The Larger Catechism

Question 7: What is God?

Answer: God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

"God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth"

John 4:24

This is the first attempt in the Catechism to describe God in terms of his attributes -- his distinctive properties which set him off against all other beings. It brings us to the heart of theology, which is concerned with the being and nature of God.

It is common for theologians to 'classify' these attributes and to divide them broadly into attributes which God alone possesses (such as infinity and omnipresence), and those which are reflected in his creatures (such as love and goodness). The former are sometimes described as 'incommunicable' or 'immanent' or 'absolute'. The latter are sometimes described as 'communicable' or 'emanent' or 'relative'. The problem with such classification is more than the use of words -- it is that discussion of the nature of God can easily descend into an abstract philosophical description. It is doubtful whether that reflects the Bible's own usage, where God is more frequently described in personal terms. The imagery of the Bible (describing God as king, husband or shepherd) provides us with a theology which is powerfully dramatic and affective.

The Catechism and the Confession do not engage in a discussion of these classifications, but they do run the risk of simply listing adjectives and thereby losing the personal aspect of God's being and nature.

The first point to note is the emphasis here on the spiritual nature of God.

It is Jesus who tells us that God is a spirit (John 4:24), which at the very least means that he has no body, and is therefore free from the restraints and constraints of bodily existence. But it must mean more than that. It is a reminder to us that God is ONE (a point which will be further made in the next question of the Catechism) and that God is PERSON. However we define personality in this sense, we need to remember that God has feelings, emotions and affections. The God of the Bible is able to engage with, and respond to, the circumstances of his creation and of his church.

Of course Jesus goes further in John 4, and reminds us that the nature of God is the first step to a proper understanding of the worship of God: we cannot worship him aright unless we understand what God is. "Those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth". Our worship, therefore, cannot be acceptable to God unless our understanding of God is biblically based and biblically focussed.

The second point to note is the use of negatives and superlatives in this description.

Language is inadequate to describe the being of God. Yet God, as the Catechism has already reminded us, has accommodated himself to the constraints of words and to the language of men. But even as we respond to God's self-revelation we are constrained to do two things: to use negatives (because it is easier to describe God in terms of what he is not) and to use superlatives (because God is the sum and apex of all perfection). Thus, for example, we speak of God as being 'infinite' (= not finite) and 'incomprehensible' (= not comprehensible), and each negative is a confession that we are dealing here with mystery and with knowledge beyond anything which reason is capable of grasping. God is unapproachable not because he dwells in darkness (although that image is used in Scripture, e.g. in Exodus 19:9; Psalm 97:2) but precisely because he dwells in light (1 Timothy 6:16). His glory is always beyond the reach of our senses and of our understanding, yet is neither senseless nor irrational.

We also use superlatives -- God is 'most' holy, wise, merciful and gracious -- the sum of all perfection. He lacks no perfection, and excels in every perfection. Our use of them is a recognition of the difference there is between Creator and creature, between God and the world. He is beyond us and above us in all his moral attributes.

Thirdly, we are reminded that what God has, God is.

By this I mean that God is not simply the sum of his attributes. These are not parts or segments, which, having put them all together, give us eventually the God of the Bible. These attributes interpenetrate each other -- infinity, holiness, being, glory, blessedness are all perfections which can be attributed to God at any and every moment. Any one of them is a defining statement about the God of the Bible.

So, let's just note what the Catechism says, and define each of these terms:

'in and of himself' -- is often referred to as 'autotheotic', and means that God owes his deity to none. He is self-sufficient and self-originating. The life that there is in God is of God and from God. He is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14).

'infinite in being' -- infinity means 'unbounded', and refers to both time and space, neither of which can set any limits to the being of God.

'glory' -- is a word used of God often. The Hebrew word 'cabhod' really means 'heaviness' or 'weightiness'; reference to the glory of God is reference to God's weightiness. His glory was such that none could approach it, yet it is evident in all around us (Psalm 19:1). Acts 7:2 names God as 'the God of glory'.

'blessedness' -- denotes God as 'other'. He is in a category apart. For that reason we honour and worship him, and for that reason too it would be a sin to give the worship to any being which is due to God alone. He is also the source of every blessing, and of every favour which we enjoy in this world.

'perfection' -- summarises the biblical doctrine of God. He is perfect (cf. Matthew 5:48) and remains so forever. It is when we measure ourselves against that supreme standard of perfection that we see the imperfections and blemishes of our own carnal nature and fallen humanity.

'all-sufficient' -- means that God remains independent of his creation, even although he is intimately connected with it. There is also a reference here to God's power, and to the source of strength and help which we have in him.

'eternal' -- is God's infinity applied to the concept of time. We are bound by time and bound to time. But God knows no such restraints. He is the creator of time, and in the incarnation he has entered a world of time and history, but in himself he is above time, from everlasting to everlasting.

'unchangeable' -- God says in Malachi 3:6 that he does not change, therefore his people are not destroyed. This is echoed in James 1:7. If it were possible for God to change, the whole fabric of the world would be threatened. It is the fact that he remains the unchanging and unchangeable Jehovah that gives us hope in the present and hope for the future.

'incomprehensible' -- means that no-one but God can know God exhaustively. Only God knows all that there is to be known about himself. But although we cannot know everything, we can know God truly. Our knowledge is such that the more we know the more we realise how much more there is to be known, and it leaves us saying with Paul "O the depth!" (Romans 9:33).

'every where present' -- is a reference to God's infinite presence, celebrated by the psalmist in Psalm 139. God invades our space continually. There is no running from him. That is a great comfort to his children. It also reminds us of the reason why some places are precious to us in our own personal history and in our own experience -- it is because the omnipresent God revealed himself to us at these spots and at those times in a remarkable way.

'almighty' -- is a reference to God's power. God himself takes this as a personal name in the Old Testament, such as at Genesis 17:1. His power is unlimited; and the resources at God's disposal he has covenanted to his children.

'knowing all things' -- God is omniscient. He knows himself exhaustively; he knows the world exhaustively and he knows you and me exhaustively. We can hide things from others, but nothing at all from God.

'most wise' -- means that all that God does bears the hallmarks of his holy mind. He acts in accordance with his nature and with the laws by which the natural world is governed. And his wisdom is such that all that exists will work towards his ordained end and plan.

'most holy' -- is the attribute with which Isaiah was confronted in the Temple when king Uzziah died (Isaiah 6). The angels, who are themselves holy, veiled their faces in the presence of God, and they sang to one another "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts". God's holiness is his separateness, his otherness and his moral purity. He is beyond sin and stain, and remains pure in every aspect of his word and work. His holiness also affects his service and his worship. Holiness becomes his house (Psalm 93:5) and is fitting for his people.

'most just' -- means that none can accuse God of any impropriety or injustice in his dealings. When he acts in relation to his creatures he acts with strict propriety, upholding the principles of law and justice.

'most merciful and gracious' -- and in the light of the damage sin has done in our world and to our relationship with God, what a comfort this is! God has given us the Gospel of his mercy and grace, and has shown us in it that although we deserve his condemnation, he has provided a way of salvation for us.

'long-suffering' -- is a reminder to us of the patience of God. Peter equates God's long-suffering with salvation in 2 Peter 3:15. He bears long with us, although we sin daily against him.

'abundant in goodness and truth' -- in a world where both goodness and truth are in low supply. It is from God that these good things come. These words are a direct quotation from Exodus 34:6.

Any of these descriptive and attributive statements could furnish material for thought, discussion and study. Together, as words are heaped on each other in this majestic statement, they provide us with a picture of the God of the Bible, who is apart from us and yet supremely good to us. It is because of his mercy that we are not consumed. And it is the God of the Bible that speaks to us through the written word to communicate to us the salvation of his own providing in Jesus Christ.

© Iain D. Campbell 2001