The Being, Names, and Attributes of God

Opening Text: 1 Corinthians 2

III. God’s Being/Essence

A. What the Church has proclaimed

1. Belgic Confession (1561) - Article 1: We all believe with the heart, and confess

with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God; and that He is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.

2. Second Helvetic Confession (1566) - Article III: We believe and teach that God is one in essence or nature, subsisting by Himself, all-sufficient in Himself, invisible, without a body, infinite, eternal, the Creator of all things both visible and invisible, the chief good, living, quickening and preserving all things, almighty and supremely wise, gentle or merciful, just and true.

3. WLC Q/A #7 Q: What is God? A: God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, every where present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

4. Thomas Watson (writing on WSC Q/A #4): Here is, I. Something implied. That there is a God. II. Expressed. That he is a Spirit. III. What kind of Spirit?

[Scripture References: Gen 17:1; Ex 3:14; 34:6; Deut 6:4; 32:4; 1Kings 8:27; 1Chr 29:10-12; Job 11:7-9; Ps 90:2; 139:1-13; 147:5; Is 6:3; 40:25-28; 44:6; Jer 12:1; Mal 3:6; Mt 5:48; 19:7; Jn 1:18; 4:24; Acts 7:2; Rom 1:20; 11:33; 16:27; 1Cor 8:6;Eph 4:6; 1Tim 1:17; 2:15; 6:15; Heb 4:13; James 1:17; Rev 4:8; 15:4]

B. Though we will distinguish between His being (What is God) and His attributes (Of what kind is God) we cannot separate and must be very cautious. Overlap throughout this study.

“Even as God’s virtues are not mere attributes of his being, but are identical with his essence, so are all his virtues one in him.” -Herman Hoekesma

God is THE standard. He doesn’t conform to a standard; nor is He the supreme, greatest, or highest good - He is THE good, absolutely.

C. God is...

1. A Living God: He is, we exist; He is life, we have life (Ex 3:14)

2. A Spirit (Spirituality): Not material/invisible; not limited by form or extent (in

space and time); . He is the immortal, invisible, God only wise (Lk 24:39; Jn 4:24; 1Tim 1:17)

3. A Simple God: Oneness; God is His perfections (Deut 6:4)

4. A Personal God: He is absolute, self-existent personality (Gen 1:26)

5. A Communicating God: a God of fellowship (Jn 17:20-24; Col 3:14)

6. The Most Perfect Being: Absolute goodness in Himself (Mt 19:17; 1Jn 1:5)

7. A Willing God: He does ALL His good pleasure (Dan 4:34-35; Ps 115:3; Eph 1:11)

8. Immanent: God is wholly, with His infinite Essence, in the universe and in every part, relation, and moment of it. He is very near us, and directly in and behind all the existence and activity of the creature (Ps 139:7-10; Acts 17:22-28). Consider the use of anthropomorphic language throughout the Bible - God having body parts, human emotions and actions.

The greatest and most glorious display of God’s Immanence is declared in Jn 1:14:

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Understanding and embracing the truth of that God is immanent guards us against the false teaching of deism.

[Additional Scripture References: Ps 33:10-19; 95:3-5; 104; 145; 146:5-9; 147:7-20; Prov 16:33; 21:1; Is 40:22, 26; Jer 23:23-24; Mt 6:25-34; 10:29-31]

9. Transcendent: God is wholly, with His infinite Essence, above the world and every moment and relation of it. He is exalted above all creation (1Kings 8:27; Is 57:15)

“Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alike created. They both belong in the category of that which-is-not-God and are separated from God by infinitude itself.” -A.W. Tozer

Understanding and embracing the truth that God is transcendent guards us against the false teaching of pantheism - “all is God,” and panentheism - God is greater than creation but all creation is nothing more than God, or is contained within God.

D. How do we know this One True God? God alone imparts His knowledge to creatures via revelation. “If there is no God, everything is permitted.” –Fyodor Dostoevsky. If there is a God and He is unknowable to us, everything is futile.

1. God speaks

2. God speaks concerning Himself

3. God speaks to and on the level of the creature

4. God speaks to a creature who is able to receive that speech

Questions to Consider and Discuss: Considering what we’ve learned about God’s Essence/Being...

1. 1)  What are we to believe about creation?

2. 2)  What are we to believe about the fall?

3. 3)  What are we to believe about redemption?