Of God and of the Holy Trinity, II:1

There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

The Confession, just as the Bible itself, does not set out to prove the existence of God, for the evidence of this is all around us although not all acknowledge it (Romans 1). Rather, the Bible is more concerned with who God is, what he is like, and how he has interacted with mankind. Perhaps the most important truth about God, apart from that he exists, is that he is one and there is no other (Isaiah 45:18 ff). The central theme of Old Testament faith is the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4, confirmed in the New Testament--see 1 Corinthians 8). The Bible, like God himself, is emphatic on this point.

After establishing that God is and that he is one, the Confession moves to a description of what God is like. This is a valuable paragraph that can profitably be committed to memory. Keeping in mind the character of God, especially his goodness, justice, holiness, and love, can be immensely helpful whenever studying other aspects of theology. Matters that pose difficulties, such as election and hell, can frequently be resolved by remembering the perfect character of God.

God is a higher order of being, "infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit." That God is a pure spirit distinguishes him form man (a spiritual-physical unity) and the animals (pure physicality); that he is infinite distinguishes him from angels, both holy and fallen, for they are finite. Related to this is the incomprehensibility of God. Although he may be known as he chooses to reveal himself and thereby is in many ways apprehensible, no creature may comprehend him in his entirety (Psalm 139:6; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; Romans 11:33). God transcends his creation.

There is no one like God (Isaiah 46:8-10). While men and angels may reflect in part the characteristics of God, no other possesses his attributes to the same degree or extent or perfection. He is absolutely unique. He is God, and there is no other.

There are so many statements about God in this section of the Confession that it is easy to read right past them. But we should pause to consider what it means that God is "most free" and that he works all things according to his own holy counsel. This is a subject we will return to in subsequent chapters of the Confession such as chapter III, but it is worth pointing out that our natural human tendency is to desire our own freedom at the cost of God's freedom and this tendency runs smack into the biblical emphasis on the absolute freedom of God. God does what God wishes according to God's character, all to God's glory.

Wayne Grudem has said, "God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval" (page 197 of his Systematic Theology; compare this to Psalm 34:8, Luke 18:19, Genesis 1:31). He is light, and in him is no darkness at all. No one is better than God. He is the best. This characteristic is closely related to many of the others listed in this section of the Confession; they mesh together. Indeed, it is proper to say because of the simplicity of God that he is good in his wisdom, justice, holiness, power, etc.; he is wise in this goodness, justice, holiness, power, etc.; he is just in his goodness, wisdom, holiness, power, etc.; and so on. And all this immutably, immensely, and eternally.

And, in some senses most importantly to us humans, God is a just and merciful judge. The implied answer to Abraham's question in Genesis 18:25--shall not the Judge of all the earth do right--is "of course." No one is better positioned than God to render perfect judgments. He is everywhere and sees everything; nothing escapes his notice; he knows exactly the right thing to do in all circumstances. And he is merciful, abounding in grace toward his fallen creatures. We have much cause for gratitude in this truth, and how much we take it for granted. Yet we should also have much fear, for this perfect Judge will also not clear the guilty. In whom shall we find refuge?

Tomorrow: God's aseity.