The Essentials: Part 1 - The Triune God

Most of you have realized long ago that our adult Sunday school class is full of theologians. Now we have proof that they rank alongside some of our prestigious writers of some of our denominational documents.

In response to the question, “What are the essential tenets of the Christian Faith?” the class began, with little or no help, to delineate six essential Biblical doctrines that one our great Presbyteries had laid out in 2006.

It is my goal, over the next six weeks, to go through these tenets, unfortunately in a greatly abbreviated way, exploring why they are considered essential and offer some kind of defense for their place on the list.

As every good Presbyterian document, we must start off with God. We worship the one and only living and true God who is revealed in the Bible and who is the source of all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness.[1]

This God is Triune in nature. That is, God is one God, but in three distinct persons, each of these being worthy of our devotion and worship, yet remaining a single, almighty, omnipresent deity.  The persons of this Trinity are generally referred to as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God in the beginning created the universe and everything in it for the manifestation of His glory, eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. He is the sovereign ruler of creation, working all things according to the counsel of His omnipotent and righteous will, In gracious providence God continually upholds, directs, oversees, and governs creation – all creatures, actions and things.

I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. (Isaiah 45:5)

You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created (Revelation 4:11).

For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth (Psalm 47:2).

To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude 1:25).

They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles (Romans 1:23).

Pastor Craig

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[1] The Essential Tenets – An Explanation by the Presbytery of Santa Barbara