Q COLLAPSE A careful study of the Bible reveals some specific characteristics of God that may not be known from nature or the conscience. First of all, the God of historic Biblical Christianity is one God, but three persons (Trinity, or Triune, meaning three-in-one). The persons are generally known as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus the Savior), and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is distinct and unique, yet they share common characteristics. This Tri-unity is a mystery; people cannot comprehend fully the nature of God, but the Bible says enough about it to understand the basic principle. One might compare it to the parts of an apple. Though you have one apple, it has three parts: a core with seeds, the fruit, and the outer skin. Each has a distinct function, but they together comprise one apple. Read these Bible passages about God’s oneness and His Triune nature: 1) Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1 Corinthians 8:4 2) 2 Corinthians 13:14 and Matthew 28:19-20. Note that the Bible indicates that all three persons (the technical term for the members ofthe Trinity) were all present in the beginning. Read Genesis 1:1-2 and the first three words of Genesis 1:3 in relation to John 1:1-5, 14. In the first paragraph, describe what you understand from these passages about the presence of God as three persons. For the second paragraph, select one of the passages or sets of passages below (each student chooses a different one). Post and carefully read the passage(s), then identify in detail what characteristic(s) of God it describes. The sets of multiple passages are clustered because they are topically related. Some passages will have multiple characteristics. 1) John 4:24 2) 1 Timothy 1:17, Psalm 90:1-2 3) Psalm 102:27, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17 4) Genesis 17:1, Matthew 19:26 5) Psalm 139:1-4, John 21:17 6) Jeremiah 23:24, Acts 17:27 7) Leviticus 19:2, Psalm 5:4-5, Isaiah 6:3 8) Deuteronomy 32:4 9) 2 Timothy 2:13 10) Psalm 118:1, Psalm 145:9 11) Jeremiah 3:12, Titus 3:5 12) Exodus 34:6-7 13) John 3:16, 1 John 4:8