The Creator who has always been
The Bible opens with God already present, bringing the heavens and earth into being (Genesis 1:1). He did not come from somewhere else or depend on anyone to make him. When Moses asked God’s name at the burning bush, God identified himself in a way that points to his eternal, self-existent life (Exodus 3:14).
That can feel enormous, because it is. God is not one powerful being within the universe. He is the One who made it, sustains it, and stands above it. Yet Scripture does not portray him as distant or uninterested. The God who made the stars also sees human lives clearly.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Holy, good, and full of mercy
God’s holiness means he is completely pure and unlike anything corrupted by evil. Isaiah saw a vision of God’s glory and became sharply aware of his own sinfulness (Isaiah 6:3-5). God’s goodness is not casual approval of everything we do. He is just, and he takes evil seriously.
But holiness is not the whole story. When God described his own character to Moses, he spoke of mercy, grace, patience, steadfast love, and faithfulness, while also making clear that wrongdoing matters (Exodus 34:6-7). His justice and compassion do not compete. Both belong to who he is.
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
A God who wants to be known
The Bible shows God speaking, listening, guiding, correcting, and making promises. David marvelled that the Creator knew him personally, including his thoughts and the shape of his days (Psalm 139:1-3). God is not an impersonal force. You can pray to him honestly, even when your words are uncertain.
His love is seen most clearly in his pursuit of people who have wandered from him. The Bible says that God loved the world by giving his Son, so that people might receive eternal life through trusting him (John 3:16). Knowing God begins not with earning his attention, but with responding to the love he has shown.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Christians believe there is one God, not three gods. Scripture speaks of the Father as God, identifies Jesus the Son with God, and describes the Holy Spirit as fully divine (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1; Acts 5:3-4). Jesus told his followers to baptise in the single name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
The word Trinity is not used in the Bible, but Christians use it to describe this biblical truth: one God, eternally known as three distinct persons. It is a mystery, not a puzzle we can completely solve. Still, it helps us see that God’s love did not begin only when he created people. Love belongs to God’s own life.
If you want to know what God is like, keep looking at Jesus. Jesus told Philip that seeing him was seeing the Father (John 14:9). Read one of the Gospels slowly, and notice how Jesus treats the overlooked, confronts hypocrisy, forgives sinners, and gives himself for others.