The Word and the Nature Of God

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

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SECTION 1 – THE WORD AND THE NATURE OF GOD

Doctrines concerning the source of truth and the identity of God as the foundation for all doctrine and ministry.

  • 1.1 – The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture
  • 1.2 – The Nature of God (Trinity)
    • 1.2.1 – God the Father
    • 1.2.2 – The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
    • 1.2.3 – The Holy Spirit
  • 1.3 – Creation (as a fundamental doctrine of God's nature and authority)

 

1.1 – The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture

The Holy Scriptures, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and complete Word of God (2 Tim 3:16–17; Ps 19:7–9; Prov 30:5; Isa 55:11; Jude 3). They are the final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and life.

Scripture is not the product of human invention, but of divine revelation, when “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet 1:21). Every word is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16), pure (Ps 12:6), and preserved (Ps 119:89; Matt 5:18), making the Bible entirely trustworthy.

The Bible is sufficient as the complete and final revelation of God’s will. It requires no supplementation from tradition, experience, ecclesiastical decree, or modern prophecy (Prov 30:6; Jude 3; Rev 22:18–19). All doctrine must be tested by Scripture alone (Acts 17:11; Isa 8:20).

The Word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). It is fully adequate to lead the lost to salvation, mature the believer in righteousness, and equip the Church for every good work (2 Tim 3:17; 2 Pet 1:3–4).

Scripture is not subject to reinterpretation by culture or diminished by human tradition (Matt 15:6–9; Gal 1:8–9). It is truth (John 17:17), enduring forever (Isa 40:8; Matt 24:35), and stands as the final word on every spiritual matter (Jude 3).

Jesus Christ is the central focus and fulfillment of all Scripture. He is the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14), the promised Messiah (Luke 24:27), and the ultimate revelation of God (Heb 1:1–2). “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10), and all the Scriptures point to Him (John 5:39; Ps 40:7).





1.2 – The Nature of God (Trinity)

There is one God, eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—coequal in glory, power, and essence, yet distinct in personhood and function (Deut 6:4; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14). This phenomenon is called the Trinity: one Being, three Persons.

God is spirit (John 4:24), eternal (Ps 90:2), unchanging (Mal 3:6), holy (Isa 6:3), just (Deut 32:4), merciful (Exod 34:6–7), and sovereign over all things (Isa 46:9–10). He is the source and sustainer of life, the Creator of all that exists (Gen 1:1; Acts 17:24–25), and is perfect in knowledge, wisdom, and love (Rom 11:33; 1 John 4:8).

The Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (John 1:1; Heb 1:8), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3–4), yet God is one (Isa 45:5; 1 Cor 8:6).

Each Person of the Trinity is fully and truly God, sharing the same divine nature and attributes, but each performs unique roles in the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification (Eph 1:3–14; 1 Pet 1:2). The Father sends the Son (John 3:16), the Son accomplishes redemption (Eph 1:7), and the Spirit applies and empowers it (Titus 3:5–6).

God is not the sum of His parts, nor are the persons interchangeable. The three are one in essence, equal in glory, and unified in will (John 10:30; John 17:21). The mystery of the Trinity is a revealed truth—an essential foundation for understanding the nature of God, the gospel, and Christian worship.

 

1.2.1 – God the Father

God the Father is the first person of the Trinity—eternal, personal, and perfect in holiness, justice, and love (Isa 6:3; Deut 32:4; 1 John 4:8). He is the source of all things (1 Cor 8:6), the Author of redemption (Eph 1:3–5), and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 15:6).

The Father is Spirit (John 4:24) and cannot be seen in His fullness (1 Tim 6:16), yet He has revealed Himself through the Son (John 1:18; Heb 1:1–2). He is not impersonal or distant, but a personal being who hears prayer (Matt 6:6), knows His children (Matt 10:29–31), disciplines in love (Heb 12:6), and grants every good gift (James 1:17).

The Father sent the Son into the world—not as an act of separation, but of sovereign unity and divine love (John 3:16; Gal 4:4). In perfect fellowship with the Son and Spirit, the Father works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11). He is the One to whom the Son submits (1 Cor 15:24–28), yet not as inferior, but in functional distinction within the Godhead.

Those who are in Christ are adopted as sons of the Father (Rom 8:15–17), made heirs with Christ, and sealed by the Spirit (Eph 1:13–14). The Father is the One to whom all true worship is directed (John 4:23), and in whom all things find their origin, purpose, and end (Rom 11:36).


1.2.2 – The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and entered the world without sin, to fulfill the redemptive purpose of the Father (Matt 1:18–23; Luke 1:35; Gal 4:4–5).

As the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15) and the exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3), Jesus reveals the character, will, and glory of the Father (John 14:9). He lived a sinless life under the Law (Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22), performed miracles as signs of His divine authority (John 20:30–31), and taught with the authority of God Himself (Matt 7:28–29).

He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and bore the wrath of God in our place (Isa 53:4–6; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 3:18; John 3:36). His death was real, and His resurrection was bodily, occurring on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3–4; Luke 24:39).

By His resurrection from the dead, Jesus triumphed over sin, death, and the powers of darkness (Rom 6:9–10; Col 2:15). He ascended into heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for the saints (Acts 1:9–11; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25).

Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5), the Head of the Church (Eph 1:22–23), and the coming King who will return to judge the living and the dead (Acts 17:31; Rev 19:11–16). Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

When all things have been subjected to Him, the Son will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:24–28). This final act of redemptive order demonstrates the perfect unity and mutual glory of the Triune God.

 

 1.2.3 – The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, fully God, coequal with the Father and the Son, and sharing in the divine nature and attributes (Acts 5:3–4; 2 Cor 3:17; Heb 9:14). He is not an impersonal force, but a personal being who speaks, guides, convicts, and intercedes (John 16:13; Rom 8:26; Acts 13:2).

The Spirit was active in creation (Gen 1:2), inspiring the Scriptures (2 Pet 1:21), and empowering God’s servants throughout redemptive history (Judg 14:6; Mic 3:8). In the present age, He is the Agent of new birth (John 3:5–6), the seal of salvation (Eph 1:13–14), and the indwelling presence of God in the life of every believer (Rom 8:9–11; 1 Cor 6:19).

The Spirit convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), and draws people to Christ in accordance with the will of the Father (John 6:63; 1 Cor 2:12–14). He glorifies Christ and makes Him known (John 16:14), enabling believers to understand and walk in the truth (1 John 2:20, 27).

He distributes spiritual gifts to the Body as He wills (1 Cor 12:4–11), equips the Church for service and unity (Eph 4:3–13), and produces fruit in the lives of those who walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:22–25). The Spirit empowers believers for witness (Acts 1:8), gives boldness in persecution (Acts 4:31), and leads the Church in mission and discernment (Acts 13:2–4; Rev 2:7).

Though fully divine, the Spirit does not speak on His own initiative but reveals and applies what He hears from the Father and the Son (John 16:13–15), acting in perfect harmony within the Triune Godhead. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is uniquely severe, indicating the gravity of rejecting His testimony to Christ (Matt 12:31–32).

 

 

1.3 – Creation

God is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, through the sovereign exercise of His will and power (Gen 1:1; Neh 9:6; Col 1:16). All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him, and He upholds all creation by the word of His power (John 1:3; Rom 11:36; Heb 1:3).

The creation of the present heavens, earth, and all life as we know it was accomplished in six literal, consecutive 24-hour days, as described in Genesis 1:3–31, with God resting on the seventh (Exod 20:11; Gen 2:1–3). This work was completed in recent history, approximately 6,000 years ago, based on the genealogical and historical record of Scripture.

Creation was declared “very good” (Gen 1:31), reflecting the wisdom, beauty, and order of its Maker (Ps 104:24; Prov 3:19). Humanity was created uniquely in the likeness of God, male and female, and given dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26–28; Ps 8:3–8). Human life is sacred, purposeful, and accountable to its Creator (Acts 17:24–28; Isa 45:9–12).

God created everything out of nothing, not from pre-existing material, but by divine command (Heb 11:3; Ps 33:6–9). He is not part of creation, but eternally transcendent over it, while also intimately present within it (Isa 66:1–2; Jer 23:23–24).

All living things were created to reproduce according to their kinds, as repeatedly stated in the Genesis account (Gen 1:11–12, 21, 24–25). This stands in direct contradiction to evolutionary theories that assert life developed through gradual transformation across kinds. Scripture presents no room for theistic evolution or any form of naturalistic origin that departs from God’s direct creative acts.

The created world continues to exist and function according to God’s sovereign design and providence (Job 38; Matt 6:26–30; Col 1:17). Though corrupted by sin through the Fall (Rom 8:20–22), creation still declares the glory of God and awaits its redemption (Ps 19:1; Rom 8:21).