The Bible has many descriptions of God. My favourite is God's description of himself in Exodus 34:5-7

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.

I like that picture as it shows the wealth and breadth of his character. There is, however, a shorter description that totally sums him up in 1 John 4:8, "God is love".

2. What is the Real, True Name of God?

In ancient times the scribes who copied out the Bible held the name of God to be so holy that they would take a bath and use a new quill every time they wrote out his name. Holy men would not even pronounce his name, so Holy was it to them. Furthermore, in ancient Hebrew there were no vowels so it is impossible to know exactly how the name of God should be written or pronounced.

The main names that the Bible assigns to God are 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah, plural 'Elohim., The Hebrew word Jehovah (or Yahweh) is the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, and is often translated in the english Bible as Lord.

However, in Exodus 13:14 God gives himself a title which is above all these other title. He calls himself "I AM THAT I AM" That is, "I am what I am."

Barnes commentary on the Bible states that: "the words express absolute, and therefore unchanging and eternal Being. The name, which Moses was thus commissioned to use, was at onc e new and old; old in its connection with previous revelations; new in its full interpretation, and in its bearing upon the covenant of which Moses was the destined mediator.

3. How many Gods do we have?

There is only one true God. As the first commandment states in Exodus 20:2-3
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."

There are many objects of adoration or worship around the world, but there is only one God as revealed in the Bible. This is the God worshipped by Christians and Jews, and is the same God worshipped by Muslims under the name of Allah.

However, as we saw in the last question, God can have many names (and if we look through the Bible we find many given to him, mainly describing his character), so he can also make himself known in different ways. In the Bible we see God revealing himself in what Christians call the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. One God, but working and showing his character in three ways.

4. Christ Jesus was born by Mary. Is he a man, a God, or Spirit?

This is one of the divine mysteries. Philippians 2:6-11 how Jesus is "in very nature" God but in order to save humankind from sin he made himself into the form of a human and died a humiliating death for us. It is the greatest example of love and humility in the universe. It then goes on to say that because of this he became more honoured and greater even than he was before.

This is why in Matthew 1:23 he is called "Immanuel" which means, "God with us". The mystery of the incarnation is that Jesus was at once 100% God and 100% man.

TRINITY, is the theological term used to define God as an undivided unity expressed in the threefold nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As a distinctive Christian doctrine, the Trinity is considered as a divine mystery beyond human comprehension to be reflected upon only through scriptural revelation. The Trinity is a biblical concept that expresses the dynamic character of God, not a Greek idea pressed into Scripture from philosophical or religious speculation. While the term trinity does not appear in Scripture, the Trinitarian structure appears throughout the New Testament to affirm that God Himself is manifested through Jesus Christ by means of the Spirit.

Uni tarianism, also the idea of a few early Adventists, excludes the concept of distinctiveness while focusing solely on the aspect of God the Father. In this way, Christ and the Holy Spirit are placed in lower categories and made less than divine. This error compromises the effectiveness and contribution of the activity of God in redemptive history. Even the Old Testament does feature implications of the Trinitarian idea. This does not mean that the Trinity was fully knowable from the Old Testament, but that a vocabulary was established through the events of God's nearness and creativity; both receive developed meaning from New Testament writers. For example, the word of God is recognized as the agent of creation (Ps. 33:6,9; compare Prov. 3:19 ; 8:27 ), revelation, and salvation (Ps. 107:20). This same vocabulary is given distinct personality in John's prologue (John 1:1-4) in the person of Jesus Christ. Other vocabulary categories include the wisdom of God (Prov. 8) and the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30; Zech. 4:6). A distinguishing feature of the New Testament is the doctrine of the Trinity. It is remarkable that New Testament writers present the doctrine in such a manner that it does not violate the Old Testament concept of the oneness of God. In fact, they unanimously affirm the Hebrew monotheistic faith, but they extend it to include the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The early Christian church experienced the God of Abraham in a new and dramatic way without abandoning the oneness of God that permeates the Old Testament. As a fresh expression of God, the concept of the Trinity--rooted in the God of the past and consistent with the God of the past--absorbs the idea of the God of the past, but goes beyond the God of the past in a more personal encounter.

The New Testament does not present a systematic presentation of the Trinity. The scattered segments from various writers that appear throughout the New Testament reflect a seemingly accepted understanding that exists without a full-length discussion. It is embedded in the framework of the Christian experience and simply assumed as true. The New Testament writers focus on statements drawn from the obvious existence of the Trinitarian experience as opposed to a detailed exposition.

The first New Testament passage in relation to the trinity is the Trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Revelation 1:4. In each passage a Trinitarian formula, repeated in summation fashion, registers a distinctive contribution of each person of the Godhead.

Matthew 28:19, for example, follows the triple formula of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that distinguishes Christian baptism. The risen Lord commissioned the disciples to baptize converts with a Trinitarian emphasis that carries the distinctiveness of each person of the Godhead while associating their inner relationship. This passage is the clearest scriptural reference to a systematic presentation of the doctrine of the Trinity.

1. God is One. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. His offer of salvation in the Old Testament receives a fuller revelation in the New Testament in a way that is not different, but more complete. The doctrine of the Trinity does not abandon the monotheistic faith of Israel .

2. God has three distinct ways of being in the redemptive event, yet He remains an undivided unity. That God the Father imparts Himself to mankind through Son and Spirit without ceasing to be Himself is at the very heart of the Christian faith. A compromise in either the absolute sameness of the Godhead or the true diversity reduces the reality of salvation.

3. The primary way of grasping the concept of the Trinity is through the threefold participation in salvation. The approach of the New Testament is not to discuss the essence of the Godhead, but the particular aspects of the revelatory event that includes the definitive presence of the Father in the person of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

4. The doctrine of the Trinity is an absolute mystery. It is primarily known, not through specul ation, but through experiencing the act of grace through personal faith. See God; Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit.

The Bible does not say so in so many words. This is an oft quoted statement. I'm not sure where the original source is, but there is one very similar to it in the Book, Desire of Ages by Ellen G White:

". . . Men hate the sinner, while they love the sin. Christ hates the sin, but loves the sinner. This will be the spirit of all who follow Him. Christian love is slow to censure, quick to discern penitence, ready to forgive, to encourage, to set the wanderer in the path of holiness, and to stay his feet therein." Desire of Ages, page 462

That seems a pretty good summation of the way God deals with us, and the way we should treat those around us. The thought is summed up well in John 3:16-17.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

What better evidence is there for God's love. But equally clear is the thought that while we are all sinners (Rom 3:23) God's aim is not to condemn us but to save us. This is made even more clear in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That's the good news, but we cannot escape the fact that God hates sin, and works with us to move us from sin to victory. There are two Bible texts that emphasise this idea very nicely for me:

Habakkuk 1:13 "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong."

1 John 1:7-9 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

This then leaves us with the challenge of how we should treat someone that God loves, but who is committing sin (remembering that this also includes you and me!)

Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

This is also one of the mysteries of the God Head that maybe we will not understand fully until we get to heaven!

However, we believe in the Bible as our rule of faith, and it is in the Bible that God reveals himself, both as the almighty God of Heaven, and in the mystery of the incarnation as Jesus Christ, and yet again as the Holy Spirit. Yet we also believe that they are one God.

The Bible itself does not prove the existence of God, it assumes it. It starts with "In the beginning God . . ." (Genesis 1:1) and ends with the promise of hope; "Amen, come Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20).

In contrast to the surrounding nations of Old Testament times, the Bible teaches there is only one God. (Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4, Isaiah 45:5, Zechariah 14:9). The New Testament also demonstrates the unity of God. (Mark 12:29-32, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Timothy 2:5).

However, even while Old and New Testaments affirm this "One God" emphasis as compared to the pantheon of God's surrounding them, they also portray this one God within the plurality of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

For instance, in the Old Testament God says "Let us make man in our own image" (Gen 1:26) and "behold, man has become like one of us". (Gen 3:22)

In Isaiah 48:16 and 42:1 we also have a picture or the three parts of the God-head working together.

It is in the New Testament that this picture becomes clearer. In the Gospel of John in particular we see Father, Son and Holy Spirit (often called the comforter or Counsellor) working together. And as we study the characteristics of each part of the God head we see they have one purpose, mind and character. John 3:16 shows this between the Father and the Son, as does 16:25-28. John 16:7 and surrounding verses demonstrate the Holy Spirit functioning to comfort and council in a larger role than Jesus himself could do limited by his physical presence in one spot.

Now, you make reference to Jesus statement that Jesus says not even to call him
Good (Matthew 19:16-17). We need to take the whole context of what Jesus is saying here. The Rich young ruler comes to ask Jesus a question and as the start of the answer Jesus uses the words you have quoted to contradict him and make him think. This is a well established teaching technique and Jesus goes on to use it in the passage by asking the man about the commandments, before eventually getting to the point that commandment keeping is not enough to save, but rather following God 100 percent (in this case by giving up the centre of his life - his wealth). Jesus discussion is not about the Godhead, but is simply a way of trying to touch this young mans life.

Lastly, in Hebrew life we should remember that a name was very significant, far more so than in modern society. That is why the Jewish Leaders were shocked when Peter said to them that it is only in the name of Jesus that they could be saved (Acts 4:12). And that is why it is significant that in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus tells his followers to make disciples and to "baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Jesus sees them on an equal level, three in one.

The attempt to contact supernatural powers to determine answers to questions hidden to humans and usually involving the future was widely known in the ancient Middle East, especially among the Babylonians who developed it into a highly respected discipline. Ezekiel 21:21 records, "For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver." Similar beliefs in magic are evident from ancient Canaanite myths. The supreme Canaanite deity El acted to heal the ill king Keret by working magic. The goddess Anath through magical means restored the dead Baal to the earth. Paghat, the daughter of the legendary king Daniel, observed the movements of water and of the stars. The Old Testament often attests to the practice of magic by the Hebrews themselves, reflecting how entrenched it was. Saul, the first Hebrew king, is said to have "put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land" (1 Sam. 28:3), but even he later sought out a necromancer (1 Sam. 28:7). Jehu responded to the question of Joram, king of Israel, as to whether he came in peace, "What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" (2 Kings 9:22). Isaiah 2:6 accuses the house of Jacob of being "full of diviners from the east and of soothsayers like the Philistines" (NRSV). Isaiah 3:2-3 reflects that the society attaches the same importance to "the diviner," "the skillful magician," and "the expert in charms" as to "the mighty man, and the soldier, the judge, and the prophet" (RSV). Consequently, King Manasseh could make public use of such services (2 Chron. 33:6). The people acted in a similar fashion. Jeremiah 27:9 admonishes the people not to heed "your [false] prophets, your diviners, ... your dreamers, ... your enchanters, or your sorcerers." Although varying kinds of divination and magic are reported to have been practiced widely in ancient Israel and among her neighbors (Deut. 18:9-14; 1 Sam. 6:2; Isa. 19:3; Ezek. 21:21; Dan. 2:2), Israel herself was clearly and firmly admonished to have no part in such activities. "You shall not practice augury or witchcraft" (Lev. 19:26 RSV). "Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out to be defiled by them" (Lev. 19:3 RSV). "If a person turns to mediums and wizards playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from among his people" (Lev. 20:6 RSV). "A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, their blood shall be upon them" (Lev. 20:27 RSV). "When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord; and because of these abominable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do" (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). "You shall no more see delusive visions nor practice divination" (Ezek. 13:23 RSV). The belief in an after-death existence is clearly expressed in the classical Greek writings; it also enjoyed widespread popularity in the ancient Near East.

The story of Saul and the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:3-19) and the many Israelite tombs containing pottery deposited for the use of the dead indicate that this belief was not entirely unknown among ancient Israelites. Nevertheless, the Bible roundly condemns this concept. Therefore, attempts to communicate with the dead through the occult, spiritualism, or the use of a medium also are condemned as a superstition to be vigorously combated (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:9-13; Isa. 8:19, 20).

The unusual story about Saul and the woman at Endor tells of the king's desperate attempts to communicate with the dead prophet Samuel through a medium. The story makes clear that Saul by this time was suffering mental deterioration (1 Sam. 19:9-17; 28:3-10), that he attempted to consult God through the dead Samuel when dreams, Urim, and living prophets failed to answer him (1 Sam. 28:6). Evidently he talked only to the woman of Endor, the medium. It is possible to conclude on the basis of the context that only he, and not the woman of Endor, claimed to recognize Samuel in the apparition, while only the woman was able to see anything. Meanwhile, the "ghost" coming up from the earth, described by the woman as a god, and looking like an old man wrapped in a robe, was identified by Saul on the basis of her less-than-detailed description as the one he was seeking, namely, Samuel (verses 11-14). In short, the story bears no testimony to the actual presence of the dead prophet. More important, Saul learned nothing from the experience except what he already knew from previous reports given by Samuel while the prophet was still alive (verse 17; cf. 1 Sam. 15:23, 27, 28). That message Saul feared and hoped to overturn. The satanic element in this story lies in the false idea that one can gain otherwise unavailable information from the dead through a spirit medium. The attempt at impersonation of a dead person is roundly condemned in the OT story as deceptive and useless, and the work of demonic agencies aided by a medium. No information can be gained from the dead, for in fact, they know nothing (Eccl. 9:5, 6). They cannot talk or praise God (Ps. 6:5; 88:11; 115:17), their thinking and planning have ceased (146:4), they do not sense God's presence (Job 7:21), and they have no hope (Isa. 38:18).

The last part of the story is a self fullfilling prophecy. Saul did die the next day -- not by the sword of others, but by his own sword that he used to commit suicide.

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. I am sure however that it is a comfort to you to have a faith in Jesus and a knowledge that we can be reunited with our loved ones.

There are several passages in the Bible that give us comfort in this regard.

Firstly, you will note that Jesus Christ, as the "First fruits" of the resurrection, was recognised and worshipped by the disciples. When Mary at the tomb and the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognise him, it was because they were not expecting to see him. Mary recognised him as soon as he spoke to her (John 20:16). The disciples, including Thomas rejoiced in his presence (Vs 19-29). They were then able to renew and continue the relationship they had with him before his death.

The apostle Paul writes about what we will be like following the resurrection. and what we will be like in 1 Corinthians 15:42 and following. In these verses it is clear that our feeble mortal bodies that deteriorate with age and suffer from illness and physical damage will be replaced with immortal, vibrant bodies that will last us for eternity. The most important verses are 51-54:

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory.""

What we have then will be better than what we have now. Sure, we will recognise each other. Our characters, our memories, our affections will be the same. That is why in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Paul can say to the members that Jesus second coming and the resurrection and good news for those who have lost family members, that we can "comfort one another with these words".

I do not know exactly what heaven is going to be like. I rejoice that I can be there with my Saviour and God. I rejoice that I can be reunited with loved ones. But there is one more promise that I hold as very precious. 1 Cor. 2:9:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"

That is something I can look forward to.

This passage can only be understood correctly in conjunction with other passages of Scripture. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 makes it clear those who die as followers of Jesus will be raised at the Second Coming of Christ, and those still alive will go together with the resurrected dead to heaven. Only then will the feast Jesus talks about take place. At the same time the lost, who have rejected or neglected God’s love will be destroyed.

When Lazarus died, Jesus called death a sleep (John 11:11 -13). Those who have died sleep in blessed unconsciousness of all the terrible things going on in the world. The next thing they will know, after they have died, will be when they see Jesus. What a glorious awakening that will be for them. The beloved dead are not up in heaven, and looking down upon the bad things happening to their loved ones on earth. They are resting peacefully in their graves, free from the pain and suffering which often precedes death. This is a beautiful truth.

I'm not too concerned with what my church, or another church teaches - my real concern is what the Bible has to say. Let's quickly summarize that:

Eternal life is a gift of God - given to mankind at Creation. Lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed - "when you eat of the tree you will surely die" Gen 2:17. That's confirmed in the book of Romans (Rom 6:23) Wages of sin is death But the gift of God is eternal life.

OK: So if life - and especially eternal life is a gift of God - for what reason is he going to keep us on living after our physical death here on earth? The Bible teaches that: People sleep in death. Job 14:10, Daniel 12:2. John 11:11-14. They are unconscious: Eccl 9:5 -- they know nothing,. Psalm 146:4 -- His very thoughts perish.,

Why? - imagine Adam watching the suffering for which he was responsible. A mother watching her children making choices and not being able to influence them.

A much better scenario is the one God has given. 1 Thes. 4:15-18 NIV: According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Then we can be reunited with our loved ones.

Greek/Christian thought in 1st century led into today's commonly held belief - but I have to go by what the Bible says.

Thank you for your e-mail to AWR and your willingness to share your burden with us. I want you to know that as soon as your e-mail came into this office the staff here remembered you in prayer. You are part of a large family world-wide and it is good to be able to support each other at times of crisis in our lives.

What you have shared is really a natural outpouring of gr ief. The emotions you are expressing, the feeling of loss, is totally understandable and natural. It is perhaps a clichÈ, but time is a healer, and over the coming months you will discover that the pain becomes less.

Now is also a good time to reflect on the good times you had with your mother. Too often I hear stories of people who only wished they had a better relationship with a parent once that parent had died. While your mothers death was tragic, you can find comfort in the thought that you were very close to each other. That is something to be very grateful for and to cherish.

I understand your challenge with God -- but it seems to me that you are already halfway home with that battle. If Satan was winning you would not have written to us, you would not be asking for prayer, your would not be encouraging others to share their love for their parents. All of these are good things.

My mind always goes to Job at a time like this. He did not understand why his family wer e so dramatically swept away from him. He did not understand why he ended up seriously ill, squatting on the two rubbish dump. He had no comprehension of the battle going on between God and Satan. But even in his despair he could cry out: "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25)

God will always honour a prayer like that. Even though Job did not have all the answers, God did. In the same way we live in a very imperfect world. The results of sin are all around us. God promises us a beautiful future where sin, suffering, pain and death are things of the past (Rev 21:4). We wish that day could come quicker -- but until then we have enough evidence to trust they God who knows all the answers. That is also what Job discovered. At the end of Job you find God in conversation with Job. While God challenges Job with his greatness, he also commends him for staying faithful even when he did not understand.

So, while we may not understand why tragedy struck, be assured that God does, he cares, and he works out with love the very best for you, even in this time o f hurt. It encourages me that God hurts alongside you, even as he did when his Son hung on a cross. It encourages me that he holds out his everlasting arms to support you at this time (Deut 33:27).

One other suggestion. There may be support groups in your area that can help you with your bereavement. I have no knowledge of what is available, but I am sure if you talk to your pastor or to someone you trust, they would be able to help.

Answer: Why is music a problem? The Bible is full of music – and in different styles. Psalm 150 includes a whole range of instruments – and when you jump to Revelation 4 we find heaven full of praise.

Most problems with music in church are over style: Hymns verses choruses. Organ verses Electric Guitar and drums.

I really don’t want to get into that debate – partly because I like both, and partly because it is an argument that can never be won. So much of the music we appreciate in worship is due to our upbringing, our culture, our background. I visit a lot of churches and am amazed at the variety of music I hear. To be honest, I rejoice in that variety. Our God is an awesome God who is not only creative himself, but has filled his creation with creativity.

So what guiding principles would I use in handling problems over music.

1) Tolerance. Do not place a stumbling block. Romans 14:13, Equally, do not force the issue with someone who has very sincere, but strong views. Romans 14:1-4.

2) Rejoice in diversity. Romans 15:7-13. Let’s have a balance in our music.

3) Do the words praise and uplift God? Ephes. 5:19-20 “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

4) Be humble. The principle of Galatians 6: – while talking about sin, applies equally well to disagreements over worship styles. Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”