There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. - Ephesians 4:4-6
It is impossible to adequately or fully describe the incomprehensible glory of God Almighty. Nevertheless, we should seek (to the extent that we are humanly able) to know Him - the One to whom we ascribe our worship and reverence. So, let’s review The Baptist Faith & Message’s doctrinal position on God.
"There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator,
Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all
powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including
the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but
without division of nature, essence, or being."
We are going to examine this statement in two parts - the first dealing with the manner of God’s existence (today) and the second dealing with God’s character/attributes (next week). Concerning His existence (see the underlined statements), when we examine the Bible we are confronted with a perplexing reality - there is one God who exists in three Persons. This doctrine is known as the Trinity, and is foundational to the Christian faith.
The Bible states explicitly in numerous passages found in both the Old and New Testaments that there is only one true and living God. Although the Scriptures frequently mention the recognition of other false gods, they are
emphatic that these are all fake and powerless. There is only one true God - the One who created man, but there are countless false gods - the ones created by man.
The one true God - Jehovah, the God of the Bible - reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is a distinct Person of the divine Godhead. That is, they are not the same as each other and are distinguished from
one another. There are several passages in Scripture where we see the Persons of the Trinity present simultaneously. One example is at the baptism of Jesus. After coming up out of the water, the voice of the
Father spoke from heaven as the Spirit descended like a dove onto the Son of God.
The Bible teaches that each Person of the Trinity is fully God without division of nature, essence, or being. This is to say that the Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God - they are not merely
parts of God, different forms of God, or various roles played by God. On the contrary, they are co-equal Persons, distinct from each other and yet somehow undivided.
The Bible frequently uses the Hebrew word "Elohim" as a name for God. The word "elohim" is actually the plural form of the word "el", and it literally means gods. Yet, in Scripture it is used with singular verbs to express clearly that it refers to one God. It would be like one of us saying, "There is only one Gods". It is a linguistic expression woven through the pages of the Bible that reminds us of the miraculous plurality of God.
There have been many examples put forward in attempts to explain the Trinity, but ultimately all of them are flawed in one or more ways. The truth is this - the existence of one God in three Persons is beyond the scope of the human mind. It is a truth that is paradoxical to our limited understanding. Yet despite my ignorance, I find great comfort in serving a God who is greater than my feeble mind can conceive. After all, why would I need a god that I could figure out? We as Christians serve the one true God, and He is much bigger than us!!!
Next week we will study some of the characteristics and attributes of our triune God. What is He like? What does He do? How should we as humans relate to Him? Please join us next Sunday as we tackle these questions together, and until then may the Lord richly bless you.
It is impossible to adequately or fully describe the incomprehensible glory of God Almighty. Nevertheless, we should seek (to the extent that we are humanly able) to know Him - the One to whom we ascribe our worship and reverence. So, let’s review The Baptist Faith & Message’s doctrinal position on God.
"There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator,
Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all
powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including
the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but
without division of nature, essence, or being."
We are going to examine this statement in two parts - the first dealing with the manner of God’s existence (today) and the second dealing with God’s character/attributes (next week). Concerning His existence (see the underlined statements), when we examine the Bible we are confronted with a perplexing reality - there is one God who exists in three Persons. This doctrine is known as the Trinity, and is foundational to the Christian faith.
The Bible states explicitly in numerous passages found in both the Old and New Testaments that there is only one true and living God. Although the Scriptures frequently mention the recognition of other false gods, they are
emphatic that these are all fake and powerless. There is only one true God - the One who created man, but there are countless false gods - the ones created by man.
The one true God - Jehovah, the God of the Bible - reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is a distinct Person of the divine Godhead. That is, they are not the same as each other and are distinguished from
one another. There are several passages in Scripture where we see the Persons of the Trinity present simultaneously. One example is at the baptism of Jesus. After coming up out of the water, the voice of the
Father spoke from heaven as the Spirit descended like a dove onto the Son of God.
The Bible teaches that each Person of the Trinity is fully God without division of nature, essence, or being. This is to say that the Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God - they are not merely
parts of God, different forms of God, or various roles played by God. On the contrary, they are co-equal Persons, distinct from each other and yet somehow undivided.
The Bible frequently uses the Hebrew word "Elohim" as a name for God. The word "elohim" is actually the plural form of the word "el", and it literally means gods. Yet, in Scripture it is used with singular verbs to express clearly that it refers to one God. It would be like one of us saying, "There is only one Gods". It is a linguistic expression woven through the pages of the Bible that reminds us of the miraculous plurality of God.
There have been many examples put forward in attempts to explain the Trinity, but ultimately all of them are flawed in one or more ways. The truth is this - the existence of one God in three Persons is beyond the scope of the human mind. It is a truth that is paradoxical to our limited understanding. Yet despite my ignorance, I find great comfort in serving a God who is greater than my feeble mind can conceive. After all, why would I need a god that I could figure out? We as Christians serve the one true God, and He is much bigger than us!!!
Next week we will study some of the characteristics and attributes of our triune God. What is He like? What does He do? How should we as humans relate to Him? Please join us next Sunday as we tackle these questions together, and until then may the Lord richly bless you.