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GOD
There is one and only one living and
true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator,
Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and
all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.
The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with
distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
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 loving,
and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through
faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. Genesis 1:1; Genesis 2:7; Exodus 3:14;
Exodus 6:2-3; Exodus 15:11ff; Exodus 20:1ff; Leviticus 22:2; Deut. 6:4; Deut.
32:6; 1 Chron. 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3, 15; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah
10:10; Jeremiah 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 23:9; Matthew 28:19;
Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; John 5:26; John 14:6-13; John 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans
8:14-15; 1 Cor. 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephes. 4:6; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Hebrews
11:6; Hebrews 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7 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. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon
Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself
completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the
redemption of men from sin. 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, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in
whose Person is effected 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. Genesis 18:1ff; Psalm 2:7ff; Psalm
110:1ff; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:18-23; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 8:29;
Matthew 11:27; Matthew 14:33; Matthew 16:16, 27; Matthew 17:5; Matthew 27;
Matthew 28:1-6, 19; Mark 1:1; Mark 3:11; Luke 1:35; Luke 4:41; Luke 22:70; Luke
24:46; John 1:1-18, 29; John 10:30, 38; John 11:25-27; John 12:44-50; John
14:7-11; John 16:15-16, 28; John 17:1-5, 21-22; John 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9; Acts
2:22-24; Acts 7:55-56; Acts 9:4-5, 20; Romans 1:3-4; Romans 3:23-26; Romans
5:6-21; Romans 8:1-3, 34; Romans 10:4; 1 Cor. 1:30; 1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1
Cor. 15:1-8, 24-28; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephes. 1:20; Ephes. 3:11;
Ephes. 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; Col. 2:9; 1 Thes. 4:14-18; 1 Tim.
2:5-6; 1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 4:14-15; Hebrews
7:14-28; Hebrews 9:12-15, 24-28; Hebrews 12:2; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1
Peter 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 1 John 3:2; 1 John 4:14-15; 1 John 5:9; 2 John 7-9;
Rev. 1:13-16; Rev. 5:9-14; Rev. 12:10-11; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 19:16 C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.
He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He
enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of
righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects
regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows
the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the
believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the
assurance of God to bring the believer into the fulness of the stature of
Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship,
evangelism, and service. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13;
Psalm 51:11; Psalm 139:7ff; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; Matthew
3:16; Matthew 4:1; Matthew 12:28-32; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10, 12; Luke 1:35;
Luke 4:1, 18-19; Luke 11:13; Luke 12:12; Luke 24:49; John 4:24; John 14:16-17,
26; John 15:26; John 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4, 38; Acts 4:31; Acts 5:3;
Acts 6:3; Acts 7:55; Acts 8:17, 39; Acts 10:44; Acts 13:2; Acts 15:28; Acts
16:6; Acts 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1 Cor. 2:10-14; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1
Cor. 12:3-11; Galatians 4:6; Ephes. 1:13-14; Ephes. 4:30; Ephes. 5:18; 1 Thes.
5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:14; 2 Tim. 3:16; Hebrews 9:8, 14; 2
Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 1 John 5:6-7; Rev. 1:10; Rev. 22:17 |