There is one and only one living and true God. He
is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer,
Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other
perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct
personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His
creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the
purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is
Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus
Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly
revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and
necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind
yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in
His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His
disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He
ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is
the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose
Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in
power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write
the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He
exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He
calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian
character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they
serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final
redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring
the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and
empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Courtesy of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention
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