How would you respond if someone asked you to say who God is?
A few days ago, someone asked me how I would define God. On the one hand that is a bit daunting, because there is so much that one could say. In fact, I once gave a 30-minute talk entitled 'Who Is God?', and still felt that I had just scratched the surface. On the other hand, if we are looking for a quick definition of the type found in a dictionary, only a few words are required. So here goes ...
No, maybe not that fast. Before arriving at a catchy definition, we do need to think about what God is. Firstly, whatever created all that we find around us, from the smallest part of an atom to the enormous swirling clusters of vast galaxies and everything in between - you, me, our children and friends, our pets, the plants and trees in our gardens, the birds in the sky over our heads, the mountains and the lakes - that is God. However it was done, something outside of time and space had to create time and space and that is the only thing that has the right to be classed as God.
We could leave a definition there, but it is vague and impersonal. God created all this for someone to share. So we were made us as part of Creation and in such a way that, especially in our best moments, we reflect God's nature and personality. That means that God is a person, rather than a thing or a force or energy, but He cannot consist of anything created, so He is spirit. In fact, according to the Bible, the one God, Yahweh, is actually three spirit persons who relate to each other as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God is the person who by His all-surpassing power created all that this is and expects everything and everyone to comply with His rules; God is the person who by his all-surpassing love came to the Earth that He had made to suffer for us disobedient humans and make a way for us to join Him for ever in Heaven.
What then is his nature? We cannot just say that because it is right to be good and loving, then God is good and loving. We cannot impose our limited understanding of ethics on the creator of the Universe. In fact, the Bible actually tells us that God is good and that love is central to His nature. The two commandments in the New Testament that are fundamental to Jesus' teaching are about love and being good to our neighbours. God Himself is composed of a loving relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have always found Him to be good.
But God is far more than that. According to the Bible He is jealous and just; he gave laws about righteousness along with punishment for disobedience; He upholds His standards and does not shy from reluctantly carrying through His punishment, yet He is also utterly merciful and gracious to those who turn to Him. We cannot get away from the fact that He flooded the world, sent His own people into exile in Babylon for 70 years and allows those who will not listen to Him to end up in Hell; however, He loves us so desperately that He sent his own Son to go to Hell for us, so that if we do turn to Him we can have eternal life with Him now and ultimately in Heaven. God is first judge and then saviour, but mercy triumphs over judgment.
So there we have it - God is a fully unified spirit-collection of three persons, lives outside time and space, and created the Universe and everything in it; He is jealous of His position as the only God and will do what it takes to uphold that position, but is so loving, merciful, gracious and compassionate that He himself took out punishment so that we can live with Him in Heaven.
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