Concerning God
There is one, and only one, living and true God—the necessary and self-sufficient creator, owner, and supreme ruler of heaven and earth. He is the source, sustainer, and end of all things. He is the defining, transcendent, and absolute standard of truth, goodness, and beauty. God exists eternally in three distinguishable but inseparable persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. These three are identical and unchanging in nature and attributes, equal in power and glory, and one in essence and being. God is perfect, holy, and immutable in justice, love, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and sovereignty, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. God is sovereign over all of life and history, and knows the future certainly, exhaustively, and actually. God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind through general revelation (creation), special revelation (Scripture), and personal revelation (the person of Jesus Christ).
(Exodus 3:14; 20:2–3; Deuteronomy 6:1; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:27; Job 28:24; 37:16; Psalm 19:1; 90:2; 139:1–16; 147:5; Proverbs 15:3; 19:21; Isaiah 6:3; 14:27; 40:28; 43:13; 46:9–10; 57:15; Jeremiah 23:24; Daniel 4:35; Habakkuk 1:13; Zechariah 9:17; Matthew 3:16–17; 19:26; 28:19; John 1:1, 18; 8:58; 10:30; 14:6; 17:6; Acts 1:16; 14:16–17; 17:24–31; Romans 1:18–20; 8:38–39; 9:5; 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:4–5; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1–2; 4:13; 7:24; James 1:17; 1 Peter 1:2, 16; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 1:8; 4:8, 11; 19:6)
God the Father
God the Father is sovereign over life and history, and reigns with providential care over all Creation. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. He orders and accomplishes, for His own glory, all things that come to pass. He hears and answers prayer. He initiated salvation by sending His Son. He adopts into His family all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, thus saving them from the penalty, the power, and, eventually, the presence of sin.
(I Chronicles 29:11–13; Matthew 7:11; John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; 8:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5–9; I John 4:9–10)
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the uncreated, eternal Son of God. He came into this world, as foretold by the Scriptures, to manifest God to mankind, to offer the promised Kingdom, and to be the Redeemer of the sinful world. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus took upon Himself genuine humanity, without ceasing to be truly and fully God. In Christ’s incarnation, perfect humanity and undiminished deity were united in one person forever, without confusion of the divine and human natures.
Christ remained perfect and sinless throughout His entire life. His humanity qualified Him to be our substitute; His sinlessness qualified Him to be the perfect sacrifice sufficient to take away our sins by His substitutionary death on the cross. Jesus Christ alone is the full and complete propitiation for sin—the full satisfaction of the Father’s justice regarding sin. Because He conquered sin, death—sin’s penalty—could not hold Him; He was bodily resurrected from the dead, and physically ascended to Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as Intercessor, Advocate, and High Priest for the redeemed. His bodily resurrection and ascension give proof to the fact that His sacrificial death was fully acceptable to the Father for sin.
(Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 53:1–12; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:30–35; 24:34–39; John 1:1–2; 8:58; 10:30; 17:5; 20:11–31; Acts 2:22–24; Romans 1:4; 3:25–26; 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3, 8; 2:17–18; 4:14–15; 7:24–25; 10:1–14; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 2:1–2)
God the Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with the Father and the Son, and of the same nature and essence. He was active in Creation. He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He authors divine revelation, and He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony, and is the agent in the new birth. He seals, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and gives aid to the believer.
(Genesis 1:1–3; 2 Samuel 23:2; Psalm 139:7; Ezekiel 2:2; Matthew 22:43; 28:19; Luke 11:13; John 14:16–17, 26; 16:8–11; Acts 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 9:14; 2 Peter 1:21)
The Holy Spirit has given gifts to the church through which Christians serve one another and the world. Miraculous gifts, such as prophecy, healing, tongues, and interpretation, were temporary (being necessary before the completed New Testament was available, and serving to validate and confirm the ministry of the Apostles as the founders of the church) and are no longer given today. While God still works mightily to accomplish His purposes, these gifts are no longer given to individuals as permanent gifts for the edification of the body.
(Matthew 10:18–20; Acts 2:22; 8:6; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:1–4; Revelation 22:18–19)
Go back to the doctrinal statement.
(Exodus 3:14; 20:2–3; Deuteronomy 6:1; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:27; Job 28:24; 37:16; Psalm 19:1; 90:2; 139:1–16; 147:5; Proverbs 15:3; 19:21; Isaiah 6:3; 14:27; 40:28; 43:13; 46:9–10; 57:15; Jeremiah 23:24; Daniel 4:35; Habakkuk 1:13; Zechariah 9:17; Matthew 3:16–17; 19:26; 28:19; John 1:1, 18; 8:58; 10:30; 14:6; 17:6; Acts 1:16; 14:16–17; 17:24–31; Romans 1:18–20; 8:38–39; 9:5; 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:4–5; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1–2; 4:13; 7:24; James 1:17; 1 Peter 1:2, 16; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 1:8; 4:8, 11; 19:6)
God the Father
God the Father is sovereign over life and history, and reigns with providential care over all Creation. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. He orders and accomplishes, for His own glory, all things that come to pass. He hears and answers prayer. He initiated salvation by sending His Son. He adopts into His family all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, thus saving them from the penalty, the power, and, eventually, the presence of sin.
(I Chronicles 29:11–13; Matthew 7:11; John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; 8:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5–9; I John 4:9–10)
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the uncreated, eternal Son of God. He came into this world, as foretold by the Scriptures, to manifest God to mankind, to offer the promised Kingdom, and to be the Redeemer of the sinful world. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus took upon Himself genuine humanity, without ceasing to be truly and fully God. In Christ’s incarnation, perfect humanity and undiminished deity were united in one person forever, without confusion of the divine and human natures.
Christ remained perfect and sinless throughout His entire life. His humanity qualified Him to be our substitute; His sinlessness qualified Him to be the perfect sacrifice sufficient to take away our sins by His substitutionary death on the cross. Jesus Christ alone is the full and complete propitiation for sin—the full satisfaction of the Father’s justice regarding sin. Because He conquered sin, death—sin’s penalty—could not hold Him; He was bodily resurrected from the dead, and physically ascended to Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as Intercessor, Advocate, and High Priest for the redeemed. His bodily resurrection and ascension give proof to the fact that His sacrificial death was fully acceptable to the Father for sin.
(Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 53:1–12; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:30–35; 24:34–39; John 1:1–2; 8:58; 10:30; 17:5; 20:11–31; Acts 2:22–24; Romans 1:4; 3:25–26; 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3, 8; 2:17–18; 4:14–15; 7:24–25; 10:1–14; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 2:1–2)
God the Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with the Father and the Son, and of the same nature and essence. He was active in Creation. He restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He authors divine revelation, and He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony, and is the agent in the new birth. He seals, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and gives aid to the believer.
(Genesis 1:1–3; 2 Samuel 23:2; Psalm 139:7; Ezekiel 2:2; Matthew 22:43; 28:19; Luke 11:13; John 14:16–17, 26; 16:8–11; Acts 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 9:14; 2 Peter 1:21)
The Holy Spirit has given gifts to the church through which Christians serve one another and the world. Miraculous gifts, such as prophecy, healing, tongues, and interpretation, were temporary (being necessary before the completed New Testament was available, and serving to validate and confirm the ministry of the Apostles as the founders of the church) and are no longer given today. While God still works mightily to accomplish His purposes, these gifts are no longer given to individuals as permanent gifts for the edification of the body.
(Matthew 10:18–20; Acts 2:22; 8:6; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:1–4; Revelation 22:18–19)
Go back to the doctrinal statement.