GOD 4

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

I believe that God is one, but has manifested Himself in three separate and distinct Persons. Hence, I believe that God is a Tri-unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the creator of all things. He is infinite and perfect, eternally existing in three equal persons, each possessing the nature of deity, as well as the characteristics of personality. He is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; John 6:27; Acts 5:3,4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:8)

The tri-unity of God, especially in the aspect of the deity of the Messiah, is a stumbling block for many.( Jewish and Gentiles alike)

An attribute of God is a characteristic or quality innate to His very nature. His various attributes are not components of His nature; each attribute describes His entire being.

I. INFINITY

God is infinite. What is meant by infinity is that God is not excluded, bounded in or limited in any way as to the existence of His presence by any material thing, form of energy, soul, spirit, thought, emotion, place, or any other thing or phenomenon in the supernatural or natural realm. 1Kings 8:27: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house which I have built?

II. PERFECTION

God is perfect. There are various words in the Old and New Covenants that are translated perfect, and they generally have the meaning of being complete and without lack or defect. (What is meant by 'perfect' when applied to believers is maturity.) Matthew 5:48: Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

II. ETERNITY

He is eternally existing. By eternity is meant the quality of existing endlessly in regards to time without interruption or limitation in the past, present and future. Psalm 90:2: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God. Deuteronomy 33:27: The eternal God is thy dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms.

IV. PERSONHOOD

God eternally exists in three equal persons. God is not a mere force though He exercises force; nor is He a pantheistic totality and unity of all that exists: He is, indeed, distinct from His creation and is a true Person: a triune Person - not a person of flesh and spirit as you and I, but a Spirit Person (John 4:24).

It is commonly held that there are three essential attributes to personhood, and God has them all:

A. INTELLECT

Intellect is the ability to think, reason and plan. Isaiah 1:18: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.

B. EMOTION

Emotion is the ability to feel affectively with one's spirit. Exodus 4:14: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses. Ephesians 4:30: And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God....

C. WILL

Will is the ability to choose a course of action. Genesis 1:3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

I would add a fourth essential attribute to personhood:

D. APPRECIABILITY

Appreciability, whether actual or potential. By appreciability I mean the ability to appreciate God and His works. Only God, holy angels and people possess appreciability. Fallen angels lost the potential to appreciate God, having been confirmed in their unholiness.

That God appreciates His work is manifestly clear: Genesis 1:31: And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Isaiah 53:10: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the desire of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

V. OMNIPRESENCE

God is omnipresent. Whereas infinity addresses the location of God's presence in terms of limitations, omnipresence addresses the location of God's presence in terms of extent. "God is everywhere present with His whole being at all times" (Dr. Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology [Chicago: Moody Press, 1981], p. 41). Psalm 139:7-10: Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand leads me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

VI. OMNIPOTENCE

He is omnipotent. By omnipotence is meant that God is infinitely powerful and able to do all things within the confines of His nature. Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Act 5:30: The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed and hanged on a tree.

Although God is powerful enough to create out of nothing and to resurrect, He is impotent in regards to anything contrary to His nature. For example, He cannot cease to be God (Deuteronomy 33:27); He cannot deny Himself (go back on His word) (2 Timothy 2:13); He is impervious to sinful temptations (James 1:13); He cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18).

VII. OMNISCIENCE

God is omniscient. Omniscience means having and being fully aware of all knowledge of all things actual and possible from the infinitesimal to the infinite in every realm at all times. Acts 15:18: All His works are known to God from eternity. Psalm 139:16: Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. Hebrews 4:13: Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

(VIII. CREATOR)

God is the creator of all things. 'Creator' is not one of God's attributes, but one of His titles. His creation of all things is an activity made possible by His attributes. God is not identical with the creation, but is distinct from it. There is the Creator and the created. God is the Creator. God existed before all else, and then He created all else. Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Colossians 1:16: For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.

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"God The Father"

1. The Father is God. Galatians 1:3: Grace to you, and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

2. The Father is a Person. He possesses intellect, emotions, and will, as can be seen in John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

a. The Father Possesses Intellect. It is plainly evident that any being who could devise a plan for the simultaneous satisfaction of justice and redemption of mankind has an intellect.

b. The Father Possesses Emotion

God's love for the world reveals that He possesses emotions.

c. The Father Possesses a Will

That He gave His only Son for the purpose of saving sinners reveals that He possesses an iron will.

"We Believe He Is Father Over All Creation,"

1 Corinthians 8:6: ... there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live.

"And Thus Its Sovereign Ruler;"

Job 9:5-7: [He] removes the mountains, shakes the earth out of its place. Speak[s] to the sun, and it does not rise; and seals up the stars.

"Father Of Israel,"

Exodus 4:22: Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born:

"Whom He Has Chosen As His Unique People;"

Deuteronomy 7:6: Jehovah your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

"Father Of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus),"

Matthew 3:17: And lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son,

in whom I am well pleased.

"Whom He Sent Into The World To Redeem Mankind"

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

"And Creation;"

Romans 8:21: That the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

"And Father Of All Who Trust In His Gracious Provision."

John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name.

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Part 2: God the Son - We believe that God the Son became flesh in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth, the promised Messiah of Israel, who was conceived of the Spirit of God and born of the Jewish virgin, Miriam (Mary). We believe in His full deity and full humanity, His sinless life, and His miracles. We believe that Messiah Yeshua arose from the dead bodily, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for believers. He will come again in glory establishing His literal Millennial kingdom on earth. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; Jeremiah 23:5,6; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:26-79; John 1:1,2,14-18)

Let's look to the Scriptures to substantiate each claim contained therein. As much as possible, we'll draw our proofs from the Tanach, the Hebrew Scriptures:

“God the Son..."

Does the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures) declare a God the Son? Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Would the great prophet Isaiah dare declare that a humanly born son would be called Mighty God and Everlasting Father (or Father of eternity) were it not so? Obviously not. It is clear, then, that Scripture declares a human God the Son. It is also clear from the son's titles and that the government shall be upon his shoulder, that this God the Son is also Messiah.

"...became flesh"

Became implies that God the Son pre-existed His human birth. Does Scripture support this? Psalm 2:6-9: 6. 'Truly it is I that have established My king upon Zion, My holy mountain.' 7. I will tell of the decree: the LORD said unto me: 'Thou art My son, this day have I begotten thee. 8. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession. 9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'

This passage is also clearly Messianic and is called by the Son a decree. The decree contains the declaration by the LORD, Thou art My son.... By this declaration, God the Father addresses the Messianic God the Son of Isaiah 9:6 as My son. So we see that the Messianic God the Son is also the Messianic Son of God. This decree of God is from eternity past, and it is from eternity past that God the Father conversed with God the Son. It is plain, then, that the Messianic God the Son pre-existed His human birth.

Indeed, Yeshua implied His pre-existence in this declaration He made to Nicodemus. John 3:13: And no one has ascended up to Heaven except He who came down from Heaven, the Son of Man who is in Heaven. If He came down from Heaven, then He pre-existed His human birth.

"I believe that God the Son became flesh in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth, the promised Messiah of Israel, who was conceived of the Spirit of God and born of the Jewish virgin, Miriam (Mary)."

The Son became flesh...

in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth,

the promised Messiah of Israel,

who was conceived of the Spirit of God

and born of the Jewish virgin, Miriam (Mary).

I'll begin with the second claim in order to lay a foundation for the others.

"...the promised Messiah of Israel,"

This most amazing and detailed prophecy of Isaiah was written 700 years before the birth of Yeshua: Isaiah 53:1-11.

1. Who has believed our report? 2. For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. 3. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4. Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people He was stricken. 9. And He put His grave with the wicked and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth 10. Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11. He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities.

Let's look at it once again, but with a little exegesis: Isaiah 53:1-11. 1. Who has believed our report? Truly, until this day, many Jews do not believe this report - but not for biblical reasons. 2. For He [Messiah] comes up before Him [God His Father] as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground [that is, as a little shoot proceeding from a tree stump. Yeshua was of David's royal line; but He was from a poor family in a nation oppressed by the Roman Empire]; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. 3. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not [His own Jewish people, incited by their leaders, rejected Him to the uttermost]. 4. Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. [The New Testament declares Yeshua's scourging and bruising: "…. And when (Pilate) had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified" (Matthew 27:26). It also clearly declares a substitutionary suffering and death for sin, as does this Isaiah passage. 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For he (God) hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."] 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. [When the Roman Governor, Pilate, interrogated Jesus, he said to Him, "Do you not hear how many things they witness against you? And He did not answer him a word, so that the governor greatly marveled" (Matthew 27:13-14).] 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation [or, who could tell His fate]? For He was cut off out of the land of the living [killed]: for the transgression of My people He was stricken. 9. And He put His grave with the wicked [Hebrew scholars Keil and Delitzch say that this phrase would be better translated, And they assigned Him His grave with sinners] and with a rich one in His death [Matthew 15:43-46 declares that a wealthy disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, buried Jesus in his own tomb]; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth [2 Corinthians 5:21: "...He... knew no sin...."] 10. Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. [This is the fulfillment of Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul."] He [Messiah] shall see His seed [His spiritual descendants], He shall prolong His days [live a prolonged life], and the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11. He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many [How can Messiah be killed and buried, and then see His future disciples, live a prolonged life, and prosper the LORD's work? There's only one possible answer: Resurrection!]; and He shall bear their iniquities.

"I believe that God the Son became flesh...

in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth, ...

who was conceived of the Spirit of God

and born of the Jewish virgin, Miriam (Mary)."

Let’s look at the scriptures that together substantiate these claims:

Luke 1:30-35.

30 And the angel said to her, Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold! You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Yeshua. 32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I do not know a man? 35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God.

Verse 31 affirms that God the Son was born in the person of Yeshua; verse 35, that He was conceived of the Spirit of God; and verses 30-31, that He would be born of... Miriam (Mary). That Mary was Jewish is brought out in verse 32 by the phrase by His father David. Verses 32 and 33 also make it plain that this Son was Messiah.

We still need to demonstrate that Miriam was a virgin and that Yeshua was of Nazareth.

Though Miriam was not named in the Tanach, a virgin birth is certainly prophesied there: Isaiah 7:14: So, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.

According to the passage, the birth of the son would be a sign, a telltale miracle, that miracle being, the virgin will conceive and shall bring forth a son. In addition, Immanuel, meaning God with Us, is expressive of His dual divine and human nature.

"...of Nazareth."

Matthew 2:23. And he came and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene".

The verse speaks of Miriam's husband, Joseph, bringing Yeshua to Nazareth.

He shall be called a Nazarene will not be found in the Tanach, but it summarizes an aspect of Yeshua's life that was prophesied in the Tanach that was, indeed, fulfilled in His life. (This method of summarizing portions of the Tanach, called "summation," is found elsewhere in the New Testament, as well.)

In Yeshua's day, residents of Nazareth were looked down upon by other Jews, and so it was with Yeshua. He was looked down upon because He was of Nazareth but, more significantly, He was rejected by His own people who also delivered Him to pagans to be crucified. As Isaiah declared, He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not (53:3). Indeed, Yeshua was a two-fold Nazarene: firstly, because . He was raised in Nazareth, and secondly, because He was despised and rejected of men because of His Messianic claims.

"I believe in His full deity and full humanity,..."

That Messiah would be simultaneously divine and human was intimated in Isaiah 7:14, which prophesied His virgin birth, and was made as plain as day in Luke 1:31, in which the angel tells Miriam, You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Yeshua.

And in verse 34: Then Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I do not know a man? 35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God."

The human virgin-born Yeshua was called that Holy One and Son of God.

Yeshua declared the same. As He was standing bodily on earth speaking with Sanhedrin member Rabbi Nicodemus, He declared, And no one has ascended up to Heaven except He who came down from Heaven, the Son of Man who is in Heaven. (John 3:13) ... the Son of Man who IS in Heaven. The Son of Man was simultaneously on earth and in heaven: fully human and fully divine.

"...His sinless life,"

The sinlessness of the prophesied Messiah's life is implicit in the Tanach. As we have seen, Isaiah 7:14 speaks of the future virgin bearing a Son named Immanuel, God with Us; and Isaiah 9:6 declares that the Son will be given names that declare His deity: Mighty God and Everlasting Father (or Father of Eternity).

That God is sinless hardly needs to be proven; but what about the man Yeshua? Let's take a look at Luke 1:35, again: And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God.

It is the flesh and blood baby of Miriam that is called that Holy One, meaning absolutely sinless in His very nature. Yeshua was not born with a sin nature, but with an absolutely holy nature, and this was accomplished by the overshadowing of God the Holy Spirit upon Miriam. And as to the actual outworking of this holy overshadowing in His life, Yeshua said to the scribes and Pharisees who had been dogging Him all of His ministry, Which of you convicts Me of sin? -(John 8:46)

"...and His miracles."

John 3:1: And there was a man of the Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 He came to Yeshua by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him."

That Yeshua did miracles was a fulfillment of Messianic prophecies in the Tanach: Isaiah 35:4: Say to those of a hasty heart, "Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the full dealing of God. He will come and save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing...."

III.

"I believe that Messiah Yeshua arose from the dead bodily,..."

1 Corinthians 15:3: ...Messiah died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures....

Among the scriptures referred to here is the prophecy of Psalm 16:10: For You will not leave My soul in hell; You will not allow Your Holy One to see bodily decay.

The Psalmist David would never refer to himself as Your Holy One, and his body has certainly undergone decay by now, three thousand years after his burial. Therefore, David could certainly not be prophesying of himself, but of the Son of David, the Messiah. He said, in essence, "The body of the Messiah, Your Holy One, would not suffer bodily decay because God would not leave My soul in hell (Sheol, the temporary abode of the dead)." In other words, "God will resurrect Me."

"ascended into heaven,..."

Act 1:9: And saying these things, as they watched, He was taken up. And a cloud received Him out of their sight. Romans 8:34: It is Messiah that died, but rather also was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

That Messiah is at the right hand of God is a fulfillment of prophecy. Psalm 110:1: ...the LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool."

David the Psalmist declared that the LORD, God the Father, said to David's Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool. Who might David's Lord be? God prophetically bids this Lord of David to ascend to His right hand of power, and also promises to place all His enemies under His feet. Who else could God be speaking to other than Messiah?

IV.

"He will come again..."

That Messiah would return to earth after His ascension is not foreign to the Tanach, either. Hosea 5:15: I will go; I will return to My place until they confess their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me diligently.

It is obvious from the context that a divine Person is speaking as it is to Him that confession of guilt will be made, and it is His face whom they, Israel, will seek. This divine Person will return to His place, that is, Heaven, and then come again. Revelation 19:11-16 tells us that He will come again...

"...in glory"

Rev 19:11-16. 11. And I saw Heaven opened. And behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12. And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself. 13. And He had been clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14. And the armies in Heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, so that with it He should strike the nations. And He will shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God. 16. And He has on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

That the personage in this passage is Messiah Yeshua is evident from verse 13, in which He is called The Word of God. Let's look at John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.

The Word of verse 1 became flesh, and dwelt among us. In other words, The Word, who had a divine pre-existence, was born a human. We've already seen Who that was: The Messianic Word of God of John 1 and Revelation 19:13: Yeshua.

"...establishing His literal Millennial kingdom on earth."

Revelation 21:4: And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away. 5 And He sitting on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

These blessings were prophesied in the Tanach. Isaiah 61:1-3. 1. The Spirit of the Lord the LORD is on Me; because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2. to preach the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3. to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

"...Millennial"

That the kingdom will last a millennium, a thousand years, is brought out in Revelation 20:4: And they lived and reigned with Messiah a thousand years.

Amen! Come, Lord Yeshua! - Revelation 22:20

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The Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) is a Person.

1. The Holy Spirit is a Person

a. The Holy Spirit Possesses Intellect. Romans 8:26: ... the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Intercession requires intellect.

b. The Holy Spirit Possesses Emotions. Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

c. The Holy Spirit Possesses a Will. Luke 2:26: And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. To actively reveal something is an act of the will.

"He possesses all the distinct attributes of deity and personality."

2. The Holy Spirit is God. Acts 13:12: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, So, then, separate Barnabas and Saul to Me for the work to which I have called them.

3. Other Points About the Holy Spirit

"He does not call attention to Himself

and is ever present to glorify and testify of Messiah Yeshua."

John 16:13-14: However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will announce it to you.

"I believe the Spirit of God is active today,

convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment."

John 16:8: And when that One comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment.

"He regenerates,"

John 3:6-7: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.

"seals,"

Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption.

"and sets the believer apart to a holy life."

Galatians 5:16: I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of flesh.

"At the moment of salvation, each believer

is baptized with the Spirit into the body of Messiah"

1 Corinthians 12:13: For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit.

"and at the same moment is permanently indwelt by the Spirit."

John 14:16-17: And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.

"We believe that at salvation the Holy Spirit sovereignly imparts at least one spiritual gift to every believer for the purpose of edifying and equipping

the body of Messiah."

1 Corinthians 12:7-8: And to each hath been given the manifestation of the Spirit for profit; for to one through the Spirit hath been given a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit.

EQUALITY OF THE THREE PERSONS

We've studied Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One more of our claims needs to be addressed; that of the equality of the three:

"[God] is infinite and perfect, eternally existing in three equal persons."

In what sense are they equal? They are all equally endowed with all of the attributes of Personhood and Deity. Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit....

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!! ALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INTRODUCTION

The belief in a Tri-unity, a triune God, which seems to fly in the face of the Sh'ma, the universal credo of Judaism, in which God declares Himself to be one. Let us therefore take a careful look at Scripture:

THE SH'MA:

D'varim 6:4. Sh'ma Yisrael, YHVH eloheinu YHVH echad.

Deuteronomy 6:4. Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.

In previous studies, we examined how there were three in Scripture who each possess the attributes of divinity and personhood and whom Scripture identifies as God the Father, Yeshua the Son, and Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit. The heavy lifting in demonstrating the Tri-unity of God has thus been accomplished; yet there are matters that still need to be considered, not the least of which is the Sh'ma itself, which actually holds the key to understanding the Tri-unity of God.

THE STATEMENT:

The Tri-unity(Trinity)

I believe that God is one but has manifested Himself in three separate and distinct Persons. Hence, I believe that God is a Tri-unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the creator of all things. He is infinite and perfect, eternally existing in three equal persons, each possessing the nature of deity, as well as the characteristics of personality. He is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; John 6:27; Acts 5:3,4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:8)

I. THREE DISTINCT DIVINE PERSONS

That there are three divine Persons has already been established, but that they are clearly distinct from one another can be see in Isaiah 48:12-16: 12. Listen to me, O Jacob and Israel, My called; I am He; I am the first, I also am the last.... 16. Come near to Me, hear this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning. From the time that it was, I was there; and now the Lord Jehovah, and His Spirit, has sent Me.

Verse 12 identifies the Me of verse 16 as the first and the last, a title of divinity declaring the attribute of eternity (from eternity past to eternity future), a title applied to Messiah Yeshua in Revelation 1:4-8. With this in mind, let's take a closer looks at verse 16: ...and now the Lord Jehovah (God the Father), and His Spirit (the Holy Spirit), has sent Me (Messiah Yeshua).

Three distinct divine Persons in one scripture.

Also in Luke 3:22: And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him. And a voice came from Heaven, which said, "You are My Son, the Beloved; I am delighted in You."

One Person: The Holy Spirit. Another Person: Him, My Son. And yet another: the Speaker from Heaven, the Father. Three distinct divine Persons.

II. ARE THERE ONLY THREE?

There are only three in all of Scripture who possess any of the attributes unique to divinity, such as, eternity, omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence.

III. IF THERE ARE THREE DISTINCT DIVINE PERSONS,

WHY DOES THE SH'MA DECLARE THAT

YHVH (JEHOVAH) IS ECHAD, ONE?

Let's take a look at how echad is used elsewhere in the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures) and then determine how it is used in the Sh'ma.

A. HOW IS ECHAD USED ELSEWHERE IN THE TANACH?

There are a great many places in which echad indicates an absolute oneness. Genesis 10:25 is an example: And two sons were born to Eber. The name of ha'echad, the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. And his brother's name was Joktan.

However, echad is elsewhere used to indicate a compound unit. A strikingly clear example is Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be 'basar echad', one flesh.

1 Corinthians 6:16, which refers back to Genesis 2:24, clarifies the concept of basar echad: Or do you not know that he being joined to a harlot is one body? For He says, "The two shall be one flesh."

It is clear from this passage that sexual union between a man and a woman, even apart from marriage or the bearing of a child, renders them basar echad in God's eyes. (For He says, "The two shall be one flesh." Also Matthew 19:4, immediately below.) The harlot and her lover become echad, a compound unit, by virtue of engaging in sexual union; because sexual union, the most intimate of physical relationships, is viewed by God as the very seal of marriage, which people must not "separate" (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9). Matthew 19:4-6. 4. And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female", 5. and said, For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh? 6. Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

This unity in marriage, intended by God to last in practice, is expressed wonderfully in the traditional marriage vow, "as long as ye both shall live," which pictures the eternal marriage that Messiah enters into with all who are His by faith (Revelation 21:9).

The essential thing to note is that within the compound unit of a man and a woman in marriage, each never ceases to retain his or her individual body and soul. Husband and wife are echad even though their individual physical and spiritual makeups are wholly retained. Echad, then, can clearly be used to denote a compound unit of a plurality of individuals who simultaneously retain their individuality.

The question, now, is this:

B. HOW, THEN, IS ECHAD USED IN THE SH'MA?

More specifically, does echad in the Sh'ma declare YHVH to be an absolute unit or a compound unit?

Here again is the Sh'ma:

D'varim 6:4. Sh'ma Yisrael, YHVH eloheinu YHVH echad.

Deuteronomy 6:4. Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.

C. FOUR LINES OF REASONING

Let's consider four lines of reasoning:

1. Yachid, which always means an absolute one, was not used in the Sh'ma.

Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes,

There is another Hebrew word that does mean an absolute one, yachid. It is used in Genesis 22:2 where it emphasizes Isaac as Abraham's only unique son. If Moses wanted to emphasize the absolute oneness of God [in the Sh'ma] he would have used the term yachid. But he did not use that term for God's oneness. So Deuteronomy 6:4 is an argument in favor of the plurality of the Godhead and also teaches the unity of this plurality of one God. (Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. Radio Manuscript #50: The Trinity. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries Press. Pp. 10-11)

2. There are two examples in the Tanach in which YHVH refers to not just one person, but two.

They are Genesis 19:24 and Zechariah 2:8-9. The clearest of the two is the latter: 8. For so says Jehovah of Hosts: He has sent me after glory, to the nations who stripped you; for he who touches you touches the pupil of His eye. 9. For behold, I will shake My hand over them, and they shall be a prize for their servants. And you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent me.

Both the sender and the one sent are called Jehovah - two in number, not one. Yachid could not be used to describe the compound oneness of the two Persons named Jehovah, but echad could.

3. There are three divine Persons in the Tri-unity. Our previous studies have demonstrated this beyond the threshold of proof.

4. Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit....

Three Persons, one name. Jesus commissioned His disciples to baptize with a view to the unity of the three divine Persons.

5. SUMMING UP

1. Yachid, not echad, was the word used in Genesis 22:2 to emphasize the absolute oneness of Abraham's only unique son, Isaac.

2. A plurality of Persons is referred to in the Tanach as YHVH.

3. The Scriptures identify three Persons as divine.

4. Moses could have used yachid in the Sh'ma to indicate absolute oneness unequivocally, but he did not. He used echad.

5. Father, Son and Holy Spirit have one Name.

In view of these things, it would have been misleading to describe YHVH in the Sh'ma as yachid as it is clear, even in the Tanach, that there are a plurality of Persons in the Godhead. There remains only one reasonable conclusion: Echad in the Sh'ma ascribes compound unity to YHVH; and since there are three divine Persons who constitute that compound unit, we call them a Tri-unity.

IV. WHY "TRI-UNITY" AND NOT "TRINITY"?

Trinity is the most commonly accepted English term for conveying the unity of the three Persons of the Godhead. However, some have observed that the sound of the word openly conveys threeness in the prefix Tri, but does not openly convey oneness. The fact is, the etymology of the word reveals a total absence of the concept of unity! Webster presents the etymology of Trinity thusly: "from Late Latin trinitat-, trinitas state of being threefold, from Latin trinus threefold."

On the other hand, both the sound and the etymology of Tri-unity clearly convey the threeness and the oneness of the Godhead, and in perfect balance. Hence, the AMC uses the term Tri-unity.

V. ONE ESSENCE: THE FOUNDATION OF COMPOUND UNITY

The compound unity of the three divine Persons consists in their being of one essence. As to the meaning of essence, Dr. Ryrie says, "The word substance might be too materialistic; some would prefer to use the word essence." (Ryrie, Dr. Charles Caldwell. Basic Theology. Wheaton: Victor books, 1986. P. 53) To further clarify, I offer a statement by Dr. Chafer: No doubt, there is a distinct consciousness which identifies each Person, yet there is a united possession of attributes and of nature. (Emphasis mine.) (Chafer, Dr. Louis Sperry. Systematic Theology, Volume 1. P. 273.)

A. FATHER AND SON: ONE ESSENCE

In John 10:30, Jesus said, I and the Father are one.

In reference to this, Dr. Fruchtenbaum says, "This verse teaches that the Father and the Son are one in essence, the essence of divinity itself." (Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. Radio Manuscript #63: The Deity of the Messiah. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries Press. P. 12).

John 14:9-10: 9. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father? 10. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works.

Some commentaries on I am in the Father and the Father in Me:

· "... expressive of the sameness of nature" (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible).

· "... denotes most intimate union" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible).

· "We are essentially one;...." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).

Father and Son are of one essence. That is why Jesus was so reflective of the Father and was able to say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

B. SON AND HOLY SPIRIT: ONE ESSENCE

2 Corinthians 3:14-17. 14. (But their thoughts were blinded; for until the present the same veil remains on the reading of the old covenant, not taken away.) But this veil has been done away in Christ. 15. But until this day, when Moses is read, the veil is on their heart. 16. But whenever it turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. 17. And the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

When Israel turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Verse 14 identifies the Lord as Christ. Verse 17 declares the Lord is that Spirit... the Spirit of the Lord.... In view of this, Dr. Charles Ryrie declares verse 17 to be "a strong statement that Christ and the Holy Spirit are one in essence" (Ryrie, Dr. Charles Caldwell. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody, 1978.)

C. HOLY SPIRIT AND FATHER: ONE ESSENCE

Romans 8:27: And He [the Father] Who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because He [the Spirit] makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God [the Father].

Father and Spirit are so "one" that the Spirit always prays according to the will of God, never wavering in the slightest. The Spirit would be unable to do this unless the two were perfectly of one mind. They are of one essence.

D. THE SON: ONE ESSENCE WITH THE FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

Colossians 2:9 says of Jesus, For in Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

The fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the two are of one essence. The fullness of the Godhead also dwells in Jesus. As fullness means totality, He must necessarily be of one essence with the Father and the Spirit.

E. FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT: ONE ESSENCE

Father and Son are one in essence, Son and Holy Spirit are one in essence, Holy Spirit and Father are one in essence, and Jesus is one in essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Clearly, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in essence.

VI. SINCE THE THREE PERSONS ARE ONE IN ESSENCE,

MAY WE SAY THAT THE THREE ARE ONE PERSON?

Dr. Geisler and Ronald Brooks declare, "The doctrine of the Trinity, if understood as saying that God is three persons yet only one person, would be self-contradictory." (Geisler, Dr. Norman L. and Brooks, Ronald Come, Let Us Reason. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. Pp. 19-20.)

They are not one Person though they are one in essence. They are three distinct Persons that are one in essence.

VII. ARE THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS

THREE SEPARATE OR DISTINCT GODS?

We've seen that the Godhead consists of three distinct Persons, but we've also seen that they are one in essence. The answer, then, is: No. Because they are of one essence the three divine Persons are not three separate or distinct Gods, but are one God. They are, in their fundamental essence, inseparable.

Dr. Chafer says: "No doubt, there is a distinct consciousness which identifies each Person, yet there is a united possession of attributes and of nature.... [The Trinity] affirms no more than that a being may be singular in one sense and plural in another. Various illustrations of such realities in nature might be introduced. In the constitution of a human being there is conjunction of unity and plurality. The immaterial and material elements combine to form one individual.... In the case of the human being, there is one consciousness with a twofold subsistence; in the case of Deity, there are but three consciousnesses and but one nature.... The Trinity is composed of three united Persons without separate existence - so completely united as to form One God." (Chafer, 273 - 276.)

They are three divine Persons, but inasmuch as they are one in divine essence, we cannot say that they are three Gods. They are three in Person, but because they are one in essence, they are one God.

VIII. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF

THE UNIFYING ESSENCE OF THE TRI-UNITY?

Let's approach this by seeking to identify the "essence" of each of the members of the Tri-unity.

A. THE ESSENCE OF GOD THE FATHER

Jesus said, God is a Spirit (John 4:24). The essence of God the Father is divine Spirit.

B. THE ESSENCE OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

As in English, in the Hebrew, Spirit is the noun and Holy is the modifying adjective. The essence of the Holy Spirit is obviously divine Spirit.

C. THE ESSENCE OF GOD THE SON

No scripture states directly that the Son is divine Spirit, but at least two passages clarify the issue:

One is 2 Corinthians 3:14-17, which contains the statement, The Lord is that Spirit. As has been shown, Dr. Ryrie says that this is "a strong statement that Christ and the Holy Spirit are one in essence" (Ryrie Study Bible). If the essence of the Holy Spirit is divine Spirit, then the essence of the Son is divine Spirit. The other is Colossians 2:9: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

If the Father is Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is Spirit, and all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Son, then the Son is Spirit, also. The essence of the Son is divine Spirit.

D. THE NATURE OF THE ESSENCE OF THE TRI-UNITY: DIVINE SPIRIT

We've shown that the three Persons of the Tri-unity are of one essence, and that the essence of each member of the Tri-unity is divine Spirit. The nature of the unifying essence of the Tri-unity, then, is divine Spirit.

We are now ready for some...

IX. DEFINITIONS OF THE TRI-UNITY

Geisler and Brooks continue: "However, the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity says that there are three persons in one being." (Geisler and Brooks, 19-20.)

Dr. Chafer writes, "In the case of Deity, there are but three consciousnesses and but one nature..." (Chafer, 275). "The Trinity is composed of three united Persons without separate existence - so completely united as to form One God." (Chafer, 276)

Dr. Ryrie states (Basic Theology, 385), "De Trinitate. The concept of the Trinity in the Western church reached a final formulation in this work by Augustine [354-430].... In this treatise he stated that each of the three Persons of the Trinity possess the entire essence and that all are interdependent on the others."

Consistent with this, Dr. Ryrie declares (Basic Theology, 53), "One of the best [definitions] is Warfield's: 'There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.'" (B. B. Warfield, "Trinity," The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1930], 5:3012).

Dr. Fruchtenbaum suggests, "Perhaps the best and simplest definition of the Trinity is that there is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal and co-equal Persons; the same in substance or essence, but distinct in subsistence or existence" (Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Arnold G. Radio Manuscript #50: The Trinity. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries Press. P. 4).

· Three consciousnesses and but one nature....

· Three persons in one being....

· Three united Persons without separate existence....

· Three Persons of the Trinity possess the entire essence and... all are interdependent on the others....

· Three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence....

· The same in substance or essence, but distinct in subsistence or existence.

X. SUGGESTED DEFINITION OF TRI-UNITY

Inasmuch as the nature of the essence of the Tri-unity is divine Spirit, I suggest this definition: The Tri-unity consists of Three divine Persons mutually consisting of one divine Spirit.

XI. DOES ONE DIVINE PERSON EVER TAKE THE FORM OF ANOTHER?

"The Father came in the form of Jesus."

"The Father came in the form of the Spirit."

"Jesus came in the form of the Spirit."

Have you heard statements like these? Well, they are simply not true. You will never find a scripture that says that one of the divine Persons comes in the form of another. They mutually consist of the same essence, but they are always and forever distinct Persons. They do not swap or transfer or transform their identities. Never. Perhaps the closest statement in Scripture that suggests that they may is Luke 3:22a: And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him.

The Holy Spirit assumed the shape of a dove, but He never ceased being the Holy Spirit. In fact, the full passage demonstrates the three Persons working in harmony with one another with each retaining His individual identity: 22. And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him. And a voice came from Heaven, which said, You are My Son, the Beloved; I am delighted in You.

The Spirit descended upon Jesus, and God the Father declared His delight in His Son. Three Persons working together beautifully to launch Jesus into public ministry, each retaining His own individual identity.

One Person never takes the form of another.

XII. THE INCARNATE SON:

THE HYPOSTATIC UNION - A SPECIAL CONSIDERATION

Upon His incarnation, the Son added to His divine essence and personhood a fully human spirit and a fully human body; yet, He did not for an instant cease being fully divine (Colossians 2:9). Therefore, even when Jesus walked the earth in a localized body, He was still one in Tri-unity with Father and Holy Spirit. He never ceased being fully eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. (This union of divinity and humanity in Jesus is known as the hypostatic union [from the Greek hypostasis, meaning reality or person, but which came to mean, in theological circles, substantive reality].)

Jesus now resides in the heavenlies, eternally part of the Tri-unity, still with a human spirit (Luke 23:46), and now with a glorified body. Although the Tri-unity is omnipresent, Jesus' body is not. This can be seen by the fact that He ascended into heaven in a localized body (Acts 1:9), that He will meet the saints at the rapture in a localized body in a localized place ("the air," 1 Thessalonians 4:17), and that He will return to earth on a localized "horse" followed by the saints whose spirits had received their localized bodies at the resurrection/rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Revelation 19:11, 15, 21). In addition, Scripture never says that the glorified bodies of the saints, which will dwell in heaven for seven years after the rapture, will be anything other than localized. This is powerful evidence that glorified bodies dwell in Heaven in localized form. As to Jesus' human spirit, Scripture never ascribed omnipresence to a human spirit, not even to His. It therefore remains for us to conclude that His human spirit is localized with His body just as our spirits are localized with ours and will be in Heaven. Our human spirits are not omnipresent, and neither is His.

How are we to fathom the fact that the divine Spirit of Jesus shares omnipresence with the Father and the Holy Spirit while His human spirit and body, though He be ascended, do not? Friends, I think we've hit the limits of revelation here, and we'd better not try to venture further! Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong to Jehovah our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our sons forever....

XIII. HOW IS THE UNITY OF THE TRI-UNITY

MANIFEST AMONG THE THREE PERSONS?

Many of the scriptures contained in this study are more than sufficient to declare at least the following:

· They are one in perfect holiness.

· They are one in perfect love.

· They are of one mind in all things.

· They are one in perfect harmony in all of their activities.

XIV. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

IN THEIR ACTIVITIES?

A. JESUS IS SERVANT TO THE FATHER

John 6:38: For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

B. THE SPIRIT IS SERVANT TO THE FATHER

John 14:26: But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.

C. THE SPIRIT IS SERVANT TO JESUS

John 16:13-14: 13. However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come. 14. He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will announce it to you.

D. THE FATHER SEEKS TO BLESS THE SON

Matthew 3:17: And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Psalm 2:7: I will declare the decree of Jehovah. He has said to Me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. 8. Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations for Your inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.

XV. IN WHAT SPIRIT OF HEART DO THEY SERVE

AND BLESS ONE ANOTHER?

In a flawless, effulgent, blissful Spirit of love. John 4:7-8: 8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. 8. The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love.

GOD IS LOVE.