Tag Archives: wisdom

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

Be Open to Correction

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I’ve never claimed to be a great student, but I have always loved learning. When I was in high school, my only goal was to have a better GPA than my brother, and once I did that, I didn’t really push myself. When I was in college I saw which students were graduating with honors, and I figured I was at least as smart as they were, so I hit that standard as well.

It wasn’t until I got to seminary in preparation for Pastoral Ministry, and when I was paying for the education myself, that I really started to apply myself. I read everything that was assigned. I joined study groups, did extra assignments, and really pushed myself to achieve the best education I could. The big difference was I wasn’t as concerned about the grade, I was passionate about the study, and that made all the difference.

What I’ve found, however, over the years since seminary, is that I don’t much remember all the things I got right in school; what really stands out is what I got wrong. Case in point: the only question I remember from my Worship final in the Worship in the Reformed Tradition class is the one I got wrong.

I studied like crazy for that final, and it paid off. I sat down, began the test, and just felt confident with every answer. Except for this one: “What is the Haggadah?” When I read that, my mind went blank. I went through the rest of the test, answering everything as best I could, the circled back to this question, “What is the Haggadah?” Still nothing. Knowing I had done everything I could on the rest of the test, and knowing no amount of head-scratching was going to help me produce an answer to this question, I quickly wrote, “My favorite brand of Ice Cream…” and turned the test in.

I don’t remember any of the other questions from that test. But I do remember the Haggadah. And now I know what it means. In Hebrew, Haggadah means, “A retelling.” It comes from Deut 6, when the children would ask their parents what God’s commands and testimonies meant and why they were important, and the Father would retell the story of their deliverance from Egypt at God’s mighty hand. This is essential in our Biblical understanding of worship, because as we worship according to God’s Word, we are retelling the story of our salvation in God.

What stuck with me from that test is the lesson I learned in my error. I walked away knowing what I didn’t know and still needed to learn. And this is the mark of a wise man, he knows what he doesn’t know.

As you go through life, don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know, to own your own mistakes. Our most important lessons are learned in our failures. The only people who don’t fail are those who don’t try. Mistakes and failures are not flaws in the system, they are how we learn and grow. The true fool is the one who refuses to learn from error, who continues in it, and only grows bitter and resentful when facing setbacks.

This is Biblical.

Proverbs 15:32 “Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.”

Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

In fact, God honors and exalts those who humble themselves with a penitent heart.

Is 57:15  For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Ps 149:4  For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

1 Pe 5:5  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Be humble, knowing you will make mistakes. Listen to the advice of those who have gone before you that you may avoid their errors. And when you stumble and fall, for that is guaranteed, be humble, repent, admit your error, and with a heart seeking wisdom, grow in the grace of the Lord.

SDG