What Is God?

Q. 4. What is God?

A. God is a Spirit,(1) infinite,(2) eternal,(3) and unchangeable,(4) in his being,(5) wisdom,(6) power,(7) holiness,(8) justice, goodness, and truth.(9)

(1) John 4:24.

(2) Job 11:7-9.

(3) Ps. 90:2.

(4) James 1:17.

(5) Exod. 3:14.

(6) Ps. 147:5.

(7) Rev. 4:8.

(8) Rev. 15:4.

(9) Exod. 34:6-7.

How does one define the God of the Bible of whom the Scriptures principally teach what we are to believe? Such a task is both daunting, yet simple; that latter description is used by design. God is pure spirit and as such has no parts like any other creature does. He is a spirit who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Notice that God is described here by the Westminster Divines by what He is not (indeed He cannot be these things). He is not finite, has neither beginning nor end, and does not ever change. The Westminster Divines, following Scripture, describe God for us by means of what He is not. Simply put, God is not like us for we are finite in time, space, knowledge, thought. Every human being that has ever lived had a beginning. Every human being grows and it may be better to describe us as “human becomings.” God does not grow, does not get weary, does not learn, etc. These three descriptions of God have sometimes been called His incommunicable attributes, i.e., no other created thing can be infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Only God has these characteristics and in this sense is wholly other than the rest of creation.

The remaining attributes listed in the answer is not exhaustive, at least not obviously as expressed. For example, some have wondered how God’s attribute of love could have been forgotten, but careful consideration will lead to the conclusion that God’s love is actually subsumed under God’s goodness. Be that as it may, the rest of these attributes as given by the Westminster Divines have sometimes been called His communicable attributes because men and women are made in God’s image and thereby reflect these attributes in some way. However, though man as originally created does indeed have being (existence), wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, he does not and cannot possess these attributes infinitely, eternally, and unchangeably. Man had a beginning whereas God does not (that tense change is deliberate!); man learns and grows in wisdom, whereas God knows all, determines all, and as such there is nothing that God will ever learn. We could continue, but the point is clear. Why is this important? Everything else in theology flows from this truth. Everything. It is this God (and no other) that we glorify and enjoy forever. It is this God alone who is able to save sinners such as ourselves by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.