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The Bible is full of teaching about God Himself and only a short introduction is given here. We learn about God from his proper names, his perfections and his personal names.
The two most common names of God in the Old Testament are 'Elohim and Yahweh. 'Elohim, which is translated "God" in our English versions means "the strong and mighty one" or "the one who is to be feared". Yahweh or Jehovah is usually translated LORD in the Authorised Version. The use of the capitals shows that it is a translation of Yahweh. This name points to the unchangeable faithfulness of God to his people. In the New Testament not only are "God" and "Lord" frequently used but also Father. This reminds us that God deals with believers as children.
Many perfections or attributes of God are spoken of in the scriptures. The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives a well-known summary of them in answer to the question, "What is God?" The answer given is as follows: "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth." If we had to summarise further we would be justified in summing up the revealed character of God as holy love. When God revealed himself to Moses this was how he revealed himself. "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34.6-7) Notice in this quotation that we have used the capitalization for the name Lord. It shows us that it stands for Yahweh. Both the holiness and the love of God are seen supremely in the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is seen in his giving his Son to die in the place of sinners. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3.16) The holiness and justice of God are also seen in the death of Christ when we realize that it was not possible for God to forgive sinners without this sacrificial death. The claims of the law had to be met and they had to be met in full. God's law made clear that the soul that sins shall die. Christ's death was necessary as the substitute, and he died in the place of sinners that God "might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3.26)
The Christian church worships one God but recognizes that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. This doctrine of the "Trinity", as it is called is distinctive to Christianity but it has not always been understood clearly. Using the scriptures as our guide there are certain statements that we can make about the Triune God even though we cannot fully understand. We must first emphasize the unity of God. There are not many gods, or three gods but only one, the living and the true God. For thousands of years this has been the foundation of the true religion, first among the Jews and then in the Christian Church. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6.4-5) Within the Godhead there are three persons. We do not say "people" because they are not separate individuals as human beings are. We do say "persons" because the three are able to have "personal" relationships to one another. They love one another and they can speak to one another. The three are not "things". Within the Divine Being these three have a definite order: first, the father; second, the Son; and third, the Holy Spirit. These three are one God but the three are not identical. Real distinctions exist between them. The ancient creed called Athanasius' Creed states the differences as follows: "The father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the father and the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten but proceeding." Only the Father begets. Only the Son is begotten. Only the Spirit proceeds. With respect to the three we must also emphasize their equality. The order within the Godhead, first the Father, second the Son and third the Spirit does not mean that the Spirit is less than the Father and the Son or that the Son is less than the Father. All three are equal. The Son being begotten of the Father does not mean that the Son is less than the Father; and the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son does not mean that the Spirit is less than the Father or the Son. As one Reformation Catechism puts it: "these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory." In Christian Baptism we are baptized in relation to this God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and only live up to what is involved when our lives are devoted to him alone. "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20.2-3)
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5.10-11)
'Elohim, Yahweh, attributes, summarize, revealed, abundant, supremacy, sacrificial, substitute, distinctive, definite, identical, begotten.
1. Which are the two most common names of God in the Old Testament?
2. Which name of God means "the Mighty One"?
3. Which name of God points to his unchangeable faithfulness?
4. Which proper names are frequently used in the New Testament to describe the supreme being?
5. List nine attributes of God.
6. Which two attributes can be used to summarize the revealed character of God?
7. How does the crucifixion reveal the love of God?
8. How does the crucifixion reveal the holiness of God?
9. State which of the following are true and which are false:
a) Many religions believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
b) There are many gods.
c) There is but one true God.
d) There are three Gods.
e) There are three persons in the Godhead.
f) There are three people in the Godhead.
g) The three persons of the Godhead love one another.
h) The order within the Godhead is Father, Spirit and Son.
i) The order within the Godhead is Father, Son and Spirit.
j) The Father is begotten.
k) The Son is begotten.
l) The Spirit is begotten.
m) Father, Son and Spirit are neither made nor created.
n) The Son proceeds from the Father and the Spirit.
o) The Spirit proceeds from the father and the Son.
p) The Son is not equal to the Father.
q) The Spirit is not equal to the Son.
r) The Father, Son and Spirit are equal in power and glory.
10. How does a Christian live up to what is involved in Christian baptism?
Using a map which gives the countries of the world list the countries where the following religions have a strong following:
a) Roman Catholicism
b) Islam
c) Buddhism
d) Hinduism
e) Judaism
f) Protestantism
1. Find out which proper names of God are used in the following Bible passages: Exodus 6.3 and Matthew 6.9.
2. Find out what are taught about the character of God in the following Scripture texts: Isaiah 6.3, Romans 5.8, Romans 1.20.
3. Find out what is said about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost) in the following:
a) the Apostle's Creed
b) The Nicene Creed
1. Seven things I have learnt about God from the Bible.
2. A baptism that I attended.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord;
and all that in me is
Be stirred up his holy name
to magnify and bless.
Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God,
and not forgetful be
Of all his gracious benefits
he hath bestow'd on thee.
All thine iniquities who doth
most graciously forgive:
Who thy diseases all and pains
doth heal, and thee relieve.
Who doth redeem thy life, that thou
to death may'st not go down;
Who thee with loving-kindness doth
and tender mercies crown:
Who with abundance of good things
doth satisfy thy mouth;
So that, ev'n as the eagle's age,
renewed is thy youth.
God righteous judgment executes
for all oppressed ones.
His ways to Moses, he his acts
made known to Isr'el's sons.
The Lord our God is merciful,
and he is gracious,
Long-suffering, and slow to wrath,
in mercy plenteous.
He will not chide continually,
nor keep his anger still.
With us he dealt not as we sinn'd,
nor did requite our ill.
Psalm 103.1-10