God

Humans can give no definitive definition of God. They can only have an idea of God, which is construed by theology and understood by human experience. Therefore, we say that God is the supreme, immortal and eternal, unchangeable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, loving Being.

The Old Testament uses several words to convey the idea of God. The first and one of the most common is _’Elohim_ (Gen. 1:1). This word introduces the notion of superiority and can be found either by itself or qualified with words like _Elion_ (the highest), _Shadday_ (almighty) and _tsebha’oth_ (of host). The fact that God is supreme is announced by a mere look at the words used to convey the idea of God.

Being a plural, the word _’Elohim_ also introduces a notion of plurality, indicating more that two divine beings. In fact, the scriptures attribute the act of creation to three different personalities: (i) the Father (1 Cor. 8:6), (ii) the Son (John 1:3; Col. 1:16,17) and (iii) the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Ps. 104:30). The first mention of creation attributes the creative action to the Godhead as a whole, using the word _’Elohim_ (Gen. 1:1,26).

The New Testament states that this triune God is the only immortal being in the universe (1 Tim. 6:16). There was no beginning and there is no end to God (Ps. 90:2). The Supreme Being is eternal.

God’s eternity also implies His unchangeability because time cannot affect One who is not dependant in time. His own statement is "For I am the LORD, I change not." (Mal. 3:6)

As God is not limited by time He is also not limited by space. Not only does He have the ownership of space, because He created everything (Deut. 10:14), but biblical texts like Jeremiah 23:23,24 and Psalm 139:7-10 clearly show that God is everywhere present.

Both Old and New Testament agree about God’s omniscience. Job’s friend Elihu speaks about God’s perfection in knowledge (Job. 37:16) and John says that God knows everything (1 John 3:20). God, then, fully knows Himself and every one of His created beings.

Jeremiah (32:17) answers the rhetorical question presented in Genesis (18:14) with a statement that conveys the idea of God’s omnipotence. The New Testament uses the attribute _pantocrator_ (equal to the Hebrew _Shadday_, both meaning "almighty") to suggest the possession of all power and authority (2 Cor. 6:18; Rev. 1:8).

That God is a loving Being can be seen in all His actions towards man. Creation is the first act of love from God to man. Sustaining the lives of many in a sinful world is an act of love that can be seen on a daily basis. Nevertheless, the greatest and most wonderful act of God’s love is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune God (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8).