God

02/18/2017/PastorAdmin

Trinity (Tri-Unity)

  1. The one God exists in three distinct persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; James 2:19; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
  2. One God means that there is numerically one nature or essence composed of divine attributes. This is not an equal division of the nature of God into three persons or categories. It is the undivided nature belonging equally to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 10:30).
  3. The Father is God (1 Peter 1:2), the Son is God (John 1:1, 14), and the Holy Spirit is God (1 Corinthians 3:16).
  4. Each member of the Godhead accomplishes specific things in God’s overall plan.
    • The Father established the plan (Ephesians 1:1-4).
    • The Son became man to be the Savior of the World (1 John 4:14).
    • The Holy Spirit reveals the plan and enables the believer to accomplish the plan (1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Galatians 5:16).

Attributes of God

  1. God is a spirit person (John 4:23-24; Genesis 1:26). He thinks (Psalm 139:1-6), decides (Psalm 115:3), and responds (Psalm 103:6-14).
  2. The nature of God is composed of intrinsic attributes or characteristics. The attributes of God explain God to man.
  3. The attributes of God are equally shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • God is sovereign; He has the will and right to make decisions (Psalm 135:6).
  • God is holy; He is perfect righteousness (Psalm 99:9).
  • God is just; justice expresses God’s holiness toward His creation (Psalm 9:8).
  • God is love; He desires His will and therefore His best for mankind (1 John 4:8).
  • God is eternal life; He has always existed and will always exist (Psalm 90:2).
  • God is all knowing; He knows everything – past, present, and future (1 John 3:20).
  • God is all powerful; He is able to do anything (Psalm 147:5).  
  • God is everywhere; there is no place where God is not present (Psalm 139:7-10).
  • God is unchangeable; He is always the same (Malachi 3:6).
  • God is truthful; what He says is certain, correct, and dependable (Titus 1:2).

 Doctrine of God the Father

  1. The Father is the eternal God.
    • He is identified as God by the Bible, the Word of God, (2 Corinthians 1:2-3).
    • He performs the works that God performs (Galatians 1:1; Colossians 1:12-13).
    • He is worshipped (John 4:21-24).
    • His nature is composed of divine attributes (Matthew 10:29; Galatians 1:1; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 1:2).
    • He is a member of the trinity (Matthew 28:19).
  2. The Father is spirit, therefore He does not have flesh, blood, and bones and is invisible (John 4:24; 6:46; Luke 24:39). Jesus Christ became man and while He was on earth He explained what the unseen Father is like (John 1:18).
  3. The Father established the plan of God (Ephesians 1:3-14).
    • His plan includes Israel (Acts 1:6-7),
    • His Son (Colossians 1:13-20),
    • The cross (Matthew 26:39-42; 1 John 4:14),
    • The church (Ephesians 1:3-7, 22-23; Philippians 1:27-30), and
    • His future kingdom (Matthew 6:10; Acts 1:6-8).
  4. The Father is the personal spiritual father of all believers. A Father-son relationship exists (Galatians 4:6 Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 3:1). As sons, believers are the objects of the Father’s love (John 16:27) and heirs of the Father’s very best benefits (Romans 8:17; 1 John 3:1-2).
  5. The Father-son personal benefits for the believer include
    • Access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18),
    • Spiritual wealth and benefits for time and eternity (Ephesians 1:3-8),
    • The Word of God (John 14:24; 17:14-17),
    • We are to be like our Father (Ephesians 5:1),
    • He will provide all the necessities of life for us (Matthew 5:26-33),
    • He wants the believer to return to fellowship with Him (Luke 15:11-32; 1 John 1:3-10),
    • He sent the Holy Spirit to the believer (John 14:26),
    • We are to pray to the Father (John 16:23; Ephesians 5:20),
    • The Father desires to answer our prayer (Matthew 7:11),
    • We can glorify the Father (John 15:8),
    • We worship the Father (John 4:21-24),
    • The father directs our production (John 15:1, 13), and
    • The father comforts and encourages us during our suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
  6. The Father has taken personal responsibility for the believer’s benefit (Ephesians 1:3-8), security (Romans 8:28-39) destiny (Romans 8:28-30; 1 John 3:1-2), and victory (1 John 5:4-5).

God the Son, Jesus Christ

  1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the eternal God (Micah 5:2; John 1:1; 8:58).
    • The Word of God states this (John 1:1).
    • He performs the works that God performs (Matthew 9:1-6).
    • He is worshipped (Hebrews 1:6).
    • His names indicate that He is God (Matthew 1:23).
    • The attributes of God are His attributes (Colossians 2:9).
    • He is a member of the trinity (Matthew 28:19).
  2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became true man.
    • He was physically born into the world (John 1:14) from a human mother (Luke 2:1-20), but He did not have a sin nature (Luke 1:35).
    • His humanity consisted of soul and human spirit (Matthew 26:38; Luke 23:46) and body (Hebrews 10:5).
    • He had human characteristics such as hunger (Matthew 4:2), physical exhaustion (John 4:6), emotion (John 11:35) and tests (Hebrews 4:15).
    • He has human names and titles – Jesus (Matthew 1:21), Son of David (Mark 10:47), and Man (1 John 2:5).
    • He physically died and was physically resurrected (John 19:20).
  3. Jesus Christ became man in order to solve the sin problem (1 Timothy 1:15).
    • He defeated Satan, the source of sin (John 16:11).
    • He died for man’s sin (1 Corinthians 15:3).
    • He was resurrected from physical death (1 Corinthians 15:4).
    • He conquered the power of man’s sinful nature (Romans 6:6)
  4. While He was on earth, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15) and He completely fulfilled the will of God the Father (John 6:38; 19:30).
  5. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18), King of Israel (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6), and is King over all mankind (Psalm 2; Revelation 1:5). In the future He will come to earth to rule (Revelation 19:11-20:6).
  6. During the time between the first coming and the second coming of Christ, Jesus Christ is the believer’s leader and object of faith dependence and service (Hebrews 12:2 Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:24).

God the Holy Spirit

  1. The Holy Spirit is a person.
    • He thinks (1 Corinthians 2:10-11),
    • Makes decisions (1 Corinthians 12:11),
    • Is sensitive to moral values (Ephesians 4:30),
    • He teaches (John 14:26),
    • He prays (Romans 8:26-27), and
    • He is a helper (John 14:16).
  2. The Holy Spirit is the eternal God.
    • The Word says He is God (Acts 5:1-4).
    • He does the works that God does (for example, gives new life to the believer, Titus 3:5).
    • The attributes of God are His attributes (Psalm 139:7-12).
    • His names identify Him as God (Matthew 3:16; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:30).
    • He is a member of the trinity (Matthew 28:19).
  3. The general functions of the Holy Spirit are to reveal God’s plan (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13), to enable believers to do God’s plan (Galatians 5:16-26), and to glorify Christ (John 16:14).
  4. The primary special functions of the Holy Spirit within the plan of God are in three categories.
    • Pre-salvation ministry (John 16:8-11).
    • Salvation ministry (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
    • Post-salvation ministry (John 16:14 Galatians 5:16-6:1; John 14:26).
  5. Some of the special functions that the Holy Spirit does include
    • Convincing the unbeliever (John 16:8-11).
    • Regeneration (John 3:6-7).
    • Sealing (Ephesians 1:13).
    • Teaching (John 14:26).
    • Filling or enabling the believer to live the Christian way of life (Galatians 5:16, 26); Ephesians 5:18).
    • Producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).