Defining God

TBC Glassboro Sermons and More · Defining God

Many attempt to define God according to their expectations of who or what God should or could be.  As such, God has been defined as the eternal mind, the first ground of all being, and the absolute substance.  Any attempt to define God according to manmade ideas or expectations is fallacious at best.  

The Westminster Larger Catechism states that, “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.”1

Louis Berkhof states that God is, “…absolute, unchangeable and infinite in His knowledge and wisdom, His goodness and love, His grace and mercy, His righteousness and holiness.”2

Scripture says that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. 

• This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. - John 17:3

Furthermore, God is a spirit and no one has seen the Father at any time.  

• God is spirit… - John 4:24
• No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4:12

However, Jesus has seen the Father.  

• Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. - John 6:46

In fact, He is the exact image of God.  

• He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. - Colossians 1:15

Jesus told the disciples that, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).  Therefore, search what the Scripture says about Jesus, and God will be defined.

ENDNOTES:

1. The Westminster Larger Catechism: With Scripture Proofs. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).
   
2. L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 56.