God’s Self Existence & Spirituality________________________
Letter from the Pastor February, 26th 2026
INTRODUCTION
The study of God, his nature and work, is typically referred to as “theology proper.” “Theos” refers to God and “logos” refers to reason and thought. So, putting the two together, theology proper concerns itself with the doctrine of God himself. And in the London Confession of Faith, chapter one of paragraph two begins by describing the nature, or essence of God.
SECOND LONDON CONFESSION, 2:1a
The Lord our God is but one only living and true God; whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; …[1]
GOD’S SELF EXISTENCE
We simply do not have enough time or space to work through this chapter in detail. Instead, this week I want to focus our attention on two highlights: God’s self-existence and his spirituality. First, the self-existence of God.
The Confession is monotheistic. Our God is but one living and true God. Then we see this phrase: “whose subsistence is in and of Himself.” In other words, whatever God is, he is what he is of and from himself. There is nothing outside or back of God making God what he is. You are a human being, either male or female, and you are what you are because of something prior to yourself, namely your parents. Not so with God. God’s self-existence is also known as aseity.[2]The very ground of God’s existence is God himself. He is the uncaused cause of all else which came into existence. And because he is the uncaused cause, everything else depends on him.
GOD’S SPIRITUALITY
When we refer to the spirituality of God, we are not referencing the quality of his prayer life. We often say that someone is “spiritual” meaning that they walk closely with the Lord. Rather, the spirituality of God is summarized in the confession when it explains that God is, “a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions.”
First, God is a most pure spirit. In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is spirit.” He isn’t simply “a” spirit, but his very nature is spiritual. Stephen Charnock says that we understand the spirituality of God by way of negation, meaning, God does not have a body. This is why God forbids the making of images and idols. Any time we try to “picture” God we are necessarily distorting our understanding of who he is. Because God is pure spirit, his essence is undivided. All that is in God is God. The confession states that God is without body, parts or passions. This is what theologians call the doctrine of divine simplicity. In other words, God is not a combination or compound of his attributes. Listen to the way Jeremiah Burroughs speaks of God:
“whatsoever you can say of God, is God, the Wisdom of God, is God; the Mercy of God, is God; the Justice of God, is God Himself: and so all the Attributes: we conceive of the Attributes as if they were distinct from the Being; when we say, God is wise, as if God were one thing, and Wisdom were another; but certainly if we would apprehend God as in Himself, we cannot apprehend him so; As if his Wisdom were one thing, and God another; or his Mercy one thing, and God another; so that the truth is, nothing can properly be predicated of God…[3]
These are assuredly deep waters, far above our head. This is why the Confession teaches that only God fully comprehends himself.
APPLYING THE DOCTRINE
What do we do with the doctrines of God’s self-existence and spirituality?
First, recognize the immensity of God. He is not bound by space or time. There is nothing prior to him. He is the ground of everything. This ought to bring us confidence and comfort living in a world of skepticism and doubt. Our culture feels adrift, but there is an unmoved mover, whose name is the Lord.
Second, God’s spirituality forbids the making of idols. To try to image God by a physical object is a grievous sin, because God’s essence cannot be represented by objects made with human hands. While Christians might disagree on what kind of images are acceptable, we should all agree that any image which tends toward adoration and devotion ought to be prohibited for us.
Third, God’s spirituality requires spiritual worship. Jesus Christ taught that because God is spirit, our worship must be spiritual in nature. In other words, the outward, physical forms of our worship are no good if we are not giving the inner, invisible spirit to the Lord in devotion. Here is Stephen Charnock describing spiritual worship:
If [God] were a body, a bodily worship might suit him; images might be fit to represent him. But because he is a Spirit, our bodily services enter us not into communion with him. Because he is a spirit, we must banish from our minds all carnal imaginations of him and separate from our wills all cold and dissembled affections to him. We must have not only a loud voice but an elevated soul, not only a bended knee but a broken heart, not only a supplicating tone but a groaning spirit, not only a ready ear for the word but a receiving heart-and this shall be of greater value with him than the most costly outward services offered at Gerizim or Jerusalem.[4]
The uplifted voice without an uplifted soul does not please the Lord. He desires worship from the heart; spiritual in nature. This means that following Christ and honoring God are not less than external obedience, but far more.
CONCLUSION
As we conclude this week, let’s think on the lyrics to a famous hymn to focus our meditation:
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.[5]
In Christ,
Pastor Jonathan
[1]You would be helped to read the entirety of chapter 2 on your own time. The full text of the confession can be accessed at: https://www.the1689confession.com
[2] From the Latin a se, meaning “from himself”
[3] Jeremiah Burroughs, An Exposition with Practical Observations continued Upon the Eleventh, Twelfth, & Thirteenth Chapters of the Prophecy of Hosea (London: Peter Cole, 1651), 273-274
[4] Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God. Crossway, 310.
[5] Lyrics written by Walter Chalmers Smith