Chapter Two: God and the Holy Trinity

Living as Children of God

Who is God?

The Lord our God is the one and only living and true God; whose subsistence [= existence] is in and of himself; who is infinite in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; who is a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; who only has immortality; who dwells in the light which no man can approach; who is immutable, immense [= boundless], eternal,2incomprehensible, almighty, in every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; who works all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; who is most loving, gracious, merciful, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; who is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him; and who, at the same time, is most just and terrible [= awesome] in his judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

Deut 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Isa 45:5-7
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
1 Cor 8:4
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”
Ps 50:12
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
Acts 17:25
Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
All Footnotes

The Foundation of All

God, having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and from himself is unique in being all-sufficient, both in himself and to himself, not standing in need of any creature which he has made, nor deriving any glory from such. On the contrary, it is God who manifests his own glory in them, through them, to them and upon them. He is the only fountain of all being; from whom, through whom, and to whom all things exist and move. He has completely sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do through them, for them, or to them whatever he pleases. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and not dependent on the creature. Therefore, nothing is for him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men whatever worship, service, or obedience, they owe as creatures to the creator, and whatever else he is pleased to require from them.

Ps 119:68
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
Ps 148:13
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
John 5:26
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
Job 22:2-3
2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
Acts 17:25
Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
All Footnotes

The Trinity

In this divine and infinite being there are three persons, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. All are one in substance, power, and eternity; each having the whole divine essence, yet this essence being undivided. The Father was not derived from any other being; he was neither brought into being by, nor did he issue from any other being. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. All three are infinite, without beginning, and are therefore only one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties, and also their personal relations. This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of our communion with God, and our comfortable dependence on Him.

Matt 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
2 Cor 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
John 14:9
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
All Footnotes
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