WSC 4
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q4. What is God?
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Proof texts
- John 4:24 — [24] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- Job 11:7-9 — [7] “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? [8] It is higher than heaven — what can you do? Deeper than Sheol — what can you know? [9] Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
- Ps. 90:2 — [2] Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- Jas. 1:17 — [17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
- Ex. 3:14 — [14] God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
- Ps. 147:5 — [5] Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
- Rev. 4:8 — [8] And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
- 15:4 — [4] Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Ex. 34:6-7 — [6] The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, [7] keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
For discussion
- The Assembly cited John 4:24 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
- 9 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
- WLC Q7 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
- HC Q8 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?