God
The Triune God is a mystery:
- There is only one God: Deut 4:39; Psalms 86:10; Isa 44:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 21, 22; 46:9; 1 Cor 8:4; Eph 4:6; 1 Tim 1:17; 2:5
- God is Triune: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit: Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor 13:13
- Mystery of mysteries: Gen 1:26; Isa 6:8; 9:6; John 1:1; 2 Cor 3:17; Heb 1:8-9; Rev 1:4; 4:5; 5:6
God is eternally Triune:
- The Father is God: 1 Pet 1:2; Eph 1:17
- The Son is God: Heb 1:8; John 1:1; Rom 9:5
- The Spirit is God: Acts 5:3-4
- The Father is eternal: Isa 9:6
- The Son is eternal: Heb 1:12; 7:3
- The Spirit is eternal: Heb 9:14
- All three co-exist simultaneously and not in stages or modes: Gen 1:26; Matt 3:16-17; John 1:1; 14:16-17; 17:5; 1 Cor 12:4-6; 2 Cor 13:13; Eph 3:14-17; Heb 9:14; Rev 1:4-5
- All three co-inhere and are not separate: John 1:1; 10:30; 14:10-11; 17:21; 1 Cor 15:45b; Col 2:9
The Son is the embodiment of the Triune God:
- The Son is God: Isa 9:6; Matt 1:21, 23; John 1:1; 20:28; Rom 9:5; Phil 2:6; Heb 1:8
- The Son is the Father: Isa 9:6; John 10:30; 14:7-11; 1 John 2:22-23
- The incarnation of the Son is from the Holy Spirit: Matt 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35
- The Son came from/with the Father: John 1:14; 6:46; 8:16, 29; 16:27, 32; 1 John 2:23
- The Son is the Spirit: John 14:16-20; 1 Cor 15:45; 2 Cor 3:17-18
- All fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in the Son: Col 1:19; 2:9
The Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God:
- God is Spirit: John 4:24
- The Spirit is sent by the Father and by the Son, and come from/with the Father: John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26
- The Spirit comes in the name of the Son: John 14:26; cf 1 Cor 12:3; John 5:43; 10:30; 2 Cor 3:17
- The Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God: John 7:37-39; Acts 16:6-7; Rom 8:9; Phil 1:19
The essential and economical Trinity:
- In His essence, life, and being, God is eternally one
- In His economy, God is Triune. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit have, each one, a distinct function (Eph 1:3-14) . The Father planned, the Son accomplished, and the Spirit applied all to us
- The selection and predestination from the Father – God’s eternal purpose (Eph 1:1-6)
- The redemption from the Son – the consummation of God’s eternal purpose (Eph 1:7-12)
- The sealing and the pledge from the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)
The co-inherence of the Triune God with the believers:
- The Triune God is in us – Eph 4:6; 2 Cor 13:5; Gal 2:20; Rom 8:9-11; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; Col 1:27; John 14:17; 1 John 2:23
- We are in the Triune God – Matt 28:19; John 14:3; 10, 20; John 17:21; Rom 8:1; 1 Cor 1:30; 1 Cor 12:13; 2 Cor 5:17; Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27; 1 John 5:20
- Living in this co-inherence – John 15:4; 1 John 2:24; 3:24; 4:13, 16; Eph 4:30
God is
- Invisible – John 4:24 (God is spirit); 1 Tim. 6:16 (whom no man has seen nor can see)
- Personal – Jer. 10:6ff.; 1 Thess. 1:9 (a living and true God)
- Omnipresent – 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:23-24
- Eternal – Ps. 90:2; 1 Tim. 6:16 (who alone possesses immortality)
- Dependent on none – Act 17:25
- Unchanging – Mal. 3:6; Jas 1:17 (with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow)
- Truthful – Num. 23:19; John 17:17; Tit. 1:2
- Trustworthy – Deut. 32:4; 1 Cor. 1:9
- Almighty – Gen. 17:1; Rev. 15:3
- Sovereign – Deut. 32:39; Dan. 4:35; Eph. 1:11; 1 Tim 6:15
- Omniscient – Heb. 4:13
- Righteous – Ps. 145:17; Nah. 1:2-8
- Holy – Ps. 5:4-6; Isa. 6:3; Rev. 15:4
- Good – Ps. 25:8; Nah. 1:7
- Loving – John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 2:4
- Merciful – Luke 6:36; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 2:4
- Long-suffering – Num. 14:18; 2 Pet. 3:9
- Gracious – Ex. 34:6-7; Neh. 9:31; Jonah 4:2; Eph. 1:6
- Love – 1 John 4:8, 16
- Light – 1 John 1:5