What Makes God God?

If I were to ask you, “What makes your mom your mom?” you might say, “She gave birth to me,” or “She adopted me as her own,” or “She nurtured me in her home.” Those are things that make mom mom.

So, what makes God God?

Remember, if we are going to establish a gospel-presence on Main Street—if we are going to pray, speak, and serve as bold witnesses—we don’t primarily need to learn more about ourselves or what we need to do. Rather, we need to know our God better. We need what I call a “Big God Theology” if we are going to be bold witnesses.

Even if you’re just exploring Christianity, this is one of the most relevant questions you can consider: What makes God God?

A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”

That’s the question at the heart of our passage. As we read, you probably noticed that Isaiah 46 compares and contrasts the gods—or idols—of ancient Babylon with the one true God of the Bible. The point of that comparison is found in Isaiah 46:9:

“…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”

The big idea of Isaiah 46 is this: Our God is God.

But our question remains: What makes God God?

Our passage gives us two answers—our two points today:

1. His sovereignty

2. His providence

We’ll explore each of these truths and then consider how they empower us to establish a gospel-presence on Main Street and live as Jesus’ witnesses in daily life.

HIS SOVEREIGNTY (vv. 5–9)

One of the best ways to understand something is by contrast.

For example, I love gymnastics. When I tell someone I used to do gymnastics, they often ask which events I competed in. If I say “the parallel bars,” they don’t always know what that means. That’s fair—gymnastics is an obscure sport. So I’ll explain: “They’re the two horizontal bars that run parallel to each other—the ones the men compete on—not the uneven bars that Simone Biles swings on.” Ah, now it clicks.

Contrast helps clarify: it’s this, not that.

In Isaiah 46:5–9, God teaches us what makes God God by contrasting Himself with the idols of ancient Babylon. He begins by telling us what makes idols idols.

Isaiah 46:5–7:

“[5] To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?
[6] Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!
[7] They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.”

What makes idols idols?

1. They are made (not the Maker).

2. We carry them (they don’t carry us).

3. They cannot move (they lack the power to do as they please).

You may be thinking, “This doesn’t help me much—I’m not tempted to make a statue and pray to it for hope or significance.”

Not so fast.

The late Tim Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, said that an idol is any created thing that becomes more important to you than the one true God. It’s anything about which you say in your heart, “As long as I have that, or can do that, I’ll be okay. I’ll be happy. I’ll know who I am.”

That’s false worship.

Let me give you an example from my life: family.

Family is a good gift from God. But if I ever say, “As long as my marriage is thriving, as long as my wife is happy with me, as long as my kids are godly, healthy, and in harmony with us—or if we can just have one more child—then I’ll be satisfied,” I’ve turned a good thing into a functional god. And it will always let me down.

Why?

Because idols always let you down. You have to make them. You have to carry them. And when you cry out to them, they do not save.

Whatever idol tempts you—family, career, health, fitness, sex, friends, popularity, peace, or success—if you make it your north star, it will fail you.

They are not sovereign. They don’t have the right or power to do all that they please.

But our God does.

He is not made; He is the Maker.
He carries us; we don’t carry Him.
When we cry to Him, He answers.
He has the power to do all that He pleases.

See the contrast in Isaiah 46:7 and 46:9:

“It [an idol] cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble… for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”

What makes God God, in contrast to idols, is His sovereignty.

Theologian John Piper puts it this way: God’s sovereignty is His right and power to do all that He wills and pleases.

Psalm 115:3 says,

“Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.”

Now, how does that truth empower our bold witness?

I believe experiencing God’s sovereignty melts two of our greatest obstacles: fear and burden.

Let’s be honest: most of us are intimidated by the idea of sharing our faith. It puts us on edge. Some of us feel like it’s just one more thing to do in a long list of responsibilities.

But when you experience God’s sovereignty, the fear and burden begin to melt.

Because God is sovereign, everything is going His way. And because everything is going His way, He is the happiest being in the universe.

Bold witness becomes a burden when you think God is cranky and you have to carry Him.

Bold witness becomes a joy when you realize He is the sovereign, happy One who carries you.

So when you go to speak to a neighbor, invite a friend, or serve a coworker, you can be earnest and relaxed, not fearful or burdened.

The child of a happy dad is confident and cheerful.
The child of a frustrated dad is nervous and insecure.

Our Father is happy—He has the right and power to do all that He pleases. He has reconciled us to Himself through the joyful news of His Son’s life, death, and resurrection. And He sends us to share that joyful news.

God’s sovereignty makes us joyfully calm witnesses.

When we witness to others, He is carrying us—we’re not carrying Him.