2020 by
ANTHONY T. EVANS
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Some content in this book is adapted from Tony Evans, Our God Is Awesome: Encountering the Greatness of Our God (Chicago: Moody, 1994) and Tony Evans, God Is in Control, The Urban Alternative, https://tonyevans.org/god-is-in-control/.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.
Edited by Kevin P. Emmert
Interior and cover design: Erik M.Peterson
Cover photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo on Unsplash
All websites and phone numbers listed herein are accurate at the time of publication but may change in the future or cease to exist. The listing of website references and resources does not imply publisher endorsement of the sites entire contents. Groups and organizations are listed for informational purposes, and listing does not imply publisher endorsement of their activities.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Evans, Tony, 1949- author.
Title: God, himself : a journey through his attributes / Tony Evans.
Description: Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Join Tony Evans as he dives into the character of our awesome Godone attribute at a time. Youll learn about attributes like Gods wisdom and word, His sufficiency and sovereignty, and His goodness, grace, and glory that make Himour Heavenly Fatherthe great God that He isProvided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020015687 (print) | LCCN 2020015688 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802418166 (paperback) | ISBN 9780802496621 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: God (Christianity)Attributes.
Classification: LCC BT130 .E94 2020 (print) | LCC BT130 (ebook) | DDC 231/.4dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015687
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015688
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CONTENTS
Friend,
Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.
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THE NATURE OF GOD
O nce upon a time, a scorpion needed to cross a pond. Wondering how he would get to the other side, he noticed a frog nearby. Mr. Frog, will you please hop me across this pond?
The kind, gentle frog said, Certainly, Mr. Scorpion. I will be glad to do so.
So Mr. Scorpion jumped onto Mr. Frogs back as Mr. Frog hopped from pad to pad, bringing Mr. Scorpion to the other side of the pond. But just as the frog said, Well, Mr. Scorpion, here we are, he felt an excruciating pain in his back. Mr. Scorpion had stung him.
As Mr. Frog lay dying, he looked up at Mr. Scorpion and said, How could you do this? I brought you from one side of the pond to the other, and now you sting me so that I die.
Mr. Scorpion looked at Mr. Frog and said, I cant help it. Its my nature.
Its important to know the nature of the one you are dealing with. If you think you are getting one thing, but when you get it, its not what you thought it was, you could be in trouble. That happens today with a lot of errant teaching about who God is. God has been so misdefined, tragically redefined, and even dismissed that people do not understand His true nature and, as a result, get stuck with false and damaging views of God.
Had the frog taken into account the true nature of the scorpion, he would have never let him hop on his back. Our understanding of someone or something else influences our connection with and relation to the other. To misunderstand the nature of God is no small thing. Rather, our failing to know God as He truly is leads to our failure to access the abundant life Jesus Christ came to give (John 10:10). It also takes us off course from living out the purpose He has for us, as well as negatively influencing all our relationships with each other, and our love toward ourselves.
When you or I make decisions based on a misunderstanding of Gods nature, thinking that we know the true God when in fact we know something totally different from who and what the true God is, the results of those decisions will lead to destruction and death. Now, that may not mean physical death, but it certainly means spiritual, relational, and even emotional death. Knowing the nature of God as He reveals Himself, rather than how we think He is, can save us from a life of confusion and defeat.
Gods nature consists in His intrinsic traits. Nature , after all, is the inherent characteristics that define any being, animal, or thing. To study and come to know Gods nature ought to be the preeminent focus and desire of all believers in Christ. This is because there is no greater knowledge that you can possess outside of the knowledge of God. To know God means you come to understand and reflect His nature. Jeremiah 9:2324 emphasizes the importance of this pursuit:
Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the LORD.
Wisdom, might, and riches are of no importance when placed against the backdrop of knowing God. In this passage, we are told clearly not to boast about anything other than knowing and understanding God. The knowledge of God is lifes greatest pursuit. When you relegate the knowing and understanding of God to a second-rate discovery, you have unwittingly lessened your ability to know anything else at all. All truth arises from God Himself. In fact, failing to know God fully will similarly keep you from knowing yourself.
