Who is God?

What does the Bible’s narrative show us about God?

From the very beginning, the Bible presents God as a communicator whose first act is to create by speaking into the void: “Let there be light,” and instantly, light pierces through the darkness (Genesis 1:3). This initial command introduces us to a God whose words wield the power to manifest reality, establishing his authority and power. Yet, this sovereign Creator is not distant or aloof; his subsequent acts of creation are deeply personal, especially in his formation of humankind.

The Intimacy of Creation

God’s personal touch is evident in the creation of humanity. Unlike the rest of creation, which he spoke into being, God personally forms man from the dust of the ground and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). This direct, life-giving action illustrates a God who is not only all-powerful but intimately involved in the lives of his creations. He crafts Adam and Eve with care, imbuing them with his image and establishing a unique relationship among all living beings. In these early days, God walks and talks with them in the garden, sharing a closeness that epitomizes the ideal communion he desires with all people.

Early Dialogues and Disruptions

But this perfect communion is suddenly disrupted by sin, as Adam and Eve choose to rebel against their Creator and align themselves with the serpent, Satan. The fallout from this act is catastrophic, severing the intimate fellowship they enjoyed. Yet, even as God pronounces judgment, he also reveals his redemptive plan—a promise of a future Savior who would crush the serpent and restore the broken relationship (Genesis 3:15). Here, even in rebellion, God’s words convey not only authority but also mercy, showcasing a commitment to reclaim and reconcile what was lost.

Covenants and Continued Communication

Throughout the unfolding narrative of the Old Testament, God remains engaged with his people. To Noah, he is a deliverer from judgment, using the rainbow as a sign of his covenant of mercy (Genesis 9:13-16). When he called Abraham to a faith-filled communion, God promised innumerable descendants and a land of their own, foretelling a lineage that would ultimately bless all nations and lead to the Messiah (Genesis 12:1-3). With Moses, God established the Law, given at Sinai as a reflection of his holiness and a mirror for man to see their sinfulness and need for a Savior. Through the Tabernacle, God’s presence dwells among his people, emphasizing his desire to be among them despite their sinfulness (Exodus 40:34-38).

Prophetic Voices and the Call to Return

Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah were sent to call a wayward Israel back to faithfulness, speaking words that cut to the heart and reveal God’s deep longing for his people to return to him. Isaiah speaks of a suffering servant who would bear the iniquities of all (Isaiah 53), a direct prophecy of Christ’s sacrificial mission to deal with sin once and for all.

The Incarnation: The Divine Word Becomes Flesh

The narrative of God in the Bible reaches its zenith in the New Testament with the Incarnation—God becoming man in Jesus Christ. Here, God’s communicative nature is fully expressed; Jesus, the Word made flesh, dwells among us (John 1:14). Through his teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection, Jesus embodies the full spectrum of God’s attributes—his power, wisdom, and boundless love. His actions go beyond mere displays of divinity; they invite us into a restored relationship with God.

The Promise of Eternal Communion

The biblical saga culminates in Revelation’s vision of a new heaven and new earth where God will dwell among his people forever, erasing every trace of sin and sorrow (Revelation 21:3-4). This ultimate promise mirrors the intimacy once enjoyed in Eden, now fully restored and perfected.

This grand narrative from Genesis to Revelation demonstrates that despite his transcendence, God’s primary desire is communion with us. Through creation, covenants, and ultimately, Christ, God bridges the vast gulf created by sin, inviting us to know him not as a distant deity but as a loving and faithful Father. This story calls us to marvel at a God who is both entirely other and intimately involved—a God who invites us to trust him, love and be loved, and live in eternal fellowship with him.

Having explored the vast narrative of God’s interactions from creation to redemption, you may now find yourself pondering deeper questions about his nature, essence, and character. How do we define or explain a being so infinitely complex and fundamentally different from anything else we know?

What Makes God—God?

The God of the Bible is not merely an improved or more developed version of humanity; he is entirely other, wholly transcendent. His nature and attributes set him apart from his creations in almost every conceivable way. Here are just a few of the many ways God is not like us:

• God is Omnipotent (all-powerful): Holding all power and authority over creation (Genesis 17:1), God’s omnipotence is not merely a show of force but is fundamentally aimed at the good of his creation. In his might, nothing is too complex or daunting; every challenge we face is within his capacity to address. Yet, his use of this immense power is always tempered with wisdom and directed by his boundless love.
• God is Omniscient (all-knowing): Possessing complete and perfect knowledge that spans time and space, God knows every thought before it forms (Psalm 139:2-4), understands every word before it is spoken (Matthew 12:36), and foresees every action before it unfolds. His wisdom is infinite, encompassing all of history and extending into the realms of eternity, far beyond the finite understanding of human minds (Romans 11:33-34).
• God is Omnipresent (present everywhere): Existing everywhere at once without confinement to the limits of physical space, there is no place where God is not. From the deepest depths of the ocean to the furthest galaxies, his presence permeates the universe, sustaining and governing all things by his mere will (Jeremiah 23:23-24; Acts 17:27-28). This pervasive presence rightly terrorizes those who oppose him and comforts those who seek him.
• God is Eternal: Without beginning or end, God transcends time, existing before the universe began and destined to continue after its conclusion. Unlike humans, who are bound by space and time and whose lives have definite starts and finishes, God’s existence is perpetual, marked by an unchanging and everlasting nature (Revelation 1:8; Psalm 90:2). He is inherently divine, existing in a state of perfection that is fundamentally different from any human experience and incomprehensible for our finite minds.

In addition to his omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and eternal nature, God’s character is profoundly defined by four interrelated attributes: his holiness, justice, mercy, and love. Each trait not only distinguishes God from all of creation but also impacts how he relates to us:

• Holiness: God’s absolute purity and separation from sin set the ultimate standard of moral perfection. His holiness is not just a higher degree of goodness but a completely different quality of being unattainable for humans (Leviticus 19:2; Isaiah 6:3).
• Justice: God’s justice ensures that all actions are measured against his perfect standard and nothing unjust escapes his notice. This relentless commitment to justice underscores the seriousness with which God approaches sin and the moral order of the universe (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14).
• Mercy: In stark contrast to his justice, God’s mercy reveals his willingness and capacity to forgive and restore those who have fallen short of his standards. This mercy is not a negation of his justice but a complement to it, as his justice was satisfied through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, allowing redemption through grace rather than retribution (Ephesians 2:4-5; Psalm 103:8).
• Love: God’s immense love for creation is the driving force behind his merciful actions. Unlike human love, God’s love is unconditional, not based on the worthiness of its recipients but on his generous nature. This love motivates God to extend grace and offer the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with him to all humanity (1 John 4:8; Romans 5:8).

These divine attributes—holiness, justice, mercy, and love—are not merely superior versions of human traits; they define a being whose qualities are infinitely perfect, transcending human limitations. While we may long for and glimpse these traits in our own lives, God’s expression of them is beyond anything we can fully comprehend, highlighting the vast gulf that separates the Creator from his creatures. Yet, it is precisely through his perfect nature that God extends his grace to us, offering a transformative and eternal life-giving relationship through Jesus Christ. As we explore the depth of God’s nature, we find that these seemingly overwhelming aspects are precisely why we find comfort in him. He is not a God who mirrors our imperfections; he offers security that far exceeds our understanding, intimately involving himself in the workings of the world and our personal lives.

As we contemplate God’s profound and infinite attributes— omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternal nature, holiness, justice, mercy, and love—we see a deity who is not just supreme but fundamentally distinct from all creation. This understanding of God’s unique and perfect nature serves as the perfect segue into exploring the profound mystery of the Trinity, a doctrine that encapsulates the complexity and unity of God’s singular yet three-personed existence.

What is the Trinity?

The Bible unmistakably reveals that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Yet, he presents himself as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Spirit (Genesis 1, John 1, Matthew 28:19). This divine mystery is often described as the “triune” three in one nature of God.

The word “Trinity” itself is not found in the Bible but was coined by Christians in the 2^nd century AD to describe the unfathomable nature of God. The original Latin trinitas combines the terms “tri” (three) and “unitas” (unity), signifying the belief that God is one being consisting of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While some may be hesitant to accept the concept of the Trinity due to the word’s absence in the Bible or its perceived complexity, significant biblical evidence supports this understanding.

The biblical support for the concept of the Trinity can be summarized in three key points:

1. There is only one God.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Scriptures consistently affirm the oneness of God. For example, Isaiah 45:5 declares, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me, there is no God.” Similarly, 1 Corinthians 8:4 states, “There is no God but one.” God is not simply claiming, “There is no other God for the earth” or “I am the only God for humanity,” as if elsewhere in the universe, there are other gods for other peoples. Instead, God declares that objectively, he is the only God that truly exists, anywhere, for all time.

2. God is described as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Numerous passages in the Bible attribute divinity to each person of the Trinity. The Father is explicitly referred to as God, as seen in Jesus’ prayer before his betrayal: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Likewise, multiple verses establish Jesus’ divinity. For example, Colossians 2:9 states, “For in Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Furthermore, John 1:1 proclaims, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” while verse 14 asserts that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

The Holy Spirit is also identified as God in various passages. 2 Corinthians 3:17 states, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” In Acts 5, Peter confronts Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit and concludes, “You have not lied just to human beings but to God” (Acts 5:4).

3. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equal and distinct persons.

The equality and distinctness of the three persons of the Trinity are evident in the baptism of Jesus. Luke 3:21-22 recounts the event: “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.’” Here, the Father speaks to the Son while the Holy Spirit descends upon the Son.

Furthermore, the apostle Paul includes a Trinitarian blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14, stating, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Jesus himself also commands his disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Since the early years of the Christian church, theologians have explained the Trinity with three “Co” terms:

• Consubstantial: This term means “of the same substance” or “of the same essence.” In Christian theology, it is used to express that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while distinct in personhood, share the exact same divine nature or essence. They are not three separate gods but one God in three persons. This understanding contrasts with the view that they are united in purpose but not of the same substance (John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Matthew 28:19). The term was central to the debates of the early ecumenical councils, especially at the Council of Nicaea, which adopted the term “homoousios” (consubstantial, of the same substance) to affirm that the Son is of the same substance as the Father, directly countering Arianism, which argued that the Son was a created being and not divine in the same way as the Father.
• Eternally Coexistent: This means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always existed together, without beginning or end. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not seen as distinct beings with distinct beginnings; traditional Christianity teaches that all three persons of the Trinity have always existed in a perfect and eternal relationship with each other (John 1:1-2; Hebrews 9:14; Revelation 22:13). Early church theologians like Athanasius emphasized that the Son was “eternally begotten” of the Father, meaning there was never a time when he was not, thus affirming their eternal coexistence.
• Coequal: Coequality in the Trinity means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in power, glory, and honor. There is no hierarchy where one is greater or lesser than the other. There is no hierarchy or progression among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 10:30; Philippians 2:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Nicene Creed, formulated in 325 AD and revised in 381 AD, clearly states the coequality of the Son with the Father by declaring the Son as “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”

The Trinity in Action: For Us and Our Salvation

Discussing the Trinity involves exploring the relationship between God’s divine persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and their unified essence. Each person of the Trinity plays a unique role in our creation, redemption, and sanctification. Each person is fully God, sharing the same divine nature, yet they relate to each other and us in distinct ways:

• The Father: Initiates and plans our salvation, creating the world and choosing to redeem us through his Son. He is constantly giving, working through his word to sustain creation and bring about new life.
• The Son: Executes the Father’s plan of salvation. Jesus, the Word made flesh, shines as the light of the world (John 1:14), breaking the darkness of sin by his death and resurrection. His earthly ministry and sacrificial death reveal the depth of God’s love, drawing us into a restored relationship with the Father.
• The Holy Spirit: Applies the work of redemption to us personally. In baptism, as described in Scripture, the Spirit unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection, creating or strengthening faith in our hearts and guaranteeing our inheritance as God’s children (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Theologically, we distinguish between God’s internal works (how the divine persons relate to each other) and his external works (how God interacts with creation). Understanding this helps clarify that discussions about who proceeds from whom or who is begotten are about relationships within the Trinity, essential for appreciating how unified and yet distinct the persons of the Trinity are.

Far from being a dry or irrelevant doctrinal point, the Trinity has profound implications for our relationship with God. It shows that a relationship is at the heart of God’s essence—perfect love and communion. God does not need this relational aspect from us; he extends it to us.

Marvel at the Mystery of the Trinity

The term “Trinity” may not be explicitly found in the Bible, but it helps us understand God’s triune nature—three distinct persons, each fully God, yet only one God exists. This concept, though challenging to our human comprehension, highlights God’s incomprehensibility and greatness. If we could fully grasp God, he would be limited to our understanding. But God surpasses our limitations, encompassing attributes such as omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and immutability. As Psalm 145:3 declares, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

What is astounding is that despite our sinful state, God did not distance himself from us. Instead, he chose to save us through a remarkable exchange: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because Jesus is God himself, his sacrificial death is the sufficient payment for all sins (Acts 20:28).

Rather than being frustrated by God’s wondrous, triune nature, we should rejoice in his greatness. Even more, we should rejoice that this magnificent God knows and loves us. His love is so immense that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Through Jesus, our sins are not held against us; we are forgiven! Embrace this truth and believe that Jesus is sufficient for our salvation.

So, while not explicitly using the word in the Bible, the concept of the Trinity finds its basis in the word of God. The Bible attests to the oneness of God, identifies the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as divine, and reveals their equal yet distinct persons. The Trinity’s mysterious nature reflects the unfathomable greatness of God. Rather than attempting to grasp this concept fully, we can find awe and comfort in knowing that our great God loves us, forgives us, and offers eternal life with him through Jesus Christ.

The triune nature of God demonstrates the relational aspect of his love, as it has been eternally expressed between the Father, Son, and Spirit. “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and his love knows no bounds. He will never tire of loving you!

Is the Father Greater Than Jesus?

It sure seems like it. Jesus plainly said, “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). Another time, he stated: “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19).

But just a few verses later, he said: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:22-23). We are to honor him with the same honor (“just as”) we give the Father. That implies they are equals.

The Bible also describes Jesus as true God, equal with the Father. John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”

So, no, the Father is not greater than Jesus.

But how do we explain passages like those cited in the first paragraph? Philippians 2:6-8 gives us the answer. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Notice the contrast. Jesus was in very nature of God, but he came to earth and took upon himself the very nature of a servant, or more literally, a slave. The one thing every slave has is a master. Jesus’ master was his Father. While Jesus was on earth, he obeyed his Father perfectly—even “becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

But why did Jesus do this? One final passage answers that question. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The poverty this refers to is the humble, obedient life Jesus lived—namely, his life as the slave of his Father. He became his Father’s slave “so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus did this for you and me. He knew we could never keep God’s commandments perfectly. He knew we could never pay for all our sins. So he did it all for us. Even though he was in very nature God, he made himself nothing—for us. Jesus is enough!nors him—not out of fear or obligation, but in joyful gratitude for the incredible gift of his Spirit.

Do “Elohim” and “Jehovah” Refer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Separately?

Maybe you’ve heard this idea before. There are two significant names for God in Hebrew in the Old Testament: Elohim and Jehovah. Elohim refers exclusively to Heavenly Father, while Jehovah (“the LORD” in most Bibles) refers solely to Jesus Christ. However, when we look at the text of the Old Testament, we find this isn’t accurate.

Firstly, the Hebrew word Elohim is not a proper name but a title meaning “god” or “God.” Depending on context, it is a flexible term that can refer to the one true God of Israel, false gods, or even powerful spiritual beings. Much like our English word “god.” For instance, Elohim is used to describe the God of creation in Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning, God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth”), but it is also used for pagan gods (Exodus 12:12). Thus, Elohim is not a specific individual’s name but a title of divinity, emphasizing God’s power and majesty.

In contrast, the Hebrew name, sometimes rendered as “Jehovah” or, more accurately, “Yahweh,” is the personal and proper name of the God of Israel, consisting of four consonants: YHWH. This name is unique to God, similar to personal names like Jon, Molly, or Charlie, but it carries profound meaning. In Exodus 3:14, God introduces himself to Moses with the words, “I AM WHO I AM.” This phrase in Hebrew, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” is directly linked to the name YHWH.

Here’s how they connect:

• “I AM WHO I AM” translates from the Hebrew “Ehyeh,” which comes from the root verb that means “to be” or “to exist.”
• YHWH is believed to derive from the same Hebrew verb, essentially meaning “He Who Is” or “He Causes to Exist.”

This revelation to Moses highlights God’s eternal, self-existent nature. Unlike any other being, God exists by himself, independent and unchanging. When God says “I AM,” he is emphasizing that he is the ever-present, all-sustaining Creator who does not change. This unique name is crucial for understanding the true nature of God as constant and reliable, a sharp contrast to any concept where gods are many or can change. By knowing this name YHWH and its meaning, believers can appreciate the deep, personal relationship God offers, rooted in his unchanging and eternal nature. This understanding assures us of his steadfast presence and commitment to his promises, reinforcing God’s unique, singular nature in a profoundly personal way.

The name “Jehovah” emerged in the Middle Ages and is a result of a specific practice by biblical scholars who aimed to avoid pronouncing the sacred name of God, YHWH. This name, YHWH, often called the Tetragrammaton, was considered too holy to speak aloud. So, scholars took the consonants Y-H-W-H and blended them with the vowels from the Hebrew word “Adonai,” which means “lord.” This artificially blended form produced the pronunciation “Yehowah,” which was later Latinized as “Jehovah.”

However, the name “Jehovah” is not the original pronunciation of God’s name as used by ancient Hebrews. It’s a constructed form that was created to avoid saying the actual name of God due to reverence and the desire to follow traditional prohibitions against pronouncing the divine name. While widespread and recognizable, this historical adaptation is not linguistically or historically accurate in terms of biblical Hebrew.

While “Jehovah” remains widely recognized, it is not historically or linguistically accurate in terms of biblical Hebrew. The name Yahweh conveys a deeper and more direct connection to the Hebrew verb “to be,” as reflected in God’s self-identification to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “I AM WHO I AM.” This statement reveals God’s eternal and self-existent nature, emphasizing his independence and constancy.

So those are the names, but to whom do they refer? Far from describing separate beings, Elohim and Yahweh refer to the same God. For example, Genesis 2:4 speaks of “Yahweh Elohim” (“The LORD God”), blending title and name to describe the one true God. The terms are used interchangeably throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing different aspects of his nature—Elohim as the powerful Creator and Yahweh as the personal, covenant-keeping Redeemer. Look for it next time you are reading your Old Testament. Whenever you see the word “God,” it is translated from Elohim; whenever you see “the LORD” in all caps, it is translated from YHWH/Yahweh. Often, in one verse, it’ll say Elohim appeared, then in the next, say the LORD spoke something, constantly referring to the same being (Isaiah 42:5-8).

So why does any of this name-talk matter? Understanding these names helps us grasp the unified portrayal of God’s nature across the scriptures, enriching our worship and deepening our relationship with him as we recognize Jesus’s deity and the unity of God’s redemptive plan throughout the Bible. In John 8:58, Jesus makes a compelling statement, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” This revelation of himself to Moses is no casual statement—it is a direct claim to divinity, connecting Jesus to Yahweh’s self-revelation in Exodus 3:14. By identifying himself as the eternal “I AM,” Jesus asserts that he is the very God of Israel, not a subordinate being. He is the God who gave the 10 commandments and led Israel out of Egypt. He is the God who created the world in seven days. He is the God who spoke to countless prophets across centuries. But now, he is the God who took on flesh to redeem the world! Only a being as infinite and powerful as God could pay the insurmountable debt of the whole world’s sin. So, it is a fantastic statement that Jesus is that very God!