Before the universe began, there is an eternal self-existent being- that being created the universe. He is the source of everything visible and invisible, of matter and energy. The eternal being is a personal being separate from his creation, yet involved in his creation. A non-personal being could not conceive of a creation with purpose and complexity. A personal mind is necessary for a complex and purposeful creation. The personal being is not contained in any human structure or object in nature. The error called idolatry is the containment of this divine being in creation. The creator did endow his creation with forces that enhance life and order, but he is separate from those forces. He continually sustains his creation, reigning in the midst of death and chaos.
In the Christian conception of God, the eternal self-existent being exists in three persons. One explanation from the early church is the sun. The sun is a far away object and could not directly be seen. We see the rays of the sun. The effects of the sun are felt by creation. The object, the rays, and its effects are the sun. An explanation I find helpful (there is no perfect way to explain the divine being and this explanation may be critiqued for not doing justice to the distinction between the three persons of the divine being), is the nature of the person. The person could be the mind and heart that plan its actions, and makes judgments. The person could also be the body that executes the mind and heart’s plans, and experiences the environment. The person could also be the one who affects those around him, thereby influencing his environment. All actions of one personal being involve those three persons.
Going into the nature of God, it could be said that the one whom Christians call God the father is the fountainhead of the divine being, the mind and heart of the divine. The eternal Word is eternally manifested (eternally begotten) by the father, like the rays of the sun manifests the sun. The Word has no beginning just like the father has no beginning. He reveals the heart and mind of the father, just like the body reveals the heart and mind of the person (in the absence of deception). He is the one who was incarnate in Jesus Christ. The eternal Spirit is the personal energy that proceeds from the Father and the Word. The eternal Spirit moves the hearts of people, as they respond to the Father and the Word. The eternal Spirit moved the forces of creation, as creation responded to the Father and the Word. The Father, Word, and Spirit are together involved in the works of the divine being.
Another helpful way to conceive of the divine being is by talking about the concept of evil. In the Christian conception of evil, evil has three aspects. The devil is the fountainhead of evil, the corrupter of the good, which are God’s (father) purposes. Good and Evil are directionalities, and does not inhere in objects and does not have objective existence. Take a TV for example. A TV is not inherently good or evil. Good is movement towards order and a TV can be used for good ends- teaching, warning, etc. Evil is movement towards chaos and a TV can be used for evil ends- disseminating lies, titillating the senses to the point of sin (lust, hatred, covetousness, etc.). The devil’s works are manifested in the flesh (a tendency within the individual to oppose God’s orderly purpose) and propagated by the world (a tendency within communities of fleshly people to oppose God’s orderly purpose). Just as the father is manifested in the son, the flesh manifests evil. Evil is expressed in the works of the flesh- pride, lust, covetousness, contempt, etc. which manifests itself as murder, adultery, robbery, etc., or dwells in the heart and affects relationships. Evil is also the influence of the world- the spirit that promotes pride, lust, covetousness, contempt, etc. which may manifest itself as racism, consumerism, etc. The world affects the person who then manifests evil in the flesh. The defeat of evil is the work of the triune God. The Father orchestrated the defeat of evil as a response to the devil’s rebellion. The Word overcomes the flesh through his sacrifice, dying in place of the fleshly man. The Spirit overcomes the flesh through his sanctifying work, cleansing man from his worldliness.
The concept of the divine being is a presupposition. It should not have to be defended. Man is aware of the existence of the divine being but may deny its personality. However, there are different ideas concerning the divine being and ideas of the divine are not plain to human reasoning. It is not automatically apparent to human reason that the divine being is caring or wise- judgments about the divine being are matters of faith. Evolutionary force or natural selection is an idea of the divine that, despite the atheist’s denial, he affirms. This supposedly mindless force, driven by chance, is leading the universe somewhere (survival of the fittest), as if it has a mindful plan- a contradiction. There are those that see the divine mind behind evolutionary force, moving the universe to a planned end, the survival of the fittest. Another conception of the divine is a spirit that permeates nature and objects and people (animism). There are special people that apprehend (control?) the divine (shamans, gurus, priests, prophets). The Christian idea of the divine shares with monotheistic traditions the idea that the divine is one- there are no beings in eternal conflict, or one being in eternal conflict with itself (the force in Star Wars).
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, it is affirmed that the divine revealed himself in history (history of Israel in Judaism / the revelation of Jesus Christ in Christianity), thereby delineating how humanity is to think of him. God also acts in other people’s histories but God is only truly known in the history of Israel, and finally in the revelation of Jesus. The role of prophets and apostles in the Judeo-Christian tradition is to interpret history in light of God’s revelation (downfall of great powers like Babylon and Persia is God’s assertion that he is sovereign ruler of the universe and he cannot be successfully opposed, for example). Just as we cannot just relate to a human being anyway we want (a human has his values), we cannot relate to God anyway we want (like a genie for example). In this tradition, the divine seeks human unity in how they think of him and relate to him, thereby necessitating the impetus towards missionary endeavor.
Secular ideologies (communism, democracy, feminism, etc.) also have a missionary endeavor, which reveals a parallel tendency of humanity towards unity. Ideologists also have a conception of how the world should be and without that conception, humanity could not find real unity (toleration has its limits). “Wise” men did not just thought about the nature of the universe and came up with the idea of the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Judeo-Christian God did not reveal himself as an idea, but in a personal relationship that he wants humanity to partake in. His love is not just an idea but is shown in relationship, which is revealed in sacred tradition (scripture). The Scripture is the story of God’s relationship with his people, as apprehended by prophets and apostles inspired by God’s Spirit. In Christianity, God’s relationship starts with Israel and expands to the world, through the revelation of Jesus, who is to be the focal point of worship, and the work of the Holy Spirit, who opens hearts to Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin (repentance) and its need for Jesus (faith). The missionary endeavor is the product of the idea that God seeks relationship with us, not just an acquaintance. God does not just want to be a bystander in our life or the employer we do not know much about, but to be our God- the one we entrust our lives to and worship.
God is involved in his creation, but how is he involved? I believe that God manifests his fatherly care primarily through nature. The soil has life-giving powers for example, which God gave it. What are miracles then? Miracles are the moments when God directs nature in unexpected ways. For example, the parting of the red sea shows God using natural forces in a way that shows God's favor to the Israelites. Prophets are people who give meaning to events, communicating the spiritual reality behind them (e.g. God's care). Therefore, unbelief is possible because people choose to interpret events as random, without any reference to a purposeful God.
This leads us to a discussion of spiritual gifts. In Christian tradition, God's spirit endows people with special powers. The purpose of these powers is the establishment and growth of the church. In the foundation of the church, it is necessary for the people to see that some people (prophets and apostles) have God behind them. Therefore, mirscles where granted to authenticate these people as messengers of God. Miracles are purposeful, they show that God is authenticating his message.
I am a cautious cessationist. I believe that the message given to the prophets and apostles are complete. There is no further need for authentication because the message of the prophets have been given. That is why I am wary of people claiming gift of miracles (supernatural knowledge also). Miracles (signs and wonders) are tied to revelation and Jesus is the final revelation. There would be no further revelation until Jesus returns. I am cautious in that God is free, and he can heal people or grant visions or do a myriad of things that could supersede our understanding of the natural. Healing of an aggressive cancer for example is possible because God is still in the business of directing his creation and showing his care. However, we should not see miracles today as authenticating a person as somehow special to God, receiving revelation from him. God's revelation is complete in Jesus, who gave his stamp of authority to prophets and apostles through signs and wonders.