Who is God?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God is the one eternal Creator and Sustainer of all things who made the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1–2). He is the self-existent “I AM,” without beginning or end (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 90:2). While Scripture affirms that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29), it also reveals His Triune nature (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:22; Isaiah 6:8). This mystery is fully revealed in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Father is the source of all things who sends the Son in love (John 3:16), the Son is the eternal Word through whom all things were created and redeemed (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16; John 8:58), and the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God who gives life, indwells believers, and empowers obedience (John 14:26; Romans 8:11). God also reveals Himself as love (1 John 4:8), light (1 John 1:5), spirit (John 4:24), and an all-consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). God is not merely an idea to understand but a reality to know, worship, and walk with—and the most important question is not just who is God? but do you truly know Him?

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God is the origin of all things and the One who owns and sustains creation (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1—2). Genesis begins with God as the main character of the Bible and reveals what He does: He is the Creator: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
• God revealed Himself as "I AM" (Exodus 3:14). This means He is the self-existent, eternal, and unchanging One. God depends on nothing and no one for His existence—He simply is. By revealing Himself as “I AM,” God identifies Himself as the ultimate reality.
• Psalm 90:2 reveals that God has always been: "from everlasting to everlasting you are God."
• God also reveals Himself as the one true, eternal Creator and covenant Lord of Israel. He declares, “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).
• God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6), who enters into a covenant with His people (Genesis 17:7), delivers them from bondage (Exodus 6:6), and calls them to holiness (Leviticus 19:2) because He is holy (Isaiah 6:3) and wants His people to reflect His holiness.
• God is the sovereign, faithful, and righteous Lord who is both perfectly just and merciful, jealous for His people’s devotion, and steadfast in love (Deuteronomy 4:24, 4:31; Psalm 86:15).
• God is clearly one (Deuteronomy 6:4), yet it contains hints and patterns that point toward the fuller revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament. there are moments of plurality—such as “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26); "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil'" (Genesis 3:22); and “'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?'” (Isaiah 6:8). Further, the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, is plural in form, yet it is used with singular verbs, reflecting unity within diversity (Deuteronomy 6:4). The “Angel of the Lord” also often speaks and acts as God Himself (Genesis 16:10; Exodus 3:2–6), which many scholars understand as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. The Spirit of God is also described as distinct from God the Father, yet fully divine (Nehemiah 9:20; Isaiah 48:16).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament confirms that God is only one God (Mark 12:29).
• Yet in the New Testament, God is also revealed fully as the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the source of all things and the One who sent the Son into the world out of love (John 3:16). The Son, Jesus Christ, is God incarnate, “the Word” who “was with God” and “was God” (John 1:1), who became flesh to redeem humanity through His death and resurrection (Philippians 2:6–8). The Holy Spirit is the divine Comforter and Counselor who indwells believers and empowers them to live in obedience and truth (John 14:26; Acts 5:3–4).
• The apostle Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 8:6, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” By calling Jesus “Lord,” Paul uses a title associated with divine authority, even echoing how the Old Testament refers to God (Yahweh). Jesus is described as the one “through whom are all things,” showing His role in creation (cf. John 1:3; Colossians 1:16) and the means through whom God’s purposes are carried out. Paul does not present two gods but one unified divine reality expressed through the Father and the Son. The distinction in roles (“from” the Father, “through” the Son) shows order and relationship, not inequality in value or nature.
• The New Testament further reveals that the Father is the source of all things, the Son is the divine Word through whom creation came into being (John 1:1–3), and the Holy Spirit is the divine presence who gives life and power to believers (Romans 8:11).
• Jesus Himself identifies with the divine name of God in John 8:58, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am,” directly connecting Himself to the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. This declaration reveals that the Son shares the same eternal nature as the Father.
• God is love. 1 John 4:8 declares, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The fullest expression of God's love is seen in Jesus Christ, who gave His life for sinners (Romans 5:8).
• God is light. 1 John 1:5 states, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Here, “light” represents purity, truth, and holiness. God is morally perfect and completely free from sin or deceit. His light exposes darkness and reveals truth, guiding believers to walk in righteousness (John 3:19—21). In John 8:12, Jesus also declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• Jesus also teaches in John 4:24 that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” God is not confined to a physical form or location; He is invisible, eternal, and omnipresent. Worshiping Him “in spirit and truth” means approaching Him sincerely, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and in accordance with the truth revealed in His Word.
• Hebrews 12:29 adds another dimension of who God is by saying, “Our God is a consuming fire.” God is not only love and light but fully holy, just, righteous, and pure. As such, He is intolerant of sin. His consuming fire purifies what is holy and destroys what is evil.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Think about someone in your life who is important to you. Who are they? What are they like? How would you describe them to someone else? You can do this because you know them—you’ve spent time with them, and they’ve shaped your life in meaningful ways. But could you do the same for God?

A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” (The Knowledge of the Holy). Too often, we define God only by what He does for us, rather than who He truly is. Yet Scripture invites us deeper—not just to know His works but to know Him: His heart, character, and nature. The more clearly we see who God is, the more rightly we will trust Him, worship Him, and reflect Him in our lives.

And the more clearly we understand Him, the more clearly we understand who we are and our purpose. That is because God created you. The same God who made all of the universe uniquely made you to know Him and live for Him. He is not distant or unknowable—He has made Himself known. And He invites you to know Him not just in thought but in relationship—not just as an idea you agree with but as a God you actually walk with. Do you know Him?

UNDERSTAND

• God is the eternal Creator and self-existent “I AM” who made and sustains all things.
  
• God is one in essence yet exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect unity.
  
• God is holy, loving, and knowable yet also fully just, righteous, and holy.

REFLECT

• How would you answer the question, "Who is God?"
• How does the truth that God is knowable impact the way you live?
• How does who God is inform your understanding of who you are and your purpose?

ENGAGE

• What are some misunderstandings and misperceptions about who God is?
• How might it impact someone’s life if they actually lived as though God is present and knowable rather than distant?
• How does a person’s understanding of who God is ultimately shape how they understand identity, meaning, and purpose?