This article is not intended as a theological statement about God. Instead, it is a brief description of what I believe about God. Where available, links will be provided to detailed articles.
God Exists
I believe that God exists, that he is the creator of this universe, and is separate from it. I know of no convincing proof for the existence of God and do not even believe such proof is possible since it would negate faith (Heb. 11:6). But I do hold that it is more rational to believe that the universe we inhabit was created than to believe it is the result of random chance.
I believe that God has life and personhood. God is not the cosmic force of Star Wars or the impersonal energizing spirit of the universe as in many of the Eastern religions. Rather, God is a person, with life in himself and able to communicate with his creation. In Exodus 3:13-14, Moses asked God for his name, and God responded with, “I am.” God has a personal name, a name that indicates he has life in and of himself. And, as a person, he is able to talk with Moses.
I believe that God is not like me in any appreciable way. Consequently, he would be unknowable to us without his choice to reveal himself. It is common to picture God as like us, only bigger, stronger, and smarter. But I believe this image of God takes away from his mystery and majesty.
The Nature of God
I believe that God is triune, one essence with three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While the Bible does not explicitly teach the doctrine of the Trinity, it is implicitly implied throughout the pages of the New Testament. The three persons of the Trinity are ontologically equal, although the Son and Holy Spirit are functionally submissive to the Father in the work of redemption. All three are eternal, uncreated, and share a single essence
I believe that God is infinite. The immensity and complexity of creation indicate to me that God is powerful and intelligent beyond my imagination. Scripture also bears witness that God is omnipotent (Matt. 19:26), omniscient (Heb. 4:13), and omnipresent both in time (Ps. 90:1-2) and space (Jer. 23:23-24).
I believe that God is immanent; he is active within his creation. God is not the god of deism, one who created the universe and then turned his attention elsewhere, or who is incapable of interacting with his creation. Jesus’ life on earth and the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the life of believers are both vivid demonstrations of God’s immanence.
Some Attributes of God
I believe that God is love. 1 John 4:16 says that “God is love.” Love is not some external standard that God is judged against. Rather he is love; he is the standard against which all others should be compared. God’s love is most clearly seen in Jesus’ sacrifice for us: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10 NIV).
I believe that God is good. In response to Jesus being addressed as a “good teacher,” he responded with, “’ Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered, ‘No one is good—except God alone’” (Luke 18:19 NIV). God alone is truly good both in the moral sense and in the quality of his personhood. And so, I believe it is totally inappropriate for me to question the rightness of any of God’s actions; he alone is good, and I am not capable of judging him.
I believe that God will judge sin and unrepentant humanity. It is easy to fall into the mistake of seeing the God of the Old Testament as being wrathful while the God of the New Testament is loving. But they are the same God, and the New Testament itself is filled with references to the wrath of God. Paul, for instance, says that “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people” (Rom. 1:18 NIV). God’s wrath is reserved for those who reject his call and persist in living apart from him.
