Lord’s Day 9
Q26. What do you believe when you say: I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever hardship he sends me in this troubled world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 2:3
“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
Psalm 33:6
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”
Isaiah 44:24
“Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I the LORD that maketh all ; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;”
Acts 4:24
“And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:”
Acts 14:15
“And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”
Psalm 104:27–30
“These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give their meat in due season. thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.”
Hebrews 1:3
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
John 1:12–13
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Romans 8:15–16
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
Galatians 4:4–7
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Ephesians 1:5
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”
Psalm 55:22
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Matthew 6:25–26
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
Luke 12:22–31
“And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Genesis 18:14
“Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Romans 8:31–33
“What shall we then say to these things? If God for us, who against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? God that justifieth.”
Matthew 6:32–33
“(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 7:9–11
“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
I believe in God. There is an important distinction between believing God and believing in God. The first describes historical faith; the second describes true, living faith, which is personal trust. When I say I believe that God exists, I am affirming that there is a God and that He is exactly as He has revealed Himself in His Word: a spiritual being, omnipotent, eternal, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But when I say I believe in God, I mean something far more personal. I mean that He is my God, that everything He is and everything He has is directed toward my salvation. To put it precisely: to believe God is to affirm that a certain person is God, possessing all the attributes Scripture ascribes to Him. To believe in God is to be personally convinced that He will direct everything attributed to Him toward my salvation, for the sake of His Son.
In God. The name "God" here is used in its essential sense, referring to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together. The phrase "I believe," when joined with the word "in," applies equally to all three persons of the Godhead, because we believe in the Son and the Holy Spirit no less than we believe in the Father.
Father. When the name "Father" is set in contrast to the Son, it refers specifically to the first person of the Godhead, as it does here in the Creed. But when it is set in contrast to creatures, it must be understood in its essential sense, referring to the whole divine being, as in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father who art in heaven." In this broader sense, Isaiah explicitly calls the Son "the everlasting Father" (Isa 9:6). The first person is called the Father in three distinct respects: