Who or what is God?

The Uniqueness and Nature of God

God is presented in Scripture as completely unique, self-existent, and eternal. As written, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), revealing His existence before all things and His power to bring all reality into being. He declares, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), underscoring His self-sufficiency and uniqueness. No other entity is credited with such authority or nature.

God’s eternal quality is emphasized in statements like “From everlasting to everlasting You are God” (Psalm 90:2), showing that He is unbounded by time. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One,” stressing that there is no multiplicity of gods but a singular personal God.

Attributes of Sovereignty, Holiness, and Love

Biblical teaching clarifies that God is sovereign over everything. Daniel 4:35 explains that “He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth.” This sovereignty demonstrates His ultimate rulership and authority to govern creation.

His holiness sets Him wholly apart from all impurity. Isaiah’s vision includes the seraphim crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Holiness here indicates moral purity, uniqueness, and complete distinction from anything fallen or corrupted.

The Scriptures also highlight God’s love as a defining attribute. "`God is love`" (1 John 4:8). Nowhere is this more evident than in His redemptive plan. John 3:16 describes, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,” making it clear that love is central to His nature and actions.

The Triune Existence

While there is one God, the consistent witness of the Bible describes three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John 10:30 records Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one,” illustrating unity of essence with distinction of person. Matthew 28:19 gives the command to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” indicating a single name yet three persons.

In Genesis 1:26, the plural expression “Let Us make man in Our image” points toward a unified plurality. While fully one God, He reveals Himself distinctly as the Father, who sent the Son; the Son, who redeems; and the Holy Spirit, who dwells within believers (John 14:26). Each person equally possesses the full nature of God, sharing eternal existence and divine attributes.

God as Creator and Sustainer

Genesis 1:1 captures the foundational act of creation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That existence has order, design, and clear purpose is upheld in numerous biblical passages (e.g., Psalm 19:1) and finds confirmation in scientific fields where complexity and fine-tuning of the universe continue to be major topics of discussion.

Physical evidence in geology, such as sedimentary rock patterns and complex fossil records, points to intricate processes that many view as consistent with an ordered and intelligently designed creation. Outside documents, like historical flood accounts in multiple civilizations, resonate with the biblical record of a worldwide cataclysmic event (Genesis 6–9).

God’s Revelation Through Scripture

God is described as speaking through His prophets (Hebrews 1:1) and ultimately through the Messiah. The Bible consistently verifies itself across centuries, cultures, and languages. Thousands of ancient manuscripts attest to its preservation and reliability. Key archaeological discoveries, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, confirm the textual consistency of the Hebrew Scriptures long before modern times. The same is true for the New Testament, which is represented by an abundance of manuscript copies far exceeding those of other ancient writings.

As the final authority, Scripture explains that God reveals His character and purposes across the entire narrative. It serves as a record of His covenants, commandments, promises, and redemptive plan, tying each era together with striking coherence.

God’s Relational Aspect with Humanity

Scripture portrays God as intensely personal—He walks with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8), He calls Abraham by name (Genesis 12:1), He speaks to Moses face to face (Exodus 33:11), and He sends prophets to guide His people. In the New Testament, the personal nature reaches its pinnacle with the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

The purpose of this relationship is fellowship and redemption. God pursues humanity, desiring worship that stems from genuine love and trust, ultimately culminating in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Prayer, communion, and worship are biblical means of connecting with this personal God, who invites humanity into a restored relationship through faith.

God’s Eternal Plan of Salvation

From the earliest chapters, Scripture reveals that God had a plan to redeem humanity. This is foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15 and developed throughout the covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. The outworking of God’s plan is fully realized in Jesus Christ, who, though He is fully God, took on human form.

His resurrection stands as a historical event attested by multiple lines of evidence, including eyewitness accounts documented in the Gospels, letters of Paul (1 Corinthians 15), and the rapid expansion of the early church. Extra-biblical sources from the first and second centuries—notably from Tacitus and Josephus—further corroborate the existence of Christ and the radical belief in His resurrection among early believers.

Philosophical and Scientific Support for God’s Existence

Argumentation for a supreme being has long existed in philosophical circles. The existence of moral absolutes, the intricacies of biological systems, and the fine-tuning of universal constants hint at an intelligent designer. Many find these areas supportive of the biblical discourse that God’s “invisible qualities…have been clearly seen since the creation of the world” (Romans 1:20).

Observational sciences that detect complexity on every level—from the impossibly small coding in DNA to the vastness of cosmic structures—often stimulate questions about purpose and cause. These questions echo Scripture’s claim that the universe is a deliberate creation.

Conclusion

God is presented biblically as the eternal, self-revealing Creator, distinct and holy, yet profoundly personal. He exists outside of time, yet enters human affairs to guide and ultimately redeem. He is one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—offering humanity the chance to know Him intimately. The testimony of Scripture, history, reason, and an intricately designed creation all converge around the reality that God is incomparable in power, holiness, and love, actively seeking fellowship with those He has created.