2. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The object of our existence is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Westminister Larger Catechism, Question #1). For all eternity, believers will grow in our knowledge and enjoyment of His glory. This knowledge and enjoyment begins with an understanding of His nature and attributes.
God is subject to no limitation and is without fault in every way according to His nature. He alone is complete and totally non-dependent. His perfection is the basis and standard for all other perfection (Acts 17:25, Deuteronomy 32:4, Job 36:4, 37:16, Matthew 5:48).
God is singular. We do not worship three gods (Deuteronomy 6:4, 4:35, 1 Kings 8:60). However, the Hebrew word for “one” in Deuteronomy 6:4 can indicate a composite unity (see the same word in Genesis 2:24 of husband and wife). Though God is one in essence, He has revealed Himself in three eternally existing persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three members of the Godhead each have all the attributes of Deity but different personalities (emotion, intellect, and will). They are all three equal and fully God but have different roles (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, Jude 1:20-21, 1 Corinthians 11:3). This understanding of God’s being is called the Trinity (one God, three persons) and should be understood as distinct from modalism (one God, one person, three “faces” or “modes”), Arianism (one God, one person, the Son not God, the Spirit not a “distinct” person), and tritheism (three separate Gods). The Trinity is a great mystery, difficult to explain (as human analogies all fail at some point). But the glorious fact of the participation of each member of the Trinity in achieving our salvation should cause us each to worship in awe of our great, majestic, and unfathomable God (1 Peter 1:2, Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Corinthians 13:14)!
Attributes are the essential, distinguishing characteristics of a person. God's attributes include but are not limited to spirituality (John 4:24), self-existence (Exodus 3:14, John 5:26), immutability (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17), immortality (1 Timothy 6:16), unity (Deuteronomy 6:4), incomprehensibility (Isaiah 55:8-9), truthfulness (Psalm 31:5), holiness (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8), eternality (Psalm 90:2), omnipresence (Psalm 139), omniscience (Psalm 147:4), omnipotence (Genesis 18:14, Matthew 19:26), mercifulness (I Peter 1:3), gracefulness (Ephesians 2:8), and righteousness (Genesis 18:25). Love is a key attribute of God which I want to emphasize in my ministry (1 John 4:8). Love should characterize my philosophy and approach to ministry as it did our Lord’s (John 13:34-35).
God’s willful choice brought the world and humankind into existence (Genesis 1:1-27). The Bible teaches that this occurred during a period of six days. Because of this act, God is named Creator and we, as His creatures, should live our lives in glad, perfect obedience to Him (Colossians 1:16).
Part of an ongoing series about what I believe about basic biblical teachings. “Credo” is Latin for “I Believe.”
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