The God Who Is Always God

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“God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 4

In the last post, we considered the opening of the catechism’s answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Those words help us grasp what God is; the nature of His existence. But the catechism doesn’t stop there. It shows us who God is by describing how these divine perfections shine forth in every aspect of His character.

God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable not only in His essence, but also in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Let’s take each in turn.

God’s Being

God’s being is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. He is absolute existence, self-sufficient, self-existent, and utterly independent. He does not need creation to complete Him; rather, all creation depends upon Him. He has no potential, no growth, no decay. “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14) declares the fullness of His being. We change, we age, we fade, but He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our assurance rests in that constancy: God will always be who He has always been.

God’s Wisdom

God’s wisdom is infinite, there is nothing He does not know, no mystery He cannot unravel. His wisdom is eternal, it has no beginning and no end, no development or decline. And His wisdom is unchangeable, His plans are never revised, His purposes never frustrated. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33). When we cannot see what God is doing, we can still trust that He knows exactly what He’s doing. His wisdom is never wrong, never late, and never cruel.

God’s Power

God’s power is likewise infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Infinite: He can do all His holy will. Eternal: His strength never wanes with time. Unchangeable: He is never stronger or weaker than He has always been. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). The same power that spoke creation into being upholds it moment by moment. And that same power now works within believers, bringing to completion the good work He began (Phil. 1:6).

God’s Holiness

God’s holiness is His perfect moral purity, His complete separation from sin and devotion to all that is good. His holiness is infinite, for there is no degree or measure to His perfection. It is eternal, for He has always been holy and will forever be holy. It is unchangeable, for His moral nature is not subject to moods or circumstances. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 6:3). Every time we glimpse the holiness of God, we are both humbled and comforted, humbled by our unworthiness, and comforted by His faithfulness to make us holy in Christ.

God’s Justice

God’s justice is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. He never errs in judgment, never overlooks sin, never acts unfairly. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25). His justice is not arbitrary or evolving; it is the steady expression of His holy nature. The wonder of the gospel is that this perfect justice has been satisfied at the cross, where Christ bore the penalty our sins deserved. Justice is not set aside, it is fulfilled. Grace reigns through righteousness (Rom. 5:21).

God’s Goodness

God’s goodness is infinite, there is no boundary to His benevolence. Eternal: He has always been good and will forever be good. Unchangeable:nothing can make Him less kind or generous than He is. “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made” (Ps. 145:9).

But this truth runs deeper than our immediate experience. There are seasons when God’s goodness feels hidden, when life brings pain, loss, or injustice. Yet even what we perceive as evil cannot fall outside the scope of His good purposes. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,” Joseph said to his brothers (Gen. 50:20).

In the mystery of providence, God uses suffering to sanctify His people and to magnify the gospel. Through trials, He refines faith, deepens dependence, and displays His sustaining grace. In hardship, He brings forth holiness; in weakness, He reveals His strength. The cross itself stands as the supreme proof that God’s goodness is not negated by evil, but triumphs over it.

When we suffer, then, we can cling to the unchanging truth that the Lord is good, and that He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).

God’s Truth

Finally, God’s truth is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. He is truth itself; all reality corresponds to His will and word. He never deceives, never misleads, never revises His promises. “God is not man, that he should lie” (Num. 23:19). His truth is the sure foundation upon which our faith rests. When the world spins with confusion and deceit, we cling to the unchanging truth of God’s Word, which reflects His unchanging nature.

The Comfort of an Unchanging God

Every one of these perfections, His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, flows from the same source: the God who does not change. For the believer, this is our deepest comfort.

The world shifts. Our hearts waver. Our circumstances twist and turn. But God remains infinite in His greatness, eternal in His presence, and unchangeable in His love. The God who was faithful to Abraham, merciful to David, and gracious to Paul is the same God who holds you fast today.

To know Him as He is—to rest in His perfections—is the beginning of both wisdom and worship.

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36)

SDG

Infinite, Eternal, and Unchangeable

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“What is God?”

God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 4

Last night in youth group, we began exploring one of the most profound and beautiful questions ever asked: What is God? It’s not a question of curiosity alone, but of worship. To ask what God is, is to seek to know the One for whom and by whom all things exist. And even though the answer stretches beyond the capacity of our minds, God has graciously revealed enough of Himself that we might glorify and enjoy Him.

God Is a Spirit

The catechism begins by reminding us that God is a Spirit. That means God is not made up of matter, does not have a body, and is not limited by space or form. He is invisible, immaterial, and incorporeal. As Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

This doesn’t make God less real, but more real. Everything physical and visible depends upon Him for existence, but He depends upon nothing. We live and move and have our being in Him. God is not a part of creation; He is its source, its author, and its sustainer. The reality we experience is derivative; His being is absolute. In that sense, God is not just real, He is Reality itself.

When we think of God as Spirit, we’re not imagining some ghostly vapor or invisible force. We are acknowledging the One whose existence defines all others. Our bodies may fail, our world may fade, but the Spirit of the Lord endures forever. That truth steadies our faith and sharpens our worship.

God Is Infinite

To say that God is infinite is to say there are no limits to His being, knowledge, power, or presence. He is boundless. We live within borders, of time, of strength, of understanding, but God does not. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable” (Ps. 145:3).

There is nothing beyond God’s reach, ability, or comprehension. Every mystery is open before Him; every moment is in His hand. And for finite creatures like us, that’s both humbling and comforting. We cannot outthink, outlast, or outmaneuver Him. But we can rest in the truth that His infinite wisdom is for our good.

God Is Eternal

God is also eternal. He has no beginning and no end. Time is His creation; He is not bound by it. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90:2).

This means there was never a time when God was not. He didn’t come into being. No one made Him, for then that maker would be God. He simply is; the great I AM. Every creature, every galaxy, every second owes its existence to Him. He stands before and beyond all of it, yet He is intimately present in every moment.

Because God is eternal, His purposes never fail, and His promises never expire. The same God who called Abraham, who delivered Israel, who raised Christ from the dead, is our God today, and will be our God forever.

God Is Unchangeable

Finally, God is unchangeable. He does not grow, diminish, or shift. His being, will, and purposes are constant. “I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6).

This is not to say that God is static or indifferent. He acts, responds, and reveals, but always in perfect consistency with His nature. His character doesn’t fluctuate with our moods or mistakes. Nothing outside of Him can alter who He is.

There is immense comfort in this truth. The same love that chose us before the foundation of the world sustains us today. The same grace that forgave us yesterday will carry us home tomorrow. In a world where everything changes, God does not.

The Call to Know Him

To confess that God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable is not merely an intellectual exercise, it is a call to worship and wonder. The more we know of God, the more we are drawn to love Him. The more we behold His greatness, the more we rest in His goodness.

Our understanding will always be limited, but our calling is clear: “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord” (Jer. 9:24).

We may not fully comprehend the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable God, but we can truly know Him, for He has made Himself known in Jesus Christ. And to know Him is life itself.

SDG