20/04/2017
How Is The TRUE GOD Described?
Sixteen Special Attributes of Our Supreme LORD GOD!
When we talk about the attributes of God we are talking about His nature—who God is in His manifested character. God has revealed Himself in the Bible. The Bible says to praise God for who He is. Many times we concentrate our praise in just a few areas, such as God's love or His holiness, but it is good to be reminded of more of His characteristics. Here is a nice list of 16 attributes, though they are not the only ones set forth in scripture. (These have been arranged according to the acronym: SHOW A LIST TO JOG ME, to aid in recalling more of them by "jogging" our memories.)
SHOW A LIST TO JOG ME = Sovereign, Holy, One and Only, Wise, Almighty, Loving, Self-Sufficient, Triune, Transcendent, Omniscient, Just, Omnipresent, Gracious, Merciful, Eternal GOD!
1. Sovereign:
God possesses the complete authority by which He rules His entire creation. God is in control of everything that happens. Romans 13:1 tells us "For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." According to Matthew 28:18, Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Indeed, "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." (John 5:26 - 28) By this same authority Jesus spoke these words when He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." (John 17:1 - 2) "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:14) Praise You LORD God for Your Sovereign Authority!
2. Holy:
This is the attribute that sets God apart from all created beings. It refers to His majesty and His perfect moral purity. There is absolutely no sin or evil thought in God at all. He is eternally incorruptible and perfectly righteous. Though all the attributes of God are important and dependent on one another, the fact of God’s holiness seems to be one He puts much emphasis upon. Whenever God revealed Himself to man, (to Moses, Job, Isaiah, on the Mount of Transfiguration, etc.) each encounter spoke of His holiness. The four living creatures who worship before His throne in Revelation 4:8 say over and over, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!" Because of His holiness He cannot accept, nor even look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). God's holiness is one of the primary reasons why the coming of the Messiah is so incredible: it allowed men who were once unable to come before God the ability to come into His presence and enjoy Him forever and ever. "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24 – 25) Praise You LORD God for Your Holiness!
3. One and Only:
God is one; not only is there no other, but He is alone in being able to meet the deepest needs and longings of our hearts. God alone is worthy of our worship and devotion, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is One in nature. But the same God who is absolutely One in nature is also a plurality comprised of three persons - (See #9-Triune). "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18) So the New Testament teaches that the Son is "of the same substance" as the Father within the divine unity. "And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:21b - 22) Therefore God, in three persons, worked together to bring this salvation to all men . . . "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1 Timothy 2:5 - 6) "Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one." (Galatians 3:20) Praise to You, our One and Only LORD God!
4. Wise:
God makes no mistakes. Wisdom is not just knowledge, but "know how." God’s wisdom enables Him to "know how" to do anything with the best results. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." (James 3:17) He has the ability to discern and judge properly what is true or right. Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him" (Daniel 2:20). God promises in James 1:5 to give of His wisdom to all who ask Him for it . . . "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Praise You LORD God for Your Wisdom!
5. Almighty:
"Almighty" means unlimited in might; omnipotent; all-powerful. He is vast and cannot be contained. He can do anything that pleases Him, but His actions will always be in accord with the rest of His character. One can see God’s almighty power by how He created the universe. Genesis 18:14 simply asks, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" The answer, of course, is "no." So we are reminded in Matthew 19:26 that "With God all things are possible." Psalm 91:1 assures us that we can rest in His power, for . . . "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Therefore Heaven rejoices, "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" (Revelation 19:6) Praise You Almighty LORD God for Your Power!
6. Loving:
Love is such a great part of God’s character that the apostle John wrote, "God is love." (1 John 4:16) This means that God holds the well-being of others as His primary concern. God is the genesis of love; He is its source; and it is by Him that we experience love. "The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (Jeremiah 31:3) His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of others is the ultimate act of His love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) God’s love is not merely a love of emotion but of action. His love gives freely and unendingly to the object of His affection, those who choose to follow His son Jesus. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38 – 39) Praise You LORD God for Your Great Love!
7. Immutable:
This word means that God is absolutely unchanging. For this reason, the attributes He possessed before the creation of the world are the same ones He has today, and will have tomorrow. Malachi 3:6 says, "I am the Lord, I change not." This is why the Bible says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." The fact that God does not change His mind, His characteristics, His plan, His covenants, His prophecies, His justice, or anything else, gives security to the believer who depends upon Him. James 1:17 tells us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Praise You LORD God that You will remain the same Forever!
8. Self-sufficient:
This means that God possesses within Himself every quality, ability, and power with never-ending measure. He wants for nothing and lacks nothing; He is complete! He is the One who declared, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) The Bible says that God has life in Himself, (John 5:26). All other life in the universe is a gift from God. Colossians 1:15 - 17 tells us that "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." He has no needs and there is no way He can improve. 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 by granting to us of His sufficiency, that we may in turn be a blessing to others. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) Praise You LORD God that You are Sufficient in every way!
9. Triune:
Though the actual word is not used in the Bible, God manifests Himself in the three distinct persons of the trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the plural form of the Hebrew word God, (Elohim), is often used when speaking about Him, and He speaks of Himself in a plural way: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." (Genesis 1:26) All three persons are given worship as God, exist eternally, and are involved in doing things only God can do. Although God reveals Himself in three persons, God is One and cannot be divided. All are involved completely whenever One of the Three is active. The doctrine of the Trinity is taught even more clearly in the New Testament. The baptism of Christ in Matthew 3:16 - 17 shows the three persons of the Trinity together. God speaks as the Holy Spirit descends from heaven to Jesus. Another example is the way in which we are instructed to be baptized in Matthew 28:19—in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus also said that He would ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit as a comforter in John 14:16. The Bible also claims that each one of the three are God (the Father, (Romans 1:7); the Son, (Hebrews 1:8); and the Spirit, (Acts 5:3 – 4). Praise to You, LORD God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
10. Transcendent:
Transcendence refers to the fact that God is unlike any other being in our experience and so no analogy or comparison can come close to perfectly describing Him. God goes beyond all our understanding in every aspect of His character. While we can have mercy, God’s mercy is greater than ours will ever be. We can be patient, but God’s patience is beyond ours. In every respect God is far beyond what we can accomplish. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says 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) Indeed, "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (Acts 17:24 - 25) All that we truly know of God comes solely through what He has chosen to reveal about Himself to us through His Word. For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15) Praise to You, LORD God, for Your Transcendence!
11. Omniscient:
Omniscience means "all-knowing". "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33) God knows everything and His knowledge is infinite, (Psalm 147:5). "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) "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14) "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5) So we can pray with the confidence of David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23 - 24) Praise to You, LORD God, for Your Omniscience!
12. Just:
"God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalm 7:11) The Bible tells us that God is just. This means that He is fair and impartial. He hates lying, cheating, and other forms of ill-treatment and oppression of people and of nature, which He has created. "He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice." (Psalm 72:2) The fact that God is just means that He can and will judge between right and wrong and He will administer justice in accordance with His holy and righteous standards. Being just brings moral equity to everyone. When there are evil acts, justice demands there be a penalty. 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 trust in His Son Jesus. So the saints will praise Him in Heaven, singing . . . "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested." (Revelation 15:3 – 4) Praise to You, LORD God, that You are Just!
13. Omnipresent:
This theological term means "always present", and speaks to the fact that He is present in all places at all times. His being knows no boundaries. God cannot be contained by the heavens and certainly not a building on earth. Proverbs 15:3 says that His eyes are in every place. David asked, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalm 139:7-18). In all creation, there is no hiding place from the Lord. Through His Spirit, God’s reach extends to every corner of the universe as well as into the hearts of mankind. "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them" (Psalm 11:4). This truth is taught throughout the Bible as the phrase "I am with you always", which is repeated 22 times in both the Old and New Testaments. These were even Jesus’ words of assurance just after giving the challenge to His disciples to take His message to the entire world. (Matthew 28:19 - 20) For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) Praise to You, our Ever-Present LORD God!
14. Gracious:
God enjoys giving great gifts to men, even when they do not deserve it. Grace is the way we describe that inclination. It is the bestowal of blessings unearned or unmerited. There are different kinds of grace . . . There is what we call "common grace", which is that grace that God shines upon the saved and the unsaved alike. This kind of grace is God's bestowal of non-eternal blessings (e.g., health, prosperity, and good weather). The other kind of grace is that special grace which God demonstrates to those who will become His precious people. As we are told in Joel 2:13, "So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm." Messiah Jesus is the channel through which this grace moves. The Bible says, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Therefore He showed "the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:7b - 9) This grace also causes us to throw ourselves at the feet of the Lord who hears our prayers . . . "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) Praise to You, oh Gracious LORD God!
15. Merciful:
"O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136:1). For this perfection of the Divine character God is greatly to be praised. His mercy denotes His ready inclination to relieve the misery of sinners. God’s mercy has been defined as God not giving us the punishment we so justly deserved. We are reminded in the Bible that God will punish sin, but He is merciful to us in that His wrath is withheld, giving us an opportunity to repent, as Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." (Luke 5:32) We, as sinners, deserve eternal punishment away from His presence, yet in His mercy He has chosen to offer us a way for salvation - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5) Praise You, LORD God, that You are Merciful!
16. Eternal:
Not only will God exist undiminished everlastingly into the future, but He has existed identically throughout the infinite past. There are places in the Bible that refer to God existing "before" there was any creation or any time. "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God" (Psalm 90:2). God is timeless in His own being which does not consist of a succession of moments, yet God sees events in time and acts in time. It is why God can see the end from the beginning, giving us precious prophecies of the future. Also of note is the fact that Messiah Jesus is eternal in His Sonship: He existed eternally before his incarnation as the First-Born over creation (though without human form) and will exist eternally post-resurrection as the glorified Son of God (though He will bear the scars of His sacrifice forevermore) - "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10, John 19:37) "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen." (Revelation 1:7) If He were not eternal, God’s promise of eternal life for those who follow Jesus would have little value, but we know that day will come when loud voices in heaven will proclaim, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15) "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13) AMEN! Praise to You, oh Eternal LORD God!
(Feel free to print and share . . . from Jesus Is The Lamb)
