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II. God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual,
and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.
God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest
love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division
of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures,
and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.
He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those
who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His
attitude toward all men.
Gen. 1:1; 2:7; Ex. 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11 ff.; 20:1 ff.; Lev. 22:2; Deut. 6:4;
32:6;
1 Chron. 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isa. 43:3, 15; 64:8; Jer. 10:10; 17:13; Matt. 6:9
ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7;
Rom. 8:14-15; 1 Cor. 8:6; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6;
12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was
conceived
of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did
the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature
and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the
divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision
for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified
body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His
crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God
where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in
whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return
in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Gen. 18:1 ff.; Psalm 2:7 ff.; 110:1 ff.; Isa. 7:14; 53; Matt. 1:18-23; 3:17;
8:29;
11:27; 14:33; 16:16, 27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6, 19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41;
22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18, 29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,
28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9; 2:22- 24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5, 20; Rom. 1:3-4;
3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3, 34; 10:4; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2 Cor.
5:19- 21; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; 2:9;
1 Thess. 4:14-18; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28;
9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; l3:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15;
5:9; 2 John 7-9; Rev. 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write
the
Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts
Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to
the Saviour, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts
believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His
church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in
the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness
of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church
in worship, evangelism, and service.
Gen. 1:2; Judg. 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; 139:7 ff.; Isa. 61:1-3; Joel
2:28-32;
Matt. 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10, 12; Luke 1:35; 4:1, 18-19;
11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,
38; 4:3l; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17, 39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11,
14-16, 26-27; 1 Cor. 2:10- 14; 3:16; 12:3-11; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thess. 5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:14; 3:16; Heb. 9:8, 14; 2 Peter 1:21;
1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Rev. 1:10; 22:17
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