Some of the seemingly most straightforward questions have proved to be the most difficult to obtain answers for. And because they are perceived to be simple, people don’t want to ask them out loud for fear of appearing too ‘silly’ or, worst-case scenario, ‘stupid.’ But if a question is important to you, it is important!
Table of Contents
No question is ever too silly to ask. However, it doesn’t help when the answers are convoluted, leaving you more confused than before you asked. These writings are designed to answer the most fundamental questions on the Christian faith; in simple, easy-to-understand explanations.
The first in this 'Keep It Simple Series' is Who is God?
One of the fundamental questions of the Christian faith and life is: Who is God? Of course, discussing God is a vast and inexhaustible topic, but we can simplify the answer to this question.
God is a title and not a name. There is one God in three distinct Persons. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, known as the “Holy Trinity” or the “Triune God.” These three Persons make up the Godhead. So how is it possible to have one God in three persons? The simple answer is that the three Persons of the Godhead are ‘ONE’ in ‘purpose’ and ‘will.’ In John 10 verse 30, Jesus declares to the people when they continue to challenge Him, “I and My Father are one.” And the Bible tells us that Jesus came to do the will of the Father - so they are one in purpose and will.
The Godhead always work as one in perfect unity. There is never a deviation from God the Father’s plan. When many people say God, they think only of God the Father; but we must remember that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God also. But not three Gods, only one God in three Persons. In that title is His deity - divine nature, that of a supreme being and is innate in all three Persons of the Godhead.
An example of two persons being classed as one is when two people get married. They remain as two distinct persons with their separate personalities, but now they are one in purpose: to love and cherish each other, respect each other and work towards a unified goal for the rest of their lives. Although this doesn’t happen as often as it should today, this is how God intended it to be.
God the Father is the source of all things, and He has many names, such as Jehovah, Yahweh, and I AM, among others. In the Old Testament, God the Father resided on the earth with humanity, guiding, teaching and nurturing us. Though Jesus was there, He had not yet been revealed to us, but the Holy Spirit was revealed as playing an active part in creation - Genesis 1 verse 2.
We cannot see God, but we know He is here and there; He is omnipresent, which is to be in all places simultaneously. He is omnipotent, which is supreme and all-powerful, and He is omniscient - knows all things. And all these attributes are found in the three Persons of the Godhead!
God is self-existing and has existed in three Persons before our time began. For clarity, though we know that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, if you refer to God the Father as God, God the Son as Jesus and God the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit, that is fine and quickly clarifies whom you are speaking to and about. But know that they are God – not Gods.
We, as Christians, obtain the fullness of the Godhead through Jesus Christ. 'See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God].' Colossians 2 verses 8-9 AMP version.
Recommended Reading
John 14 verses 9-10 – Jesus and the Father as One
Matthew 3 verses 16-17 - The Holy Trinity working in perfect unity
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Next in the series: Who is Jesus?
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