No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 1:18
Q4: What is God?
A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
To speak of God we not only say what God is but we also say what He is not. Every Christian is a theologian and what makes a thoughtful theologian is someone who affirms what Scripture affirms and denies what Scripture denies. When Moses asked to see God he did not see God; He heard God. He saw the glory cloud that represented God’s presence but He didn’t see God. Why is this? It is because God does not have a body. He is not made up of parts. He is Spirit. In a sermon on this catechism question, Thomas Watson says, “By a spirit I mean, God is an immaterial substance, of a pure, subtile, unmixed essence, not compounded of body and soul, without all extension of parts.”
We are flesh; God is not. In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” God has made us in His image but He is not made in ours. Yet, out of great love for us, God the Son took on flesh so that when we see Him we see the Father (Heb. 1:3).
Why is this important? First, John Calvin says, “For Christ simply declares [in John 4:24] that his Father is of a spiritual nature, and, therefore, is not moved by frivolous matters, as men, through the lightness and unsteadiness of their character, are wont to be.” If God is Spirit then God is not made up of parts and therefore “is not moved by frivolous matters” like us. God is not “tossed to and fro” like we are. Even though we might feel like we’re falling apart, God is not! When the world around you seems like it’s caving in, God is not! When relationships, your Christian life, job, school, and bodies fall apart, God is not! God is the solid Rock amidst the stormy seas of life.
Second, if God is Spirit then He is simple (i.e. not made up of parts). If He is simple then He cannot suffer and cannot change. “Creatures constantly change because they continually actualize their potential either for good and so become more perfect, or for evil and so become less perfect. God is not in this act/potency scheme self-actualization.” If God does not change then His love for us do not change even when our love for Him does. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). What you “see” is what you get. And how you truly see God is seeing Christ.