Hello Pastor John,
What does the word “God” mean?
Bro JOE
Lagos, Nigeria
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Hi Brother JOE.
Excellent question!
The word “god” originates, apparently, from a word in the ancient Teutonic language, passing through Old English to us, but there is conflict among etymologists as to what the original the Teutonic word meant. Some suggestions are, “what is invoked” and “what is worshiped by sacrifice”, which makes sense, but no one really knows.
Biblically, “god” is a word that refers to a being who has authority over other beings. It can refer to God the Creator, or to the Son of God (Ps. 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8), or to rulers among God’s chosen people (Ex. 7:1; 22:28), or anyone to whom the word of God comes (Ps. 82:6; Jn. 10:34-35). I speak on this issue in some detail in the book I am completing now, God Had a Son Before Mary Did. I will be sure to send you a copy.
Of course, people in the ancient world also imagined that there were beings other than the true God who had authority over the circumstances of their lives, and so, they worshiped them as “gods”. But those gods were either (1) nothing but man’s imagination run wild, or (2) demons. There are many verses in the Bible that refer to those two possibilities.
Hope that helps, JOE. Thanks for writing, Brother.
Pastor John
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I think that to ask this question (and receive the only right answer), a person is really asking, “WHO does the word God mean?”
Gary
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That is right, Gary! Actually, that is the only way the question can be rightly answered.
jdc