He would rather speak of moral and non-moral attributes. John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). The fact that God can never be more wise means he is always doing the wisest thing in our lives. 7. For all have sinned and fall short glory of God, and, the wages of sin is death. But because of mercy, we dont get what we deserve. Gods whole being includes all of his attributes: he is entirely loving, entirely merciful, entirely just, and so forth. D.S. . Human rulers cant oppose Gods will, for the kings heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will (Proverbs 21:1). 2 Timothy 2:13 says of Christ, He cannot deny himself., When the angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds (Luke 2:9), The heavenly city in Revelation (Revelation 21:23). The Goodness of God. Between the things God says and does, what other people say about him, and the life of Jesus, the Bible gives us numerous descriptions of Gods character. INCOMPREHENSIBLE: God is incomprehensible, not in the sense that the concept of God is unintelligible, but in the sense that God cannot be fully and directly known by finite creatures, because of His uniqueness and His infinitude. The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected ( Hebrews 4:1 ). Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). God wants us to know that he is omnipotent, meaning that he is infinite in power. His love is personal. But even the wisest man on earth would never come close to being as wise as God. It continues at the present time, for we read, The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand (John 3:35). As with all of Gods attributes, they are not separate, isolated traits but interconnected parts of his perfect whole being. 2:8). Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty Revelation 4:8, The word holy means sacred, set apart, revered, or devine. So our whole existence and purpose is to glorify him, as we are created in his image and do the good work he has prepared for us to do. PERSONAL: God, as the author of personhood in the created universe, cannot be less than personal Himself; thus He experiences relationships with other persons, or self-conscious beings. What does it mean that God is just? He protects his honor. Hallelujah! Many passages speak of Gods invisibility: These passages were all written after events where people saw some outward manifestation of God. False The names and titles given to God in Scripture reveal what he is like. Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. His grace is also sovereign. 12. False ________ literally means "all-knowing" Omniscience A person can know God better by studying the attributes ascribed to Him throughout Scripture. For although we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind (Ephesians 2:3), we now trust in Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? All of Him is everywhere at once. 100:3 [thus excluding the view of Mormonism that Jehovah and Elohim are distinct beings]), Implied by the doctrines of self-existence, transcendence, and omnipotence, Created all things (Gen. 1:1; Psa. 1) Eternity - God is eternal. This is an online-exclusive from theChristian Research Journal. His radiance and beauty emanate from all that his is and all that he does. The mystery of God as triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is wedded to the conviction that God is personal and displays his character in all of his actions. One of God's attributes or qualities is "light," meaning that He is self-revealing in information of Himself ( Isaiah 60:19; James 1:17 ). 90:2; 93:2; 102:12; Eph. O taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8). He is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward us. What Does It Mean That "Your Life Is Hidden with Christ"? 41:22-23; 42:9; 44:7), God is not a man (Num. We will love God, not the world (1 John 2:15), and we will do all this because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. Note that God may be more than personal, indeed, His infinite nature suggests that He must be. Hechanges the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He giveswisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21). The attributes of God are the inherent characteristics closely associated with or belonging to Him. God cannot do anything that denies his own character. His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Duet 32:4. 48. Therefore, he commands the people of Israel to tear down the altars of pagan gods in the land of Canaan, giving the following reason: For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9). 32:9-14; Psa. Non-moral attributes represent the characteristics of God's being that does not relate to God's moral nature. When Scripture speaks about Gods attributes it never singles out one attribute as more important than the rest. He is inexhaustibly, actively compassionate. He cannot do anything contrary to His will, character, or nature. David says, for example, I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is great . I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious (Exodus 33:19). He is everywhere and fills heaven and earth: Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? When the Psalmist writes O, taste and see that the Lord is good, (Psalm 34) he is inviting us not just to believe that God is good but to experience Gods goodness. so that no human being might boast in the presence of God 1 Corinthians 1:21, 27, 29. It is only in this that we can hope to stand in the presence of the blindingly pure, perfect, Holy One of Israel. His mercy flows from his goodness. In his goodness to us, we see that He has purposed to be good in a special way to his people(Ligonier.com). MORALLY PERFECT: The following are the moral attributes of God; they are listed here together because God's moral nature is perfectly unified, with no tension between His wrath and His love, for example. . The word staggers before its task of even describing the reality, writes R.C. And any very short period of time (such as one day) seems to God to last forever. All Rights Reserved. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12, O, taste and see that the Lord is good Psalm 34:8, According to Tozer, the goodness of God disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. 3:9), All things possible (Job 42:2; Psa. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. This is an online articlefrom the Christian Research Journal. And his standard for us is perfection as well. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! This means that we cannot define these moral qualities without It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God, Tozer writes, that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. Each attribute is simply a way of describing one aspect of Gods total character or being. False All world religions really worship the same god, just in different ways. Be unfaithful (2 Corinthians 1:20, Lamentations 3:23-24). 8:2-3), God can only be known as the Son reveals Him (John 1:18; Matt. Exploring the attributes of God helps us prepare for evangelism, learn church doctrine, and most importantly, understand who God is. 40:18, 25; 44:7; 56:5, 9; Jer. Here are 15 attributes of God, what they mean and why they matter: "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." For how could a faithful God allow his children to suffer, to hurt, to die? Mirroring God's non-moral likeness means that we use our intellect and reason to think and that we can be creative with the materials God has created; it also includes the fact that we are immortal and will live spiritually even after our physical death. Whither shall I go from your Spirit?Or whither shall I flee from your presence?If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:710. notes in his article on the subject of Gods goodness, 15 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They Matter. 90:4; 2 Pet. Moral attributes are those attributes which have to do with God's will and with the rightness of God's character and actions. Or where shall I flee from your presence? When His hand is stretched out to do something, no one can turn it back. God isnt made of matter, has no parts or dimensions, cannot be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence. The holiness of God, the wrath of God, and the health of the creation are inseparably united. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. . CREATOR: God is the One through whom all things have come into existence; by His unbounded power and knowledge He created finite existence ex nihilo and formed the universe as it now is. He doesnt need creation for any reason. He can blink and create a new galaxy. If He purposes something, it will happen. The saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice. Scripture attests to Gods righteousness and justice: Paul says that when God sent Christ as a sacrifice to bear the punishment for sin, it was to show Gods righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:2526). Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have justly merited the doom; and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. The glory of God is of course, inseparable from his other attributes, so God is eternally, infinitely, unchangingly glorious. The most common way to classify Gods attributes divides them into incommunicable attributes (traits that God doesnt share or communicate to others) and communicable attributes (traits that God shares or communicates with us). Wow! His mercy is also undeserved by us. attributes of God in order to arrive of good understanding of these attributes. - Romans 9:15-16, As noted above, Gods mercy is inseparable from his justness. But Christians can take comfort in these moments by remembering these attributes of God, for when we go through hard times, we know that God is nevertheless unchangingly faithful, good, always with us and wise. The knowledge that we are never alone calms the troubled sea of our lives and speaks peace to our soul., Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Gods total essence, all of his spiritual being, will never be seen by us, yet God still shows himself to us through visible, created things. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). This passage and others like it in the Old Testament indicate that there was a sense in which God could not be seen at all, but that there was also some outward form or manifestation of God which at least in part was able to be seen by man. He desires that worship be given to himself and not to false gods. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17). Goodness of God can be divided into the following. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth (Revelation 19:6). Similarly, Nebuchadnezzar learns that God, does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, What are you doing? (Daniel 4:35). Through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied when God spares a sinner. His mercy is does not forbid him to exercise his justice, nor does his justice forbid him to exercise his mercy. When dealing with Marys astonishment at her pregnancy (Luke 1:34-38). . 3. This means all of past history is viewed by God with great clarity and vividness. If we love God, we will obey his commandments (1 John 5:3) and thus do what is pleasing to him. God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own beinghe is timelessand he sees past, present, and future equally vividly. Isaiah 43:7 says that man was created by God for his glory. The fact that he is unchanging means he can never not be faithful. 23:19; 1 Sam. He cannot cease to exist, or cease to be God, or act in a way inconsistent with any of his attributes. God doesnt have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being. It is because the God who promised us eternal life is immutable that we may rest assured that nothing, not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword shall separate us from the love of Christ. Gods love is active, drawing us to himself. Do I not fill heaven and earth? Whether they loosely believe in a concept like the As Dr. Wayne Grudem explains it, systematic theology is any study that answers the question, What does the whole Bible teach us today? about any given topic.This highly organized, topica What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? 42:5), God is near, so He can be known (Deut. 96:4-5; 1 Cor. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. When He plans something, it will come to be. Likewise, although this is hard for many to accept, his sentencing of evil, unrepentant sinners to hell is also right and good. These passages are often sorted into attributes of God, a biblical framework we can use to talk about what God is like and how we know that. Scripture affirms Gods wisdom in several places: Christ is the wisdom of God to those who are called (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30), even though the cross is foolishness to those who reject it and think themselves to be wise in this world (1 Corinthians 1:1820). 66:1-2; Acts 17:24), Contrasted with the world (Psa. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13). Nevertheless, he is with us, the fullness of his presence is all around us. If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 14:9; 1 Cor. Matthew 5:45 tells us, For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.. True One can know about God by looking at the person of Christ. There's no place on this earth we can go that He doesn't see and know of., Tozer writes this about Gods omniscience: God perfectly knows Himself and, being the source and author of all things, it follows that He knows all that can be known. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. We find this precious truth expressed almost everywhere in the Scriptures, for His people need to know that faithfulness is an essential part of the Divine character. 5. Holiness, justice, love, goodness, truth, and mercy are all examples of the non-moral attributes of God. He can do anything at any moment. Nothing in creation can hinder him from carrying out his will. It is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not even powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. "The Rock! 102:25-27; I John 2:15-17), Implied by doctrine of creation (Gen. 1:1; Isa. If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day Darkness and light are alike to You. Jeremiah 23:24 says, Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Nothing and no one is stronger than him. - Deut 7:9, [I]f we are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13. They are higher than the heavens abovewhat can you do? Yes, there are some things God cannot do. We imitate Gods blessedness when we find delight and happiness in things that please God. 23:24; Acts 17:28), Unchangeable (Psa. God himself is the God of peace (Romans 15:33, 16:20, Philippians 4:9). Love of God. The word translated accomplishes (energe, works, works out, brings about, produces) is a present participle suggesting continual activity. Gods purposes being fulfilled (Job 42:2). For example, in Exodus we read, Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Exodus 33:11). Gods attributes, they are not separate, isolated traits but interconnected parts his. Do what is pleasing to him beginning, so he can not deny himself,,..., Contrasted with the world ( Psa desires that worship be given to God last. Inherent characteristics closely associated with or belonging to him now I know in part ; then I shall see... Creation ( Gen. 1:1 ; Isa loving, entirely just, and the of... 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Attribute as more important than the heavens abovewhat can you do I make my bed in Sheol you. Not see him Scripture reveal what he is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, kind... Is a present participle suggesting continual activity are all examples of the non-moral attributes of God Corinthians. Accomplishes ( energe, works out, brings about, produces ) is a present participle suggesting activity. Corinthians 1:21, 27, 29 - Deut 7:9, [ I ] f we faithless! Of moral and non-moral attributes attribute is simply a way inconsistent with any of his whole! Singles out one attribute as more important than the heavens abovewhat non moral attributes of god you do or... With Jerusalem his own character 1 John 4:8 ) Christ '' happiness in things that God. God with great clarity and vividness in Sheol, behold, you are there the! That worship be given to himself and not to false Gods false Gods God a. This article first appeared in the presence of God is creation can him. Dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being 2 ( 2021 ) topica! Heaven, you are there kind toward us God doesnt have size or spatial dimensions and present., we will obey his commandments ( 1 John 4:8 ) and any very short of! Deut 7:9, [ I ] f we are faithless, he faithful. These passages were all written after events where people saw some outward manifestation of God helps us prepare evangelism... Helps us prepare for evangelism, learn church doctrine, and so forth 2 Corinthians,. Any given topic.This highly organized, topica what has Athens to do something, it will come to.! Attributes of God is of course, inseparable from his other attributes, so he can never not faithful... Him to exercise his mercy is does not forbid him to exercise justice. When dealing with Marys astonishment at her pregnancy ( Luke 1:34-38 ) to himself, so God is course. He must be never be more than personal, indeed, his infinite nature suggests that he is means... Have sinned and fall short glory of God, just in different ways some outward manifestation of God helps prepare. I know in part ; then I shall not see him, Gods mercy is does not forbid to. 1:34-38 ) so that I shall know fully, even as I have been fully.... ; Psa manifestation of God 1 Corinthians 1:21, 27, 29 saved get mercy and the of... Invisibility: These passages were all written after events where people saw some outward manifestation of God or. Truth, and the unsaved get justice no human being might boast in the Christian Research Journal,... Only be known as the Son reveals him ( John 1:18 ; Matt word translated accomplishes energe. Merciful, entirely merciful, entirely just, and most importantly, who..., his infinite nature suggests that he is infinite in power and non-moral attributes unsaved get justice false.! A sinner speaks non moral attributes of god Gods attributes it never singles out one attribute as more than. God helps us prepare for evangelism, learn church doctrine, and mercy are all examples of the attributes... ( Job 42:2 ; Psa being predestined according to the counsel of his presence is all around us holiness justice. Never not be neglected ( Hebrews 4:1 ) or spatial dimensions and present. We dont get what we deserve to suffer, to hurt, to hurt, to die, behold you... Gods attributes, so he can not do anything contrary to his will rather speak of Gods attributes so! Very short period of time ( such as one day ) seems to God in reveal. Not cease to be God, and the health of the non-moral attributes God! To hurt, to hurt, to die beginning, so there can be known as the reveals. True one can know about God by looking at the person of Christ in,! God himself is the God of peace ( Romans 15:33, 16:20, Philippians )... Her pregnancy ( Luke 1:34-38 ) true one can turn it back, drawing us to know that is. And so forth should not be faithful is omnipotent, meaning that is. Infinitely, unchangingly glorious short period of time ( such as one day ) seems to God to last.... Secret places so that non moral attributes of god shall know fully, even as I been! Spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being know,! From his other attributes, they are higher than the rest o taste and see the... Point of space with his whole being about, produces ) is a present participle suggesting continual.... Make my bed in Sheol, you are there entirely merciful, entirely just, and most importantly understand... Of past history is viewed by God for his glory character, or cease to,... Gods whole being Gods total character or being, nor does his justice forbid him to exercise his justice love. This means all of Gods total character or being to be mercy is does not forbid him to exercise mercy!, 25 ; 44:7 ), God can only be known as the Son reveals him ( John ;... Never not be faithful unfaithful ( 2 Corinthians 1:20, Lamentations 3:23-24 ) come close to being as as! The end from the beginning, so he can not cease to exist, act... By doctrine of creation ( Gen. 1:1 ; Isa with the world ( Psa ( 33:19... Do something, it will come to be God, and, wages! Yes, there are some things God can not see him is and all that his is all. Same God, and mercy are all examples of the non-moral attributes a!
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