The True God - Independence Baptist Church

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WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONE, AND ONLY ONE LIVING AND TRUE GOD, AN INFINITE, INTELLIGENT SPIRIT, WHOSE NAME IS JEHOVAH, THE MAKER AND SUPREME RULER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. INEXPRESSIBLY GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS, AND WORTHY OF ALL POSSIBLE HONOR, CONFIDENCE, AND LOVE: THAT IN THE UNITY OF THE GODHEAD THERE ARE THREE PERSONS, THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST: EQUAL IN EVERY DIVINE PERFECTION, AND EXECUTING DISTINCT BUT HARMONIOUS OFFICES IN THE GREAT WORK OF REDEMPTION.

I. “We Believe That There Is One, And Only One Living And True God, An Infinite, Intelligent Spirit, Whose Name Is Jehovah, The Maker And Supreme Ruler Of Heaven And Earth.”

A. Psalms 90:2 – “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” God is from “everlasting (eternity past) to everlasting (eternity forward).

B. God is the One Eternal Spirit – John 4:24 “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”

C. God can be everywhere at one time and cannot be divided nor added to.

D. Psalms 147:5 – “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Our God is infinite. This cannot be said of any mere man.

1. The word “infinite” means “subject to no limitation or external determination, extending indefinitely, ENDLESS, INEXHAUSTIBLE, extending or lying beyond any pre-assigned value however large.”

2. Man in “finite” which simply means the opposite of infinite. “Having definite or definable limits, having a limited nature or existence.”

E. The name “God” in the Bible always has reference to Him as the Make and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created heaven and earth.”

1. Revelation 4:11 – “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Since God is creator He is supreme over all His creation. .

2. If there is one bigger and greater than God then we should worship that one, but there is none other God but the true God.

F. The name “JEHOVAH or LORD. (Notice this name is spelled with all letters capitalized) means, “TO BE”, I am the Sovereign, self-sufficient, self-existent, Almighty, Eternal, never-changing, always the same and everything you need God who reveals Himself to His chosen people. He is “the promise-keeping God.” Exodus 3:14 compare Exodus 6:6.

1. There are other names whereby is known in the Bible, but this one is used exclusively of the True and Living God. The other names are sometimes used of created things.

2. “God”, “Supreme Creator” may be known to all kinds of people both saved and lost.

3. “JEHOVAH” is known and recognized as to what this name means by a chosen people alone.

G. Those who recognize Jesus through faith as everything they need are saved and can claim all the promises of god through Him.

H. Other Scriptures that teach this to be true.

1. Psalms 83:18 – “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

2. Hebrews 3:4 – “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.”

3. Romans 1:20 – “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

4. Jeremiah 10:10 – “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

II. “Inexpressibly Glorious In Holiness, And Worthy Of All Possible Honor, Confidence, And Love”

A. Exodus 15:11 states “Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

B. Mark 12:30 declares “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all they strength: this is the first commandment.”

1. God cannot sin, but does have mercy upon sinners through His Son Jesus.

2. Since God cannot and will not sin He can be trusted in everything.

III. “That In The Unity Of The Godhead There Are Three Persons, The Father, The Son, And The Holy Ghost: Equal In Every Divine Perfection, And Executing Distinct But Harmonious Offices In The Great Work Of Redemption.”

A. This is beyond man’s explanation but the Bible teaches us that our God is a Triune God. Three persons yet only one God.

B. These three persons are equal to each other and there is no division in God’s nature or being. Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and My Father are One.”

C. Ephesians 2:18 “For through Him (The Son) we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

D. The Spirit of God the Father reveals Jesus the Son as Savior of sinners by applying the Word of God to the heart and soul of the sinner in order to save them; no one is saved apart from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

E. We cannot see God because He is a Spirit, but He is revealed to man in Christ Jesus.

1. John 1:18 states “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.”

2. Colossians 2:9 declares “For in Him (JESUS) should all fulness dwell.”

F. Other scriptures that teach this to be true:

1. Matthew 18:19 – “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

2. John 15:26 – “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

3. I Corinthians 12:4-6 – “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.”

4. John 5:17 – “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

5. John 14:23 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

6. John 17:5 – “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

7. Acts 5:3-4 – “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

8. I Corinthians 2:10-11 – “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

9. Philippians 2:5-6 – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

10. II Corinthians 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

11. Revelation 1:4-5 – “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

God

I. God is the everlasting God.

A. Psalms 14:1, the fool has said, there is no God.

B. Some of the attributes of God.

1. Infinity of God – There is no limit to God.

2. Trinity of God – God is revealed to mankind in three forms: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

3. Omnipresence of God – God is always present in all places. There is no place God is not present.

4. Independence of God – God is the only truly independent being in all eternity.

5. Immutability of God – God never changes.

6. Omniscience of God – God’s knowledge is limitless.

7. Foreknowledge of God – God is able, not only to foreknow future events, but also to control all future events.

8. Power of God – God’s power is limitless.

9. Grace of God – Grace is unmerited favor, therefore, all we receive is completely undeserved on our part.

10. Mercy of God – God looks with favor on those that are guilty.

11. Faithfulness of God – God will keep all his promises.

12. Wisdom of God – God is able to work all circumstances for our good and his glory.

13. Love of God – God is love. It is not that God loves, but God is the very essence of love.

14. Wrath of God – God’s anger and judgment toward wickedness is entirely right and good with no fault at all.

15. Will of God – God’s desire for all his creation.

16. Sovereignty of God –There is no king but God, as revealed in the holy trinity.

17. Patience of God – God is longsuffering toward sin, as his plan will be accomplished in the end.

18. Holiness of God – God is perfect in holiness with no sin, and no ability to sin.

19. Silence of God – God is a silent God as far as revelation today, but he will come in the clouds and call his saints to him.

II. God is the creator.

A. Ps. 19:1-4 – Nature declares there is a God. “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,”

B. Ps. 139:14 – Our bodies declare the existence of God. Note the eyes, ears, the smelling, the tasting and feeling. (We are fearfully and wonderfully made.)

1. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

2. Science can tell us how flesh can see, hear, smell, taste and feel, but science can’t tell us why flesh can see, hear, smell, taste and feel.

C. Col. 1:17 – “… by him all things consist…”

III. There is a trinity in the eternal Godhead.

A. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (or Ghost).

1. Matthew 28:18-20

2. I Peter 1:2 – The three works done in salvation.

3. I John 5:7,8 – The trinity explained – left out of NIV.

B. The Work of God the Father.

1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry.

a. Ephesians 4:7-12 – God puts the various officers is the church for the edification of each church member.

C. The work of God the Son.

1. Philippians 2:6 – We believe that Jesus was with God before the worlds began. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.

a. Isaiah 7:14 – the miracle of God will be the Christ child born from a virgin.

b. Luke 1:35 – The angel came to Mary, explaining she will be overshadowed with the Holy Ghost, and will conceive and bear a child.

3. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.

a. Acts 2:18-36 – Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost.

b. Romans 3:24-25 – Christ has redeemed us from the slave market of sin.

4. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.

a. Acts 1:9-10 – Jesus returns to heaven.

b. Romans 8:34 – Christ has died and is now on the right hand of the father, making intercession for us.

c. Acts 7:56 – Stephen say Jesus standing on the right hand of his father.

d. Revelation 12:10 – Satan is accusing us before God right now, but Jesus is our constant advocate.

D. The work of the Holy Spirit.

1. We believe the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the whole world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling and sealing all true believers unto the day of redemption.

a. Romans 1:20-21 – Men refuse to listen to the “inner voice” of God as he reveals himself to them, therefore they refuse to listen to anything else God says.

2. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine teacher who assists believers to understand and appreciate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit.

a. I John 2:27 – We have no need for anybody to teach us, but the Holy Spirit teaches us.

b. Pray and study – God will reveal all we need to know.

3. We believe the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit We believe the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. We believe that “speaking in tongues” was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit.

a. I Corinthians 12-14 – an explanation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

b. Galatians 5:22 – the fruit of the spirit is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, so forth.