7 Things God Is Not (Part 1)

Several years ago, I heard a sermon by Steve Anderson, a field administrator with Baptist World Mission, in which he delineated seven times that the Bible states, “God is not….”

I have spent countless hours studying what the Bible says God is and how His character is revealed through His Word, but I had never considered the clear statements that declare what God is not.

Over the next three blog posts that I write for InstaEncouragements, (third Friday of each month) I plan to share with you these seven statements and how they should challenge us as believers in our walk with the Lord. Since every Word of God is true and we know all of God’s Word (including these specific statements) has been given to us for our learning, (2 Timothy 3:16) let’s see what important truths we can glean and learn from these statements.

Statement #1 – God is not a man.

“God is not a man, that He should lie; Neither the son of man, that He should repent: Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19 

The context of this first “God Is Not” statement is important to understanding God’s use of it in Scripture. ​

We have jumped into the account of Balaam’s trying to explain to Balak that what God has said, He would definitely bring to pass. Balak wanted Balaam to pronounce a curse on Israel with his prophecy, but Balaam knew he would never be able to do that. He knew that God would not change His mind about the blessing He had bestowed upon Israel. In this context, there was nothing else that Balaam could do but pronounce blessing. 
 
The truth of God’s deity and immutability are seen here so clearly. He is not like man; He doesn’t change His mind about how He relates to you and me. In fact, He has never changed His mind. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that He is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

As people, we tend to be incredibly impressionable and easily swayed by circumstances or people. It doesn’t take much for us to change our minds about things in life. But our God is not like us because He never changes. The world and all its allurements bring constant change and a pull in our lives toward those changes. The One constant in a believer’s life is our immutable God.

​Katharina von Schlegel put it this way in a line from the hymn “Be Still, My Soul”: “Leave to your God to order and provide; In every change He faithful will remain.”

We don’t have to be blown about by all the changes in this world. We need to rest in our unchanging God Who always comes through on His promises to us.

Statement #2 – God is not the author of confusion.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 ​

We live in a day and age in which people thrive on flouting the rules and flaunting their own ideas about life and what should be acceptable. This pragmatic anything-that-pleases-me-goes attitude always breeds confusion about what is really right and what is wrong. Modern-day society would have us believe that there is no absolute truth. But God’s Word is clear about these things, and this passage reminds us that all the confusion being fed to us through the world’s teaching does not originate with God! 
 
In the context of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is admonishing the Corinthian church concerning those who would prophesy in the church. There should be an order about how those things in the church should occur.

We can observe orderly processes in life like the change of the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, the process of photosynthesis, and many other situations that prove the orderliness of God. The world would have us believe that all of these natural processes just came to be by chance. But that faulty thinking denies an Intelligent Designer Who planned these processes very carefully. He is, as Paul states here, a God of peace not of confusion. Paul even finishes this chapter in I Corinthians with this admonition— “Let all things be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40).

This is a foundational truth that could transform much of our society if it were believed and practiced. Instead, we see people more readily reverting to the time of the book of Judges when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

What is the application for you and me from this verse? We ought to follow God’s design of orderliness in all areas of our lives. We must be grounded in the Word of God to know what that peace and order look like when following God’s plan.

He is our perfect example. We never find in the Bible that Jesus was dealing with people in a frazzled, distraught, or confused manner. He always shared His peace with the people to whom He ministered.

One commentator put it this way: “[The servant of the Lord in the church] should reflect the character of God. He is a God … of peace, not disorder, and His Spirit worked to produce the same fruit (Galatians 5:22) in believers’ lives.” [1]

​What are we doing on a daily basis to produce peace and not disorder in our lives? How are we sharing that peace with others in a world that is full of disorder and confusion?

These first two “God is Not…” statements teach us some valuable truths about God. He is not like us, but He desires that we should become more like Him! He is the standard of immutability and order that we need to pattern our lives after.

​Do you find yourself easily swayed by “new ideas” and the fads of this world? Are you flustered and full of confusion and stress? That is not how God would have us as believers to live. Seek the Lord in these areas of your life and see Him establish your heart through His truths

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 12:15

[1] Lowery, D. K. (1985). 1 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 540). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

What counsel from God’s Word will help you to be wise in these areas of your life?