God's Attributes

The attributes of God are extremely important and reveal much about God. As we have discussed in the past few weeks, God's attributes help us know Him better. In fact, there are certain characteristics that help us understand who He is. For example, the Bible uses many terms such as love, holiness, knowledge, grace, and eternity to describe God.  Erik Thoennes says, “His attributes are his essential characteristics that make him who he is.”

God is love, holy, righteous, judge, grace, and eternal

As we learned in previous weeks, God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27) and had no beginning. He has always existed. Another very important attribute and characteristic of God is that He is unchanging (Malachi 3:6). The word scholars and theologians use to describe this is the word “immutable.” Wayne Grudem states, “God is unchangeable in his being, attributes, purposes, and promises.” For example, Psalm 102:27 praises God for "being the same." He is an unchanging God. One of the comforts that believers find hope in is that God is unchanging in His promises. He will be faithful and true to His promises.

Another important attribute of God is that He is omnipresent. That means that He is present everywhere. “Just as God is unlimited with regard to time, he is also unlimited with regard to space. He is omnipresent. He does not have size or spatial dimensions; he is present in every point of space with his whole being. He cannot be limited by material space because he created it (Genesis 1:1)” (Grudem).

God is present everywhere

Just as God is all-powerful and all-present, He is also all-knowing. God is omniscient. “God knows everything (1 John 3:20). God knows all things that exist and all that happens…God is always, at all times, fully aware of everything” (Grudem).  He knows all of the past as well as the present and the future. Simply stated, God knows every and all things. God’s infinite knowledge and presence are characteristics of God’s magnificence.

One may questions, "How can a person know God?" We can know God through His word and through the person of Jesus Christ. Erik Thoennes writes, “Jesus Christ is the most definitive revelation of the divine attributes.” From Genesis to Revelation the redemptive story of God’s love for humanity is shown through God’s passion and pursuit of a relationship with His creation. Humanity can know God by repenting of sin and following Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus and the Bible that we grow in our knowledge and relationship with God.

Recommended Resources

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Wiki God: The Dangerous Editable Deity by Travis Agnew

Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem

Life’s Biggest Questions by Erik Thoennes

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