God
WHO IS GOD
God is a triune, infinite Being eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The starting point of understanding the triune nature of God begins with the Son; Jesus is the Son of God, God is His Father, and Christ is anointed with the Spirit (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 1 John 5:6-12). Indeed, the bible reveals a Father who loved His Son before the creation of the world (John 17:24). This relationship reveals many things about the very nature of God, showing Him to be loving, relational, familial, and life-giving. Collectively, our relationally-oriented triune God informs every other relationship both on earth and in heaven as God, eternally the Father of the Son, finds His very identity in loving and giving-out His life and being. This outwardly-focused and expanding goodness of the person and work of God is the very heart and core of the gospel as the Father-Son-Spirit relationship is the source of every other love-based relationship. Indeed, the triune God is the source of all love and goodness and His “spreading-goodness” is the very reason for His creation.
WHAT ARE GOD’S ATTRIBUTES
The Bible indicates that the attributes of God are observed in His creation (Rom. 1:19-20, Pss. 19). These attributes include His omnipotence – (i.e. that God is the all-powerful ruler and creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in them – Rev. 19:6; Jer. 32:17; Rom. 1:20). Another attribute of God is His omniscience – (i.e. that He is all-knowing – Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13; 1 John 3:20) – including a divine knowledge of every person and purpose in and under heaven. This includes all of history – both past, present, and future, as well as knowing the thoughts and intent of man. (Pss. 139:1-4; 15-16; 1 Kings 8::39). God’s omnipresence – (His presence everywhere, all the time) – is another attribute possessed exclusively by God. He is present in time and space (Isa. 40:12); and He is present throughout all eternity (Pss. 90:2) as the sovereign guide of human affairs (Isa. 46:9-11). As well, He is actively present with all who call upon Him (Pss. 46:1); and supremely present in the person and work of Christ both incarnationally (Matt. 1:23), and through His church (Matt. 18:19-20). These three attributes go hand-in-hand with the fact that God is sovereign over all things (Pss. 147:5).
GOD’S SOVEREIGN WILL / MAN’S FREE WILL
Since God is all powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, He alone has sovereign “veto-power” over everything that occurs in the universe. He can prevent or allow what He wills. Yet, He also allows mankind to exercise free will, even if that free will results in things that God dislikes (or even hates – Deut. 30:15-19; Nu. 25:3); nevertheless, God holds mankind responsible for his choices (Ex. 20:5). This is because God is holy, righteous and pure – forever set apart from sin in truth and righteousness (1 Sam. 2:2; Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8), yet making it conditionally possible for mankind to be set apart and holy as well (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Pss. 119:9; Deut. 7:6). God is also powerfully wise (nothing is beyond His understanding – Acts 15:18) and praiseworthy in His decrees and judgments (Pss. 25:8, 145:5-7). God has no beginning and no end (Pss. 90:2; Hab. 1:12; Rev. 15:3). He is spirit and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (John 4:24; 14:17), because He is truth (John 14:6; Heb. 6:18; John 15:26). He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16), yet He has revealed Himself to man at various times and in various ways (Heb. 1:1-2) God is a covenant-keeping God of loyal love and truth who alone is the source of all being – from whom, through whom, and to whom belong all things (Ex 33:18; Deut. 7:9).
JESUS
The desire to transform slaves into sons sets the triune God apart from every other god and stands in particularly sharp contrast to Satan, the god of this world, who seeks to turn sons into slaves. Toward that end, rather than unleashing His wrath upon man in response to our sinful state – God instead poured out the extreme depth of His love through the cross of Christ (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Jesus is the eternal Son of God – the “Word” that is WITH God and which IS God (John 1:1; John 5:18; John 8:58); Jesus is the beginning and the end who reigns eternally and exists before all things (Rev. 1:8; Heb. 1:8; Col. 1:17). Jesus laid aside His deity (Phil. 2:7) and came to the earth in human flesh (John 1:14) by means of the virgin birth (Matt. 1:23), in order to represent and atone for sinful humanity (Phil. 2:6-8; Rom. 6:23). Jesus died in our place and paid our penalty (Matt. 20:28; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18). Jesus’ death on the cross laid the foundation for a righteous God to pardon guilty and sinful people without compromising His righteousness in any way. Jesus experienced everything in life that we do – however, Jesus was without sin (Heb. 4:15). Jesus’ resurrection assures us of our future resurrection. Because of His victory over death, we can have victory as well. Without the resurrection, there would be no gospel message (1 Cor. 15:14). However, His resurrection has been proven beyond a shadow of doubt (Matt. 28:5–8; Luke 24:39; John 20:27–28) and Jesus will return to this earth and receive His church, the body of Christ, to Himself (John 14:1–4; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7).
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The extent of God’s love is magnified through the trinity in that the glory of the Father, given exclusively and entirely to the Son, is then freely lavished upon us that we might share in His glorious fullness – in absolute fellowship with Him. We can know the Father as OUR father.
This occurs through the working of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send after His ascension into heaven (John 14:16-17). In the person of the Holy Spirit, God leads us into all truth (John 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-16), convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11), and restrains the sweeping spread of evil (2 Thes. 2:7). Once we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19); regenerates us (Titus 3:4–7; John 3:5; 6:63); seals us (Eph. 1:13–14); guides us (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14); teaches us (John 14:26); helps us to pray (Rom. 8:26–27); and empowers us (Acts 1:8). When the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer, He leads us into all truth, empowers the believer’s abilities (Acts 4:29, 31), and imparts gifts that qualify him or her for service in the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:4–10).