Tag Archives: Holiness

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

Signs of Life

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“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
2 Pe 3:18

Scientists search the universe for signs of life, any evidence of life that might exist on other planets. I’ll admit, the notion is captivating, and certainly one that has gripped the imagination of writers and movie makers for years now. There’s no reason why we cannot hold to the Biblical account of creation, and still entertain the possibility that there are other creatures “out there,” still a part of God’s creation.

Most likely, though, when and if we do discover life, it will be small, simple, microbial life; not the little green men from Mars. 

Still, the search continues for signs of life.

When I was a college freshman I was part of a group of students who were interview by a PhD candidate, who was researching Spiritual Development among High School and College Students. I don’t know that I ever saw the results of his study, but I remember the interview vividly. During the interview I mentioned that I really wanted a “stronger faith,” and the interviewer stopped me and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Silence.

I honestly didn’t know what I meant by “a stronger faith.” Looking back now, I’d tell my younger self that a stronger faith would mean being more consistent in your walk with God, struggling less with sin and doubt, and perhaps being someone people looked to as an example of Christian maturity. That’s what I’d say now. But I couldn’t articulate that back then.

But if I’m honest, I still have the same desire. I long to have a faith that continues to grow stronger, a maturing walk with the Lord, and a deepening love for God. I continue to look for signs of life (see – I had a point in talking about that stuff at the beginning), life in the Spirit, life in the Vine.

I must remember that I am a man in the midst of transformation. God isn’t done with me, not while I’m still alive. He continues to prune, feed, and nurture growth, that a harvest of righteousness will be produced in me. One day I’ll be raised in perfection, until then I must continue to tend to my growth in grace.

What are the signs of life? In biological terms, the signs of life are:

  1. Responsiveness to the environment;
  2. Growth and change;
  3. Ability to reproduce;
  4. Have a metabolism and/or ability to breathe;
  5. Maintain homeostasis;
  6. Being made of cells;
  7. Passing traits onto offspring.

In spiritual terms, the signs of life, according to J.C. Ryle, are:

  1. Increased humility – The nearer a man draws to God and the more he sees of God’s holiness and perfections, the more thoroughly is he sensible of his own countless imperfections…
  2. Increased faith and love towards our Lord Jesus Christ – But as a man grows in grace, he sees a thousand things in Christ of which at first he never dreamed. His love and power, His heart and His intentions, His offices as Substitute, Intercessor, Priest, Advocate, Physician, Shepherd and Friend, unfold themselves to a growing soul in an unspeakable manner. 
  3. Increased holiness of life – The man whose soul is growing strives more to be conformed to the image of Christ in all things and to follow Him as his example, as well as to trust in Him as his Savior.
  4. Increased spirituality of taste and mind – The man whose soul is growing takes more interest in spiritual things every year; spiritual companions, spiritual occupations, spiritual conversation appear of ever-increasing value to him.
  5. Increase of charity – The man whose soul is growing is more full of love every year – of love to all men, but especially of love towards the brethren.
  6. Increased zeal and diligence in trying to do good to souls – The man who is really growing will take greater interest in the salvation of sinners every year.

Take a second and consider your own life. Do you see signs of genuine spiritual life? Is there a sincere humility, a growing love for Christ, a passion for holiness, a taste for the spiritual, a heartfelt affection for the church, and a desire to see the lost come to Christ. Look for signs of life, and lean hard on those things that God has promised to help this life grow, the means of grace. Be reading daily in God’s Word. Spend time communing with God in prayer. Attend worship regularly, to be renewed in the grace of communion and fellowship with Christ and other believers.

Look for, and work for signs of life in the Spirit. But I leave you with this caution from Ryle:

Let us never measure our religion by that of others and think we are doing enough if we have gone beyond our neighbors. This is a snare of the devil. Let us mind our own business… Let us follow on, remembering daily that at our best we are miserable sinners. Let us follow on, and never forget that it signifies nothing whether we are better than others or not. At our very best we are far worse than we ought to be. There will always be room for improvement in us. We shall be debtors to Christ’s mercy and grace to the very last. Then let us leave off looking at others and comparing ourselves with others. We shall find enough to do if we look at our own hearts.

SDG

Ryle, J. C. Holiness: It’s Nature, Hinderances, Difficulties and Roots. electronic ed. based on the Evangelical Press reprinting, with new forward, 1995. Simpsonville, SC: Christian Classics Foundation, 1999. Print.