The Philadelphia Confession, 1742

Chapter 2

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

1. The Lord our God is but one only living and true God;
I Corinthians As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
8:4 sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that
there is none other God but one.
I Corinthians For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as
8:5 there be gods many, and lords many,)
I Corinthians But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we
8:6 in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

mono·the·ism
Pronunciation: \’mä-nə-(,)thē-,i-zəm\
Function: noun
: The doctrine or belief that there is but one God
-------
poly·the·ism
Pronunciation: \’pä-lē-(,)thē-,i-zəm\
Function: noun
: Belief in or worship of more than one god

Deuteronomy Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

6:4
Deuteronomy And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
6:5 thy soul, and with all thy might.
- Jesus tells us that this is the first and great commandment.
Matthew Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
22:37 with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew This is the first and great commandment.
22:38
whose subsistence is in and of himself,
Jeremiah But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king:
10:10 at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide
his indignation.

- Seven times in scripture, God tells us that He is the first and the last:
Isaiah Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the
41:4 LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I
44:6 am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isaiah Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also
48:12 am the last.

Revelation Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,
1:11 write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Revelation And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
1:17 me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Revelation I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
1:18 Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the
2:8 first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Revelation I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
22:13
- Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, Jesus is the first and the last, and Jesus
is God.

infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but
himself;
Exodus And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
3:14 unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
- Jesus was the voice in the burning bush:
John I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he,
8:24 ye shall die in your sins.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
John 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou
seen Abraham?
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I
am.
a most pure spirit,
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth.
invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the
light which no man can approach unto;
I Timothy Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour
1:17 and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
- There is no graven image that can be made by man to represent the
image of God.
Deuteronomy Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of
4:15 similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the
midst of the fire:
Deuteronomy Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude
4:16 of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Deuteronomy The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged
4:17 fowl that flieth in the air,
Deuteronomy The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any
4:18 fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deuteronomy And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun,
4:19 and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be
driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath
divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

similitude: 8544
hnwmt T@muwnah (tem-oo-naw'); Noun Feminine, Strong #: 8544

form, image, likeness, representation, semblance

KJV Word Usage and Count
likeness 5
similitude 4
image 1

si·mil·i·tude
Noun
1. Similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things:
2. A duplicate copy.

- I’ve heard a wise preacher say, “God created man in his own image.
And man in his deranged state of mental numbness tried to return the
favor.”
- We are told in II Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3 that
Jesus is the image of God.
II Corinthians In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
4:4 believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them.

Colossians Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of
1:12 the inheritance of the saints in light:
Colossians Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
1:13 into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Colossians In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
1:14 sins:
Colossians Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
1:15
Colossians For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
1:16 visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
1:17

Hebrews God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
1:1 fathers by the prophets,
Hebrews Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
1:2 heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,
1:3 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;

who is immutable,
im·mu·ta·ble
Adjective
1. Not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature; "the view
of that time was that all species were immutable, created by God".
Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed.

immense,
im·mense
Adjective
1. Unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
I Kings But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of
8:27 heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
-------------------
Jeremiah Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
23:23
Jeremiah Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the
23:24 LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

eternal,
Psalm Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth
90:2 and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

incomprehensible, almighty,
Genesis And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to
17:1 Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be
thou perfect.
------
Revelation And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full
4:8 of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,
 Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
---------
every way infinite, most holy,
in·fi·nite
Adjective
1. Having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude.
Isaiah And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:
6:3 the whole earth is full of his glory.
most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of his
own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory;
Psalm Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy,
115:1 and for thy truth's sake.
Psalm Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
115:2
Psalm But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
115:3
------------
Isaiah Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
46:9 God, and there is none like me,
Isaiah Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are
46:10 not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isaiah Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a
46:11 far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I
will also do it.

for his own glory;

Proverbs The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day
16:4 of evil.
The wicked are fitted for their role for the day of calamity and evil.
Jude For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to
1:4 this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,
and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
What ever evil and wicked men do, it will be for the glory of God.
Matthew Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences
18:7 come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Whenever evil people plan to destroy the Lord’s people, not only do they loose, they
actually unwittingly glorify him. The best example of that is the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ. Jesus was in complete control of his entire crucifixion.
Q: Who chose the disciple in the beginning that would eventually betray Jesus?
A: Jesus
John Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
6:70
John He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him,
6:71 being one of the twelve.
Q: Who chose when the betrayal of Jesus was going to take place?
A: Jesus
John Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of
13:24 whom he spake.
John He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
13:25
John Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And
13:26 when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
Q: Who chose when Satan entered Judas and gave Satan direct orders to make it Quick?
A: Jesus
John And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou
13:27 doest, do quickly.
Q: Who knew the perfect time for Jesus to be captured, so that prophecy could be
fulfilled?
A: Jesus
John Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant,
18:10 and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
John Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my
18:11 Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
John Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound
18:12 him,
John And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which
18:13 was the high priest that same year.
Q: Who gave power to the kings to crucify the Lord Jesus so that prophecy could be
fulfilled?
A: God the Father
John Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I
19:10 have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
John Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were
19:11 given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater
sin.
God controls the power of the kings and the heart of the kings
Proverbs The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he
21:1 turneth it whithersoever he will.

- It is all done for His glory.

Romans For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
11:36 for ever. Amen.

most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving
iniquity, transgression, and sin;
Exodus And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
34:6 God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
34:7 that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth
generation.
the rewarder of them that diligently seek him,
Hebrews But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
11:6 must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.
and withal most just and terrible in his judgments,
Nehemiah Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who
9:32 keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that
hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on
our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the
kings of Assyria unto this day.
Nehemiah Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right,
9:33 but we have done wickedly:
Nehemiah Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law,
9:34 nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou
didst testify against them.

I John If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
1:9 us from all unrighteousness.
hating all sin,
Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Psalm 5:6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody
and deceitful man.
and who will by no means clear the guilty.
Exodus And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and
34:5 proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exodus And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
34:6 God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
34:7 that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth
generation.
(1 Cor. 8:4, 6; Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10; Isa. 48:12; Exod. 3:14; John 4:24; 1 Tim. 1:17; Deut.
4:15, 16; Mal. 3:6; 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:23; Ps. 90:2; Gen. 17:1; Isa. 6:3; Ps. 115:3; Isa.
46:10; Prov. 16:4; Rom. 11:36; Exod.34:6, 7; Heb. 11:6; Neh. 9:32, 33; Ps. 5:5, 6; Exod.
34:7; Nahum 1:2, 3)
2. God, having all life,
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself;
John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of
 man.
glory,
Psalm Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
148:7
Psalm Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
148:8
Psalm Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
148:9
Psalm Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
148:10
Psalm Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
148:11
Psalm Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
148:12
Psalm Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his
148:13 glory is above the earth and heaven.
goodness,
Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

blessedness, in and of himself, is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in
need of any creature which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them,
Job Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto
22:2 himself?
Job Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that
22:3 thou makest thy ways perfect?

but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; he is the alone fountain
of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things,

Romans For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his
11:34 counsellor?
Romans Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
11:35
Romans For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
11:36 for ever. Amen.

and he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon
them, whatsoever himself pleaseth;
Daniel And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven,
4:23 and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots
thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the
field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the
beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Daniel This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is
4:24 come upon my lord the king:
Daniel That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of
4:25 the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee
with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that
the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

Daniel And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven,
4:34 and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I
praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
Daniel And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according
4:35 to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

It can only be known by revelation—not reason alone. Divine revelation is a matter of

sovereign freedom. We know only what He has revealed to us.

in his sight all things are open and manifest,

Hebrews Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
4:13 naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to
him contingent or uncertain;
Ezekiel And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith
11:5 the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that
come into your mind, every one of them.

Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works,

Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

and in all His commands; to him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship,
Revelation And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne
5:11 and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Revelation Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
5:12 power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing.
Revelation And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,
5:13 and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Revelation And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down
5:14 and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is further
pleased to require of them.
(John 5:26; Ps. 148:13; Ps. 119:68; Job 22:2, 3; Rom. 11:34-36; Dan. 4:25, 34, 35; Heb.
4:13; Ezek. 11:5; Acts 15:18; Ps. 145:17; Rev. 5:12-14)
3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or
Son, and Holy Spirit,
I John For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
5:7 Ghost: and these three are one.

Matthew Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
28:19 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
28:20 lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

II Corinthians The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
13:14 communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Q: We discussed the definition of monotheism and polytheism, could
this be tritheism as suggested by non believers?

A: God forbid. There is only one living and true God, and Jesus is the
image of God.
Colossians Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of
1:12 the inheritance of the saints in light:
Colossians Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
1:13 into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Colossians In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
1:14 sins:
Colossians Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
1:15
Colossians For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
1:16 visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
1:17

of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the
essence undivided:
Exodus And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
3:14 unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

John Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for
14:11 the very works' sake.

I Corinthians For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as
8:5 there be gods many, and lords many,)
I Corinthians But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we
8:6 in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the
Father;
John And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
1:14 glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom
1:18 of the Father, he hath declared him.

the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;
John This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me:
1:30 for he was before me.
John And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore
1:31 am I come baptizing with water.
John And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a
1:32 dove, and it abode upon him.

John But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
15:26 even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the
15:27 beginning.

Galatians And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
4:6 hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in
nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal
relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God,
and comfortable dependence on him.
(1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Exod. 3:14; John 14:11; I Cor. 8:6; John 1:14,18;
John 15:26; Gal. 4:6)