C H A P T E R

4

Biblical Concept of God

Let’s turn to the “Word” and read what it has to say concerning the nature of God in contrast to the Christian world’s general philosophy. Starting with Genesis 1:26-27 we read, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Man Is in the Image of God

In Webster’s Dictionary we find that image means, “a representation of a person or thing; a copy; likeness.” The actual Hebrew word is, tselem, (tseh’-lem), means “resemblance; hence a representative figure...” Therefore, God made man to resemble Himself—in His image. This doesn’t sound like a mystery, does it? If God’s creation of man in His likeness was only metaphorical, then perhaps Seth was only a metaphor, for Genesis 5:3 says, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” It is believed that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. If this is true, why would Moses use a metaphor in one instance in Genesis and not in another? It should be quite clear that man is in the image of God, not that God is in the image of man. Many feel that this concept lowers God to man’s level. On the contrary, it elevates the stature of man.

How can anyone take biblical teaching literally, yet still believe that man is NOT like God, but that God is like some nebulas essence that pervades the universe without any body, parts, or passions? If God spoke the truth in Genesis 1:26-27 (and He certainly did for He doesn’t lie), then man IS in the image of God; and this knowledge lets us know a lot about God. When He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” that is exactly what He meant and what He did.

Let’s take a look at a couple of verses that many have trouble understanding: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.” (Numbers 23:19.) And, “I am God, and not man.” (Hosea 11:9.) Do these verses point out that man is not literally made in the image of God? No they don’t. Neither do they point out that God cannot look similar to man. Man is human and worldly, until he is sanctified and resurrected. God is a perfect being, unlike the sinful frailties of man. Because of His perfection, He is God and not man. We are man and woman, and not God.

The Plurality of God

The Hebrew word for God, as used in Genesis 1:26-27, is elohiym (el-o-heem’), which is a “plural” form of the word. What does the word “plural” mean? It means, “more than one.” So lets read that scripture once again: “And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

When we take the literal interpretation of this verse, we cannot come up with any other conclusion than there being more than one God involved in the creation, for the use of the words, “us” and “our,” certainly refers to more than one. Who was God speaking to if there was no one there but Himself? Doesn’t it sound like there had to be someone else present? Could it have been God the Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ, and could others have been involved in the creation? Indeed, there could have been! Remember God’s questioning of Job from Chapter 2? (Job 38:4, 7.) Job was with God when the earth was created. We don’t know if Job was involved with the creation, but he was there at the time and was one of those sons of God who shouted for joy.

There are other things that could be learned from the study of this one scripture (Genesis 1:26-27). The Bible reads, “so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male AND female created he them.” The man and the woman were both created in the image of God. Now the creator is not hermaphrodite, being both male and female in one. If so, having been created in the image of God, each of us would be hermaphroditic; but that is not the case. As stated earlier, the word used for God is, “elohiym,” being plural. When we read that God created both male and female in His image, we are really being told that the plural God, or Gods, created both male and female in “their” image—in the image of a male and of a female.

Gods Many and Lords Many

The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians, “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Cor. 8:5-6.)

There are those who like to believe that the terms God and Lord used in these verses refer to an earthly “false” god, or to an earthly lord such as one being called the “lord of the realm,” but this is stretching it some. Both words, “God” and “gods,” as used in these verses, come from the Greek word, theos, refering to “deity.” The words “Lord” and “lords,” both come from the Greek word, kurios, meaning “supreme in authority ... controller ... God, Lord, master...” The usage of the terms here, “Lord” or “lords,” might be interpreted as either a deity Lord or an earthly lord. However, notice that Strong’s Concordance points out that in giving the meaning of the Greek word, kurios, that both terms, “God” and “Lord,” are capitalized, indicating their divine status.

In these verses (1 Cor. 8:5-6), Paul is writing to the Corinthians concerning idols and false Gods, but in doing so he ALSO acknowledges that there are many gods in the heavens when he said in a parenthetical expression, “as there be gods many, and lords many.” If there were no other real gods anywhere, he could have left out that assertion. Just before that statement he also said, “whether in heaven or in earth.” Again, he could have just as easily said, “For though there be that are called gods on earth,” but he did not. He was, indeed, acknowledging that there ARE more than one god in heaven. Paul said there are many lords and many gods, but he also said that the only ones we are concerned with are God the Father and God the Son, the latter being Jesus Christ.

There are other verses in the Bible that many do not understand relating to this subject. For example, in Isaiah 45:5 we read: “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:...” (Isa. 45:5.) This is a true statement when taken in context to whom we are to worship. Besides the Lord, there is no other God to whom we are to give complete affection. We all know that there are many fathers in the world, as there are many sons, but a particular son is to honor only one father, his natural father, not all the others. And so it is with the Lord our God. He is the sole aim of our devotion.

Jesus the Express Image of the Father

Not only is man in the image of God, but our Savior is in the exact image of the Father. Paul wrote to the Hebrews, declaring, “God ... Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person....” (Heb. 1:1-3.)

Here we find that Jesus is in the precise image of His Father, which helps explain the Savior’s statement that so many misunderstand: “... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9.) Because of His faithfulness in suffering for our sins, Jesus received the same brightness and glory possessed by the Father, and being in the “express” image of the Father, just as Seth was in the image of his father, Adam (Gen. 5:3), He sat down on the right hand of the Father, not the right hand of Himself.

These scriptures are often used to show that Jesus and His Father are one and the same. However, He was only speaking of their being identical (the express image) and of their oneness in their work. Our Lord went on to clarify this in the next verse when He said, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (v. 10.) This indwelling is in the same sense that Christ dwells in us.

The Separateness of the Godhead

Turning again to John 14, let’s read verse 24: “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” Jesus here declares that the words He speaks does not come from Him, but from the Father which sent Him. If Christ and the Father are one and the same, why did He use such confusing language? But it is not confusing language, it is very plain and simple; they are two distinctly separate individual personages. This is also pointed out in verse 26 where Jesus said that the Holy Ghost is sent by the Father in the name of the Son—again, pointing out the separateness of the three personages.

There is an interesting story found in the fourth and fifth chapters of Acts. After being released by Annas and Caiaphas for preaching and healing, Peter and John went back and reported to their people. Upon hearing their report, the people committed to give all they had to the work of the Lord. But there was a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who did not give their all, they lied and held back some as they gave to the Apostles for the work. “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” (Acts 5:3-4.)

Was this statement of Peter’s an indication that God and the Holy Ghost are the same, or is it an indication that lying to one is the same as lying to the other because they both work for the same cause and have the same mind and purpose. Peter’s statement does not necessarily prove the former, but it can very easily indicate the later. This story is pointed out because these verses can be confusing to some who do not understand the true nature of the Godhead.

In a splendid book by Norman Grubb entitled, Rees Howells Intercessor, reference is made to a noted British preacher at the turn of the twentieth century named Evan Hopkins. The Rev. Hopkins was noted for his discourses on the Holy Spirit. Reese Howells recorded that during a convention, “He [Hopkins] made it plain that He [the Holy Ghost] is a Person, with all the faculties of a Person, exactly like the Savior. He has intelligence, love and a will of His own; ...” (p. 39.) Later Rees Howells expressed his personal encounter with the Holy Ghost and said, “It never dawned on me before that the Holy Ghost was a Person exactly like the Savior. He said that as the Savior had a body, the Holy Ghost “dwells in the cleansed temple of the believer,” and that “He is a Person.” (pp. 39-40.)

God is not some all mystical incomprehensible being. The Father is a separate entity from the Son, who is a separate individual from the Holy Ghost. They are three distinct, detached, and separate personalities; they are different in form but identical in love and purpose. This is pointed out numerous times in the Bible. For example, when our Savior was baptized the Spirit of God descended like a dove (meaning gently and peacefully), and the voice of the Father declaring from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:13-17.) Now here we have Jesus standing in the water, the Holy Ghost descending upon Him, and then the Father’s voice from the Heavens. How, and why, would our Savior descend upon Himself, and also speak from the Heavens at the same time? He was not a ventriloquist trying to deceive someone, nor was He trying to confuse or deceive the onlookers. In this case, the Bible makes the distinction between the three of them quite clear.

During His great intercessory prayer that we referred to earlier, who was Jesus praying to? Was it himself? All indications are that He was alone at the time, so why in the world, or out of the world, would He do such a thing? When the reader takes time to read John 17 they will see that it indicates, very clearly, that Jesus was speaking to someone other than Himself. In that prayer He spoke of He and His disciples becoming one, even as He and the Father are one. Let’s read part of what He had to say during this great prayer: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21.) His disciples are all to be one in Christ as He is one in the Father. Now, if He and the Father are really one in the same person, does this verse mean that He and His disciples will become one in the same person, also? This is not quite what He meant. It is their oneness in purpose, as mentioned earlier.

Let’s consider another reference. When our Redeemer suffered in Gethsemane, who was it He prayed to? Was it Himself? No, it was the Father. Go to Matthew 26 and read that account. It also shows very plainly that He was humbly beseeching the Father, not Himself. Why would He ask the Father “... if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”? (Matt. 26:39.) “... My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34.) If He and the Father were really one in the same person, He would not have asked such a question. Was Jesus really asking Himself to let the cup pass from Himself? No, he could have done it without putting on such a deceitful show; and He is anything but deceitful. As He said, He was doing the will of the Father, NOT His own. “... I can of mine own self do nothing ... because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. ... For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 5:30; 6:38.)

Next, let’s consider Matthew 27 just before the Master gave up the ghost: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46.) Our Savior was a real human being. Jesus of Nazareth suffered in great agony as He was nailed to a big wooden symbol of the false god, Tammuz (a cross). He was on the brink of fulfilling His destiny of becoming Jesus the Christ, the redeemer of all mankind. It was the most serious and profound moment in all history. At His greatest time of anguish, Jesus was not calling out to Himself but to a real Father.

Let’s consider Paul; another interesting statement he made is found in Hebrews 5:8-9: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Notice here that Jesus, the Son, had to LEARN obedience, and then He was MADE perfect. If he was indeed God, as portrayed in the Trinity concept of Diety, would He not have already been “perfect,” and not have to learn to be obedient?

Not long after the physical resurrection of Christ, we have Stephen’s testimony of the divinity of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. As the disciple Stephen was to be stoned, he looked up into Heaven and saw the resurrected Christ standing at the right hand of God the Father. Our Lord was not standing at the right hand of Himself. Stephen saw two separate personages in the Godhead at that same moment, not just one; and at that same time, he was filled with the Holy Ghost. This makes three separate members of the Godhead, and it was no deception or fable on Stephen’s part. Why would he make up such a fallacious story just at the moment he was preparing to meet those same personages? (See Acts 7:51-60.) Even the Apostles Creed, and the more current version of the Nicean Creed, states that Jesus ascended into heaven and, “sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.” However, being a true statement, in itself, it is inconsistent with the rest of the Nicean Creed and other such creeds that have influenced man’s concept of God.

In the eighth chapter of John we learn, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of TWO men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” (John 8:17-18.) Here it is clear that there are two who bear witness of the Son’s work: Jesus, Himself, is one, and the Father is the other.

In Elane Durham’s account of her near-death experience, she tells of her renewed knowledge of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. In so doing she said, “When I was completely enmeshed and encircled in the love and understanding of my Lord Jesus Christ, I could feel God the Father and the Holy Spirit in that love, too. I had always thought of the three of them as “one,” being best expressed as the Holy Trinity. But now I knew with some surprise that they were separate entities. Yet just as I had become one with Christ, so were they one with each other, and the whole concept of “oneness” as taught by Jesus in the New Testament suddenly made perfect sense to me. While they had completely separate identities, Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit were absolutely “one” in love. This love was unconditional, overwhelming, and denoted a complete unity of purpose between the three of them.” (I Stand All Amazed, p. 38.)

In Betty Eadie’s book, she also testifies of the separateness of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Speaking of her experience, she wrote, “... Jesus Christ was there. I understood, to my surprise, that he was a separate personage from God our mutual Father. My Protestant upbringing had taught me that God the Father and Jesus Christ were one being.” (Embraced by the Light, p. 47.)

This separateness of God the Father and Jesus can be found in John 20:11-17. Recall as Mary Magdalene stood outside the Lord’s sepulchre weeping, and as she did so, our resurrected Lord appeared to her. As she approached Him He said to her, and I’m sure in a most gentle manner, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Now, was Jesus ascending unto Himself? No! He was ascending unto His literal Father. Not only that, but He also points out that He, like his brethren, has a God that He honors, as they have a God that they are to honor.

God Is Not Without Body, Parts and Passions

Jesus Christ was resurrected with a physical body, and since He is also in the express image of the Father, it’s clear that the Father also has a body. If God made man in His image, and He certainly did, God must have a body, also. Why would Jesus have a resurrected body and God the Father not have one? The Master said to his disciples, “... The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what thing soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19.) Since Jesus was resurrected, and He cannot do anything but what He saw the Father do, then that tells us the Father also must have been resurrected.

Not only does God have a physical resurrected body, He also has physical parts to His body, contrary to some religious creeds that say, “There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; ... And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” How do we know this? We have His Word on it. The Bible mentions God’s mouth (Isa. 11:4), His eyes (Ezra 5:5), face (Ex. 33:11), hand (Ex.16:3), finger (Ex.3:18), and if the Lord has a footstool He must have a foot (Ex. 24:10;1 Chron. 28:2). What of those passions? Is not the love of God (Rom. 5:5) a passion? We know He is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5) and that He can become angry (Ex. 4:14). The list, of course, could go on and on. Now, are all the above not parts and passions?

Elane Durham wrote of God’s physical characteristics in these words: “In awe I drew nearer, ... until I saw in the light’s core the outline of a man—a glorious being apparently made of light that seemed more golden in color than the radiance that shown all about him. And though I thought of Him as light, He certainly had all the physical aspects and substance of a man. I saw His hands, His arms, His body, His neck, His head—I even noted His facial characteristics, though I am at a loss to describe them now. Yet withall He was a being of power and glorious light so incredible that I could not really comprehend Him. But I do remember His eyes! They were so clear and bright—yet there was color to them—a beautiful blue color outlined in deeper blue that made me think of the color of the distant ocean on a clear day.” (I Stand All Amazed, p. 30.)

At this point, let’s turn to Daniel and consider three particular verses. In Chapter Seven he said, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. ... I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” (Dan. 7:9-10, 13.)

It should be clear that the “Ancient of days,” as described here, is none other than God the Father, and that the “one like the Son of man,” is His son, Jesus the Christ. Note the description of the Father’s person. He is described as a personal being of form and substance. Those who believe in the impersonality of God find such belief here put to the test. And although it is not the only description of God in the Bible, still, if it were, wouldn’t it be just as valid a description of Him as if there were a hundred of such descriptions? These verses in Daniel plainly points to the fact that the Father and the Son are clearly two distinct intelligent personalities.

The “thousand thousands” who minister unto Him, and the “ten thousand times ten thousand” standing before Him are intelligent beings who praise and worship Him. It was this same heavenly vision revealed to John when he wrote, “I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” (Rev. 5:11.)

The Spirit of Worship

The people at the time of Christ were deeply intrenched in idolatry and image worship—the worship of that which was physical; that which was tangible; something they could see and touch. At Jacob’s Well, the Master said to the Samaritan women who questioned Him: “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:22-24.)

Speaking of the people in general, Jesus said that they neither knew what or whom they worshiped, nor did they have an accurate concept of their true God. He told her, “for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus is, by mortal birth, of the Jews, meaning He is of the literal blood line of the real tribe of Judah. Metaphorically speaking, He is also Salvation and Truth, and the Father is to be worshiped in “spirit and in truth.”

The popular scripture that is cited in the defense of God being only a spirit reads, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24.) This is better understood when we recognize that we are to worship the Father in spirit instead of in the physical, as did the pagan idol worshipers or the outward observers of rituals as pertaining to the Law of Moses. When Jesus said that we are to worship the Father in Spirit, that does not mean that the Father is not also physical as well as spiritual. The physical is not to be worshiped. We are to worship the spiritual substance, the life giving force within. Our worship is to be a spiritual communion with the Father, as moved upon by the Holy Spirit. Our worship is to be spiritually personal, not physically public.

God Is Not the Author of Confusion

I have heard many very eloquent sermons trying to explain the who, what, why and how of God. Very articulate preachers attempt to illustrate how God is the Father and how we become His children. Sophisticated sermons are given trying to show why the Father came and lived in this world to become our Redeemer, and how He dwells in us as the Holy Spirit. Hearing or reading some of these attempts at explaining the so-called mysterious nature of God can be quite perplexing; but, “... God is not the author of confusion...” (1 Cor. 14:33.)

God does not have to be eloquent, articulate or sophisticated to teach us the simple truth about Himself. In fact, Jesus teaches us quite plainly. While speaking to His disciples about the Holy Ghost and declaring His own divine Sonship, He said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.” (John 16:24-29.) So we find that Jesus was not preaching metaphorically nor in proverbs when speaking about Himself and the Father. He was not confusing; He was speaking “plainly.” And His disciples finally came to understand that He spoke plainly. The question now is, When will we come to understand it?

The Holy Bible is quite clear when read outside the realm of tradition. As already stated, God is not some all mystical incomprehensible being. The Father is a separate being from the Son, who is a separate being from the Holy Ghost. They are three, distinct, detached, and separate individuals, being only different in form but identical in love and in complete unity of purpose.

God the Father is a real Father, and only through His Son, Jesus the Christ, can we return to live with Him once again. There is hardly a doctrine in the Bible as clear as the one that defines the true nature of God and His Gospel.

At this point I would like to make it clear that I am sensitive to the fact that there are very sincere followers of Christ within the varied Protestant denominations, within the Roman Catholic faith, and among those faiths which claim to be neither Catholic nor Protestant. I would also like to point out that it is not my purpose to be unkind to any member of any Christian faith, or make light of their sincere beliefs, for there are many sincere, devout, and faithful believers in Jesus throughout the Christian world, and I know that such beliefs are very personal to them.

However, I must also ask this: If the Catholic religion is all so wrong, as Protestants believe, why do Protestants so tenaciously cling to so many of the false beliefs and traditions the Catholic fathers came up with in the beginning, even after throwing off so many other beliefs and traditions of the Roman church during the Reformation? The answer to that question, for this author at least, is truly a mystery.

The basic reason why the so called Holy Trinity, Triune God, three-in-one doctrine is so common is because it has been part of the human psyche for so long. In modern-day terminology, one might say that the stubbornness in holding to such a dogma, generation-after-generation, has make it part of the DNA structure of the Christian world. However, no matter how one will wrest the scriptures in an attempt to justify that doctrine, neither the Bible, nor Jesus, or the Apostles talk of a Trinity.

In the previous chapter we covered the aspect of the Nicean Creed and the resulting doctrine that the Godhead consists of three personages, while at the same time they are only one God—the “three-in-one” doctrine. Speaking of that “three-in-one” concept, A. J. Pollock, writing for The Central Bible Truth Depot in London, England, once called the, “One in Three and Three in One, a mystery beyond the creature’s comprehension, but not beyond the grasp of faith.”

Mr. Pollock may not realize that there can be such a thing as a false faith: that is, a faith in that which is not sound or true no matter how sincerely believed. For example: untold millions believe in the Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and various other religions referred to by the Christian world as pagan. There are those who have faith in Satanic and Luciferion cults, and there are the millions who have faith in the political fundamentals of Socialistic-Communism and political slavery. All of these people have faith, do they not? As the “three-in-one” doctrine is not beyond the grasp of faith of many Christians, as Mr. Pollock said, neither are any of what man can devise be beyond the grasp of faith of those who either ignorantly, or knowingly, choose to believe the relevant philosophies. I am not trying to be unkind here, but It should be obvious that faith in a particular doctrine does not necessarily make that doctrine true, no matter how serious and genuine the believer might be. Neither does not accepting truth make it untrue. A falsehood is always false, even when accepted as a truth; and truth is always true, regardless of how vehemently rejected.

I am not attempting to delve into each and every false doctrine perpetrated by Satan and his henchmen, but to partly expose how paganism has altered the facts concerning the true nature of God. The great deceiver has not only maintained false theology down through the centuries, but has influenced most every Christian faith with many pagan philosophies. This keeps us off balance, confused, and estranged from the true knowledge of God, which is “life eternal.”

With all their professed scholarship, the general Christian world appears to be, as the Apostle Paul would have put it, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” and “they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 3:7, and 4:4 respectfully.) As I read scripture, it appears that man has attempted to define God, not the other way around.