God is eternal, immutable, all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign, and absolutely simple
Reformed Baptists hold to classical theism as articulated in the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 2. God is one, infinite in being and perfection, absolutely eternal without beginning or end, immutable and unchangeable in his essence and purposes. He is all-powerful (omnipotent), knowing all things past, present, and future (omniscient), and universally present (omnipresent). God is spirit, incorporeal, invisible, and has neither body nor passions.
The divine simplicity — the doctrine that God's essence and attributes are identical, with no composition or parts — undergirds Reformed Baptist understanding of God's absolute transcendence and perfection. God's knowledge and power are not operations distinct from his being but are identical with his eternal essence. His eternal decrees are the free exercise of his will, not constraining but fully expressing his perfect nature.
God is absolutely sovereign: all creatures exist and act within the bounds of his eternal decree. His sovereignty is not merely compatible with human responsibility but establishes it. God's character is necessarily holy, just, merciful, and good. These attributes, infinitely perfect in God, are the foundation for all moral law and the basis of his judicial acts in history and at the end of time.
Key Distinctions
- Primary divine attribute:
- absolute and irresistible; decrees all events
Scripture References
Sources
- 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 2
- Westminster Confession, Chapter 2