What is God? - Before we can proclaim and explain our belief in God we must first
attempt to explain the concept of God. The concept of God first originates from the
logical realization that this world does not have it's own beginning and end. There must
be another being from which all things come from, a source of all. God is this ultimate
source. Although much of our faith depends on Sacred Revelation, we can determine the
following about God from philosophy and reason
God is eternal - In order for something to exist, something must have created it. Yet if
God is the source of all things, He cannot be created. Therefore, there cannot be a time
when He did not exist. There will never be a time when God will not exist.
God is unchangeable - In order for something to change, it must be subject to change by
an outside force. Yet God is the source of all things and therefore the source of all
change. He himself cannot be changed, for to say so would be to say that another force
has power over Him and thus make God less than God. This is why the doctrine of
pantheism is incorrect. It is the belief that all things are God. This would mean that
God is constantly changing To say so is to subject God to change and thus make God not
God.(This is obviously a logical fallacy)
God is Perfect - All things come from something greater. A smart student must learn
what they know from a teacher. A big rock must come from a bigger rock. A strong
smell must come from a stronger smell. This means that God is Perfect in all things. He
is bigger than the biggest! He is stronger than the strongest! He has the greatest
knowledge and the strongest aroma! God's power is infinite, it has no limit.
God is One - God is one in His being and substance. To create a plural God is to divide
the source of all. It would deny God's perfection and eternity. For to say that there are
many God's must mean that one God is more powerful than the other or to say that one
God is the source of another and thus deny the fact that they are God. The ultimate
source is the source of everything. There cannot be a contradiction in God.
God is Simple - In order for something to be complicated, in must be made up of many
simpler mechanisms or functions. Yet God who is the source of all, eternal and without
source cannot be made of something else. He must be completely simple in his being.
God is Personified - Although we know that God is three persons through divine
revelation, we can at least determine that God Has some sort of personification by His
very nature. Some religions see God as a spontaneous "force" or "being", not as persons.
However this belief denies God's perfection. In Nature there are different levels of self
consciousness among created beings. Animals have a certain level of understanding,
intellect and will. The human mind and will surpasses that of the Animals. If God is
perfect, his person, or self consciousness, intellect and will must surpass that of the
human. God must be a Person or persons simply be reason. (Through Sacred Revelation,
we know that God is three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
Understanding the Trinity - Enough with Philosophy, lets get onto revealed truth! We as
Christians through the revelation of Christ and guidance of the Holy Spirit believe that
God is One divine being and substance in Three unique persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. They are One in their being which means that each is equally fully God. They are
not separate God's, but each shares equally in the ONE divine nature. "The Father is that
which the Son is, The Son is that which the Father is, The Holy Spirit is that which the
Father and Son are" (Council of Florence) The three persons are not representations or
personifications of certain functions of God, but each is a real and distinct person. "The
Father is not He who is the Son, The Son is not he who is the Father, the Spirit is not He
who is the Son or the Father" (Council of Florence). The distinction of the Three persons
arises from both their relation and origin. To explain this, I must return to Philosophy.
A neat Philosophical explanation of the Trinity - The Trinity, originates from God the
Father. Being God is absolute and perfect in Himself, He is also perfect in his
self-consciousness or self-knowledge. His knowledge of Himself is so perfect that it
itself is God, the divine Word, Jesus. Being God is also perfect in Love, which means self
giving. The Father completely Loves the Son, and The Son Completely Loves the Father.
Their Love for each other is so perfect that it itself becomes another person, The Holy
Spirit.
Back to Trinity - God's Unity is such that the Trinity is always at work together. You
cannot separate the Father from the Son, or the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son.
When you pray to the Father, you are also praying the Son and the Holy Spirit(and Vice -
Versa) The entire Trinity is involved in every work each person does. The World was
created By the entire trinity. The same goes for our salvation. The only difference is the
role each of the persons play. It is done By the Father, Through the Son, and In the Holy
Spirit.
That's all for this. Each Person of the Trinity will be discussed individually further on in
the creed.
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