About GOD

What does the word God mean?

According to most dictionaries, the word God refers to the One supreme Being, who created the universe.
For us, the word God refers to the supreme being in the universe, who is above all and over all.
In other words, God is the One who made everything and rules over everything.

Why should anyone believe in God?

Because of what we see and experience all around us. (Psalm 19:1)
The things that exist must have come from some original source … and that Source is God.

What is it about what is seen around us that should cause one to believe in God?

The order in the universe (as in the case of planets not colliding and rivers not flowing upstream) mean that there are laws that govern the ways things work and determine how the universe functions.
The existence of laws implies a lawgiver. God is the supreme Lawgiver.
The design in the living and non-living things around us. God is the ultimate Designer.
The presence of life in living things. Life can only come from pre-existent life. God is the original Life-giver.

Why should we give God credit for the order, design and life that we see around us?

Because God is the Creator and the Sustainer of the entire universe.
According to Einstein, all time, space, and matter had a definite, simultaneous beginning. According to the law of causality, whatever has a beginning has a cause. God, as the creator of all, is the ultimate First Cause, the ultimate Source of all things, seen and unseen.

How was God able to create an entire universe?

Because God is almighty and all-powerful … and, with God, all things are possible.

Why is it important for us to seek to understand God (even in a limited way)?

Because failure to do so can cause us to seek after and worship false gods.

Is it possible to know what God is like?

While there are some things we do not, can not or may never, understand about God, He is knowable. Indeed, God wants to be known (Psalm 46:10) … and He has revealed everything we need to know about Him in the Bible.

So, what does the Bible tell us God is like?

God is one.
God is holy
God is spirit
God is love
God is loving
God is perfect
God is immutable
God is infinite
God is eternal
God is self-existent
God is self-sufficient
God is glorious
God is righteous
God is just
God is sovereign
God is merciful
God is gracious
God is forgiving
God is omnipotent
God is omnipresent
God is omniscient
If you’d like to see Bible passages that support these attributes, go to the page on God.

What does it mean that God is ONE?

It means there is only one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Not only is there no other God, but God is alone in being able to meet the deepest needs and longings of our hearts. God alone is worthy of our worship and devotion .

What does it mean that God is HOLY?

The word holy means “set apart” and God is holy because he is clearly separate from His creation, in terms of His nature and His attributes. based on His nature and attributes. God is incomparable; there is no one like Him in works or being. He is unequaled and perfect. God is inscrutable, unfathomable, unsearchable, and past finding out as far as understanding Him completely.
The word “holy” also refers to God’s perfect moral purity. God is separated from all moral defilement. There is absolutely no sin or evil thought in God at all. His holiness is the definition of that which is pure and righteous in all the universe. This attribute of holiness is the attribute that sets God apart from all created beings. Holiness is the foundation of all other aspects of God’s character.

What does it mean God is SPIRIT?

It means that God is immaterial (not made of matter). Indeed, God is NOT made in any way.
It means God does not have a body … or body parts.
It means God does not extend in space.
It means God is invisible.
It means God cannot be properly represented by any created thing. Indeed, any attempt to make/create any representation is blasphemous.

What does it mean God is LOVE?

It means that Love is NOT just something that God has … or does.
It means that LOVE is not just an attribute of God, but the essence of God.
It means that God cannot help but love and that His primary concern is the well-being and best interest of others.
It means that everything that God does is motivated by LOVE. It is because God loves us that He sent His Son; It is because God loves us that the Word became flesh; It is because God loves us that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, according to the will of the Father.
It means that the life of Jesus Christ (as Immanuel, God with us) is a study of LOVE in action … which is why Jesus was always compassionate and gave His life, as a sacrifice on the cross (as the ultimate act of love), given that it was the only way He could save the lost.

What does it mean God is PERFECT?

It means God cannot be improved upon.
It means that God cannot be any better … or any nicer … that He is now.
It means, that God’s love is perfect (given that God is love), which also means that God cannot love us any more than He loves us right now.
It means that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more … or cause God to love us less.

What does it mean God is IMMUTABLE?

It means God, who is perfect, is unchanging.
It means He is always the same.
It means that God is absolutely reliable and trustworthy.

What does it mean God is ETERNAL?

It means God has always been and will forever be, because God dwells in eternity.
It means that God (who made time) is NOT limited by time.
It means He had no beginning and His existence will never end.
It means God can see the end from the beginning because He is able to be in the past, the present and the future at the same time.

What does it mean God is INFINITE?

It means God (who made space) is NOT limited by space.
It means God is not restricted in any way and has no boundaries.
It means He is without measure.
It means that everything about God must also be infinite.

What does it mean God is SELF-EXISTENT?

It means that God always is. It means God has no beginning or end. He just exists.
When Genesis 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning, God ….” it is saying that when things began, God was already there.
It means that God is unlike anyone (or anything) which came from, or was made by, something or someone.

What does it mean God is SELF-SUFFICIENT?

It means that God does not need anyone or anything else in order to survive.
It means that God, who is perfect and who has life in Himself, has no needs.
It means that God never gets thirsty, hungry, tired, sick or old.

What does it mean God is OMNIPOTENT?

It means God is all-powerful … or almighty. Given that God is infinite, the power that He has is also infinite.
It means God can do anything He wants to do. (Needless to say, God will not choose to do anything that is not consistent with character and loving nature.)

What does it mean God is OMNIPRESENT?

It means God is all-present or everywhere-present.
It means God is present everywhere at the same time.
It means there is no place that God is not.

What does it mean God is OMNISCIENT?

It means God is all-knowing.
It means that He knows everything … and that there is nothing that He does not know.
It means that He does not need to learn anything … and cannot be surprised by anything.
Because God is perfect, His knowledge is also perfect … and infinite.
It means He knows the past, present and the future.
It means He knows what we are thinking at any given moment.
It means that it is impossible to hide anything from God.

What does it mean that God is SOVEREIGN?

It means that God is above all and over all.
It means that God is the ultimate Ruler in the universe and that He rules His entire creation.
It means that He is absolutely free to do whatever He wants … including what He knows to be best … and totally able to do it (given His omnipotence).
It means that, after all is said and done, God is in full control of everything that happens.
It means that He has a plan and His purpose will be fulfilled.

Why can we be sure that God’s judgement is fair?

God is omniscient (all-knowing) … He already knows everything about a case.
God is wise … He knows what is best … He is able to devise perfect ends … He makes no mistakes.
God is faithful … He does not lie … He will always keep His promises … He will always act according to His word.
God is righteous … He cannot and will not pass over wrongdoing … He is always right.
God is just … He is no respecter of persons … He is not partisan … He brings moral equity to everyone … He is not swayed by arguments … He is able to be totally objective.
God is merciful … He does not always give us what we deserve (in terms of penalty) … because of what Jesus has done.
God is gracious … He gives us things and good gifts that we do not deserve … because it is in His nature to give.
God is good … He is, by nature, benevolent, caring, considerate, kind and full of good will towards us.
God is compassionate
In the final analysis, God is all of the above because they are functions of love … and God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). He is not just loving. He is love.

What does it mean that God is a TRIUNE GOD?

It means that God is a Trinity.

What does the word TRINITY mean?

The word trinity is the result of a merger of two words: tri (three) and unity (one).
A trinity, therefore, can be described as a tri-unity, which means, essentially, that THREE is somehow ONE … and ONE is somehow THREE … simultaneously.

What is the doctrine of The Trinity all about?

It is the teaching that God is three-in-one, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
It is the teaching that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-essential and co-equal.
It is the teaching that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are distinct, but NOT separate.

If there is only one God, why do some teach that God is a Trinity?

Because that is what the Bible teaches.
While there are many scriptures that show there is only ONE God, there are many others that show the ONE God exists as THREE Persons (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit).
There are scriptures that show the Father is God.
There are scriptures that reveal the Son (Jesus Christ) as God.
There are scriptures that show the Holy Spirit is God.

Doesn’t the belief in Three Persons mean three Gods?

NO … because, in this context, “Persons” does NOT mean individuals.
The idea of Person, in this context, is that of a hypostasis, which means “that without which something cannot be” … as in the case of the heat and the light of the Sun.
The light and heat of the Sun could be understood as hypostases, in the sense that there can be no sun without heat … and there can be no sun without light.
Similarly, there can be no God without the Son … and there can be no God without the Holy Spirit.
Just as the light and the heat of the Sun are distinct from the Sun, they are NOT separate from the Sun. Similarly, the Word (the eternal Son) and the Holy Spirit are distinct from the Father, but NOT separate from the Father.

Why do some find it so difficult to believe that God is a Trinity?

Because God is an infinite Being and humans are finite beings.
This means that NO human (with a finite mind) can ever fully understand God (who is infinite).
Thankfully, we do not need to understand God, fully, in order to have a relationship with Him … because God, through His Word, has revealed as much (about who and what He is) as we need to know in order to have a personal relationship with Him.
Even that limited understanding of God, however, is only possible with God’s help and by God’s grace.

How has God revealed Himself to us?

In nature
By His prophets
In His written Word (contained in The Scriptures)
In Jesus Christ, who is The Living Word.

How has God revealed Himself in His written Word?

One of the ways is by the names He inspired faithful men to give Him, as in the names that follow …
Elohim … “strong One, divine”
Adonai … “Lord” or “Master” (the One who is over all)
El Elyon … “Most High, the strongest One”
El Roi … “The strong One who sees”
El Shaddai … “Almighty God”
El Olam … “Everlasting God”
YHWH (Yahweh) … “LORD I AM” (the eternal, self-existent God)

** If you’d like to see the passages in the Bible that support the answers above, go to our page on God.