For nearly sixty years, the church of God faced little internal controversy regarding the nature of God, despite external criticism for rejecting the Trinity. However, in mid-1993, a significant shift occurred when doctrinal papers redefined God's nature from a family to a Trinity, altering the world's perception of the church. Understanding God's nature is foundational, as what a person or nation worships shapes morality, government, education, economics, and vision for the future. The Bible reveals through the term Elohim, a plural form meaning "Gods," that God's nature encompasses more than one being, challenging the narrow cultural view dominated by a false concept of a three-in-one Trinity. The Bible consistently shows Elohim as plural, used over 2,570 times in the Old Testament, indicating at least two powerful beings. From Genesis, Elohim speaks in plural terms, saying, "Let Us make man in Our image," confirming a plurality within unity. Jesus Christ further clarifies this by identifying members of the God family as the Father and the Son, asserting His place within Elohim. The New Testament expands this understanding, showing that God's family includes not only two divine beings but also human beings who receive His Spirit, becoming sons of God and part of the family already, in embryo. Elohim represents a family, an institution of many acting as one, in perfect agreement, much like how we refer to the United States as singular despite its plurality. This unity is not a mystery but a simple truth: God is expanding His family, increasing the number within Elohim, drawing believers into oneness with the Father and the Son through shared mind and spirit. The Bible reveals Elohim as a growing kingdom, a family that began with two divine beings and extends to include many sons and daughters, all unified in purpose and action. This clear biblical revelation stands in contrast to the complicated and scripturally unsupported idea of a Trinity, showing that God's nature is a family, ever-expanding to encompass His children.

The nature of God has long been a subject of intense debate, with many seeking to define it through human reasoning rather than relying solely on the revealed Word. Theology, as a disciplined system of logic, attempts to reach conclusions about God's nature, often starting with a biblical premise but extending beyond Scripture to form ideas that may contradict what God declares in His Word. This approach elevates human intellect above divine inspiration, disregarding the truth that God's knowledge and wisdom surpass human understanding. God reveals His truth not to the wise and learned of this world, but to the humble and unlearned, as Jesus Himself affirmed when He thanked the Father for hiding these things from the prudent and revealing them to babes. The flaw in theological reasoning lies in its application of physical world logic to the spirit world, a realm beyond human comprehension. Just as human logic fails to fully grasp the infinite or the unseen dimensions of existence, it cannot confine God's nature to finite concepts or mathematical equations. Arguments that attempt to limit God to a singular form or being through human reasoning are ultimately futile. The revealed Word of God stands as the sole source of knowledge about His nature, and any attempt to redefine it through human logic only obscures the truth. To understand God's nature, we must submit to His Word, recognizing that our beliefs must be grounded in the Bible alone, without speculation or philosophical constructs.

Images of God, whether in art or in our minds, attempt to confine the infinite to the finite, diminishing His true nature. Such depictions, even by the most talented artists with noble intentions, treat God disrespectfully by presenting a false idea of Him, as He cannot be defined by a mere moment or image. God Himself declares in Isaiah 40:18, "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" Our limited human minds struggle to comprehend His infinite, holy, and righteous character, leading us to pigeonhole Him into narrow, humanly knowable categories. Depending on our circumstances or mood, we may view God as a Benevolent Gift-Giver, a Stern Judge, a Compassionate Parent, or in various other roles, yet He is all of these and more, transcending any single depiction. When we impose boundaries on our understanding of Him in one area, we discover He possesses equal or even opposing qualities in another. To see God as accurately as possible, we must refrain from drawing overly simplistic mental pictures of His nature and continually expand our conception of Him as He reveals it day by day.

A right concept of God is a Christian necessity because a wrong notion of Him is the very foundation for idolatry. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. Belief about God motivates conduct, and it is vital that one's conception of God be as close as possible to what is absolutely true of Him. A poor perception of what God is truly like can be the source of serious misdirection in an individual's life. Many base their ideas of God on movies, television, books, dreams, visions, and information from friends rather than on what the Bible says about Him. Some perceptions are extracted from the Bible, but others come from the paranormal. These vague descriptors give people great leeway in guessing what they think God will do in any given situation. God seeks out those with whom He desires to make the covenant. At that time all they understand about Him is in broad terms. Those who make the New Covenant with God are required to seek out intimate details regarding His nature, purpose, and character. Besides being powerful, what is God like? What are His attributes? What is His character in any given situation? What does it take to please Him? How may we glorify Him? How can we become like Him? How does He live His life? When people knew God but did not glorify Him as God or remain thankful, they became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. They failed to put their knowledge into action and let their imaginations run wild, worshipping things apart from what God had revealed of Himself. Their imaginings led them straight into idolatry. We cannot imagine God in terms of what He has materially created because what He has made is not God. In the process that ends in idolatry, the first thing a person loses is his sense of awe, his reverential fear toward the majesty of God. The result is that the person's former high standards begin to slip, and this corruption gives birth to perversion. From God's perspective the knowledge of Him and His purpose is by far man's most important glory. It has more value than any human material riches an individual might labor and sacrifice to obtain. When people sincerely sought Him things went well, but when their seeking of Him relaxed and eventually stopped the bottom fell out of their world.