God Is 3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ~Genesis 1:1
This is a scripture that many people know by heart, and it’s easy to allow our eyes to float over the words without taking in the significance of its meaning. But this one scripture is saying so much more than a quick glance will ever give credit. It is profound. For one reason, it’s talking about God. Hello! Another reason is that it’s talking about creation. Another amazing thing. And lastly, it’s talking about heaven and earth.
WOW!
Genesis 1:1, along with several other passages of Scripture, teach us that God existed in the beginning. He is not like human beings with a birth date and a passing away date. He is not confined by measurements of time. He always existed. He is eternal, without a beginning or an end. He existed before the world began, and will continue to exist after it passes away.
Moses declared in his prayer:
1 Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! 2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. 3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” 4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. ~Psalm 90:1-4
Other places in Scripture highlight this divine attribute. For instance, Abraham worshipped the eternal God (Gen.21:33). The eternal God is the refuge of Israel (Deut. 33:27). He is the eternal Rock (Isaiah 26:4). From eternity to eternity He is God (Isaiah 43:13).
Romans 1:20 reads:
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
But Who Is God, Exactly?
Before we go any further, we need to take a closer look at who God actually is. Throughout the centuries there have been several theologies, doctrines, and much debate about who God is—and with good reason. God is truly incomprehensible, and our human minds could never fully grasp the magnitude of such greatness. But how can anyone worship a God they do not know? Thankfully, the Bible does give us some details about God. To further build the case of God’s divine design, I’ll only focus on a few things about God for now.
God Is a Divine Triune Family
Scripture identifies God as triune, acknowledged as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are united, and they all work together to carry out the plans of God.
God the Father
There are numerous Biblical references to God as Father. (Deut. 32:6, 18; Psalm 68:5, 89:26, 103:13, Isaiah 63:16, Matt. 6:6; Mark 13:32; 2 Cor. 1:3 are just a few.) In the Triune Godhead, He is the Father of Jesus (John 17:5; 2 Cor. 11:31; Eph. 1:2-3, 17). As the Father, He sent His Son Jesus to be the sacrifice for the sins of man (Rom. 8:3). This was His divine plan (Acts 2:23; 1 Cor. 2:7; Gal. 1:4), which Jesus and the Holy Spirit carried out.
Jesus the Son
Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Matt. 14:33; 27:54; Luke 1:32-35; John 20:31). He existed in the beginning with God (1 John 2:13), and came to Earth in accordance with God’s will (John 5:30, 13:3, 17:5, 25; 1 John 1:2).
Jesus is also God (Rom. 9:5). The proof of His divinity was proven in the authority God gave Him to teach (Matt. 7:29; Mark 1:22, 27), heal (Mark 2:1-12, Luke 4:38-41), and forgive sins (Matt. 9:6; Luke 7:48).
As He said in John 5:36:
“But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.”
Jesus is also the Word of God. The Word is eternal (Psalm 119:89; Rev. 14:6).
John 1:1-2 reads:
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.
1 John 1:1-2 also states:
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the divine power at work within believers (1 John 2:27). It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was conceived in the womb of a virgin (Luke 1:26-38). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was able to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Heb. 9:14).
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and Son, has always existed. The Spirit was present during Creation (Gen. 1:2), and empowered God’s people throughout the Bible narrative to complete their assigned part of God’s will (Gen. 41:38; Exod. 31:2-3; Num. 11:25; 1 Sam. 10:6-7; 1 Sam. 16:13).
The Holy Spirit is also identified as Wisdom. She too, is eternal.
Proverbs 8:22-31 reads:
22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. 23 I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began. 24 I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters. 25 Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born— 26 before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil. 27 I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans. 28 I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth. 29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations, 30 I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence. 31 And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!
The Unity of the Three
As stated earlier, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unified, and they work together to carry out the plan of God. Accordingly, both the Son and the Spirit work within the Godhead through willful submission.
Jesus explained this while explaining to His followers that He is the bread of life. He taught:
“ …For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” ~John 6:37-40
When faced with his human death, Jesus continued in God’s will (Matt. 26:39).
Paul, the apostle who wrote most of the New Testament, explained the submission of Jesus in his letter to the Philippians. He wrote:
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:6-11
The Holy Spirit’s submission is seen in the lives of the believer. Before Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He told His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit from God (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). This is in accordance with God’s will, for He’d promised to pour out His Spirit.
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God declared:
“And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” ~Ezekiel 39:29
He also said through the prophet Joel:
28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.” ~Joel 2:28-29
This promise of grace was fulfilled 50 days after Jesus was crucified on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The one eternal Holy Spirit that enabled believers to speak in other languages is the same Holy Spirit that lives in believers today and produces the godly fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit intercedes for believers in harmony with God’s will (Rom. 8:27).
The unity of these Divine Three is further explained by the words of Jesus Christ. He and the Father are one (John 10:30, 38). God worked through Jesus (John 14:10). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, as previously stated, is identified as wisdom. Jesus, too, is wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30).
As you can see, the breadth of who God actually is far proceeds what I could possibly ever write in a blog post. However, this serves as an introduction to explain who He is as Creator.