What does God say about Himself? Well, let’s look at the Word He has spoken.

So often people ask us what we believe about God. We are going to talk about this a lot. So for now, we have created this space to just put in place and confirm our belief in the Truth about God.

The first thing we must remember in this conversation is that God has told us all we need to know about Him… for now. Though God “created us in His own image” sin has ravaged His image in us. This is sad but true. So we cannot look to ourselves to see God as so many in the Church teach. We are not like God. We have fallen to sin and death. God is infinite, uncreated, sinless and eternal - we are none of these. As a result, it is challenging for us to know and accept who God is. So God has spoken through the Bible telling about Himself, and, God has spoken through creation to reveal His nature. So what does God say about Himself? (i)

1. There is one God.
God tells us that He is unique and the one (and only) true God. Any other person, image, place or thing, whether physical, material, financial or spiritual that is worshipped in anyway is an idol that distracts us from God.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Isaiah 43:10 James 2:19 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 1 Timothy 2:5-6

2. God is one, but there are three persons of God.
In the Bible, God says that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God - but God remains in every way one God. As we said above, to many of us this seems impossible because 1+1+1=3, yet everything is possible for our infinite uncreated God. (ii)

3. God is Omnipotent (this means He is all powerful and almighty).

This truth is found in many places in the Bible, but for now let one statement be enough. Jesus said “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 9:26)

(So from this point forward, let’s just state what God says about Himself and provide a couple of references. As we said, we’ll be talking about this a lot)

4. God is the Creator of everything.

Again, this truth is found throughout the Bible, including the very first verse, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

God has also said that each person of the Trinity are Creator:

God the Father created: I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place. (Psalm 8:3) Yet, Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are our Potter; we are all the product of Your labor. (Isaiah 64:8) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

God the Son, Jesus created: All things were made through Him (Jesus), and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in Him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

God the Holy Spirit created: The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4)

5. God is Omniscient (God is all wise and all knowing)

God the Father: …God [Father] is greater than our conscience and knows all things… (1 John 3:20)

God the Son, Jesus: We know that you know everything and do not need anyone to ask you anything. Because of this we believe that you have come from God. (John 16:30)

God the Holy Spirit: For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

6. God is Omnipresent (God is always present everywhere)

God the Father: Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! (1 Kings 8:27)

God the Son, Jesus: They shall call His name Immanuel. (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:23) And [Jesus said] remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

God the Holy Spirit: Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape Your presence? If I were to ascend to heaven, You would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there You would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there Your hand would guide me, Your right hand would grab hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10)

6. God is Love (God is perfectly benevolent)

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.(1 John 4:16)

God the Father: For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

God the Son, Jesus: Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. (Ephesians 5:25)

God the Holy Spirit: Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf. (Romans 15:30-31)

7. In the Bible, God refers to Himself in each person of the Trinity as God.

God the Father: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)

God the Son, Jesus: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1:1) Jesus said, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!” (John 8:58)

God the Holy Spirit: But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!” (Acts 5:3-4)

Let us remember nothing said here is new. The Church, that is all people would believe that God is God and that He has spoken to us in the Bible and in His creation, have believed and taught these truths for almost 2000 years.

(i) In this material OnMission has linked supporting Bible texts from the New English Translation on BibleGateway.com. Why? Because the language is precise and clear for modern readers, and, because the translation team has provided abundant notes that explain the translation challenges faced and choices made. We reference BibleGateway because other translations of the referenced texts can be easily accessed and compared to each other. This is very helpful to those listening carefully.

(ii) Our pastor (Howard Edwards) likes math. This is how he likes to respond to this criticism: Let me address this criticism here. To our minds there is a simple proof that contradicts the idea of the Trinity. It goes like this. “How can a Father who is One, Jesus who is One, and the Holy Spirit who is One not by simple addition (1+1+1) reveal the existence of three gods?” It seems simple and reasonable. But do you see how addicted we are to our created finite material context and our own wisdom? But set that aside for a moment. Do you remember that God as Creator stands above and beyond our context? Put simply, the Creator is not limited by the laws which He established in our created context. So, an obvious response to the simple math criticism is to remember God is infinite in nature. We remember that the One who is Father is infinite (that is ∞); the One who is Jesus is ∞ and the One who is the Holy Spirit is also ∞. Now, regardless of the math you apply (∞+∞+∞, ∞ x 3, ∞^3, etc.) the result is not 3 finite gods but One infinite triune God.