Avoiding Heresy: A Quick Introduction To The Biblical God
As finite individuals, we can never fully understand the nature of God. That should not stop us from meditating on who he is and what he has done, however. Additionally, to safeguard against heresy, we should seek to use proper biblical language concerning God. Proper language creates appropriate boundaries within which we can wade endlessly and richly for the purposes of devotional worship. That is the aim of this article.
What is the scriptural identity of God? In short, the answer is the triune God (or the “Trinity”). Some people do not like this word and they are correct in their most basic criticism; the divine title “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. The term, however, is consistent with what we read about God in his Word and thus will be used here. Continuing on, the Bible marks off and identifies for us who God is by putting him in divine terms that cannot apply to humans (apart from Jesus, who will be discussed later). God is the creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1). He is not simply a maker, or someone who rearranges material from what is already available. He made the universe ex nihilo.
He is a complex one, in that his oneness is not as simple as an individual human’s. The Bible discusses his Wisdom (Proverbs 8) and his Spirit (Genesis 1:2). His attributes include his eternality (Isaiah 40:28), his omnipotence (Genesis 18:14), his immutability (Malachi 3:6), and his perfect character (Psalm 18:30). He is a relational being; he has disclosed himself to humanity through general and divine revelation (Romans 2:19-20). While that passage specifically discusses general revelation, God also communicates with humanity through theophanies, his prophets, the written Word, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-18). He loves his creation (John 3:16). Due to his perfect character, he judges his creation (Psalm 75:7).
God is intimately involved with the redemption of his creation (Genesis 3:15-Revelation 22). He created humans in his image, and he is slowly sanctifying Christians to return unmarred to this image (Genesis 1:26, 2 Corinthians 3:18). It is his desire that all humans should be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
As noted above, Christians have explained God historically in terms of a Trinity. While everything contained in the previous paragraphs is true, God’s complex oneness makes things unique. The first person in the Trinity is the Father, and he is one with the second person of the Trinity, the Son (John 10:30). The Son is equal to the Father and submits to him (John 14:28). The third part of the Trinity is God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:4).
In Scripture, all three are shown together in Matthew’s account of the baptism of Jesus Christ (4:16-17). The Son and Holy Spirit have all the attributes of God the Father. The Son submits to the Father (“not as I will, but as you will” Matthew 26:39 ESV). He is the firstborn of creation; this is inheritance language, meaning that everything that is the Father’s is the Son’s (Colossians 1:15). He shares eternal glory with the Father (John 17:5). Together they created the world (Colossians 1:16).
The Holy Spirit is sent to Christians in the name of the Son (John 14:26). Some have doubted the Holy Spirit’s divinity throughout history. The Holy Spirit has the same titles and functions as the other persons of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit cannot teach believers in all things unless he is omniscient (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is eternal (Genesis 1:2). The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, which only God can do (Romans 8:11). The Holy Spirit seals Christians and is the assurance of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is necessary for wisdom and divine revelation (Ephesians 1:17).
All of this (along with many other passages of Scripture that could not be mentioned) needs to be balanced in the complex oneness of God. There are three separate persons, and they have different roles. It would be incorrect to say that the Holy Spirit died on the cross, for example. However, these three separate persons are one being. God sent God to be incarnated, while God was given to us as assurance of salvation once God ascended into heaven. That is a confusing sentence and should not be used without being theologically more precise. God did all of those things, as three persons in one being.
With these descriptions in mind, a biblically-minded Christian can guard against heresy. One particular heresy, Arianism, states that God the Son is of a different substance than God the Father. The Son may be above humanity, or supernatural, but he is not the same being as God the Father. He was created.
This is false because scripture details the Son’s eternality (Hebrews 7:3, Revelation 1:8). He was not created, and he is one with the Father (John 10:30). He is the “exact imprint” of God (Romans 1:3 ESV). He is morally perfect and holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). He is the fullness of deity in physical form (Colossians 2:9).
Another heresy is Sabellianism, or modalism. At a single point in time, God is either the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. There is one being, and he is one of three persons at a time.
The Bible refutes this in several ways. Whenever two or three persons of the Trinity are present at a single time, this is evidence against modalism. Jesus’ baptism is the best example. The Transfiguration is another example (Matthew 17:1-6). The Great Commission speaks of the three persons separately (Matthew 28:18-20). There is the divine vision Daniel had in chapter 7. God mentions himself in the plural in Genesis 1:26. The different roles of the persons are detailed in verses such as Acts 2:33 and John 14:26.
Biblical orthodoxy preserves the truth. It is appropriate to use the word “one.” It is also permissible to discuss roles and persons separately. The one is complex and equal, but also submissive. The three are unique, but united. God is a Trinity.