How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)

Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

WE ARE GOING TO STUDY ABOUT

the Bible. But, why do we need to study it?
Should we use the Bible as a basis in
everything that we do? Whenever we are to
do something, must we always have a basis?
A mother, for instance, cooks for the family
because she has the obligation and the right
to do so. What do I mean to say? In our
house, not just anybody has the right to
cook the rice. The one who should cook the
rice must have the authority to do so. And
who has the right to cook for the family? It
could be the mother, the father, the
housemaid, or any legitimate member of the
family. But you just can’t allow anybody to
cook for you. Who knows if that person wants to poison you all?

If you are going to sweep the streets, you should also have a basis. Try to sweep
the streets without being appointed by the rightful person, and you’ll not get any
compensation. You cannot compel the government to pay you for your labor
because you had never been deputized to be a street sweeper. A man who just
wears the uniform of a policeman is not a real policeman even if he has the badge,
the patches, and all the other paraphernalia that a real policeman wears. And
because that man does not have a basis, not only in wearing the policeman’s
uniform, but also in performing the duties of a real policeman, he is just
considered as a mere impostor.

In other words, we need to have a basis in everything we do. It follows that even
in serving God and in invoking God, we should have a basis why we should do it.
In the first place, there are people who do not invoke God at all. And if we are
going to invoke God, how should we do it? Where should we base our faith in
God?

Wasn’t it that when we were just beginning to learn how to read, we started with
ABC? And if we are going to study music, don’t we normally begin with do-re-
mi? In our service to God, we also have to know the ABC of salvation. Will it be
fine with you if we begin our studies from the lowest level, or the basics? Do you
know of any lawyer who studied Law right away without going through the
elementary, secondary, and tertiary level? It is only after an aspiring lawyer
completes those levels that he could pursue Law. The same process applies in
studying salvation. You do not instantly become a Christian, and become saved
by just raising your hand! That is not so. Please, do not be misled. It will be fatal
if you do not know the basics. Why? This is what Ecclesiastes 10:1 says,
Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send
forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in the reputation for
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

wisdom and honour.”

Try to kill flies and place them in a bottle of ointment, or perfume. Let them stay
there for a week. After a week, open the bottle, savor it scent, and you will realize
how a bottle of perfume could be spoiled by just a few flies. What was the Bible
trying to tell us? A little folly spoils wisdom and honor.

There is an English adage which says, “Little knowledge is dangerous.” That is

true. A little folly could cause danger to a person. For example, no matter how
good a surgeon is, the life of his patient could be endangered if the nurse assisting
him is a simpleton. A sensible nurse makes an inventory of the number of cotton
balls they used during the operation. So that before the wound is closed, she sees
to it that the number of cotton balls she prepared reconciles with the number of
cotton balls they used. But if the attending nurse is somebody who does not know
the sensitiveness of her work, she would not really bother to check the cotton
balls. Only to find out later that three pieces of cotton balls were left inside the
patient’s body. There are cases like that. There had been an incident when, what
was left inside was not an ordinary cotton ball, but a surgical scissors. Such
serious damage happened because of the negligence of both the surgeon and the
nurse.

That is why it is very true that a little folly can be very damaging. That is, insofar
as material things are concerned. But greater is the harm that a little folly can do
in terms of godliness. When it comes to faith, there shouldn’t be any shade of
folly. When it comes to faith you have to be very sure because what is at stake is
either eternal bliss, or eternal damnation. Remember that we are heading for
eternity, and eternity has two sides. One side is the eternal lake of fire, and the
other side is life everlasting.

Others, who do not want to listen to me, reason out that they do not want to
confuse their minds anymore. Many say that they would rather stick to the faith
that they grew up with, although they are not sure if their religion will lead them
to salvation, or not. But the fact that you are uncertain of your salvation is a proof
that your present religion did not even bother to teach you the ABC of salvation.
Apparently, you are heading for something eternal without you having any
direction. You do not even know the right thing to do. In religion, we should have
the full knowledge of what we are doing. We should be certain of our actions.
These are some of the things that we shall unravel in our discussion.

First, let us find out, what should we use as a basis in serving God? How shall we
serve Him? Why do we have to serve Him? Does God have any name? Is His
name Jehovah, or Yahweh El Shaddai? Where is God? What are His physical
attributes? Is He black or white? What is the color of His eyes? How does He
smell? Some gods do not smell the same. Sometimes, their odor depends on the
scent of the perfume, or cologne, sprayed on them. But what does the Bible say on
this? Does His smell vary? James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

The Father in heaven does not have variableness. Whatever His odor 5,000 years
ago is still His odor today. We can be very sure of that. Perhaps, you would ask,
do we have to know God’s odor? Of course, so that if the god who is before you
smells differently, that would mean that he is just a false god. Isn’t it that
husbands and wives are familiar of each other’s scent? The husband knows if his
wife is newly bathed, or if she has not taken a bath for three days. He can never be
wrong because he has grown very familiar with her smell. Could a wife tell me
that when she was raped, she thought that it was her husband who did it? That
would be very stupid of her, because by the mere odor alone, she could already
identify if it was her husband, or not. God gave us a sense of smell for us to
identify who’s who, and which is which. Look at the blind, they have a very keen
sense of smell. They can identify people thru their odors.

There are people whose gods smell differently. Sometimes they smell of
sampaguita, sometimes, of rosal. Whatever you put around them becomes their
scent. This is the reason why we have to know Him. But, from what standpoint
are we going to start in knowing Him? Or, shall we say, from what point of
principle? What basis are we going to use in serving Him? What are we going to
use in knowing the word of God?

Let us begin by not using any book, nor any documented reference first.

Is there a God, or is there no God? If you will ask the atheists, they will definitely
deny God’s existence. They neither believe in God, nor in satan. They do not
believe in anything supernatural. Their belief is confined only on the physical, or
the material. But let us presume that we do not acknowledge any God either. Let
us presume that we are not certain either if there is a God, or not. Let us play
neutral first. Let us presume that we neither have any religion, too. Actually, even
during the time when there was no Bible yet, there had already been similar talks.
And to prove this to you, let us read Malachi 3:16--

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for
them that feared the LORD …”

There was an incident in the past when God heard and listened to those who
feared Him as they spoke to another. This shows us that, even if the Bible was not
available yet, there were already talk about God. Let us presume that we are living
in those times. We have no Bible; we are not certain whether, or not, there is God;
we do not acknowledge any God. We are not saying that there is no God, only, we
are not sure if He exists, or not. We neither have any religion, too. This is our
opening scenario. We are all neutral, and we are all just beginning to learn. And in
the studies that we will make, we will not use any book first.
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

Let us begin with this question: Who created you? Do you agree that you were
created by somebody? Nobody in his right senses would claim that he was not
created by anybody. Take the case of a chair, for instance. A chair became a chair
because somebody created it. Otherwise, it would not have become a chair, right?
The question is: Who created you? One time, when one person is asked the same
question, somebody answered that, he was created by his mother and his father.
At first glance, we may consider his answer as valid because, had his mother and
father not mated, he would not have come to existence. But the question is, if his
mother and his father were his creators, why is it that other husbands and wives
could not produce any child? If his mother and his father were able to create him,
it should follow that all other husbands and wives should beget children. But how
come, there are couples that are childless? In other words, we cannot consider it to
be a general truth that our respective parents are our creators, or makers.

But granting that it was, indeed, our parents who created us. The question is, why
didn’t they make you good-looking? Why did one mother give birth to a lame
child? If that baby was, indeed, created by his parents, definitely, they should
have created him without any deformity. If your parents were the ones who
created you, they should not have given you the physique of a man and a heart of
a woman. Why did they make you a homosexual? If they were your makers, then,
they should also have to power to repair your deformities!

Isn’t it that a carpenter who made the table can also repair that table should it gets
broken? You are limping when you walk, why didn’t your parents give you legs
of equal length, if they were your creator? And because they didn’t have power to
do that, we are now led to a great and irrefutable conclusion that man is not the
creator of man! If man is the creator of man, then, all men should be able to create
man. And if man is the creator of man, he should have made a perfect man. But
should his creation be defective, he should be able to repair the defect. But the
glaring truth is, man is not created by man. There is “Somebody” else who created
man. Every object that we see around us is made by man. The chair and the
microphone were made by man. But the user of that chair and that microphone
was not made by man. There isn’t any available proof that man created man.

In fact, there was one laboratory in America, which took one cell from man. They
studied it very well. They tried to find out what that cell contained, and they
copied it. They took little water, little iron, little mineral, and they combined them
all together. Until they succeeded in imitating a human cell. But there arose a
problem – it was lifeless. So, they decided to stop. They had proven that, they can
only imitate a human cell, but they cannot make a real one.

Our physical appearance can be copied. A sculptor can make you a life size
statue; he can also depict a specific facial expression. With the aid of modern
technology, a sculptor can make your statue look real. But still, it is lifeless!
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

A flower can also be imitated. But no matter how well imitated it was, does it
have any fragrance? None! Man can imitate anything that he sees, but he cannot
make it as perfect as the original. And this only proves that another being must
have created man. A man cannot create man. There is a higher, greater, mightier,
more compassionate, and more merciful “Being” that created man. Why did I say
that this Being is compassionate? I say that Being is compassionate because He is
aware that, in this world, there are tiny creatures that give itch to man. And to
prepare him for this, He equipped man with fingernails, which he could use in
scratching the itchy part of his body.

That Being knows that man will find it very difficult to dig the ground, so, he
created a carabao, which will aid him in doing that job. All that he has to do is
hold the plough firmly, and it’s up to the carabao, now, to drag it. Did you see the
wisdom behind the creation of the carabao? I’m sure nobody will disagree with
what I said. Remember, we are not using the Bible yet. I have learned to convince
people in the existence of a powerful being, without using the Bible, but only thru
physical evidences.

We are now heading towards that inevitable conclusion that we are here on earth,
not by our own choices, and neither because we were created by our parents, but
because we were created by a powerful and merciful being. He knows that you
will need water, so He made water for you. Actually, He made different types of
water for us to realize how kind-hearted He is. He did not make all waters salty;
otherwise, you’ll have no safe water to drink. It will be damaging to our health if
we will drink saline water. This is the reason why He made tap water. Perhaps,
you would ask why He created the seawater to be very salty. God knows that all
waters are heading for the sea. He made the sea salty for it to be purified. Have
you noticed that the sea never smells like garbage? Through the chemical reaction
between the salt in the sea and the rays of the sun, the sea plankton and the other
sea creatures will always be fresh. They will not rot, despite the fact that all sorts
of trash are found in the sea. Do you realize now the essence of the sea?

Why are some soils muddy, while some are sandy and loose? Why did He create
gravel, pebbles, and sand? Because they are all needed by man. He provided man
with everything that he needs that is why I consider Him to be very
compassionate and very understanding. He knows what we want, He knows what
we need, and He knows our limitations, so, He made everything available for us.

Can you catch a mosquito that flies up to 12, or 25 feet high? Since He knows that
you cannot leap that high, God assigned another creature to catch it for you – the
lizards. And those which are able to escape the lizards are caught by frogs.
Besides, if there are no mosquitoes, where will the lizards get their food? God
gave the mosquitoes wings to fly up there in the ceiling, where the lizards are
waiting for them. That is why, if we will just contemplate on this matter, we will
realize that the One who made us is very intelligent. He created everything
beautifully and orderly.
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

Is there a creator, or none? If there is, who is he? Do not say God yet. Remember
we still do not know God. All that we know is, there is a creator. Who is he? We
do not know yet. We are just unanimous in our belief that there is a Creator, and
His creations were all beautifully made. And for that, we are very thankful to
Him. We want to thank Him for giving us very obedient children and a very good
husband/wife. But who must we give thanks to when we do not know Him? How
should we thank Him? How can we acknowledge His goodness? How can we
express our gratitude to Him?

Like children, let us begin to ask questions. Let us reminisce our past. Do you
know who your mother is? Of course! But what made you so sure that the mother
you acknowledge is your real mother? Are you sure that all the things that your
parents told you were true? Are you sure? We have to be sure!

On my part, I am sure that I am a real son of my parents despite the fact that I was
not around yet when my mother gave birth to me. Do you know why? There are
different ways by which I can determine if my parents are my real parents. First,
thru instinct; thru the physical features. My nose, for example, resembles the nose
of my mother, and I got the shape of the legs of my father. Both my father and I
do not have hair on our legs. My eyes are exactly the same with the eyes of my
father – round. And because of those similarities in features, I am sure that I am a
son of my parents.

But aside from that, I also asked my aunt if she was around when my mother gave
birth to me. She said, yes. In fact, it was to her that I was handed by the midwife
who attended to my mother’s delivery. My aunt also recounted how red my skin
was when I was born. So, now, I have a witness who attests that I am, indeed, a
real son of my parents. In addition, I was born at home, so there was hardly a
possibility that I was somebody else’s son. That is why I am very sure that my
mother is my real mother because I have a witness.

What do I mean to say? We do not know everything. All that we know is that
“Somebody” created us. But how are we to know who created us? There should
be a witness!

One way of finding out the facts about the details of your birth is thru a birth
certificate. It is indicated in the birth certificate the place, date, and time of your
birth, the name of the attending doctor and midwife’ the name of the hospital, and
the witness. Also, the birth certificate bears the signature of the midwife, or
doctor.

Now, our problem is, we want to serve God. We want to thank Him. We want to
know Him, at least. We want to hug Him if only we could for all the goodness
that He has done to us. But how can we know Him? How can we serve Him?
Who is He, in the first place? What is His name?
How Great is God of the Bible (1st Part)
Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

How can we resolve all these things? So far, we have found out a way by which
we can answer our questions. We will look for a witness. Christ said that He had
talked with God. But there are also pastors today who have a similar claim. One
said that he had talked with God also, while another said that he is also able to
talk with God. Let examine each of those who have claimed to have seen and
talked with God, and let us find out who among them is the most credible witness.
Was it really God that they talked with? What is His name? This is the time when
we will begin to refer to their writings. Do you know that the Apostles had their
writings compiled in what we call Bible? Do you also know that those pastors,
who claim that they had seen and talked with God, have their writings, too?

Many claim to have talked with God. And because we do not have the chance to
talk to these people, we will just have to make some inquiry. Do you know what
is one of God’s commandments to man? Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus saith the
LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good
way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls . . .”

In other words, God commanded man to ask. There is nothing wrong with asking
questions. My grandmother used to tell me that an inquisitive person could outwit
the intelligent. Why? You might be intelligent but if you are too reluctant and too
shy to ask questions you will surely be mislead.

So, at this point, we will ask questions. And we will address our questions to our
Lord Jesus Christ, and to all of those who had allegedly talked with God. After
asking them questions, we will eventually be led to the answer the question we
posed earlier: Who really created us? And definitely, we will be able to draw an
honest-to-goodness answer because we asked all of them very objectively, and we
did not take sides.

In my humble, little way let me lead you in your search for the Being who created
us. Who is He? Why are we here on earth? Have you ever asked yourself why you
are here on earth? What is the purpose of our Maker for creating us? How come
we were not even given the chance to choose our own parents? Why were we
denied of the liberty to design the kind of face we want? Actually, we were not
really given a choice so we just have to make the most out of the face that had
been given to us. Why did it happen that way? Is there a reason behind it? . . .
These are some of the questions that we will try to answer thru God’s help.
Hopefully, we will be able to see where we came from and where we are heading
for. Right now, we are here on earth, but why were we brought forth into this
world? And for us to know the answers to our questions, we shall look for a
credible witness.