [believers] get to enjoy the peace of God in the midst of circumstances that, to the human eye, should not be peaceful.”
Piece by piece, God reveals to us who He is. Take time to continue to study His many different names; you will be amazed at our great God!
Interested in studying the whole Bible in two years? Get your free information packet from Ethnos360 Bible Institute (founded in 1955 as New Tribes Bible Institute) by following the button below.
