God-The almighty One; the Creator; the ruler of the universe; the Infinite; the Eternal. God is not person but Principle. He is the underlying, unchangeable Truth "with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning" (James 1: 17). God as principle is absolute good expressed in all creation. When men know God and worship Him "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24), they recognize Him as this great goodness, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. "Blessed be ... God ... the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (II Cor. 1:3)
God is personal to us when we recognize Him within us as our indwelling life, intelligence, love, and power. There is a difference between a personal God and God personal to us. Since the word personal sometimes leads to misunderstanding, it would probably be better to speak of God individualized in man rather than of God personal to man. When we identify ourselves with Him as our indwelling Father, He seems to us to be personal; however, it is not in a personal sense, but in the universal identification of ourselves with Him that we come into the God consciousness. The personal is limited. The universal, or God consciousness, is unlimited. God is that from which all love springs. His character is taught in the name Father, representing the love, protection, and providing care of
God for man, His offspring. He is life, love, wisdom, power, strength, and substance.
We do not see God with our physical eyes except as He manifests Himself through His works. His attributes are, therefore, brought into expression by man, who is His son and who is like Him in essence. If we would make of ourselves channels (vessels) through which He can come forth into expression and manifestation, we must endeavor to raise our thought and feeling to God's level. God, accessibility of-God is approachable, available, and usable to all who draw nigh unto Him. God is Spirit, the principle of intelligence and life, everywhere present at all times. He is, forever, as accessible as a principle of mathematics or music. 'The Father abiding in me" (John 14:10). God as health-God is absolute wholeness and perfection. Man's recognition of his oneness with this perfect wholeness through Christ brings him into the consciousness of his indwelling life and health. "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one" (John 17:23). God as law-Principle in action. God as lawgiver-The law of God in action is the Holy Spirit; in that action He appears as having individuality. When prophets and mystics come into conscious mental touch with this executive lawgiver, He uses them as mouthpieces by which He guides and directs His people.
God as life-God as life is made manifest in the living. Life cannot be analyzed by the senses. It is beyond their grasp; hence, it must be cognized by the higher consciousness. God as mind-The connecting link between God and man. God-Mind embraces all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding and is the source of every manifestation of true knowledge and intelligence. God as principle cannot be comprehended by any of the senses. However, the mind of man is limitless, and through it, he may come into touch with Divine Mind. The one Mind is a unit and cannot be divided. The Godindividual mind is a state of consciousness in the one Mind. God as principle-The unchangeable life, love, substance, and intelligence of Being. Principle does not occupy space; neither has it any limitations of time or matter, but it eternally exists as the one underlying cause out of which come forth all true ideas. God as Spirit-God is Spirit, and Spirit is located and appears wherever it is recognized by an intelligent entity. It thus follows that whoever gives his attention to Spirit and seals his identification with it by His word, starts a flow of Spirit life and all the attributes of Spirit in and through his consciousness.To the extent that man practices identifying himself with the one and only source of existence, he becomes Spirit, until finally the union attains a perfection in which he can say with Jesus, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).
God as substance-This does not mean matter, because matter is formed while God is the formless. The substance that God is lies back of all matter and all forms. It is that which the basis of all isfrom yet enters not into any form as finality. It cannot be seen, tasted, or touched. Yet it is the only enduring substance in the universe. God as Truth-The eternal verity of the universe and man. God, centered in-To have the attention focused on spiritual ideas and ideals. God, creative process of -Christianity describes God as Spirit, creating by a process comparable tothe mental processes, with which we are all familiar. First, mind, and then the idea (word) in mind of what theact shall be, then the act itself. God planned man and the universe, and through the expression of His word projected them into creation, as ideal principles and imminent energies acting behind and within a visibility. The creative processes of Divine Mind are continuously operative; creation is going on ail thetime, but the over-all plan, the design in Divine Mind, is finished. God's creations are always spiritual. This includes spiritual man (God-man) through whom al\ things including personal man (Adam man) are brought into manifestation. Spiritual man is the acme or pinnacle of God’s creation-the image and likeness of God. "Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased (Mark I: 11). God, demonstrating-To demonstrate God means to make His Spirit manifest in one's life. God immanent-This refers to the all-pervading and indwelling presence of God, the life and intelligence permeating the universe. Jesus lovingly revealed that the Father is within man, forever resident in the invisible side of man's nature. Paul also set forth this truth when he wrote of "one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all" (Eph. 4:6).
