The First Page

The God we meet on the first page of the Bible is triune: "In the beginning God [the Father] created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit] was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said [spoke: the Word], 'Let there be light'; and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3). "Then God said, [...]; and it was so." (Genesis 1:8).

We learn in the Bible that the True God is the Creator.  Jeremiah proposes a simple test for discerning the true and living God from the crowd of imposters and fakes adored by the nations: the true God is the Creator: "But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King.  At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.  Thus you shall say to them: 'The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.'  He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion." (Jeremiah 10:10-12).

Paul's thumbnail identification of the God he served, before the pagans, is this: "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." (Acts 17:24).  Creation is the dividing line between the false "vanities" and true God: "...and saying, 'Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them..." (Acts 14:15).

Isaiah 44:24 states that God alone created the universe: "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: 'I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself...'" No outside help was wanted or needed.

And who is this One God who created the world alone? The Bible teaches that the God who created the world was Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

"The Son of His love" created the world:

"...giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (Colossians 1:12-18).

"[T]he Son of His love" is also known to the Bible as the Word, a.k.a. Jesus Christ: "...and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ..." (Ephesians 3:9);

"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth...For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." (Psalm 33:6-9).

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made...He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." (John 1:1-10);

"By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3);

"For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water." (2 Peter 3:5-6).

By the Word of God By Wisdom

"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.  For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.  For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God." (Hebrews 3:1-4).

The Father created the world

God the Father created, by the Son:

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds..." (Hebrews 1:1-2).

This is the Father of Jesus Christ: "So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: 'Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: "Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ." For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.'" (Acts 4:24-28).

The Holy Spirit created the world

Likewise, the Holy Spirit created:

"By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. (Job 26:13);

"You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth." (Psalms 104:30);

"The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4).

God's children know who created the world: the One God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the true God, the Creator of the world!

Readers may find it puzzling that one and the same act: creation — is variously ascribed in the Bible to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Does this common work erase the distinction, clear in other passages, between the three Persons? Not at all! It is a very common pattern:

Three-in-One

People who want to talk about God the way the Bible talks about God must be careful not to delineate a well-defined 'division of labor' within the Trinity, though there are specific things that can only be said of one Person: for example, 'became incarnate' is said only of the Son.