Who is God?

The Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth.

The God who created all things made Himself know as Jesus Christ. He is present with infinite love and mercy, wisely providing for our growth and response to Him! He is the Source of all blessings, both short-term and long-term. We look to Him for the power to change our lives and to accomplish good things through us. The Lord Jesus Christ, our heavenly Father. There is no other.

We want to understand who God is and feel Him working in our lives. We want to know that God is guiding our way. We want to understand the relationship of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One

The New Church teaches the unity of God in this way: there is one loving, personal God, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Creator, Sustainer and Saviour. Just as each of us, each person, has a soul, body, and an impact on others, and is just one person, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God in one person. In the New Church, He is simply called the Lord.

FATHER - The Father' symbolizes the invisible I AM, the innermost powerful creative force of God-God's soul.

SON - The 'Son' is how this invisible life force chose to walk among humanity as Jesus Christ.

HOLY SPIRIT - The 'Holy Spirit' is the influence of the Lord God Jesus Christ in people's hearts, minds and lives.

God became visible

God made Himself visible and approachable by coming to earth as Jesus. While Jesus was on earth in the physical body of a man, He spoke of Himself as one and the same as God.

'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM: (John 8:58)

'He that has seen me has seen the Father' (John 14:9)

Because He did this, and endured more severe temptations than any human ever has, He is now able to be with us in a very personal way. We know God has full understanding of us and compassion for us, because God, the Creator of the universe, as Jesus, felt the pain and joy we feel. We can trust His deep love to provide for us, His infinite wisdom to guide us, and His power to lift us up out of our harmful tendencies and behaviours. We can reach out to God as both Divine and Human.

'Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows! (Isaiah 53:4)

God loves everyone

God is never angry with us and never punishes us. The New Church teaches that God cannot even look at us with a stern expression because He loves us so much. The New Church also teaches that God welcomes people of every faith into heaven, if they have lived a good life according to their religion.

The goal of creation is an eternal union, or an intimate and loving relationship, between the Creator and all people in the created universe.

Because this is true, God is always drawing everyone as close to Him as they will allow. To the extent that we become wise from God, and try to live according to His teachings, we more and more become images and likenesses of Him and become more deeply united with Him.

God leads everyone

God's guidance, known as Divine Providence, is at work in the smallest details everywhere and in everyone's life. He constantly works to lead all people to Himself, and away from harmful desires and behaviours. But we can only be led to the extent that we are willing to let go of the belief that our own intelligence is everything and instead begin to trust His guidance. At the same time, God carefully protects our freedom to make our own choices. This is because the only things that really become a part of us are those beliefs and actions we freely choose.

Bach day we are given new situations, new choices to make. As we work at living according to our best understanding of what God teaches, we are led step by step to heaven.

'My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand... I and my Father are one! (John 10:29-30)

Got questions about God, life, or the Bible?

Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between, we’re here to listen. Reach out and we’ll connect you with someone who’s happy to talk.