God | the Truth

Who is God?

HE IS THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD

When we read God in the Bible we should see Him as the Creator, Sustainer, Sovereign and Judge of all the earth. God is eternal, which means He has no beginning nor does He have an ending. God is not limited or bound by time, space or matter, in fact He created those very things. He is the Creator of the universe and made man in His image to have dominion over the earth.

God is only limited by things that go against His nature of Truth, Goodness and Love. He cannot lie, sin, deny Himself or be tempted with evil. In fact the morality we live by comes from His goodness and truth, only from Him do we have a standard to go by to determine what is good and what is not. Without that standard we have no moral law, it would all depend on our perception and could change from one day to the next.

God is directly involved in this world and in our individual lives. He is in control of all things and will fulfill His plans on earth, in our lives and ultimately in His new kingdom He tells us about in throughout scripture. God is Holy and will be glorified through all things good and evil. His grace and mercy bring Him glory as well as His wrath on sin and evil in the world. Thankfully He is long-suffering and patient with us because His desire is that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

1 God : 3 Persons

The Trinity refers to One God, 3 Persons of the God Head; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The best way I can explain this, which is how I explain it to my 5 year old, is to think of a family. A family consists of a dad, a mom and a kid or kids. They are 1 family but representing that family as 3 different persons and roles within the family. None of them are better than the other or more important than the other, but each fulfill a particular purpose within the family unit.

(Now this is merely an illustration, I know some families as we know them may not consist of all 3 and we would still call them a family, which they are, but how family is defined in the bible it would consist of all 3. So please understand I'm trying to explain an infinite God with my finite mind the best I can for it to be easily understood).

The nature of God is 1, One God. Our God consists of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Without one of them then there is no God. God is all 3 as one in nature but separate in persons. They are eternal as we said God is eternal, when you read of God then know it is referring to The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or one of them in particular.

Each have different roles eternally, in creation, on the earth and in the eternal kingdom. Below are some of the different roles each person of the God Head has taken and will take. Just remember 1 God, 3 Persons. We see a great description of this when Jesus was baptized in Matthew 3:16-17. Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove and the Father said " This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." We also see pluralities referencing God, as He is called Elohim in Genesis 1:1 (Hebrew), which is plural form of El. God says "Let Us make man in Our image," in Genesis 1:26-27. Then we see in Deuteronomy 6:4 it says "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." So throughout scripture we see that there is only one God but there is definitely more than one person in the God head.

Jesus is called the Word which was in the beginning that was God and through Him all things were created, and then He became flesh, see John 1:1-14. It says Jesus is the image of the invisible God in Colossians 1:15. The Holy Spirit is our Helper sent by Christ from the Father to regenerate, lead to salvation and sanctify God's people. (John 14:16-17)

In the Trinity the 3 persons that share one essence, God, have different roles or functions in creation and the plan of salvation and sanctification. They clearly take on an order, or a superiority from one to the other to fulfill God's plan. In Ephesians 1:3-14 we can see how Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together in salvation, as well as are referenced to as the three being One God in Matthew 28:19 when Jesus gave the Great Commission to go and baptize in the Name (singular) of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Below you will find some of the functions of each person of the God Head.

The GodHead

FATHER

The Father is the 1st Person of the Trinity. He has the superior role of the Son and the Holy Spirit in God's plan for us. He is the Source, Sender and planner of salvation. The New Testament references God the Father 250 times, John's gospel alone uses the title of "Father" 122 times.

We pray to our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:9). He is the Creator (Acts 17:24-29), Sovereign Ruler (1 Timothy 6:15-16), Holy Judge (2 Peter 3:7), Compassionate Reconciler (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), and to Him all things will return (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).

Son - Jesus

Jesus is the 2nd Person of the Trinity. He was NOT created but is eternal as is the Father, through whom all things were created (Hebrews 1:1-3, John 1:1-14). He is the Sent One and the Achiever of Salvation. He came to save us by defeating sin, death and hell. He became our eternal sacrifice for sin on the cross, He sealed that sacrifice with His resurrection from death and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He reigns as our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords (Revelation 20 - 22), and He will return again to defeat death for good once His enemies have been put under His feet, and we will at last be with Him for all of eternity.

He is fully God and became fully man, God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He is the image of the invisible God, He is the Head of the body of the church, He is the beginning, He is the 1st born from the dead, for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:15-19).

He is the Savior to all who confess Him as Lord and believe that He was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity, He also is eternal and fully God. He is the "Spirit of Truth" sent by the Father at the request of the Son (John 14:16-17). He is the Applier and Effector of salvation to believers. He is NOT just a force but is a person that teaches, reminds, convicts, guides and glorifies. These are all profoundly personal acts.

He intercedes for believers (Romans 8:27); He knows the deepest things of God and reveals them (1 Corinthians 2:13); It is possible to grieve, lie to, and even insult the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30, Acts 5:3 & 9, Hebrews 10:29, Isaiah 63:10). He speaks and instructs (Acts 8:29, 13:2), He gives spiritual gifts to the church as He determines (1 Corinthians 12:11).

The Holy Spirit acts in creation (Genesis 1:2), restrains sin in the world (Genesis 6:3), breathes out the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and He works powerfully in the salvation and maturing of every Christian (John 3:5-7, Romans 8:1-16).

His Attributes - God is:

SELF EXISTENT

The "I AM" is the uncreated Creator with neither beginning nor dependence on anyone or anything for His being (Isaiah 40:12-28, John 5:26, 1 Timothy 6:13-16).

ONE

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the One True God. Each person is all that is God except for personal distinctions.

SIMPLE

God's divine attributes are not separable from His being, nor is His Being a collection of attributes. In God Himself exists a seamless harmony of all that God is in nature.

SELF-SUFFICIENT

Nothing is lacking within God Himself, "as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts 17:24-25).

IMMUTABLE

God's attributes, perfections, purposes and promises never change. "I the Lord do not change" (Malachi 3:6). With God, "there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). And Christ "is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8)

ETERNAL

He is The Everlasting God, The Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The End, Who Is and Who Was and is to come, The Almighty (Genesis 21:33, Revelation 1:8).

IMPASSIBLE, BUT IMPASSIONED

The Sovereign One is entirely free to care for and emotionally engage with those He made in His image without dependency and without there being any lack within Himself. (see Jeremiah 31:20)

FREE

God is not bound by anything outside Himself. In conformity with His own nature, character and purpose, God is free to act within the world as He so chooses with no external constraints or limitations (Psalm 115:3)

INFINITE

God alone is without limitation, utterly abundant and compete in all His attributes. God is infinite Spirit (John 4:24) unbounded and uncontained by finite space and time.

OMNISCIENT

God has exhaustive knowledge of everything past, present, future, and the infinite possibilities of what could happen (or could have happened). Nothing catches God by surprise (Isaiah 46:9-10, Psalm 139:2,4,16, Job 21:27)

OMNIPRESENT

The Infinite God both stands outside (transcendence) and enters into (immanence) creation as the One who sustains all things. He is fully present everywhere all the time (Psalm 139:7-12)

OMNIPOTENT

Nothing external to Himself can limit His power (Revelation 4:11). The Creator and Sustainer can do anything in conformity with His nature, character and plan. He is Almighty. Nothing falls outside of His control, His view or His plan.

The Almighty - Everlasting - All Powerful God!