The Attributes of God

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the one of the most important aspects of our existence. Man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. A. W. Tozer in Knowledge of the Holy finds eighteen characteristics of God in the Bible. They are repeated here, although not in the same order.

Wisdom: Wisdom is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve these ends by the most perfect means. In other words, God makes no mistakes. He is the Father who truly knows best, as Paul explains in Romans 11:33: Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! 

Infinitude: God knows no boundaries. He is without measure. This attribute by definition impacts all of the others. Since God is infinite, everything else about Him must also be infinite.

Sovereignty: This is the attribute by which He rules His entire creation. It is the application of His other attributes of being all-knowing and all-powerful. It makes Him absolutely free to do what He knows to be best. God is in control of everything that happens. However, Man still has a free will, and is responsible for his choices in life. “All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He has the power to do as He pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop Him or challenge Him, saying, ‘What do You mean by doing these things?” (Daniel 4:35)

• God controls time and seasons. (Dan. 2:21)
• ?God has dominion over the affairs of people. (Job 12:13-25)
• God controls nature for His purposes. (Job 37:2-13)
• God chose His people to become like Christ. (Rom. 8:28-30)
• God chose His people before He made the world. (Eph. 1:4)
• He raises and removes rulers. (Dan. 2:21)
• He has a plan for His people and will carry it out. (Eph. 1:5, 11)
• He chose His people to save them. (2 Thess. 2:13.
• God has dominion over the affairs of people. (Job 12.13-25)
• God controls nature for His purposes. (Job 37:2-13)

Holiness: This is the attribute that sets God apart from all other created beings. It refers to His majesty and His perfect moral purity. There is absolutely no sin or evil thought in God at all. His holiness is the definition of that which is pure and righteous in all the universe. Wherever God has appeared, such as to Moses at the burning bush, that place becomes holy just for God having been there.

• God’s holiness demands exclusive worship. (Josh. 24:19)
• He disciplines believers to impart His holiness to them. (Heb. 12:10)
• His holiness is unique. (Exod. 15:11)
• His holiness is the standard for believers’ behavior. (Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet. 1:15-16)
• His holy presence rejects impurity. (Isa. 6:3-5)
• No one else is holy like He is. (1 Sam. 2:2)

Trinity: God reveals Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one and cannot be divided. All are involved completely whenever one of the three is active.

Omniscience: God possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. God has never learned. Omniscience means all-knowing. God knows everything, and His knowledge is infinite. It is impossible to hide anything from God. “He determines the course of world events; He removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.” (Daniel 2:21)

Faithfulness: Everything that God has promised will come to pass. His faithfulness guarantees this fact. “Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. And when you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. ” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

• God is faithful through calamity. (Lam. 3:22-23)
• God faithfully matures believers. (1 Thess. 5:24)
• God is faithful to fulfill His promises. (Heb. 10:23)
• His faithfulness endures. (Ps. 119:90)
• His faithfulness is immeasurable. (Ps. 36:5)

Love: Love is such an important part of God’s character that the apostle John wrote, God is love. Love is seeking what is in the best interest of another person. God’s love is not a love of emotion but of action and a state of mind. “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?” “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love, Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can not keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

• As a father, God corrects His beloved children. (Prov. 3:12)
• Believers should imitate God’s universal love. (Matt. 5:44-45)
• Eternal plans are motivated by His love. (Eph. 1:4-5)
• God loves and preserves His people. (Ps. 37:28).
• God loves His people, even when they are faithless. (Hos. 3:1)
• God loved the world enough to send His Son to die. (John 3:16)
• His love is poured into believers’ hearts. (Rom. 5:5)
• God is love, and those who know God love others. (I John 4:7-8, 20-21)
• Nothing can separate the believer from His love. (Rom. 8:38-39)

Omnipotence: Literally this word means all-powerful. Since God is infinite and since He possesses power, He possesses infinite power. He can help us with anything. “O Sovereign LORD! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power. Nothing is too hard for You!” (Jeremiah 32:17)

• God has the power to create anything from nothing. (Ps. 33:6-9)
• God has power to deliver. (Exodus. 13:3)
• God’s creative power is beyond our comprehension. (Job 38:1-11)
• God speaks and things happen. (Ps. 29:3-9)
• His creation reflects His power. (Ps. 19:1-4)
• His powerful word sustains everything. (Heb. 1:3)
• He has power over death. (Rev. 1:18)
• No one can challenge what God does. (Dan. 4:35)

Self-existence: When Moses asked who he was talking to in the burning bush, God said, I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. God has no beginning or end. He just exists. Nothing else in all of the universe is self-caused -- only God. This is a difficult concept for our minds since everything else we will ever encounter comes from something other than itself. The Bible says in Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God . . . He was already there.

Self-sufficiency: All other life in the universe is a gift from God. He has no needs and there is no way He can improve. To God, nothing else is necessary. He does not need our help with anything, but because of His grace and love, He allows us to be a part of advancing His plan on earth and being a blessing to others.

Justice: The Bible says that God is just, but it is His character that defines what being just really is. He does not conform to some outside criteria. Being just brings moral equity to everyone. When there are evil acts, justice demands there be a penalty. Since God is perfect and has never done evil, no penalty would ever be necessary; however, because of His love, God paid the penalty for our evil deeds by going to the cross Himself. His justice needed to be satisfied, but He took care of it for all who will believe in Jesus. 

Immutability: This simply means that God never changes. It is why the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

• God never changes. (Mal. 3:6)
• God is consistent throughout all time. (Heb. 13:8)
• God is good – all the time. (James 1:17)
• He doesn’t lie and is true to His word. (Num. 23:19)
• His love is never-ending. (Lam. 3:22-23)
• Though the universe will change, God never will. (Ps. 102:25-27; Heb. 1:10-12)

Mercy: Mercy is the attribute of God which disposes Him to be actively compassionate. Since God’s justice is satisfied in Jesus, He is free to show mercy to all those who have chosen to follow Him. Mercy is the way He desires to relate to mankind, and He does so unless the person chooses to despise or ignore God at which time His justice becomes the prominent attribute.

• God will never relent from showing mercy to His children. (Ps. 23:6)
• God will listen to our please for mercy. (Ps. 30:8)
• Because of mercy, God washes away our transgressions. (Ps. 51:1)
• Because God is merciful, He has not hidden Himself from us. (Ps. 69:16)
• God desires to show mercy to His people instead of having His people trying to obtain their own righteousness. (Matt. 9:13)

Eternal: In some ways, this fact about God is similar to His self-existence. God always has been and will forever be, because God dwells in eternity. Time is His creation. It is why God can see the end from the beginning, and why He is never surprised by anything,

Goodness: The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. This attribute of God is why He bestows all the blessing He does on His followers. God’s actions define what goodness is, and we can easily see it in the way Jesus related to the people around Him.

Gracious: God enjoys giving great gifts to those who love Him, even when they do not deserve it. This is grace. Grace is giving something to someone even though they don’t deserve it. Mercy is not giving someone what he deserves

Omnipresence: This theological term means always present. Since God is infinite, His being knows no boundaries. So, clearly He is everywhere. This truth is taught throughout the Bible as the phrase I am with you always is repeated 22 times in both the Old and New Testaments. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. , (Psalms 139:7-12)

• All creation is dependent upon His presence. (Col. 1:17)
• God’s continual presence brings contentment. (Heb. 13:5)
• God is everywhere and no one can escape Him. (Ps. 139:7-12)
• No task is too large or too difficult for Him. (Jer. 32:17, 27)
• ?One cannot hide from God. (Jer. 23:23-24)