The Trinity.
Because we are humans and are mostly restricted in our communication by our language, we find it hard to find a word for a singular Being Who exists in three Persons. There aren’t any other beings like Him, so we think of the word “God” as singular with the understanding the singular Being is plural in Persons.
We have the same problem with describing animals. Because an animal is female, we call it “she.” Using the pronoun makes us think the animal is a person when they aren’t. They are conscious and some animals can even make decisions, dream, etc. There may well be a soul in the animal, but it is not a person, a self-aware being. It doesn’t think about what it’s thinking about so far as we can tell.
Because we are limited by our language, we almost universally think “Father” when the word “God” is used. We’re wrong when we do that. When we read “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” we think the Father did it. Scripture shows all three Persons of the Trinity were involved. The Father is the Creator (Isa 64:8). The Son is Creator (Col. 1:15-17). The Holy Spirit is Creator (Job 33:4). Yet God is the Creator (Gen. 1:1).
All three Persons of the godhead were also active in the resurrection of Christ. The Father raised Jesus (Gal. 1:1). Jesus raised His own body (John 2:18-22). The Holy Spirit raised Jesus (Rom. 8:11). And, God raised Jesus (Rom. 10:9).
Each Person is identified as God individually. The Father is God (John 6:27). The Son is God (Titus 2:13). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Yet there is only one God (Isa. 44:6)
So, God is not singular as our singular pronouns describe Him and as He often is described in Scripture, He is a singular being existing in three Persons.
The term “God” is even used by God to distinguish more than one Person. In Amos 4:11, God overthrows Sodom with fire from the Lord in heaven. God was in a physical form at the time talking with Abraham (Genesis 18-19). In Isa. 44:6, two Persons are identified as YHWH, the divine name. In Hebrews 1:8 God calls Jesus God.
So, we see from Scripture God is a singular Being but plural in Personages. God is therefore a communal Being Who likes fellowship. He shows that in existing in three Persons who interact and in His desire to fellowship with us, His creation.
God is what we call omnibenevolent. He is infinitely good. As such all that He says and does is good as well. There’s an old question you may have heard: “Does God say something because it’s good, or is it good because God says it?” The answer is that it’s good because God says it. He is by nature the ultimate objective standard of morality, of goodness, so if He says it, it’s good.
God is truth. We know this because truth does not contradict itself. God is not contrary to science. Science points to His creation, to the order He placed in the universe, to the wonders and beauty the universe contains. He has exposed Himself to us in His creation and in His Word. We can learn much about Him by looking at what He has done and said.
We can learn much from God by listening to how He wants us to behave. He is humble (Phil. 2:5-8), so He wants us to be humble. He is love, so He wants us to love all peoples. They are all those for whom Christ died.
Why is this important?
By definition, our faith is centered around God and Who He is. If we have a wrong concept of God, we are wrong enough to be lost. As the song says, “Our God is an Awesome God.” He is the greatest we can imagine and then some.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 