GOD’S ACTIONS PROCEED FROM HIS CHARACTER

In the Topics so far, we’ve seen God only from the standpoint of how he functions (his trinity). This is as limiting as trying to understand a person solely by observing what he does without regard to why he does it.

The Bible says God is a divine PERSON. Therefore, convictions, feelings and motivations lie behind his actions. To really understand God, we need to inquire about his personal character.

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ‘DOING’ AND ‘BEING’

The Bible reveals two dimensions to God: One dimension is what he does, the other is who he is. One dimension is FUNCTION, the other is CHARACTER.

It’s the distinction between doing and being. Since we’re made in the image of God, we understand this concept because the same distinction can be made of us. A person’s visible doing always proceeds from that person’s invisible being.

For an accurate concept of God, we need to understand both his FUNCTION and his CHARACTER. Topics 40-45 tell us about his function (how he works as a trinity) and Topics 46-50 tell us about his character (why he does certain things). The better we understand God, the easier it is for us to place our faith in him.

GOD’S CHARACTER: HOLY, JUST AND LOVE

From study of the Bible, we discover that God has three dominant and inter-locking attributes: He’s HOLY... he’s JUST... he’s LOVE. All three parts of his trinity have these attributes.

When we comprehend the attributes, we know not only what God DOES but also who God IS. Then we can better understand the purpose behind his actions.

WE MOVE NOW FROM TECHNICAL TO PRACTICAL

We can learn something about a man by observing the house he built. We can learn considerably more by reading his correspondence. But we learn most by meeting him personally and living with him.

It’s the same with God. Observing his universe gives us some information... reading the Bible gives us more... but knowing him personally gives the greatest understanding.

All of the Topics so far in this resource have been somewhat technical – about God’s existence... spiritual design... people’s beliefs... Bible evidence... Bible summary... and trinity function.

All of this is interesting and important, but now we come to the heart of Christianity: God’s CHARACTER – the essence of who he is, the explanation for what he does, and the kind of help he offers.

GOD IS THE SOLUTION TO PERSONAL PROBLEMS

Throughout history people have been saying that God, somehow, is the solution to our problems. That kind of thinking seems to be built right into us.

Yet for all the religious activity in the world, simple observation shows that very few people find much solution in God. That must be either because God is remote, indifferent and/or weak or because most people don’t really know him.

The inquiry in the remainder of this site is to discover whether or not God can, and will, help a person in practical ways. It’s one thing to believe in God – to know that he exists somewhere in outer space – and something quite different to have a relationship with him that has personal daily benefit.

THERE’S ONLY ONE GOD, BUT HE HAS MANY NAMES

In referring to God, we use dozens of different names, titles and terms. Some of the most common names are shown below, but many other names are also used; such as Creator, Jehovah, Lamb of God, Messiah and Word. All of these names are found in the Bible.

This use of interchangeable names is confusing to many people. Why not keep it simple and just call him God?

The reason for different names is because, at various times in our thoughts and conversations, we want to focus attention on a particular aspect of God. By using a different name we can convey a different shade of meaning, as explained below.

There’s only one God, even though he’s called by many names. We can use his names interchangeably, depending upon our focus.

‘HOLY SPIRIT’ IS PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH GOD

The Holy Spirit is the part of God’s trinity that connects with our human spirit (see Topics 7-8). This gives Christians a personal relationship with God and a supernatural power for daily living.

The power is not because of a mysterious flow of energy but because God enters the life of a Christian as his or her personal counselor. (Jesus used the names ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘Counselor’ interchangeably.) The practical result of good counsel is wisdom, strength, success, confidence and happiness.

The Holy Spirit gives spiritual counsel: how to have inner peace in the midst of trouble; how to develop good character; how to overcome worry, depression, loneliness and boredom; how to optimize physical health; how to help others; etc. The Holy Spirit is the constant inner divine presence, making a person complete, providing new and better motivations, and making it possible to live a good life with little self-effort.

Because this counsel, when heeded, promotes a happy and healthy life, there are practical benefits which result, such as greater success on the job and better relationships with family and friends. However, because the counsel is holy, it’s not available for selfish motives of physical or ego gratification.

WHY GOD CALLS PART OF HIS TRINITY ‘HOLY SPIRIT’

God chose spirit as the best word to describe a basic part of his trinity and a basic part of our trinity. The Greek word for spirit literally means ‘wind’ or ‘breath.’ Our modern translation of the word means ‘an incorporeal life principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling and action.’

When a person opens his spirit to the Holy Spirit, he has the breath of God within him. The spirit-part of trinity is a life-directing worship and communication between God and man.

The Bible uses the term ‘Holy Spirit’ – or simply ‘Spirit’ with a capital ‘S’ – when referring to God’s trinity. The Bible uses the word ‘spirit’ with a small ‘s’ when referring to man’s trinity. The meaning of the word ‘Holy’ is explained in Topic 47.

The Holy Spirit IS God – not a force or influence. Therefore, the Holy Spirit should be referred to as ‘he’ rather than ‘it.’

Jesus told his disciples that after his death and resurrection they would receive the Holy Spirit... God IN us, not just AMONG us! Various terms are used in the Bible to describe this inner presence of God in the life of a Christian, including ‘gift of the Holy Spirit’, ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’, and ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’.

Before a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit is outside his life. Even from the outside, however, a person can often ‘hear’ the Holy Spirit convicting him of sin, telling him of his need for Jesus Christ, and pleading to be invited in. People are miserable when they resist the Holy Spirit and reject Jesus Christ. In fact, this is the worst possible sin, and it’s the only sin that’s absolutely fatal (see Topic 6).

After a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit is inside his life. A person still has free will and therefore may choose at times, and to degrees, to tune out the counsel of the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls this ‘grieving’ or ‘quenching’ the Holy Spirit. A person doesn’t cease being a Christian because he does this, but he loses spiritual energy and vitality. Fortunately, God forgives easily and a good relationship can be re-established quickly (see Topic 75).

God within is different from the concept most people have of God. Most people think of him only as God in heaven – remote and distant – because they don’t understand the trinity and don’t know him personally.

TRINITY MAKES PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP POSSIBLE

The trinity design – God’s trinity and our trinity – is what makes it possible for infinite God to have a personal relationship with finite man.

If God were only the Father, we could enjoy his creation but we couldn’t know him.

If God were just Father and Son, we could have better understanding and forgiveness of sin, but we still wouldn’t really know him.

But because God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the full trinity – we can enjoy his creation, understand him, have forgiveness of sin and know him personally!

GOD NAMED PARTS OF THE TRINITY HIMSELF

There are three parts to God’s trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These are not names theologians have given to the trinity. These are the names God gave himself and uses throughout the Bible.

Of all the words and phrases God could have used, it’s significant that he chose these names as the best words to communicate to us what he’s like. It’s reasonable to expect that these words hold within them depths of meaning which will help us understand him.

Of all the words God could have used to describe the soul-part (mind/will/emotion) of his trinity, he chose the word ‘Father.’ The deep meaning of this word is explained in this Topic 42.

Of all the words God could have used to describe the body-part of his trinity, he chose the word ‘Son.’ The deep meaning of that word is explained in Topic 43.

Of all the words God could have used to describe the spirit-part of his trinity, he chose the word ‘holy’ to modify the word ‘spirit.’ The deep meaning of the words ‘Holy Spirit’ is explained in Topic 44.

EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THE ‘FATHER’

The Bible says that every person has intuitive knowledge of the supernatural. God the Father is the supreme God of the universe, generally recognized and acknowledged by people everywhere.

He’s our designer, creator and sustainer. He established the physical and spiritual laws by which we live and die.

Everyone knows he’s ‘out there,’ but without understanding the trinity, as explained in the Bible, no one can really know him.

WHY GOD CALLS PART OF HIS TRINITY ‘FATHER’

A dominant theme throughout the Bible is that, by personal choice, we can become a member of God’s family. The family of God is not all mankind, but rather only those people who receive spiritual life by believing in his Son.

The Bible portrays a family concept with God as father and true Christians as adopted sons and daughters. In a traditional model family, the father is the wise authority who provides safety, comfort and love. This gives a picture of the intimate relationship we can have with God who, without the human imagery, we might otherwise view as too mighty and remote to care about us personally.

‘Father’ is a concept men, women and children everywhere can understand, regardless of time or culture. It’s God’s illustration to make something very profound become very simple and personal.

To further explain it – and to demonstrate it – God uses the family concept of ‘Son’ as the means of revealing himself when he came to earth in a human body. Without this family picture, we could easily get lost in cold, academic theology.

The concept of father also has within it these ideas:

• life comes from the father
• children have essential characteristics of the father
• father gives good counsel but can’t force his wishes on children who, with independent free will, decide to go another direction
• father has infinite love and patience and will always forgive, accept and help a son or daughter who sincerely repents of mistakes
• father works to make his family safe and happy

‘FATHER’ IS SELF-EXISTING AND SELF-SUFFICIENT

The Bible says that God the Father has always existed and will always exist. His existence doesn’t depend upon anything else.

This concept is impossible for us to comprehend, and it illustrates limitations of the human mind. (The atheist’s view – that at one time something self-started from nothing and grows to intricate complexity without any plan – is equally mind-boggling.) A fact is not any less a fact just because we can’t understand it.

‘FATHER’ TRANSCENDS HUMAN LIMITATIONS

God the Father is infinite (not subject to any limitations). Unlike us, he’s not limited in time, place, knowledge or power.

TIME / eternal. The ‘Father’ has no beginning and no ending; therefore we say he’s eternal. He’s the timeless God who chose to reveal himself to us in time only because it’s the only dimension we know.

PLACE / omnipresent. The ‘Father’ is everywhere at once; therefore we say he’s omnipresent. It’s impossible to hide from him.

KNOWLEDGE / omniscient. The ‘Father’ knows everything; therefore we say he’s omniscient. He knows the future as well as the past. We can’t fool him because he knows everything we are and everything we do.

POWER / omnipotent. The ‘Father’ is all-powerful and therefore we say he’s omnipotent. He can do anything, but he doesn’t violate his own character or break his promises.

Even though God the Father is infinite, he’s able to meet us, because of his trinity – in a very human and practical way – through the Son and Holy Spirit, explained in Topics 43 and 44.

TRINITY IS THE WAY GOD BECOMES PERSONAL

Every religion has its own god or gods (see Topics 10-15). With few exceptions, the gods of the religions of the world are remote and impersonal. They’re high and mighty and don’t relate with ordinary people. They demand worship and sacrifice, and keep score, but they don’t have time or ability to get involved in the details of individual lives.

It’s important to know that the God of the Bible – the real God – is a personal God. He knows and cares about individual people! This is his distinguishing characteristic.

In fact, because God is personal, Christianity is more than a religion. It’s a new kind of life.

In order for God to have a personal relationship with us, one of two things must happen:

Man must rise up to the level of God

OR

God must come down to the level of man

Otherwise, we could only observe God’s creation, and stand in awe of him, but we could never know him personally.

God chose to come down to man, through his trinity. The trinity design is the interface between things human and things divine. The trinity design is what makes God personal.

Some people think God is so high and mighty that there’s no way anyone can comprehend him or his ways, and therefore they don’t even try to know him. These people don’t understand the role of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, or the primary message of the Bible.

The trinity is not some bizarre notion without understandable purpose. It’s a highly practical way to bridge the gap between man and God.

Each part of the trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is explained in Topics 42-49.

TRINITY IS A FUNCTIONAL HIERARCHY

God has organized himself in a way that makes his trinity appear to us as a functional hierarchy, in this order:

• FATHER – in charge of the entire universe
• SON – in charge of all mankind
• HOLY SPIRIT – in charge of individual people (who believe the Son)

How he appears to us depends upon what he’s doing from our perspective at any particular moment.

When we think of the God who created the universe and established physical and spiritual laws, we think of God the Father.

When we think of God coming to earth in human form, teaching and demonstrating, and paying the penalty for our sins, we think of God the Son.

When we think of God providing personal direction and strength for daily living, we think of God the Holy Spirit.

From our perspective, the Father seems most important, and thus higher in the hierarchy, because of his awesome power and all-encompassing scope of activity. But we identify with the Son because he came to our level and in love sacrificed his life for us. However, for daily living, we relate moment-by-moment with the Holy Spirit because he’s our inner presence and practical help.

OUR OWN TRINITY HELPS US UNDERSTAND

We can understand the trinity nature of God, at least a little, because man too has a trinity nature (though less developed than God’s). Our soul (mind/will/emotion), with limitless possibilities, is in overall control; our body performs practical tasks; and our spirit communicates at a level deeper than words.

Because of our trinity nature, a person is able to engage in different kinds of relationships, which might even make him look like different persons, depending upon what he’s doing at the moment of someone else’s perception. For example:

• A man is president of a giant corpor­ation, and he does spectacular work in directing R&D, controlling manufactur­ing and conducting world­wide marketing. But he comes home and sits at the table for family dinner. And in the evening, he puts his child on his lap and listens and talks about simple things from the child’s world.
• To his business associates, he’s the lofty executive with the strong mind and will, affecting the lives of everyone in the company.
• To his wife and children, he’s the loving and caring head of the family, meeting practical needs.
• To his child on his lap, he’s just ‘daddy’ in a wonderful love and trust relationship.

Similarly, at any moment, God may appear high or low on the trinity hierarchy – near or far – depending upon our focus of what he’s doing for us. He’s one God, but he works in different ways at different levels.

GOD’S TRINITY IS HIGHER ORDER THAN MAN’S TRINITY

The comparison of God’s trinity to man’s trinity is only to help convey the idea of it. Of course, God has a much higher form of trinity than we do.

His mind is vastly superior, capable of designing a universe. His will is vastly superior, capable of willing things into existence. His emotion is vastly superior, causing him to make personal relationships the highest priority of his creation.

His body (Jesus Christ) is vastly superior, capable of rising from the dead and passing through closed doors.

His spirit is vastly superior, capable of maintaining millions of personal contacts simultaneously.

Our human minds are incapable of comprehending the mystery of God’s trinity and superiority, but he’s told us enough in the Bible to convey the basic concept.

ONE GOD, BUT THREE MODES OF EXISTENCE

The word ‘trinity’ doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. The Bible speaks only of God – one God – but uses many words and names to describe him (see Topic 44). The Bible does say, however, that God functions in the following three modes of existence (which theologians call ‘trinity’):

MODE 1. God is the pre-existing, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present creator and sustainer of the universe. For this broad understanding of God, the Bible uses the word ‘Father’ (see Topics 42 and 45).

MODE 2. God (part of him) came to earth for a brief time in a human body (Jesus Christ) so that, by using human speech and demonstrations of practical love, mankind could learn about God’s plans and purposes. Also, in this human mode, he provided the once-for-all ultimate sacrifice for mankind. In this mode, the Bible refers to him as the ‘Son of God’ and the ‘Son of man,’ or simply the ‘Son’ (see Topics 43 and 45).

MODE 3. God (part of him) has a personal and intimate relationship with every individual who confesses sin and accepts Jesus Christ as savior. In this relational mode, the Bible refers to him as the ‘Holy Spirit’ (see Topics 44-45).

Even though he functions in three different modes, he’s still ONE GOD. (And, for all we know, he may function in still other modes we don’t know about and can’t comprehend.)