Westminster Larger Catechism: Question 7

Question 7

What is God?

God is a Spirit, (John 4:24) in and of himself infinite in being, (Exod. 3:14, Job 11:7–9) glory, (Acts 7:2) blessedness, (1 Tim. 6:15) and perfection; (Matt. 5:48) all-sufficient, (Gen. 17:1) eternal, (Ps. 90:2) unchangeable, (Mal. 3:6, James 1:17) incomprehensible, (1 Kings 8:27) every where present, (Ps. 139:1–13) almighty, (Rev. 4:8) knowing all things, (Heb. 4:13, Ps. 147:5) most wise, (Rom. 16:27) most holy, (Isa. 6:3, Rev. 15:4) most just, (Deut. 32:4) most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. (Exod. 34:6)


The Westminster Larger Catechism: With Scripture Proofs. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).

What the Larger Catechism does not mention is that the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2, Section 1 says that God is also without body parts or passions.  As God is pure spirit he has no body.  But, as the late Dr. Gordon H. Clark liked to point out, many people have a problem with the idea that God has no emotions.  Just as we do not take the references in Scripture to God's nostrils or hands or feet literally, so we do not take references to God's "emotions" literally either.  These are anthropomorphisms that help us as creatures to relate to God in a way that we can understand.  But God is no more jealous or angry than the idea that he has hands or feet.  The Van Tilians have a problem with logic being God's image and likeness, yet they want to insist that God has "feelings" and "emotions."  Perhaps they are "prying into the secret being of God?"