What are the attributes of God?

Answer

The Bible, God’s Word, reveals to us what God is like and what He is not like. Without the authority of the Bible, any attempt to describe God’s attributes (inherent qualities) would be no more than an opinion, which is often incorrect, especially when it comes to understanding God. “And it came to pass, after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”, (Job 42:7). It is crucial for us to strive to comprehend what God is like. Failing to do so may lead us to pursue and worship false gods against His will (Exodus 20:3-5).

Only what God has chosen to reveal about Himself can be truly understood. One of God’s attributes is “light,” signifying that He reveals information about Himself (Isaiah 60:19;James 1:17). The revelation of God’s knowledge about Himself should not be ignored “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”, (Hebrews 4:1). Through creation, the Bible, and the Word made flesh (Jesus Christ), we can gain insight into what God is like.

Let’s begin by acknowledging that God is our Creator and that we are part of His creation (Genesis 1:1;Psalm 24:1) and are created in His image. Man is above the rest of creation and was given dominion over it (Genesis 1:26-28). Creation is marred by the fall but still offers a glimpse of God’s works (Genesis 3:17-18;Romans 1:19-20). By considering creation’s vastness, complexity, beauty, and order, we can have a sense of the awesomeness of God.

Reading through some of the names of God can be helpful in our search for what God is like. They are as follows:

Elohim – strong One, divine «In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. », (Genesis 1:1)

Adonai – Lord, indicating a Master-to-servant relationship «And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. », (Exodus 4:10,13) «And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. », (Exodus 4:10,13)

El Elyon – Most High, the strongest One «and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. », (Genesis 14:20)

El Roi – the strong One who sees «And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? », (Genesis 16:13)

El Shaddai – Almighty God “And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be perfect.'”, (Genesis 17:1)

El Olam – Everlasting God “Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint nor grow weary? There is no searching of His understanding.”, (Isaiah 40:28)

Yahweh – LORD “I AM,” meaning the eternal, self-existent God “And Moses said to God, ‘When I come to the children of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is His name?” what shall I say to them?'”, (Exodus 3:13,14) “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM,’ and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”‘”, (Exodus 3:13,14).

God is eternal, meaning He had no beginning and His existence will never end. He is immortal and infinite (Deuteronomy 33:27;Psalm 90:2;1 Timothy 1:17). God is immutable, meaning He is unchanging; this, in turn, means that God is absolutely reliable and trustworthy (Malachi 3:6;Numbers 23:19;Psalm 102:26,27). God is incomparable; there is no one like Him in works or being. He is unequaled and perfect (2 Samuel 7:22;Psalm 86:8;Isaiah 40:25;Matthew 5:48). God isInscrutable, unfathomable, unsearchable, and beyond comprehension when it comes to understanding Him completely (Isaiah 40:28;Psalm 145:3;Romans 11:33,34).

God is just; He shows no partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 32:4;Psalm 18:30). God is omnipotent; He is all-powerful and can do whatever pleases Him, yet His actions will always align with His character (Revelation 19:6;Jeremiah 32:17,27). God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere, but this does not imply that God is everything (Psalm 139:7-13;Jeremiah 23:23). God is omniscient, knowing the past, present, and future, including our thoughts at any moment. Because He knows all, His justice is always administered fairly (Psalm 139:1-5;Proverbs 5:21).

God is one; there is no other, and He alone can fulfill the deepest needs and desires of our hearts. God alone deserves our worship and devotion «Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: », (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is righteous, meaning He cannot overlook wrongdoing. It is due to God’s righteousness and justice that Jesus had to bear God’s wrath for our sins to be forgiven (Exodus 9:27;Matthew 27:45-46;Romans 3:21-26).

God is sovereign, meaning He is supreme. All of His creation combined cannot thwart His purposes (Psalm 93:1; Psalm 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20). God is spirit, meaning He is invisible (John 1:18; John 4:24). God is a Trinity. He is three in one, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. God is truth; He will remain incorruptible and cannot lie (Psalm 117:2; 1 Samuel 15:29).

God is holy, separated from all moral defilement and hostile toward it. God sees all evil, and it angers Him. God is referred to as a consuming fire (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13; Exodus 3:2, 4-5; Hebrews 12:29). God is gracious, and His grace includes His goodness, kindness, mercy, and love. If it were not for God’s grace, His holiness would exclude us from His presence. Thankfully, this is not the case, for He desires to know each of us personally (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 31:19; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16, 17:3).

Since God is an infinite Being, no human can fully answer this God-sized question, but through God’s Word, we can understand much about who God is and what He is like. May we all wholeheartedly continue to seek after Him «And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. », (Jeremiah 29:13).