Hmmm...God, eh?

This is a personal creed on God I was required to write for my theology class a few weeks ago. We were instructed to communicate our beliefs on God and incorporate the reading and class lectures. AND it had to be only one page, INSANE I know...haha. I wasn't very happy with the grade, but that doesn't make any of it less true! Hope you enjoy :)

I believe:

In one God (Deut 4:35, Isa 45:5) who displays himself in three distinct but unified persons, who are each fully God, represented within the Trinity as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Gen 1:26, John 1:1-4). God exists, is eternal and self-sufficient (Isa 45:5, 46:9). God reveals Himself to us in an intimate setting through His incommunicable attributes. God is so other than myself that it is impossible to know God, His thoughts, and characteristics in their entirety (Ps. 147:5, 1 Cor. 2:10-11). God allows me to gain knowledge of His character and attributes at a finite level, although He is infinite (Deut 29:29, 2 Peter 1:2-3). He is self-sufficient and does not need creation to survive. He does not need any other being or form to amplify His tremendous glory (Ex 3:14, Acts 17:24-25).

God is constant; He never changes or portrays Himself as anything conflicting with His character. He never makes the wrong decision, goes back on His word or acts unjustly; He is steadfast in all His ways (Malachi 3:6). God does not exist within time constraints even though He willingly places Himself within the realm of time in order to have relationships with us. He was present since before there was time and therefore is not bound by it (Rev. 1:8, Psalm 90:2). Just as God is not restricted by time, He is also free from the constraints of size, space and location. He is at all places at all times. God is not at all compromising Himself by being omnipresent, but instead His greatness is magnified (Psalm 139:7-10). In all these things God is unified. He does not compartmentalize His nature into separate areas or circumstances. He is not contradictory or lacking in any area (2 Cor. 1:19-20).

God relates to us on a human level through His communicable attributes which we have in common with Him. God is without sin and is therefore pure and holy, and worthy of all praise (Isa 6:3). Not only is God holy, but He is sovereign and has the ability and power to complete His perfect will. God’s sovereignty is a core attribute that ties all His other attributes together (Job 42:1, Eph 1:11). The knowledge of God is the perfect and driving force behind His holiness and sovereignty. God’s wisdom is consistently true and unwavering. In no stretch of the imagination could we even begin to describe or determine God infinite intellect (Heb 4:13, Dan 2:20). God encompasses everything that is beautiful. He is perfection and a reflection of everything beauty should exude (Psalm 27:4).

The heart of God seems conflicted because it is loving, just and full of wrath. However, His divine love covers us and that love was beautifully expressed when God sent Christ, His son, to become love incarnate for us (1 John 4:9-10). The contradiction of love and wrath is never a dilemma with God. He is flawless in His ability to possess great love and great fury for His people (Ex 34:5-7). In the midst of anger and wrath, God is also merciful and gracious. He is complete in faithfulness and forgiveness to the point of brimming over. He never makes a mistake about when to extend mercy or forgiveness (Num 23:19). God’s grace is limitless and properly distributed and He bestows grace on those who both do and do not deserve it (Rom 11:6). God’s thirst for righteousness and justice is unquenchable. He is the standard to which all humanity must measure up and He will not rest until that goal is met (Rom 3:25-26). The one attribute of God that ties them all together is jealousy. God is jealous for glory to be shown to Him and for our full attention to be on Him as we respond in obedience to His will (Ex 34:14). God’s attributes are all encompassing of His character and cannot operate without one another