Who is God?

Who is God? What is He like? These questions have intrigued people throughout the course of history. However, many have denied His existence.

But when I speak of God, I do not mean a God who exists only in one’s imagination; I am talking about the true God. He is real; He exists; it is a question of getting to know Him. Revelation tells us all we need to know about God; in fact, John reveals His person in the first chapter:

To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:4–6

In these few sentences John tells us who God is.

The kind of language he uses to describe God may surprise you, but even more astonishing is that it is John who speaks like this. Are you aware that he was once a simple fisherman? He received no more than a basic education, and he gained what knowledge he had of the Bible through attending the synagogue and reading the Old Testament scriptures. Yet here, we find a man who had such a deep understanding of God.

In his greeting John confirms this:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

—Revelation 1:4–5

When he says, “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,” John is speaking of God the Father. “The seven spirits before his throne” is God the Holy Spirit. It is not clear why John mentions seven spirits. I conclude that since the number seven is so often a number of completion throughout Revelation, John means the totality of the Holy Spirit.

The doctrine of the Trinity is above human understanding; we accept it by faith. We begin with Jesus, and as we understand who He is, we see that He spoke the truth about Himself, and we realize that it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand that we are dealing with a triune God.

We read in John 16:7 that He said, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.” He used the Greek word parakletos (we sometimes call the Holy Spirit, “the Paraclete”); it is a Greek word that would probably have been better left untranslated so that it would take its own meaning. It means “advocate,” “comforter,” “someone who comes alongside.” My point is this: when Jesus spoke of the parakletos, He equated Him with Himself. So here, He spoke about one who was the same as He. (You can read how the Holy Spirit came down and filled the disciples in Acts 2.)