God's Attributes-Part I

Since it is always difficult to have a conversation about God with people who don’t truly understand Him as He is described in the Bible, I felt compelled to describe Him from the pages of Scripture. If we do not know the God of the Bible, we do not know God at all and we are in danger of condemnation. Hold on to your hats, this is going to get heady. God is infinite as are His characteristics and attributes. Obviously I will not be able to make a complete list of His character but I will try to hit most of the primary ones in the next two posts.

God is Active in Real Space/Time as Creator.

Genesis 1:1 ~ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God is Still Active in Real Space/Time as Sustainer

Hebrews 1:3 ~ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 

God Has and Is the Source of Emotions: Love, Wrath/Anger, Hate, Grieves...

John 3:16 ~ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 1:18 ~ “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

Psalm 11:5 ~ “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates

Genesis 6:6 ~ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

God Has Plans and Designs, Therefore He Thinks

Ephesians 1:4-5 ~ “ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…”

Trinity: God is One Being and He is Three Distinct Personalities

Matthew 28:19 ~ “Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

John 15:26 ~ ““When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

The Holy Spirit is a Person/Personality. He’s a He, Not an It.

Acts 13:2 ~ “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which “I” have called them.”

Jesus was Fully Human and Fully Divine

Matthew 1:23 ~ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)

Jesus was Incarnate or In the Flesh

John 1:14 ~ “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 John 1:7 ~ “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Jesus’ Human Attributes are Evident all Through Scripture

Christ Hungered

Matthew 4:2 ~ After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Christ Slept

Matthew 8:24 ~ Suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping

Christ Suffered Anguish

Luke 22:24 ~ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Jesus Died

Luke 23:46 ~ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Jesus Wept

John 11:33, 35 ~ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled, (v35) Jesus wept

Jesus was Man, Adam was Man

Romans 5:15 ~ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Jesus was Pre-Existent before Being Born

1 John 4:1-2 ~ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God

Jesus Held Different Roles or Offices

Jesus As A Prophet

Luke 13:33 ~ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

Deuteronomy 18:15 ~  The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Deuteronomy 18:18 ~ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

Jesus As A Priest

Psalm 110:4 ~ The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

1 Corinthians 5:7 ~ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Ephesians 5:2 ~ and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Hebrews 4:14 ~  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Hebrews 8:1 ~ Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven…

Jesus As A King

Psalm 2:6 ~ I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.

Micah 5:2 ~ “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Matthew 2:1-2 ~  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

John 18:37 ~ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Acts 17:7 ~ and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

God is Self-Existent

John 5:26 ~ “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

God is Infinite

Psalm 90:2 ~ “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Psalm 93:2 ~ “Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.

God is Eternal or Timeless - He Had No Beginning and Has No End

Genesis 21:33 ~ “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.”

Exodus 3:14 ~ God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

John 8:58 ~ ““Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

God is Supreme or Pre-eminent

Colossians 1:15-19 ~ “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…”

Exodus 15:11 ~ “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you-majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

God is Sovereign

Isaiah 46:10 ~ “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

Ephesians 1:11 ~ “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will...

The God of the Bible is the One and Only God

1 Corinthians 8:6 ~ “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Deuteronomy 6:4 ~ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…”

God is Majestic

Exodus 15:6 ~ “Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.

Job 37:22 ~ “Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty.

Jude 25 ~ “…to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

God is Omnipresent

Jeremiah 23:23-24 ~ ““Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.

God is Omniscient

1 Kings 8:39 ~ “…then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart)…”

1 Corinthians 2:10 ~ “these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

God is Omnipotent

Genesis 18:14 ~ “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Revelation 19:6 ~ “ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.