- Love (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8b), see Agape Love in Spiritual Gifts.
- Good (1 Chron 16:34, Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 29, 135:3, 136:1).
- Grace means favor that we receive from God without deserving it
(Exodus (2 Mos) 34:6, Psalm 116:5, 145:8). It can also mean supernatural help to accomplish something. We can't have peace with God until we have taken hold of God's grace. God's grace creates peace. When I know that
I am loved by God because of his grace, there is peace in my heart.
Grace establishes peace. - Mercy means that we don't receive from God what we deserve, as punishment for our sins (Rom 9:15–16, 18, 1 Pet 1:3, 1 Cor 1:3, Dan 9:9,
Lamentations 3:22 (NKJV), Num 14:18a (NKJV), Psalm 116:5, 145:8–9),
see Psalm 51: Coming to God when we fail. - Forgiveness (Exodus (2 Mos) 34:7), see
Forgive and You will Be Forgiven. - Restoration (1 Pet 5:10), see The Apostle Peter.
- Compassion (Exodus (2 Mos) 34:6 (NIV), Isaiah 30:18 (NIV),
Psalm 116:5 (NIV), 119:77 (NIV), Rom 9:15, Mat 9:36). - Patience (2 Pet 3:9).
- Caring (Proverbs 3:24).
- Mindful on us (Psalm 115:12–15).
- Order (1 Cor 14:33a, 40). Order brings peace. See What is Information?
God's order can be seen in the Mosaic Laws, which were part of the
Old Covenant, given to give God's order to the nation of Israel.
- Holy (see God is holy below).
- Righteous (Phil 3:9, Rom 3:26, Psalm 119:137).
- Just (Isaiah 30:18, 61:8).
More attributes of God:
- God has personality:
God isn't a human but has the characteristics of a personality.
We can have a personal relationship with God. He owns
self–awareness (Exodus (2 Mos) 3:6), intelligence (Rom 11:33),
emotions (Exo (2 Mos) 20:5, Deu (5 Mos) 1:37, John 3:16, 11:35),
and he has a will (Psalm 115:3, John 6:38, Rom 12:2). - God is simplistic:
God doesn't consist of different parts, different attributes. God is all his attributes. They all work perfectly together, and all exist forever. They are his nature. One attribute doesn’t override another. God can't deny himself
(2 Tim 2:13b). God doesn’t change. This provides consistency and trust. - God is self-sufficient:
God has never had a single need that his own divine nature could not supply (Acts 17:24–25). God has life in himself (John 5:26). God didn’t create man because he needed man, but because it pleased him to do so. We don’t worship God because he needs it, our worship pleases him, he desires it, see How should we worship God? in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.
We proclaim his greatness (Eph 3:20–21). - God is immutable:
Basically, God is unchanging (Mal 3:6, Heb 1:10–12, 13:8, James 1:17). This makes God trustworthy, we can trust him as Christians. We can trust God's word today (Rom 8:29–30). It’s not changed. Although God can act as he wills, he always does so according to his nature, according to his attributes. However, God can use his attributes in different ways over time.
We see more of his wrath in the Old Testament. - God is omnipresent:
God is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7–10, Jer 23:23–24, 1 Kings 8:27).
God is spirit and exists in a different way than we do in our bodies. God isn't physical. This means we can pray anywhere. The Holy Spirit dwells in every true believer. God can do it (Heb 4:13). This is good news for people struggling with loneliness or other difficulties, God is always there
(Isaiah 41:10, 43:2, Heb 13:5–6). - God is omnipotent:
God is all powerful. God’s power is unlimited. It means that God can do whatever he wants (Gen (1 Mos) 1:1–31, Psalm 33:6, Job 42:2,
Jer 32:17, 20–22, 27, Eph 3:20–21). No one can turn it back.
No one can overthrow God (John 2:19). - God is omniscient:
God knows everything. He does it perfectly, whether it’s about the past,
the present, or the future, and he does so for all eternity
(Isaiah 42:9, 46:9–10, Psalm 147:5). God knows everything about us,
even our thoughts and what's in our hearts, and he does it wherever we are
(Psalm 139:1–4, John 10:14). He had plans for us before we were born:
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16 (NIV)).
This speaks against abortion. For example, God even had plans for Samson before his mother conceived (Judges 13:2–7).
God showed his omniscient through prophesies about the coming of Messiah
(Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, 53:3, Zechariah 9:9, 11:12–13, Psalm 41:9
(10 in some translations)), John 13:18, see Prophecies that Jesus Fulfilled and Prophecies of Jesus' Second Coming. See The Predestination Theory.
God knows very well what he is doing. - God has all wisdom:
Wisdom is knowing how to use knowledge properly. God knows perfectly, completely, and accurately how best to use his knowledge to bring glory to himself (Col 2:3). Wisdom is the practical side of moral goodness. God knows what he is doing. God knows what is the best way for us to do. We should align ourselves with what God wants for our lives
(Proverbs 3:5–8, Isaiah 5:21, Eph 4:17–18, Rom 8:28–30, Jer 10:23). - God is sovereign:
Sometimes we project our strength and weaknesses onto God. We may believe that God's purpose is to bless us, that God is here to serve us. It diminishes God and gives a distorted picture of who God is. God is in complete control,
he knows what he is doing, and has the power to carry out his will. God is the ruler, he is in charge. (1 Samuel 2:6–8, 1 Chronicles 29:10–12, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 14:27, 42:8, 43:13, 46:10, Rom 9:19–21).
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8–9). See these two verses explained at time 27:02–30:23 in
Isaiah 54 - 56 • "My steadfast love shall not depart from you."
No one is above God. No one tells God what to do. God can use evil and pagan persons to bring out his redemptive purposes, see Kings of Judah and Israel. God used the pagan king Cyrus to return the Jews to their homeland from their Babylonian captivity, prophesied by Isaiah 150 years before Cyrus was even born (Isaiah 44:24a, 28, 45:1–6, 13, 41:2–3, 25, 46:11a, 48:14–15), see
The Book of Ezra. God answered the Jews who criticized him for using Cyrus
(Isaiah 45:9–13). God even uses Satan for his redemptive purposes. It doesn't make God evil. It means that God will use someone's heart to accomplish his purposes. Satan can't do anything without God's permission. Satan asked God for permission to sift Peter as wheat (Luk 22:31), and was allowed by God to do so. Satan could not have done it without God's permission.
A thorn in the flesh was given to apostle Paul, a messenger of Satan to harass him, to prevent him from becoming conceited (2 Cor 12:7). Satan just could hurt Job when God allowed him to do so, see The Book of Job. God sent a harmful spirit upon king Saul (1 Sam 16:14), see Samuel and Saul. See also
Explanation to Satan's Attack on the Woman in the Book of Revelation. The reason for this is that; God has the power to do this because he is sovereign.
"God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." (1 Cor 1:27–29). - God is jealous:
Jealousy is part of God's character (Exo (2 Mos) 20:5, 34:14,
Num (4 Mos) 25:11, 13, Deu (5 Mos) 4:24, 5:9, 6:15, 32:21, Joshua 24:19,
1 Kings 19:10, 14, Eze 36:6, 39:25, Joel 2:18, Nah 1:2, Zechariah 1:14, 8:2). When we are jealous it causes destruction because of our sinful nature. It's controlled in our self-centeredness. God has no sinful nature. God's jealousy is guided by his desire for our good. God created us and knows what is best for us. When we worship him and have him as the center of our lives, we are at our best. God is never jealous of us. He is always jealous for us. He longs to see us in a place of blessing, wisdom, peace, and spiritual fruitfulness. It only comes into place if he is the center of our lives, and we serve and love him. - God is holy:
God’s name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15) and he is holy (Psalm 99:3b, 5b, 9b).
The word holy means to separate, in this case from sin. It means a moral perfection. God can't lie (Heb 6:18). He is absolutely separated in his essence from his creation. God is a category all by himself (Exodus (2 Mos) 15:11,
1 Samuel 2:2, Psalm 111:9). God is also absolutely separated from all moral evil and sin (Habakkuk 1:13, 1 John 1:5, Leviticus (3 Mos) 19:2,
1 Pet 1:15–16, Lev (3 Mos) 11:44–45, Psalm 99:9, Isaiah 6:1–5). God’s will is an expression of his holiness. The rules come from his holy nature.
Holiness is seen in Jesus Christ (Joh 14:9, Heb 1:1–3). The virgin birth was necessary because the sin nature is passed on through Adam from generation to generation through the physical fathers (Rom 5:12). Mary didn't have to be sinless for Jesus to be without sin (2 Cor 5:21). The whole world changed because of a single sin by Adam and Eve. Jesus couldn’t have come to the cross at Calvary and paid the price for our sin unless he himself was perfect without sin. Otherwise, God the Father wouldn't have accepted it as a sacrifice for our sin (John 8:46, 1 Pet 1:18–19, 2:21–24, Heb 4:15).
There is a moral gap between God and man (Isaiah 59:1–2).
Because God is a holy God, he can’t accept sin. Because he is a righteous God, he must judge sin. Because he is just, the punishment must be just. God's holiness, righteousness, and justice demand that sin be paid for. God says that he took the punishment for us through Jesus' death on the cross
(John 3:16, 36). Jesus is accepted as a substitute for our sin, because
Jesus was sinless. Jesus was punished on the cross for our sins. Jesus rose from the cross because he had no sin in himself. There is God's grace, mercy, and love. We must believe that Jesus did it, we must trust him, ask him to be our Savior, admit that we are sinners, and repent of our sins.
How God can satisfy his holiness by judging sin without compromise
with his love for the sinner is explained in time 4:18–17:40 and
20:18–23:15 in the video 2 Corinthians 5 (Part 3) :18-21 Reconciled to God.
God is both righteous and Savior at the same time (Isaiah 45:21b).
We need to serve God with reverence and Godly fear (Heb 12:28–29), see
To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man. God is a holy God. It should lead us to a life of humility, confession of our sins, and a desire to live a holy life, as Jesus did (Rom 12:1–2, 1 Pet 1:13–16). - God has wrath:
We don’t see the wrath of God as much in the New Testament as in the
Old Testament. God is unchangeable but can use his attributes in different ways over time. God's holiness secures God's wrath, makes him hate sin.
God's wrath is that which is in God (his holiness, righteousness, and justice) that opposes sin and is shown by punishing sin (Nahum 1:2–3, 5–8,
Exodus (2 Mos) 15:7), John 3:36, Rom 1:18, 5:12, 6:23, Heb 9:27, 10:30–31, 2 Tess 1:6–9, Rev 14:9–11, 19:15–16, 20:11–15). God's wrath is an expression of God's holiness (Heb 12:29). God's wrath is his response to sin, see God's wrath in Balaam and Balak. God’s wrath is balanced with his love, in that he gave us a way to escape punishment, by judging his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 4:8–16), see Righteousness Through Faith in The Book of Romans. God must punish sin. It's impossible for God not to punish sin. God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion can’t violate his holiness, righteousness, and justice. All the attributes of God must work together and all must be satisfied. Note that God finds no pleasure in wrath and rather wants man to repent (Eze 33:11, 2 Pet 3:9).
God’s wrath is active today. We reap what we sow (Gal 6:7–8). If society makes ungodly decisions, bad things happen (Rom 1:18–32). God then gives them over to a reprobate mind. When it goes that far, we are in trouble. Morality can’t be maintained without Christian principles. We need to repent and seek God (2 Chronicles 7:14, John 3:16–17, Rom 5:8–11). As Christians we should work on our sanctification (Phil 2:12–13, 1 Pet 1:13–19).
(Deu (5 Mos) 10:17).
God has revealed himself to us
in the following areas:
- Creation (Gen (1 Mos) 1:1,
Psalm 19:1 (2 in some translations),
Isaiah 42:5, Rom 1:20) - The Bible, it's the word of
God
(Isaiah 40:12–14, 22–23, 43:10–11, 46:9–10). - The life of Jesus Christ, his attributes (John 12:44–45, 14:8–9).
See also Some stories close related to the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
