Lesson 1 - The God of the Bible
Lesson Overview
Before we can answer the question “Who is Jesus Christ?” we must first answer a more foundational one: Who is the God of the Bible? Lesson 1 establishes the framework. It surveys six defining characteristics of the God of Scripture — Creator, Triune, Holy, Good, Love, and Saving God — and demonstrates from the text that Jesus Christ is not a mere man, a prophet, or a moral teacher, but the eternal second member of the triune Godhead.
This lesson also introduces the scope and aim of the entire course: that you would know Jesus Christ clearly, believe in him, and understand the redemption found in him alone. How you respond to Jesus Christ determines your eternal destiny. There is no more important question.
Lesson Outline
Introduction — The Most Important Question
Aim of the course: know, believe in, and understand the redemption in Christ alone
False views of Jesus: mere creature, one of many divine entities, moral teacher, social activist, benevolent prophet
Scripture declares: Jesus is the eternal second member of the triune Godhead
Part 1 — A Glimpse of the Result: Jesus Is God
Hebrews 1:1-4
Appointed heir of all things; made the worlds
Brightness of God’s glory; express image of His person
Upholds all things by the word of His power
Purged our sins by Himself; seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Better than angels — obtained a more excellent name
Colossians 2:9
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ — bodily. Not partial. Not representative. Full.
John 1:1, 17-18
“In the beginning was the Word” — He preceded the beginning; He is eternal
“The Word was with God” — face to face, in relationship
“The Word was God” — not merely divine, but God
John 1:17 identifies the Word as Jesus Christ
Part 2 — Who Is the God of the Bible? Six Features
Feature 1: God Is the Creator
Romans 1:19-20 — invisible things of God clearly seen in creation: eternal power and Godhead
God is sourceful — the source of all life, substance, and light; not dependent on anything
All other so-called gods are created beings who have rebelled; this God is the authority
Feature 2: God Is Triune
Genesis 1:1-3 — God the Father, Spirit of God, and the Word (Christ) all present at creation
Genesis 1:26 — “Let us make man in our image” — the us is the triune Godhead in context
Deuteronomy 6:4 — one LORD: one in essence, three in persons
No other religion presents a triune God — this distinguishes the God of the Bible
Feature 3: God Is Holy, Holy, Holy
Isaiah 6:3 — “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory”
Threefold holiness reflects and corresponds to His triune nature
Feature 4: God Is Good
Exodus 34:6 — God proclaims Himself: “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth”
Ephesians 5:9 — the fruit of the Spirit is goodness, righteousness, and truth — because God is good
Feature 5: God Is Love
1 John 4:8 — “God is love” — not that He generates love, but that He is love
Only the triune God can make this claim — a singular god has no one to love before creation
Love within the Godhead overflows to man; it is the remedy for man’s failure to meet His holiness
Feature 6: God Is a Saving God
Romans 5:8 — “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
1 Timothy 2:3-5 — one God, one mediator: Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all
Salvation found only in Christ; received by faith alone, not works
Key Scriptures
Hebrews 1:1-4
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:17-18
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Romans 1:19-20
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.
Isaiah 6:3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Exodus 34:6
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Ephesians 5:9
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
1 John 4:8
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Timothy 2:3-5
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
MEMORY VERSE
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
— Colossians 2:9
Written Summary
The question that drives this entire course is stated plainly at the outset: Who is Jesus Christ? It is the most important question any person will ever face. How you respond to it determines your eternal destiny. This lesson does not answer the question in full — that is the work of the lessons to come — but it establishes the framework without which no answer is possible.
Before we can understand who Jesus Christ is, we must understand who the God of the Bible is. Not all gods are the same. The God of the Bible is distinguished from every other god claimed by every other religion by six defining characteristics.
He is the Creator. From Romans 1, the invisible things of God — His eternal power and Godhead — are clearly seen in what He made. He is not resourceful; He is the source. He is the origin of all life, substance, and light. Every other so-called god is a created being that has rebelled. This one is the source of all things.
He is Triune. This is what sets the God of the Bible apart from every other god in every other religion. In Genesis 1, God the Father, the Spirit of God, and the Word — who is Christ — are all present at creation. God says “Let us make man in our image.” The us is already established in the text. He is one in essence and three in persons. No singular god has rightful claim on this.
He is Holy, Holy, Holy. The threefold repetition in Isaiah 6 is not accidental. It corresponds to the triune nature of God. The seraphim cry it because He is the Creator of all the earth and its fullness belongs to His glory.
He is Good. Exodus 34 records God proclaiming His own name as He passes before Moses: merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth. The fruit of the Spirit in Ephesians 5 is goodness — because God is good.
He is Love. First John 4:8 does not say that God generates love. It says that God is love. Only the triune God can make this claim in truth. A singular god, before creation and before any creature existed to love, has nothing to love. But within the Godhead there is relationship, selflessness, and love shared among the three persons — and it overflows to His creatures. It is that love that becomes the remedy for man’s failure to meet His holiness.
He is a Saving God. Romans 5:8 says that God commended His love in that Christ died for sinners. First Timothy 2 declares there is one God and one mediator — the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. God saves through Himself, through His Son. Salvation is found only in Christ, received by faith alone.
This is the God of the Bible. And the claim of this course — and the claim of Scripture — is that Jesus Christ is the eternal second member of this Godhead. Not a moral teacher. Not a prophet. Not a creature. God. The brightness of His glory. The express image of His person. The one in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.
Study Questions
Before this lesson, how would you have answered “Who is Jesus Christ?” How has your answer changed or been sharpened?
Pastor Josh says there is no more important question than “Who is Jesus Christ?” Do you agree? What makes it different from other important questions?
Colossians 2:9 says all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. What does that mean for how we relate to Jesus? What does it rule out?
What is the significance of the triune nature of God for the claim that “God is love”? Why can only the triune God make this claim truthfully?
Romans 1:19-20 says the invisible things of God are clearly seen through what He created. What does creation reveal about God — and what does it not reveal?
God is described here as Creator, Triune, Holy, Good, Love, and Saving. Which of these is most surprising to you, and why?
If God is a saving God and salvation is only in Christ, what are the implications for how you think about other religions and other paths to God?
Review Questions
Question 1: According to Colossians 2:9, what dwells in Jesus Christ bodily?
A. The wisdom of God
B. All the fullness of the Godhead
C. The Spirit of God alone
D. The glory of the Father
Question 2: In Genesis 1:26, God says “Let us make man in our image.” Who does the “us” refer to?
A. God and the angels
B. God speaking to Himself in a literary device
C. The triune God — Father, Spirit, and Word — already present in context
D. God and the heavenly council
Question 3: According to John 1:1, which is true of “the Word”?
A. The Word came into being at the beginning
B. The Word was created before all things
C. The Word was with God and was God — existing before the beginning
D. The Word was a messenger sent from God
Question 4: Which passage records God proclaiming Himself as “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth”?
A. Isaiah 6:3
B. Romans 5:8
C. 1 John 4:8
D. Exodus 34:6
Question 5: Why can only the triune God rightfully claim to “be love”?
A. Because God created love and therefore possesses it
B. Because within the Godhead there is genuine relationship and selfless love shared among persons before any creature existed [CORRECT]
C. Because God demonstrated love by creating the world
D. Because love is an attribute added to God at creation
Answer Key
B — All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily — not partially or representatively, but fully, confirming that Jesus Christ is God.
C — God, the Spirit of God, and the Word are already present in Genesis 1:1-3; “let us” reflects the triune Godhead involved in creation together.
C — “In the beginning was the Word” means He preceded the beginning — not created at the start but existing before it, both with God and God.
D — Exodus 34:6 is God’s own proclamation of His character as He passes before Moses — one of the most direct self-declarations of God’s goodness in Scripture.
B — A singular god has no one to love before creation; the triune God has always had genuine relationship and selfless love within the Godhead, making “God is love” a statement of His eternal nature.
Going Deeper
John 1:14
The Word became flesh — connects John 1:1 directly to the incarnation and is the next step in understanding how the eternal God entered human history.
Isaiah 43:10-11
“Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” — God’s exclusive claim as the only God and the only Saviour.
Revelation 4:8-11
The living creatures cry “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” and the elders worship Him as Creator — a New testament echo of Isaiah 6 tying creation, holiness, and worship together.
Coming Up Next
“In Lesson 2 we will move from who God is to who Jesus Christ specifically is — examining the names, titles, and offices Scripture assigns to Him, and what each one means for how we understand and relate to Him.”
