In this foundational episode of “The Reformed Standard,” we pivot from establishing our purpose (glorifying God), our guide (Scripture), and our framework (what to believe and what duty God requires) to contemplating the profound question: “What is God?” Drawing on John Calvin’s insight that true wisdom consists of knowing God and ourselves, the episode explores how this question confronts us with our own limitations and the necessity of approaching God on His terms, not ours. The host emphasizes that theology is taught by God, teaches about God, and leads to God—reminding us that our ultimate goal is not academic mastery but relational communion with our Creator.



Key Takeaways




The catechism makes a pivot from discussing the tools of faith to contemplating God Himself through the profound question: “What is God?”



True wisdom consists of two interconnected parts: knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves (Calvin’s insight).



Seeing God in His holiness inevitably humbles us and reveals our true proportion as creatures.



Without humble submission to God’s self-revelation, we risk creating a god in our own image.



The medieval scholastic principle “Theologia a Deo docetur, Deum docet, et ad Deum ducit” (Theology is taught by God, teaches God, and leads to God) provides the right approach.



Our pursuit of theological knowledge is ultimately relational, not merely academic.



We must approach this question as humble worshippers on “holy ground.”




Key Concepts



The Humbling Effect of Divine Contemplation



When we truly contemplate God’s nature, we simultaneously discover crucial truths about ourselves. As Calvin observed, we never achieve clear self-knowledge until we’ve “looked upon God’s face.” Apart from this divine comparison, we easily overestimate our own righteousness and wisdom. But the moment we raise our thoughts to God’s perfect holiness and majesty, what once seemed righteous in us “will soon grow filthy in its consummate wickedness.” This explains why biblical saints often responded to God’s presence with terror and self-abasement—Isaiah crying “Woe is me! For I am lost” and Abraham recognizing himself as “dust and ashes.” The question “What is God?” inevitably leads us to confront our creatureliness and sinfulness, producing a necessary humility that prepares us to receive divine truth on God’s terms rather than our own.



The Relational Purpose of Theology



The medieval scholastic principle “Theologia a Deo docetur, Deum docet, et ad Deum ducit” encapsulates the proper approach to theological knowledge. First, God Himself is the source of our knowledge through His self-revelation in Scripture. Second, God is the subject of our inquiry—we seek to know Him as He truly is, not as we might imagine Him to be. Finally, God is the ultimate aim of our knowledge—the goal is not merely intellectual mastery but communion with the living God. This reminds us that theology is fundamentally relational rather than merely academic. We are not studying an abstract concept but seeking to know our Heavenly Father, His beloved Son, and their common Holy Spirit. As the Scots Confession affirms, He is “the one to whom only we must cleave, whom only we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom only we put our trust.”



Memorable Quotes



“Man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself.” – John Calvin (cited in the episode)



“We are about to embark on the greatest pursuit of all: the knowledge of God Himself.”



“As we approach this question, we must do so as humble worshippers. We must, like Moses at the burning bush, take off our shoes, for the ground on which we are about to tread is holy ground.”



Full Transcript



[00:00:06] Foundation of Faith



For the past several weeks, we have been laying a foundation. We began with our purpose: to glorify and enjoy God. We established our guide: the Holy Scriptures. And we found our framework for understanding that guide: the twofold structure of what we are to believe concerning God, and what duty He requires of us.



We have, in a sense, been learning the grammar of our faith. We’ve been given the tools, the map, and the compass. 



[00:00:33] The Great Pivot: From Tools to Task



And now, the catechism makes its first great pivot. We turn from the tools to the task itself. We turn our gaze from the map and begin the journey toward the destination. We move from learning how we are to glorify God to contemplating the God we are to glorify.



[00:00:50] Contemplating the Question: What is God?



The catechism does this by asking its fourth, and perhaps most profound question: What is God?



Before we can even begin to formulate an answer, we must understand what this question does to us. 



[00:01:03] The Knowledge of God and Ourselves



John Calvin, at the very beginning of his Institutes, argues that true wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves, and that these two are inextricably linked. You cannot have one without the other. He writes that “man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself.”



As long as we only look at ourselves, surrounded by other fallen creatures, we can easily flatter ourselves. We can feel righteous, wise, and good. But, as Calvin says, the moment we raise our thoughts to God and consider His perfect holiness and majesty, “what masquerading earlier as righteousness was pleasing in us will soon grow filthy in its consummate wickedness.” To see God is to see ourselves in our proper proportion—as dust and ashes, as Abraham said. This is why the saints in Scripture so often react to God’s presence with terror, crying out like Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am lost.” To truly ask “What is God?” is to simultaneously be confronted with the question, “What am I in comparison?” This is not an exercise for the proud. It is an exercise in humility.



Therefore, this is not a question we can answer on our own terms. To attempt to define God based on our own intuition would be the height of folly. When we do not humbly submit ourselves to what God has revealed, we inevitably create a god in our own image. We project our own desires and limitations onto the divine, and then we worship that projection. Which is to say, we end up worshipping ourselves. The Apostle Paul diagnosed this in Romans 1, saying men “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”



[00:02:53] The Right Path to Theology



So, what is the right path? The medieval scholastics had a beautiful adage: Theologia a Deo docetur, Deum docet, et ad Deum ducit. Theology is taught by God, teaches God, and leads to God. First, God is the source of our knowledge; He teaches us through His Word. Second, God is the subject of our knowledge; we seek to know Him as He truly is. And finally, God is the aim of our knowledge; the goal is not mere information, but union and communion with Him through Christ.



This means our goal is relational. We are not trying to master an academic subject; we are seeking to know our Heavenly Father, His beloved Son, and their common Holy Spirit. As the Scots Confession says, He is the one “to whom only we must cleave, whom only we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom only we put our trust.”



So as we approach this monumental question, how do we prepare ourselves for such a holy task? 



[00:03:50] Practical Exhortations for the Week Ahead



I want to give you three practical exhortations for the week ahead.



First: pray. Pray before you think on this. Pray as you meditate on it. And when you are done, pray some more.



Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, to enlighten the eyes of your heart.



Second, listen to these episodes with your Bible in hand. When we discuss what God has revealed about Himself, go to the text. See it for yourself. Let the Word of God, not my words, be the primary shaper of your thoughts.



And third, and this is critically important: faithfully attend to the means of grace God has established in your local church. Podcasts, books, and even our beloved confessions and catechisms, are wonderful supplements, but they can never replace sitting under the faithful preaching of the Word by the man God has ordained as the shepherd of your soul. Your primary spiritual nourishment must come from the ordinary means of grace: the Word preached, the sacraments administered, and the fellowship of the saints.



[00:04:56] Conclusion and Final Thoughts



So as we approach this question, we must do so as humble worshippers. We must, like Moses at the burning bush, take off our shoes, for the ground on which we are about to tread is holy ground.



For this week, let that question settle in your mind, guided by prayer and Scripture. Let its weight and its majesty reorient you. We are about to embark on the greatest pursuit of all: the knowledge of God Himself.

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