What We Believe (Part 2 - God)

As we continue our series on "What We Believe" we will look at the second article of our statement of faith, The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which summarizes our beliefs about God. This is one of the most practical and important truths we could ever study. Our salvation rests upon a right understanding and belief in God. Throughout history, God's people have been sustained in terrible trials through knowing God as sovereign, wise, and good (see Psalm 62). Finally, knowing God is the highest joy and privilege (see Psalm 63).

So, I hope that this article will be only the beginning of your study of God's nature and glory.

[Article 2 of our statement of faith is in bold, my explanatory comments are in blue, and the scriptural support is at the end.]

There is one and only one living and true God. God's oneness is clearly demonstrated by the regular statement in scripture "There is none like you." (see 1 Chron. 17:20 & Jer. 10:6) He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. As creator and ruler, nothing lies outside of his dominion and control. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God's love, holiness, and all of his other attributes are infinite. They cannot be exhausted, depleted, or changed, and they exist from eternity past through eternity future. 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. I would argue that the best understanding of "free creatures" here is that all people do what they want to do, but not that they are somehow able to resist God's sovereign plan. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God's nature has necessary implications on our lives and what we owe him as creator, sustainer, and king. 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. As the Westminster Catechism says, "There [are] three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties." Both definitions show that the Godhead or God's nature/being are not divided by the three persons, and yet the three persons are distinct from one another.

A. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This truth is so miraculous that John writes to believers in 1 John 3:1, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. Despite the fact that sinners lie under his just wrath and judgment, the Father also shows them common grace by prolonging their opportunity to repent and by giving them all the blessings of life and health that they have (2 Pt 3:9, Mt 5:45).

B. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Although the man, Jesus, was conceived and came into being, there has never been a time when the eternal Son of God did not exist. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. See more on these truths in two weeks under Article 4! He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. How beautiful that Christ, the God-man, is the reconciliation between God and man! He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

C. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. The Spirit is essential not only to the creation of the Bible but also to our understanding of it (see 1 Cor. 2:6-16). He exalts Christ. If you want to find a Spirit-filled church, look for a church that exalts Christ (Jn 16:12-15). He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. The reason for our character and the hope for future growth is always the Spirit's work. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. Have you ever been unable to open a sealed jar? Imagine it was sealed by the almighty power of the Holy Spirit. That is how certain and strong our perseverance is (Eph 1:13-14). His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Scriptural support...

(A. God the Father - Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

B. God the Son - Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

C. God the Holy Spirit - Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17)

So, whether you are idle and passive in your pursuit of God, anxious about your salvation, or discouraged by the cares of the world, come back to these truths about our great God. Let them ground you, amaze you, and challenge you to live for his glory!