Growing up, I learned about God and what he could do from Bible stories. Noah and the Ark, Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, David, and Goliath. Daniel in the lion’s den. The list goes on and on. All of these accounts in the Bible tell us about God. They reveal His character and His plan of redemption for all of humanity.
The supreme maker of heaven and earth. All-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present. God
As believers, this is who we place our faith in.
“There is much about God that we do not (and cannot) know. The theology of God’s attributes is therefore both a confident expression of faith and a humble admission of ignorance in line with the nature and content of God’s self-disclosure.” (Bray, 2021)
There are specific attributes of God that make him who he is and how we can better understand him in human terms. These attributes are sometimes referred to as incommunicable attributes. These attributes are ones that God does not share with anyone.
You could also look at it as the essential attributes of God. Essential to who God is and that they are beyond your complete comprehension. These attributes are the character of God that is God.
Infinite (no end)
Incomprehensible (can’t be measured)
Self-existent (independent)
Immutable (inability to change)
Omnipresent (ever present)
Omniscient (all-knowing)
Omnipotent (all-powerful)
“In the Bible’s descriptions of God, the emphasis is on how different he is from us or from anything else. He cannot be seen, nor can he be contained or limited” (Bray, 2021)
We will never fully understand God, but gracefully God has shown us in His Word glimpses of Himself.
“…the names of God in Scripture are various descriptions of his character” (Grudem 1994)
These descriptions are there to give us a better understanding of God. We can see that creation reveals to us things about God. Sometimes scripture uses metaphors we can understand to describe God.
Many times uses various human body parts to describe God. “And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Exodus 33:19-20 NIV
God is invisible. But God has revealed His character to us through the scriptures and Jesus Christ.
“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” John 1:18 NIV
“… because God is invisible, he cannot be known apart from the incarnation of the Word as Jesus Christ.” (Bray, 2021)
When we learn about the character and attributes of God, it can provide us with a sense of relief and peace. We understand our standing before Him, and we know that it is all about His glory and honor.
We have nothing to fear when we place our faith and hope in Him.
As the year 2022 progresses, we will learn more about the various attributes of God. The more we know about Him, the more we know we can trust Him.
References
Grudem, W (1994) Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
Bray, G (2021). The Attributes of God: An Introduction
