Who is God?

[gcdonner]

I've spent enough time around people who insist on calling God Yahweh, or Jehovah, or insisting in calling Jesus Yeshua, the Messiah, etc. and actually thinking it makes a difference to know that the focus of our Christian walk is not on obscure names in other languages of our God. If one wanted to, we could simply call God "I am" and Jesus "The one who saves" and we would be fine.

The Holy Spirit doesn't even have a name!

Then you are more ignorant than they are, Josh, and you totally missed my point because of your bias. Because they over emphasize the correct pronunciation of the name, doesn't negate the commands of scripture. Please note that I allowed for your choice of pronunciation. If you read the scriptures that I quoted, then you would understand my point and a simple examination of God's own commands regarding his name should be sufficient.
Obedience is not based on someone else's misunderstandings or ignorance. You should know better.
Your comment echos of "there are more than one way to heaven" remarks. I am sorry for you.

[KingdomBuilder]

I think this thread got a bit off. The question posed was "Who is God?"; not "what's God's name?". Who someone is is much different than what they're called.

[gcdonner]

I think this thread got a bit off. The question posed was "Who is God?"; not "what's God's name?". Who someone is is much different than what they're called.

Really? How do you first learn about someone if not by their name? How do you identify someone if not by their name? Can you know who God is without knowing his name, when He himself has made such an issue of His name?
Like the old adage, "What's in a name?"
Who God is, is revealed in His name, according to HIM!
My original point was to show that you can't know WHO God is, unless you first know which god you are referring to. Guess you missed the point too.
Scripture says, "there are gods many", so which one are you asking about? I meant to clarify which god I am interested in and how He refers to himself to set himself apart from all other gods.
I think modern christians take too small of a view of the name of YHWH (however you wish to pronounce or spell it...).
I am dismayed at the hohum attitude. To me it shows a lack of biblical understanding of the importance of HIS NAME. HE made it an issue, not me, so your quarrel is with YHWH and not with me for sure.
Think about it.

[temporal1]

I think this thread got a bit off. The question posed was "Who is God?"; not "what's God's name?". Who someone is is much different than what they're called.

what i like about george's work in this thread is, it reflects how dfferently we can understand words that may "seem" obvious. clearly, george has invested a lot of time+heart into this very question, and what it has come to mean to him.

this inspires more thought on a most-deserving topic.

george, my response is not ho-hum, but, interest in thinking more about your point.
up until now, i have thought of God's name in words Jesus regularly used.

i admit, i had a personal heartache with Jehovah's Witnesses, so, the name, Jehovah, causes me to wince a bit, to feel hurt+confusion, not to be awe-inspired, or filled with joy.
that's a personal struggle, but, it may not be that uncommon? i have no way of knowing.
i understand, i could be all-wrong on it! that's part of the pain.

i'm thoughtful about your points, and the importance it has to you.
our passions are important to God. He sees our hearts.

[KingdomBuilder]

I wouldn't say anyone here is "quarreling with YHWH"
I pray to the God of whom the Bible speaks, the Heavenly Father from whom Jesus was sent, so what am I doing wrong?

[gcdonner]

I wouldn't say anyone here is "quarreling with YHWH"
I pray to the God of whom the Bible speaks, the Heavenly Father from whom Jesus was sent, so what am I doing wrong?

Are you consciously aware of the name of the God whom the bible speaks or do you just pray to "God".
If you heard the song by the Beatles, "My sweet Lord", would you think they were singing to the same Lord that you serve?
If you read about Gandhi, would you know which Lord he was referring to and praying to? Is it all the same lord?

But if you are to introduce your God to someone who asks, "Who is God?" how would you differentiate between the God of the bible and any other god.
For the first century Jews it wasn't an issue, since every time they read their bibles (if they could read) they understood what LORD meant. When you read your old testament today, would you know the difference between LORD, Lord or lord?
I may seem to be belaboring the point, but the responses I am receiving seem to be, "so what does it matter?"
I say it matters a great deal, according to the Bible that we claim to follow.
I guess we can just say that it isn't a relevant issue in our modern times...

[Josh]

My understanding is the Jews never spoke the Tetragrammaton out loud except in special situations and used euphemisms otherwise.

I usually pray to Lord, Father, or Jesus.

[gcdonner]

My understanding is the Jews never spoke the Tetragrammaton out loud except in special situations and used euphemisms otherwise.

I usually pray to Lord, Father, or Jesus.

You are correct that they did not speak the Tetragrammaton, but they were familiar with the euphemisms that were inserted, such as Elohim or Adonai, and Jesus indicated so by encouraging us to "hallow thy name". There is only one deity spoken of in scripture who is identified as Lord God, and that reference is carried over into the NT where the holy name is never directly mentioned, but understood with the various iterations of this compound.
Do you know the reason why the Jews didn't articulate the holy name?

[MaxPC]

Since this is a new forum I think it is in order to discuss some very basic things.

So the first question I have is:

Who is God?

Please support your thoughts with scriptural citation if you can.

He is my Creator; my Redeemer; and my Sanctifier (Trinity). I'll add that He is my best and closest friend and father who wants me to be whole and saved. The entire Bible reveals who He is.

[Josh]

My understanding is the Jews never spoke the Tetragrammaton out loud except in special situations and used euphemisms otherwise.

I usually pray to Lord, Father, or Jesus.

You are correct that they did not speak the Tetragrammaton, but they were familiar with the euphemisms that were inserted, such as Elohim or Adonai, and Jesus indicated so by encouraging us to "hallow thy name". There is only one deity spoken of in scripture who is identified as Lord God, and that reference is carried over into the NT where the holy name is never directly mentioned, but understood with the various iterations of this compound.
Do you know the reason why the Jews didn't articulate the holy name?

So, what name are you saying we should say?

Does something special happen if we say names in foreign languages?