Chapter 1
God Identified Himself by Name

1.	How did you come to know God? Did that process start in your mind? Explain.
a.	God revealed himself to me.  Baptism – Word – Sunday School – Worship
b.	No.  The process didn’t start in my mind.  We are dead in sin by nature (Ephesians 2).  Our sinful mind is hostile to God (Romans 8:7).  Even if we wanted to come to God by nature (which we don’t); we can’t.
2.	If a friend of yours denies that there is a God, could you prove your friend is wrong?
a.	No.  There is no “proof” in the way we think of it
b.	Yes.  God can be “proven” to exist by nature and conscience and through the Bible.

3.	If you can’t prove that God exists, then why do you believe in him?
Because we have been convinced that it is true from the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God.
4.	In what different ways did God make himself known to Abraham’s descendants?
With his names
5.	Why would God do something for Israel that he hadn’t done for any other nation?
Love.  Love for the nation of Israel, but especially love for all people.
6.	In what way does God speak to people today?
Through his Word.  This is an important thing for us to remember.  God has told us he will come to us in one way – that is through his Word.
7.	Why do some people not hear God’s voice when he speaks?
They close their ears, hearts and minds to it.
8.	How has your faith changed since you were a little child? How has it not changed?
Answers will vary.
a.	For me, it has changed in these ways: a greater understanding than I used to have; recognize to a greater degree my failings and shortcomings and desperate need for a Savior; more mature than it was.  Many times, as we grow up, we begin to question things more.
b.	For me, it has not changed in these ways: it is still a “simple” faith in the only one who saves - Jesus
Elohim, “God”
1.	What is God telling you about himself when he identifies himself as Elohim?
That he is eternal.  That he is the one true and living God – the awesome God who brought heaven and earth into existence out of nothing.  That he is almighty, wise, and kind.
2.	What does the creation account tell you about God?
In a way you could ask the questions, what doesn’t it tell us about God?  It tells of his power, of his wisdom, of his love, of how lavish that love is, how giving he is, how generous, how thorough he is, that he is a God of order.

3.	What adjectives would you use to describe God?
Answers will vary.  For me, maybe I’d use: big, awesome, fantastic, incredible, beyond wise
4.	When in your life did you underestimate the power of God?
Answers will vary.  For me: in sickness, at the bedside of the dying, when witnessing to someone I didn’t think wanted anything to do with religion
5.	What difference does it make in your life today that God is still Elohim?
Answers will vary.  For me: all the difference – nothing is impossible with God.  He knows what he’s doing – so stills and calms fears, worries, etc.
6.	Respond to the person who says to you, “If God is as all-knowing and all-powerful and as good as you say he is, he would punish evildoers.”
One thing we need to realize is that these aren’t the only attributes (characteristic, aspects) of God that he reveals to us.  There are many other.  Loving, patient, slow to anger, abounding love and faithfulness are just a few of them
The other thing we need to keep in mind is that he does punish evildoers.  He punished every evildoer when he poured out his wrath on his Son on the cross.  Likewise, he will sentence to hell all those who reject the work of his Son in unbelief.

7.	Would you say more things in this world are going badly than are going well?
Yes – we see all the bad.  Floods; earthquakes; tornadoes.  Mass shootings and suicide bombers.  Cancer, meningitis, you name it.  Even the smaller things: weeds in gardens and fields; aphids and emerald ash borer’s; ticks and mosquitoes. 
No – Think how the weeds don’t completely destroy crops (thanks to advancements the Lord has given us).  So many things happen right (a woman gets pregnant and 9 months later a living, breathing, child is in the arms of parents).  We often times take these things for granted (sun, rain, warm, cold).

8.	What evidence do you see that God cares about the world he created?
-	That it has continued these 8,000+ years since its creation even though it is the house of sinful human beings
-	Look at seasons…food…we haven’t run out yet even though the world has gotten more populous
-	The way we always seem to find something new in world to use 

9.	Why aren’t you terrified by the wickedness of the devil and all his terrorist agents?
God is almighty.  His power is supreme over theirs.  Nothing will happen that is outside of his control.  And finally, through faith in him he is guiding me not so I can have an easy, pain-free, free-from-effects of sin life, but he is guiding me to a home he has won for me in heaven through the sacrifice of his Son.  So what can this world do to me? (Psalm 73:23-26)

Adonai, “the Lord”
1.	In what way does the message announced by this name humble us?
We are reminded that we are not our own master; we are a servant to a Master.
We are designed to live under him, not alongside of him as equals
2.	How does this name help you define what sin is? 
It is sinful pride – the desire to make myself anything but the servant of my Master.
Notice, as the servant of the Master, we do not have the right to deviate even the least bit from God’s commands

3.	Why does God hate sin?
Because it defies his good and perfect will
Because rebellion results in self-destruction
4.	According to Isaiah 43:21, for what purpose were we created? How do you do that?
a.	We were created to proclaim his praise
b.	We do that by believing it; living it; and speaking it

Yahweh, “the LORD”
1.	Which two characteristics of God does this name emphasize? 
a.	That he is a God of absolute independence
b.	That he is a God of absolute faithfulness
2.	Why do we call this God’s covenant name?
A covenant is an agreement.  But being independent, he is not under obligation to us, but he willingly put himself under obligation – under that agreement.
3.	What does Yahweh mean when he calls himself a jealous God (Exodus 20:5)?
It means that while he is faithful, he isn’t about to let people trample on his grace
4.	As you read the Old Testament, why must you distinguish between God as Lord and God as LORD?
Because they mean two completely different things.  They emphasize two distinct characteristics of God, and these characteristics are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

El Shaddai, “God Almighty”
1.	What comfort can we take from knowing that our God is also El Shaddai?
God is able to do anything.  For an example take the case of Abraham – he is able to compel nature to do what is contrary to itself (allow a 99 year-old man impregnate his 89 year old wife - Romans 4:17)
2.	Describe the most awesome of El Shaddai’s almighty acts. 
-	Able to have Jesus born so that he is true God and true man in one person
-	Able to rise from the dead

Immanuel, “God with us”
1.	In what way is Jesus the same as us? In what way is Jesus totally different from us?
a.	Flesh and blood; faced temptations; bound by the laws of gravity; got hungry, tired; dependent on his mother as a child; felt pain
b.	He is true God; no sinful nature; still had full divine glory and power that were his by right

2.	Why do some people find it hard to believe that the Bethlehem baby is God?
Some arguments that people make are: God wouldn’t come down to earth; God wouldn’t allow Son to die; It all goes beyond human reason, what we can “comprehend” and make sense of.
Another reason is that then they have to admit they are sinners, that their sin is serious, so serious in fact that the Son of God was the only one who could remove that sin.

3.	Is it really correct to say that God, the King of the universe, had to be burped and had to have his diapers changed? Why aren’t you embarrassed at that thought?
a.	Yes
b.	It’s what he tells us and we know that he humbled himself and took this form for us!

4.	Read Hebrews 2:14-18 and 4:14-16. When life is difficult or when you’re hurting, why is it reassuring for you to know that Jesus is a human being?
He went through these things too.  He knows what we are going through.  He knows exactly what type of help we need.
5.	In order to be our Savior, why did Jesus have to be a real human being? (2 answers)
a.	To be born under the law and be subject to them (As true God, Jesus was not subject to the laws the he had laid down for mankind, so he had to become one of us to be under that law so when he kept it perfectly it would count for us).
b.	To be able to die – He needed to be able to pay for our disobedience
6.	In order to be our Savior, why did Jesus have to be God?
So that he could perfectly keep the commandments
So that his sacrifice to pay for our sins would be precious enough – because his blood was the holy blood of the Son of God, it would be able to count as payment for all of mankind