1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith

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Chapter 2

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Paragraph 1. The Lord our God is but one only living and true God;[1] whose subsistence is in and of Himself,[2] infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself;[3] a most pure spirit,[4] invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;[5] who is immutable,[6] immense,[7] eternal,[8] incomprehensible, almighty,[9] every way infinite, most holy,[10] most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,[11] for His own glory;[12] most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him,[13] and withal most just and terrible in His judgments,[14] hating all sin,[15] and who will by no means clear the guilty.[16] 

[1] 1 Cor. 8:4,6; Deut. 6:4 

[2] Jer. 10:10; Isa. 48:12 

[3] Exod. 3:14 

[4] John 4:24 

[5] 1 Tim. 1:17; Deut. 4:15,16 

[6] Mal. 3:6 

[7] 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:23 

[8] Ps. 90:2 

[9] Gen. 17:1 

[10] Isa. 6:3 

[11] Ps. 115:3; Isa. 46:10 

[12] Prov. 16:4; Rom. 11:36 

[13] Exod. 34:6,7; Heb. 11:6 

[14] Neh. 9:32,33 

[15] Ps. 5:5,6 

[16] Exod. 34:7; Nahum 1:2,3 

Paragraph 2. God, having all life,[17] glory,[18] goodness,[19] blessedness, in and of Himself, is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them,[20] but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things,[21] and He hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever Himself pleases;[22] in His sight all things are open and manifest,[23] His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain;[24] He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works,[25] and in all His commands; to Him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship,[26] service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require of them. 

[17] John 5:26 

[18] Ps. 148:13 

[19] Ps. 119:68 

[20] Job 22:2,3 

[21] Rom. 11:34-36 

[22] Dan. 4:25,34,35 

[23] Heb. 4:13 

[24] Ezek. 11:5; Acts 15:18 

[25] Ps. 145:17 

[26] Rev. 5:12-14 

Paragraph 3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit,[27] of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided:[28] the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father;[29] the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;[30] all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on Him. 

[27] 1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14 

[28] Exod. 3:14; John 14:11; I Cor. 8:6 

[29] John 1:14,18 

[30] John 15:26; Gal. 4:6 

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