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CHAPTER 1

God Who Is Greater than All

We often say that God is great and mighty. The Bible also refers to God as the “great God” or “the LORD who is great” (Ezra 5:8; Neh 4:14; Ps 95:3; Dan 2:45; Titus 2:13).

How great is our God? To the unbelieving Jews, Jesus described God as “My Father, who is…greater than all” (John 10:29).

The word all used in this verse includes the universe and all things in it—both seen and unseen. In other words, it includes all tangible and intangible, material and immaterial things (Neh 9:6; Col 1:16–17; Acts 14:15; 17:24–25; Rev 5:13, 10:6).

God created all things through His mighty Word (Gen 1:7, 15, 24, 30; Ps 33:6–9; Heb 11:3); He created out of nothing (Gen 1:1); He created every creation instantaneously (Gen 1:3, 11–12, 16, 21, 25; 2:7, 19, 22); and He created for six days (Gen 1:3–31). The God who created this immense universe is too great to be compared with anything since nothing is greater than God. He is truly the “great God” (Ps 48:1; 96:4–5; 135:5; 145:3; 147:5). David confessed, “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods” (1 Chr 16:25). The Hebrew word for great in this verse is , which means “great in magnitude and extent” or “big.” In this passage, this word conveys the greatness that cannot be compared with anything or fathomed by the human mind. This God, who is greater than all, is so great that neither the vast land nor the infinite universe can serve as His dwelling place (1 Kgs 8:27).

1. The Most High Ruler, the Maker of All

The great and awesome God that we serve and believe in is our Father who is greater than all (John 10:29). He is the head of all (1 Chr 29:11); the Father of all (Eph 4:6); and the Most High Ruler (Gen 1:1; 14:19, 22; Exod 20:11; 2 Chr 2:12; Neh 9:6; Ps 102:25; 124:8; 134:3; 136:6; 146:6; Matt 11:25; Acts 4:24; 17:24).

The word all refers to all things, inclusive of all kinds of phenomena and everything that exists in the entire universe. In a narrower sense, the expression all things may refer to all things that are physically visible. However, the word comprehensively embraces everything in heaven and on earth. Thus, the word all includes the entire human race and all that exists within God’s special grace and mercy (Ps 145:9).

The title Lord or Most High describes the sovereign ruler who governs and administers through His providence. The title Ruler of all reveals the absolute inimitability of God who is the Lord of creation, the sovereign ruler who gives breath and life to all creatures and reigns over all creation (Ps 103:19).

2. The Vast Universe

The universe that the Most High Ruler created is wondrous and unfathomable. We cannot help but admire its vastness and boundlessness. Even if we combine the strength of the human eye and the most powerful telescope to look at the farthest outreaches, we will still see only a small part of its vast space. We can get a little glimpse of the wonders of God’s greatness and love simply by examining the size of our solar system, though it is only a fraction of the entire universe.

(1) The sizes of the earth, sun, moon, and stars

The earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system. It is about 6,400 km (3,977 mi) in radius, 40,000 km (24,855 mi) in circumference, 514.5 million km2 (198 million mi2) in surface area, 1.0975 trillion km3 (263 billion mi3) in volume, and 6.6 sextillion tons (6×1024 kg) in mass.

The sun, which appears the largest to the naked eye, is about 700,000 km (435,000 mi) in radius, which is more than 100 times the size and about 330,000 times the mass of the earth. Furthermore, the sun’s volume is about 1.3 million times that of the earth. This means that about 1.3 million earth-size planets can fit inside the sun. Most of the earth’s energy comes from the sun, whose external temperature is about 6,000˚C (11,000˚F) and internal temperature is about 15 million˚C (27 million˚F). Astronomers estimate that this energy is comparable to about 40 million explosions of one-megaton atomic bomb in one second.

The moon, which lights up the night sky, is about one-fourth the size of the earth. It has a radius of 1,738 km (1,080 mi), and is located about 380,000 km (236,121 mi) from the earth. The moon’s external temperature rises to an average of 107˚C (224.6˚F) during the day and falls to a bitter –153˚C (–243˚F) at night. Because the moon rotates about its axis in about the same amount of time it takes to orbit the earth (synchronous rotation), we only see one side of the moon. To this day, no one, except for those who have explored the moon, has ever seen the far side of the moon.

In the universe, there are countless numbers of stars that are hundreds of times larger than the sun. About 6,000 stars are visible to the naked eye, and about 124 million are visible through the 100-inch telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory, which was once the largest telescope in the early 1900s. However, there are too many stars that still cannot be observed with our eyes or technology.

The galactic system that can be seen from the earth through the naked eye is known as our galaxy. Our galaxy is made up of about 200 billion stars, including the sun, and it is classified as a barred spiral galaxy. The entire galaxy is roughly 100,000 light years across in diameter and about 50,000 light years thick.

Since it is reported that there are about 100 billion galaxies that are like ours in the universe, there must be at least about 2 x 1022 stars (200 billion stars x 100 billion galaxies). Albert Einstein estimated that the actual size of the universe is probably 10 times the size that we can identify. He also estimated that there are probably about 1025 stars in the whole universe, which would take us about 1017 (100 quadrillion) years to count if we were to count 20 stars per second. God said to Abraham, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them” (Gen 15:5), and to Jeremiah, “As the host of heaven cannot be counted” (Jer 33:22). Genesis 1:16 states that God made all the stars, and we cannot help but stand in awe before the immensity of God’s creation.

Furthermore, not one of these innumerable stars is like another. Each is different in size, color, and brightness. Only the brightest stars (Class 1) have proper names, while most others are classified with letters of the alphabet. The stars that are not classified with a name or an alphabet are numerically labeled. Still, most stars are not named. However great the number of the stars may be, God leads them forth by number, counts them each one by one, and calls them all by name without missing one of them. Psalm 147:4 states, “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”

Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing.

These innumerable stars move and follow their courses according to the command of God, their commander who also created each of them like soldiers who follow the order of their commander-in-chief. Therefore, none of the stars moves on their own random courses; they move according to the rules in their designated place and will come to a complete halt when God gives His call.

How large are stars? There are countless number of stars that are hundreds of times bigger than the sun. Red giant stars are about 10 times the size of the sun. Super giant stars are more than 100 times the size of the sun, and the star Antares in Scorpio is about 230 times larger than the sun. There is a star that catches the eye on clear winter evenings—the Betelgeuse in Orion. This star is so large that it is about 950 to 1,000 times greater than the sun in its diameter, 20 times in mass and 512 million times in volume. Truly, the planet earth, on which we live, is like a tiny speck of dust compared to the size of the great universe (Isa 40:15).

(2) The Immeasurable Distance between the Stars

To the naked eye, the stars in our galaxy are all clustered closely together. In actuality, each star is distanced approximately five light years apart. The astronomical unit light year is used to measure the distance between the stars because it would be impossible to measure them in meters or kilometers. One light year is the distance that light travels in one year at the approximate speed of 300,000 km/s (186,000 mi/s). Light can travel around the earth 7 times in 1 second. At this speed, light can travel about 9.4608 x 1012 km (5.9 trillion mi) in a single light year. Since the sun is 1.5 billion km from the earth, it would take a plane traveling at about 900 km/h (560 mi/h) 19 years to reach the sun while light would take about 8 minutes. Furthermore, the distance covered by one light year is 65,000 times the distance from the earth to the sun. It is a distance that would take an automobile, traveling at the speed of 100 km/h (62 mi/h), about 10 million years to cover. One light year is like an infinite distance to us for it is too great to conceptualize. Now, it is mind-boggling to think about the vastness of the entire universe given the fact that the average distance between stars in the sky, which seem to be gathered up so close to each other, is about 5 light years.

The closest star to the earth, Alpha Centauri in the Centaurus constellation, is located 4.3 light years away. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is 8.7 light years away, and Polaris, the North Star located very close to the north celestial pole, is 400 light years away from the earth. There are planets around the Scorpius constellation that are about 5,600 light years away from the earth.

The discussion on the vastness of the universe goes further. We can think of it in a scale, beginning with stars. Stars make up a galaxy; galaxies make up a cluster of galaxies; clusters of galaxies make up a supercluster of galaxies; and lastly, superclusters of galaxies make up the structures of the vast universe. The universe is not just a group of galaxies scattered around without any order; its arrangement is that of a net-like structure. The average distance between galaxies is approximately two million light years. Just imagine how vast the universe is! Thus, the “expanse” that God created on the second day (Gen 1:6–8) is infinitely vast and surpasses the limits of human understanding. Compared to this vast universe, a human being is a mere drop in the ocean.

When we cannot even fully understand this earth in which we live, how can we, as Job confessed, comprehend the infinite power and greatness of our God, who created the universe and governs all things in it? Henceforth, it is merely impossible for man to fathom all the works of God (Job 9:8–10; 11:7–9; 37:23; Eccl 3:11).

Job 5:9 Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.

We cannot help but grieve deeply at the ignorance of mankind and praise the infinite wisdom of our God every time we look upon the sky and consider the greatness of His creation. God once scolded Job, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2). Job 26:14 also states, “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But his mighty thunder, who can understand?” Mankind is so lowly that we cannot handle a faint word we hear of God even with all the knowledge of the world. What would happen then, if they hear a voice like great thunder? The psalmist exclaimed, “O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Ps 104:24).

The work of God cannot be understood by the shallow wisdom of man, and it is naturally impossible for man to judge His works (Eccl 8:17; 1 Cor 1:21). All we can do is give thanks and praise God for His providence that rules over the vast universe and keeps it in order day by day (Ps 136).

3. God Who Upholds All

(1) God who governs the galaxy

Man on the earth is traveling through the universe along with the earth at a great speed of the earth’s rotation of about 0.46 km/s (0.29 mi/s, twice the speed of a passenger airplane), plus the speed of its revolution around the sun at about 30 km/s (18.6 mi/s, 3 times the speed of the fastest missile), plus the speed of the movement of our solar system around the galaxy at about 220 km/s (136.7 mi/s).

It is also known that the rotation of our galaxy around its center takes approximately 200 million years (1 cosmic year). The central hub of our rotating galaxy is an enormous black hole, an area of space with a gravitational field so intense that interstellar matters collapse together and are endlessly condensed. The black hole in our galaxy is approximately four million times larger than the sun and rotates at a speed close to the speed of light, causing space to rotate with it.

All of these phenomena are examples of how God “upholds all things by the Word of His power and preserves His creation” (Heb 1:3). “Preserving” is God’s continuing work of maintaining all that He has created. Hence, the word uphold signifies the management of God’s creation in its preserved condition. If God takes away the Word of His power, the order of the entire universe will be destroyed in a moment (2 Pet 3:10). From this we can witness the mercy and compassion of God, who is good to all. Isaac Newton described the force that pulls masses together as “universal gravitation.” The law of universal gravitation shows the power of God’s Word that upholds all bodies of the universe precisely in their orbits.

(2) The grand symphony of the stars in the universe

The report on the Cassini-Huygens Mission put out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reveals the existence of sound waves collected from the planet Saturn and its vicinity. Sound waves are produced when an object rotates at a fast rate. Unimaginably deafening sounds must resound between the infinite number of stars that rotate and move about at the tip of God’s fingers. The sound, however, is not a thundering noise but a harmonious song in God’s ears (Job 38:7). Thus, the universe is a symphony of billions of sounds and instruments of the Great Sovereign.

Because man can only hear sounds within a limited range, we cannot hear the great symphony of the universe now. However, we will be able to praise the Lord accompanied by this cosmic symphony in the heavenly world (Rev 4:10–11; 5:11–14; 14:3).

The psalmist describes this symphony of the universe in Psalm 19:2, “Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” The verb pours forth in this verse is in Hebrew and it means “to pour,” “to gush forth,” “to spring up,” or “to bubble up.” This signifies that all things in the heavens and on earth will praise God’s providence of creation during the day and will continue to pour forth His glory from day to day. Thus, in awe we must praise God that the divine order of the universe remains even when a day passes and another day comes. This divine order is according to the arrangement that God established during the creation (Gen 1:14) and according to the promise of preservation that God made with Noah and his family (Gen 8:20–22; 9:11). This is what God called “My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night” through Jeremiah (Jer 33:20).

(3) The perfect order and harmony of the universe

The entire universe is not in chaos, but is a world of complete order and perfect harmony under one God. This is so because the vast universe was created on the basis of perfect and precise design, and all things were arranged accurately in their own place according to the divine administration of God’s providence for salvation (Ps 103:19; Prov 3:19; Jer 10:12).

It can be said that such orderly movement and beautiful harmony is a testimony to God’s greatness, faithfulness, and goodness for the salvation of fallen mankind. The alternation of night and day, the change of seasons, and the wondrous changes in the world of creation are proof that God’s mercy for the salvation of this world continues (Gen 8:22; Deut 4:19; Ps 136:5, 9).

In Psalm 19:1, the psalmist confessed, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands,” and praise for the works of God’s hands has been sung without ceasing ever since the time of creation. God’s divinity is undeniably revealed as long as we are willing to witness it by opening our eyes and our ears to God’s providence of creation found in the “day” that consists of night and day (Rom 1:20).

4. The Agape Love of the God of All

God, who is greater than all, gave His love to save us. His love is immeasurable for it is infinite. The greatness of God reflected through the enormous universe is not irrelevant to us. It is deeply linked to our life—the very platform where the history of salvation for mankind is taking place. Beholding the heavenly bodies in the night sky is sufficient in itself to cause amazement and astonishment. However, what is even more unbelievably inspirational is having God, who created the great universe and keeps all movements and activities in order, give special attention to mankind—we who are as insignificant as dust—by bestowing the grace of salvation upon us. The psalmist declares that He is the God “who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself” (Ps 113:5–6). David, when he saw the providence of redemption hidden in the heavens, the moon and the stars that God ordained, also exclaimed, “What is man, that You take thought of him…” (Ps 8:4). Truly, the works that the Lord carries out to save one soul are so great and His thoughts are so deep (Ps 92:5) that even the boundlessly vast universe cannot be compared to one soul, which is more precious than the heavens and the earth (Matt 16:26; Luke 9:25).

The Bible verse that sums up this essence of salvation is John 3:16.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

This is truly the quintessence of the gospel and the way of salvation and eternal life. This is the great Bible passage that contains God’s sovereign administration and providence of redemption to save each one of us who deserved to fall into the brimstone of hell.

(1) “God”

The word for God in this verse refers to God the Father. The Greek word for God is , equivalent to in the Old Testament. He is the God of Trinity. There are three persons in the Trinity: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:18–20; 2 Cor 13:141). Also, God is the one and only God (John 5:44; 1 Cor 8:4, 6; 1 Tim 2:5; Jas 2:19), and He is the Almighty, who surpasses time and space (Eph 4:6). He is the God who not only created all things (Acts 17:24; Heb 3:4), but also maintains and governs them.

(2) “so loved”

In Greek, so loved is , a powerful declaration that begins this verse. The motivating power for redeeming sinners is God’s love and the degree of that love is expressed as “so loved.”

signifies “thus,” “as follows,” and “so.”2 The word so or so much emphasizes the degree of sincerity in one’s act of giving his heart and efforts.

Also, is a verb form of , which signifies the immense love given to sinful mankind. This is the love that surpasses all limits and conditions. It is the love everlasting, sacrificial, unfailing, loathing of sin, and unconditionally given by God (1 Jn 4:10, 19).3

The great love of God, who had predestined the salvation of fallen mankind from before creation and fulfilled His love by giving His life on the cross, continues today as the motivating power that brings world history into existence. It is also the strong driving force that leads us to salvation.

(3) “the world”

The Greek word for world is . This word is used 185 times in the New Testament: the Apostle John used it 78 times in the Gospel of John and 24 times in his epistles. The word kosmos means “universe,” which includes all sinners.

First, kosmos is the universe. It is a synonym of “heaven and earth” in the Old Testament (Acts 17:24).

Second, kosmos is the dwelling place of mankind—the territory of their habitation, which is the earth (John 21:25; 1 Tim 6:7).

Third, kosmos refers to the human race, which is the “world” in John 3:16. It signifies all mankind, the people who live in bondage of sin, including us (John 1:10; 3:17; 4:42; 2 Cor 5:19). John 1:29 mentions “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The “sin of the world” in this verse refers to “sins of the people of the world.” John 3:17 also says, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” The “world” in this verse also refers to people in this world. In other words, only by believing in Jesus can the people of this world be saved (Acts 4:12).

Even great and powerful nations on this earth are like “a drop from a bucket” and “a speck of dust on the scales”; even islands that seem immovable are only like “fine dust” to God (Isa 40:15). All the nations put together are like nothing before God (Isa 40:17). Therefore, the fact that God who is greater than all, the creator of the universe has come just to find me, who is unworthy as a speck of dust, is the mystery of salvation and the love that cannot be measured.

(4) “gave”

The verb gave is in Greek, an aorist tense in the indicative mood of , which means to “give or bestow.” The aorist tense, in the indicative mood, refers to a completed event. Essentially, this word explains that our God of love and mercy has already given us His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as the greatest gift. The gift that God gives to mankind is a free gift apart from any human work, merit, or effort.

Our salvation is not a result of man’s righteous works, but a gift freely given by the grace of God (Rom 5:15; Eph 2:8–9). The greatest gift of all is our Lord Jesus Christ.

(5) “only begotten Son”

Generally, an only begotten son means “a son without a brother or sister.” However, saying that Jesus Christ is God’s “only begotten Son” signifies that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 Jn 4:9). This expression conveys the love of Jesus Christ, who existed in the form of God and had equality with God but came down in the incarnate form as God’s only begotten Son in order to save sinners (John 10:30; Phil 2:6). Thus, John 1:18 states, “…the only begotten of God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

When Abraham gave his only son Isaac, God said, “For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me,” and God acknowledged Abraham’s faith (Gen 22:12). Likewise, sending the only begotten Son whom He loved so much to this world and letting him die so wretchedly on the cross is a demonstration of His love toward us (1 Jn 4:9; Rom 5:8).

(6) “whoever believes in Him”

The word believe is , the verb form of pi,stij (pistis), which means “faith.” Faith is the means of salvation. To have faith is to believe in God, and to believe in God is to receive Him. John 1:12 states, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” The word receive in this verse does not mean to receive as to welcome a customer or visitor at a reception counter, but to accept the only begotten Son Jesus Christ perpetually and continue to serve Him as the Savior of life. It is by God’s perfect grace and gift that we can believe in Jesus as our personal Lord of salvation (Eph 2:8).

The Greek word for whoever is , meaning “all or every.” This is to say that all, including Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women, and old and young, can receive salvation from sin and death.

(7) “should not perish, but have eternal life”

Granting eternal life is the sole reason of His love. It is the liberation from sin that we find in Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life through Him (Rom 8:1; 1 Jn 2:25). This is the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming onto this earth (Heb 9:28; 1 Jn 3:5). Having “eternal life” is not simply having a life that lasts forever. Eternal life begins by starting a new relationship with God (John 17:3; Rom 5:21) and then receiving new life (John 5:24). Furthermore, it is entering into an eternal fellowship with God in the kingdom of heaven through resurrection and transfiguration at the end of the world and being liberated from death (John 6:40; 1 Cor 15:51–52; 1 Thes 4:16–17). This is the promise of a blessed life that entails eternal continuation and heavenly quality of life.

Therefore, Jesus Christ is the greatest gospel and the good news of great joy (Luke 2:10). He is the only mediator for sinners (1 Tim 2:5; Gal 3:19–20; Heb 8:6; 9:15) and the grace upon grace that is desperately needed by all sinners (John 1:16). Thus, anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son and Lord of salvation, will perish. To perish is to be cast away from God and receive the punishment of hell. Hell is the place where fire burns endlessly, the smoke of torment goes up forever, and even worms do not die (Mark 9:43, 48; Rev 14:11).

According to a recent discovery, there are shrimp, clams, bacteria, and other living things found in scalding-hot water at a temperature of about 407˚C (764.6˚F) in the ocean bed near a volcanic crater. Imagining how it would be for these creatures to live in this high-temperature environment helps one picture those in hell suffering in burning fire without being able to die. However, those who believe in Jesus will not perish, but will receive eternal life and enjoy everlasting blessings in the kingdom of heaven.

It is a great honor just to have God, who is greater than all, come down to our lowly and obscure human history and become the Immanuel for us. Moreover, He who is without sin humbled Himself as a worm and allowed His holy body to be torn on the cross, and every drop of His blood poured out for us (Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 9:14; 1 Pet 2:22–24; 1 Jn 3:5; Ps 22:6). By the blood He shed on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins and are redeemed (Matt 20:28; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:18–19). Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again the third day, still intercedes for us on the right hand of God’s throne so that we can overcome sin and receive final salvation (Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 15:3–4). Can we ever sufficiently express His great love with our limited words?

We have received the greatest treasure called “eternal life,” which cannot be compared in value to any worldly treasure (Ps 49:7–8; Matt 13:44–46; John 10:28; 17:2; 1 Jn 2:25; 5:11). This eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself (1 Jn 5:20). Thus, the fact that God, who is greater than all, came down to save people, who are sinners as lowly as worms, is truly a great gospel. He gave all of this as a free gift. This is something we cannot repay even with all of our lives; we are indebted to this gospel and His love (Rom 1:14). Debt inevitably entails the responsibility to repay. Though He gave to us freely, it is our duty as mature children of God to reciprocate His love as much as possible.

The only appropriate way for us to respond to this debt is to share this gospel (Matt 28:18–20). This is also the Great Commission that the Lord gave to us (Mark 16:15; Titus 1:3). The first proclamation of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:1–3; 4:17; Mark 1:14–15). The Apostle Paul confessed that he was called as an apostle for the gospel (Rom 1:1) and that he had nothing to boast of in preaching the gospel, for woe to him if he does not preach the gospel (1 Cor 9:16). Likewise, it is our task to live the rest of our lives with the resolution that we will die daily like the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 15:31), testify to this gospel (Acts 20:24; Rom 1:14–15; 2 Tim 4:1–2), and be faithful until our very last breath (Rev 2:10).