Day 23: Who is the One True God?
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God…
Everything begins with God. “In the beginning God…” is the first words we hear in the Bible. In the beginning, God is active. In the beginning, God moves, speaks, creates. In the beginning of everything else, God has always been.
Psalm 90:1-2
Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation.
Before the mountains were born,
before You gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity,
You are God.
Before there was anything else, there was God. He was not created. He is not bound by time. God is eternal—He did not begin and He has no end; He simply is. It is easy to get caught up in all the ways that God is not like us, but it is more important to understand the ways He IS like us. Or more maybe better said, the ways we are like Him. In this study we are going to consider what it means to know God personally. God is a person and He desires to be known in that way. We are convinced that our greatness need in this area is to know that God knows us and is concerned about us.
We could talk about God’s omnipotence (He is all-powerful), or His omniscience (He knows all things), or His omnipresence (He is everywhere at the same time). These are all good things to know and understand, but what really need to know is that God cares about us. He could be all powerful, know all things and be everywhere, but if He did not care for us, knowing these things would not help us much.
There is only One True God.
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
In the verses above, we are told that “God is one.” The word “one” here implies a couple of different truths. The first is that the God who revealed Himself to and through the people of Israel was the One True God who was to be the object of their devotion and worship alone. So we hear that they (and we) are to love God completely.
The word “one” also carries the idea that the One True God is unique–there is no one or nothing else like Him. There is only One God in essence or“substance.” In Isaiah we hear, “I am the LORD, and there is no other, there is no God but Me…” [Isaiah 45:5]. Now there are many “false gods” or idols present in our world. Some are man-made, some are demonic, but there is only One True God, the One who created us all.
The One God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit.
Now we get to what may be the greatest mystery in all the Bible. The early Christians used the term Trinity to name the mystery of the One God who exists as Father, Son, and Spirit. Although you will not find the term “Trinity” in the Bible, it is helpful.
The reality of the Trinity is not something that you and I will ever be able to comprehend, to get our minds around. You can, however, know and understand the importance and significance of the Trinity. There is a difference between knowing and comprehending. This is the way we should approach the Trinity.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are hints of the Trinity. As we have already heard in Genesis 1:26, the Lord-God says, “Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness…” Who is the “us” in this passage? Based on what we have revealed in the Greek Scriptures, we cannot help but see a hint at the Trinity here. Although this is not conclusive proof, it is an interesting reference. The full ideas that give us the concept of the Trinity would not be fully revealed until Jesus.
Remember the instructions that Jesus gives to the Eleven he chose to be his emissaries or apostles:
Matthew 28:19
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,…”
Baptism is a way of identifying new believers with the One True God and welcoming them into the fellowship with the other members of His family. Here Jesus’ followers will be identified and welcomed into the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit. We also hear:
2 Corinthians 13:13
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Paul often uses the general title “God” to refer to the Father. As you move through the New Testament, you will see references to the Father, Son, and Spirit linked together in several key passages like the ones above. They all point to the reality that the One God exists as Father, Son, and Spirit.
Don’t get too hung up on the One in Three concept now. If you want to pursue this further, there is a discussion of the significance of the Trinity here.
For now, we want you to think about this: God the Father works in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is going to be a major thread of our thinking throughout this study. Commit this to memory. Think about this carefully.
The truth of the Trinity is vitally important to our Master Story of Life because it reveals that God has always existed in relationship. God IS love because the Father, Son, and Spirit have always loved one another. God is also faithful because the Father, Son, and Spirit work together, unified, intent on always doing what is True, Good, and Glorious. Without the reality of the Trinity, nothing else in the Christian faith would have a secure foundation.
What are the major points that stuck out to you today? Why?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
