The Eternal Mystery: Understanding the Nature of God

The Eternal Mystery: Understanding the Nature of God
When we wrestle with the question "Who is God?" we're engaging with the most profound mystery in existence. It's a question that has echoed through millennia, from ancient wilderness encounters to modern philosophical debates. The answer, as revealed through scripture and reason, points to a Being unlike anything else in existence—completely other, yet intimately involved in creation.

The God Who Simply IS
In one of the most remarkable moments in biblical history, God reveals Himself through a burning bush to a shepherd named Moses. When Moses asks for God's name—something to tell the people who sent him—God responds with a statement that defies simple explanation: "I AM WHO I AM."
This Hebrew phrase "Haya" means "to be" or "to exist." It's not just a name; it's a declaration of eternal, self-existent being. God doesn't derive His existence from anything else. He simply is. This same language appears centuries later when Jesus declares, "Before Abraham was, I am"—a statement so profound and controversial that it nearly got Him stoned for blasphemy.
What does it mean to be the great "I AM"? It means God exists outside the boundaries that limit everything else. He wasn't created. He has no beginning and no end. He is the uncaused cause, the unmoved mover, the foundation upon which all reality rests.

Holy, Holy, Holy
Throughout scripture, those who encounter God's presence in its fullness respond with awe-struck repetition: "Holy, holy, holy." The prophet Isaiah witnessed seraphim—powerful angelic beings—covering their faces and feet while crying out this threefold declaration. Centuries later, the apostle John witnessed the same scene in his revelation of heaven's throne room.
The word "holy" in both Hebrew (Qados) and Greek (Hagios) means "set apart," "sacred," or "completely other." God is not merely a more powerful version of us. He is fundamentally different—transcendent in ways that stretch our comprehension to its limits.
This threefold repetition may also hint at something profound about God's nature: His triune existence. One Being, three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each fully God, yet remaining one God. It's a mystery that defies simple human categories, which is exactly what we'd expect from a Being who is "completely other."

Before the Beginning
Consider the opening words of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Before the beginning, there was God. He existed before time, space, and matter came into being. As God declares through Isaiah: "Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me... Indeed before the day was, I am He."
This isn't just poetic language. It's a declaration of God's unique status as the uncreated Creator. Everything else in existence is contingent—dependent on something else for its existence. Only God is necessary—requiring nothing outside Himself to exist.
The Gospel of John echoes this truth: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." Here we see the mystery of the Trinity embedded in creation itself—the Word (Jesus) was both with God and was God, actively involved in bringing everything into existence.

One God, Multiple Persons
The ancient Israelites understood a foundational truth: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" Yet throughout the Old Testament, we find intriguing hints that this one God exists in multiple Persons.
Consider the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. God tells Abraham He will "go down" to see the city. Yet when judgment comes, scripture records that "the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens." The Lord on earth brings judgment from the Lord in heaven—one God, yet somehow present in multiple locations with distinct roles.
Then there's the fascinating distinction in how different persons of God interact with humanity. Moses is told he cannot see God's face and live. Yet throughout the Old Testament, the "Angel of the LORD" appears to people face-to-face, bearing the divine name YHWH. Samson's parents encounter this Angel and fear they will die because "we have seen God"—yet they live to raise their son.
The Holy Spirit's presence is equally evident, empowering people like Samson with supernatural strength. These aren't separate gods, but distinct Persons of the one true God, each playing unique roles in relating to creation.

Why the Trinity Matters
Jesus clarifies this mystery further when He promises to send "another Helper"—the Holy Spirit. The Greek word He uses is crucial: "allos," meaning "another of the same kind." Not a different type of helper, but one of the same divine nature as Jesus Himself.
But why would God exist as a Trinity? Beyond the biblical evidence, there's a profound philosophical reason. If God is love—and scripture declares He is—then love must be part of His eternal nature, not just something He began doing when He created. But love requires an object. For God to be love eternally, there must be relationship within His very being.
Moreover, the highest form of love isn't just reciprocal (between two) but communal (among three or more). A Trinity perfectly expresses the greatest conceivable form of love, existing eternally within God's nature before creation ever existed.

The Philosophical Case
Remarkably, philosophical arguments for God's existence point to precisely the kind of Being scripture describes:
The universe (nature), which has a beginning, and consists of time, space and matter; requires a cause that exists outside time, space, and matter (aka supernatural) —therefore eternal, omnipresent, and spiritual.
The fine-tuning of the universe suggests an intelligent Designer of extraordinary capability.
The existence of moral standards points to a personal Being who serves as the ultimate standard of goodness.
The need for love to be eternal in a perfect Being suggests a triune nature.
Philosophy and revelation converge on the same answer: a God who is eternal, omnipresent, spiritual, personal, intelligent, and triune.

Living in Light of This Truth
Understanding who God is should fill us with wonder. We're not dealing with a cosmic force or an impersonal principle. We're encountering the great I AM—the One who existed before existence, who holds all things together, who is completely other yet chose to make Himself known.
This God is both utterly transcendent and intimately immanent. He is beyond our full comprehension yet revealed Himself in ways we can grasp. He is three Persons in eternal communion, inviting us into that divine fellowship.
When we say "God," we're speaking of the only truly necessary Being—the foundation of all reality, the source of all truth, beauty, and goodness. Everything else is contingent, dependent, created. Only He simply is.
That's a truth worth contemplating, a mystery worth exploring, and a God worth worshiping.