Tag Archives: Westminster Confession of Faith

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

Read the Manual

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What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism: With Scripture Proofs. 3rd edition. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996. Print.

Do you know what is both the most published book in the world and the least read book in the world? It is your Car Owners Manual. Honestly, unless you’ve had a problem with your car, when have you ever consulted or even attempted to read that book?

I was riding in a car with a friend recently, who had been driving his new car for about a year, and he mentioned that he was frustrated with his car because the dashboard was always hard to see during the day when he didn’t have his lights on. He was actually thinking about selling the car. I reached in the glovebox, found how to adjust the dashboard lights, and told him what to do. He was gobsmacked! He didn’t know you could adjust the dashboard lights, didn’t know the manual contained such treasures of information, and was suddenly very happy with his car.

As ridiculous as that sounds, how many of us take the same approach to life in general. We go through the day frustrated with our lives, never seeming to be able to figure out how to make things better. We tell ourselves “life doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” and then proceed to forge ahead on our own, making things up as we go. We’re faced with big issues in life, questions of right and wrong, matters of life and death, wondering about eternity; but have convinced ourselves that there’s no way of knowing for sure any of the answers, so we’re plagued with doubt and despair.

The good news is God has given us a manual for life, and it contains everything we need to know in order to answer those persistent questions about what is right and wrong, about life and death, and even to give certainty about eternity. This owners manual is the Bible, the Word of God. The author of life has authored this Book, and it is the only authoritative rule for life and faith, showing us how we may glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Every word of “Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Ti 3:16–17). It is through the careful and prayerful study, meditation, and application of God’s inspired word to our lives that we gain a heart of wisdom and understanding. Every question of faith and practice is answered here. The Westminster Confession teaches us:

The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture…

Westminster Assembly. The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition. Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851. Print.

It is both our duty and delight, then, to pick up and read the manual. We aren’t left in this world to make it up as we go, but we have been given the Word of God as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps 119:105). Don’t stumble through this world in darkness, take up and read. Don’t wait until you’ve made absolute shambles of your life to refer to the manual; take up and read. And when life is in shambles around your feet, don’t try to rebuild it on your own; take up and read.

SDG