Introduction
Instead of asking “What is God?”, the more important question is really “Who is God?“. That’s because God isn’t just some abstract idea. The Bible tells us He’s a real being who made us, loves us deeply, cares about our lives, wants to provide for us, and even sent Jesus to save us.
If we only ask “What is God?”, we might end up with definitions like “the infinite being” or “the creator,” which are true in a way. But asking “Who is God?” helps us get to know His character and how much He loves us, as we see in the Bible.
The Bible teaches that there’s always been and always will be only one God. He wasn’t created by anyone, and He’s completely loving, fair, holy, and merciful. He truly wants what’s best for us. Because God is perfectly holy, He can’t have anything to do with sin as it says in the book of Habakkuk. This isn’t saying God can’t see when we do wrong, but it shows just how holy He is. God Himself cannot sin, He is absolutely perfect (Habakkuk 1:13).
The Trinity
In Christianity, God is a Trinity. This means that He is three persons, not three gods. Technically, the doctrine of the Trinity states that in the one God is the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is not the same as the other, yet there are not three gods, but only one. This is similar to the analogy of the nature of time. Time is past, present, and future. The past is not the same as the present, which is not the same as the future. But, there are not three times. There is only one thing called time. Time is a good analogy.
The reason the word “person” is used in describing God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is that each exhibits attributes of personhood, not in a body of flesh and bones, but in personhood. In other words, each has a will, loves, speaks, is aware of others, communicates with others, etc. These are attributes of personhood, and we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each demonstrate these qualities. That is why we say God is three persons.
Because of the Trinity, God can become flesh in the form of the Son and still exist so that He can run the universe. Therefore, the Son can communicate with us on our level. The following are a couple of verses that hint at the Trinity.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
The Bible says there is only one God in Isaiah 45:5: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me, there is no God”. Yet the Bible teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called God.
Below is a very brief chart that shows that each of the persons in the Trinity shares the same attributes that only God shares. But remember, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each have wills and speak, etc. Therefore, we say there are three persons.
| FATHER | SON | HOLY SPIRIT | |
| Called God | Philemon 1:2 | John 1:1,14 | Acts 5:3-4 |
| Creator | Isaiah 64:8 | John 1:3 | Job 33:4, 26:13 |
| Everywhere | 1 Kings 8:27 | Matthew 28:20 | Psalm 139:7-10 |
| All-knowing | 1 John 3:20 | John 16:30; 21:17 | 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 |
| A Will | Luke 22:42 | Luke 22:42 | 1 Corinthians 12:11 |
| Speaks | Matthew 3:17 | Luke 5:20; 7:48 | Acts 13:2 |
Some Biblical Truths about God
God is:
- Truth (Psalm 117:2; Jeremiah 10:10)
- Light (1 John 1:5)
- Love (1 John 4:8, 16)
- Invisible (1 Timothy 1:17)
- Does not have a human body (Luke 24:39; Deuteronomy 4:15-16)
- Does not change (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
- Is without limit (1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 23:23-24)
- Is most loving (1 John 4:8-10)
There are many more such statements about God in the Bible. But, what is clear is that God is alive, concerned about you, has provided Jesus as a sacrifice for sins, because He is loving, merciful, and gracious. And, of course, the best representation of God is found in Jesus according to Hebrews 1:3.
Conclusion
There is only one God, who is the one and only necessary, Trinitarian Being, eternally consisting of three simultaneous and distinct persons being the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is spiritual in nature, is non-contingent, unchanging, transcendent, and sovereign. He is the ultimate source of all truths, all actualities, and all potentialities. He created the universe. He does whatever He pleases and ordains all that occurs. He possesses infinite knowledge, wisdom, presence, and power that manifest out of His good and holy nature. That which is good is revealed by God’s nature which is consistent with His holiness. He has revealed Himself in creation, throughout the Bible, and Jesus. There is no condition in which the Christian God might exist or could not exist since that would not be the God of the Bible.
This is a very brief introduction, with Bible verses to back up every statement, to who God is. We welcome you to explore more throughout our courses, blog and Q&A’s.