Paul proclaims to the men of Athens, The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything (Acts 17:2425). MORALLY PERFECT: The following are the moral attributes of God; they are listed here together because Gods moral nature is perfectly unified, with no tension between His wrath and His love, for example. Immutability being attributed to Jesus declares his deity. The mystery of God as triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is wedded to the conviction that God is personal and displays his character in all of his actions. how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33)! If you are trying to hide or run from God, give up. No one canrestrain His hand Or say to Him, What have You done (Daniel 4:35)? The fact that God can never be more wise means he is always doing the wisest thing in our lives. Pantheism- one god existing in the creation-i.e., world=god Below are five things God cannot do. His presence is everywhere in that everything is immediately in His presence. And his standard for us is perfection as well. Omni means all and when combined with presence means he is all present or present everywhere at once. Seeing God is perfect, He cannot be more perfect, truthful or holy. Paul says that Gods actions are characterized by peace and not by disorder (akatastasia, a Greek word meaning disorder, confusion, unrest). Jesus says to his Father, And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). In our limitedness, grasping the nature of our limit-less God is like holding onto water as it rages down a river. God can be depended on to be consistent, d. We must separate ourselves from the practice of evil, e. We must not try to force God into something we can picture, f. We cannot do anything for Gods benefit, h. We can never accuse God of being unfair, i. When Paul speaks of the fact that God comforts us in affliction, he calls God the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). Gods grace, or his favor toward those who deserve no favor but only punishment, is always freely given. Paul tells us that even now in our Christian lives we all are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). This means that we cannot define these moral qualities without He . In this study we will be discussing God's non-moral attributes. Paul says that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Practice His presence (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20). O taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8). If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. The Goodness of God. Bible Study26 January 2020Notes:http://lasttrumpet.co.za/biblestudynotes/The_Attributes_of_God_Part2_20200126.pdf Hallelujah! Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. . So although Gods total essence will never be able to be seen by us, God still reveals himself to us through visible, created things. Acknowledging these non-moral attributes of God can strengthen the faith and provide comfort for the believer in many ways. God says, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy (Exodus 33:19). Here are a few examples of Gods limitless knowledge as portrayed in Scripture: Wisdom goes beyond knowledge and specifies that God always chooses the best goals and the best means to achieve those goals. When He plans something, it will come to be. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17). To preserve His creation God must destroy whatever would destroy it. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which Hehas purposed in Himself (Ephesians 1:8-9). 66:1-2; Acts 17:24), Contrasted with the world (Psa. The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected ( Hebrews 4:1 ). God approves and determines every action necessary for the existence and activity of himself and all creation. When God declared his name to Moses, he proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6). 10:31). He is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward us. Note that God may be more than personal, indeed, His infinite nature suggests that He must be. He is always present, but His presence is manifest in special ways when we: God knows the past as well as the future. The Psalmist contrasts Gods power and freedom with the weakness of idols: Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases (Psalm 115:3). 8:4-6; 2 Thess. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. He knows all that we have done and all that we will do. The names and titles given to God in Scripture reveal what he is like. 1. Whither shall I go from your Spirit?Or whither shall I flee from your presence?If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:710. 14. Lets assume that all men are guilty of sin in the sight of God. His promises do not change. Tozer writes, Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. Where can I go from Your Spirit? God cannot do anything that denies his own character. This post will use the most common classification system, adapted from Wayne Grudems online systematic theology course. GOOD: God is morally excellent, and does only good (Gen. 1:31; Deut. Faithfully trusting in who God says he is a great comfort. Fuller divided the attributes of God into two categories: natural and moral. These three characteristics of Gods nature are often mentioned together, especially in the Old Testament. Instead, because of the mercy of God, we get life through faith in Christ. If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? 82:1, 6; John 10:34-36), Yahweh is Elohim (Gen. 2:4; Deut. All rights reserved. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. As Tim Temple writes, God is perfectly complete within his own being., In a blog post on Reformation21.org, Scott Swain writes that the self-sufficiency of God means he possesses infinite riches of being, wisdom, goodness, and power in and of himself (Gen 17:1;John 5:26;Eph 3:16). His radiance and beauty emanate from all that his is and all that he does. 52:1) The "goodness" of God Pauls statement might be more explicitly translated, who continually brings about everything in the universe according to the counsel of his will.. 17:20; Psa. But Christians can take comfort in these moments by remembering these attributes of God, for when we go through hard times, we know that God is nevertheless unchangingly faithful, good, always with us and wise. The attributes of God are the inherent characteristics closely associated with or belonging to Him. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:2324). Matthew 5:45 tells us, For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.. 1:11-12; James 1:17; Heb. Theres nowhere in the entire universe, on land or sea, in heaven or in hell, where one can flee from Gods presence. His Word of Promise is sure. The four non moral attributes that we underlines were His omnipresence His omniscience His omnipotence His immutability These are the core attributes of God. Gods unchangeableness is also referred to as his immutability. 7:7-8; Jer. Scripture presents Gods glory in two major ways. 18:20; 28:20), Fills all things (Jer. From the mass of humanity, God sovereignly decides to give mercy to some of them. This also includes His discernment and judgment. Gods purposes being fulfilled (Job 42:2). Thus, he is a God of faithfulness (Deuteronomy 32:4). To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Each is Deity, yet they are distinct in personality. The former belong to the essence of God as considered in itself, while the latter belong to the divine essence considered in relation to His creation. 18:25-27), Duration through endless ages (Ps. Its important to note the anything he wills part of that statement, because God cannot do anything that is contradictory or contrary to his nature. He doesnt need creation for any reason. God deserves all honor and glory from his creation, and it is right for him to seek this honor. His presence is always with us. God is not like a thin substance spread out over all the earth. Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope of heaven. "The Rock! True Be unfaithful (2 Corinthians 1:20, Lamentations 3:23-24). ASEITY Definition: God is never in need of anything outside of himself. It is because the God who promised us eternal life is immutable that we may rest assured that nothing, not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword shall separate us from the love of Christ. A natural question that arises from this is, how then can a just God justify the unjust (as each of us are without Christ!)? For example, in Exodus we read, Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Exodus 33:11). When talking about the grace of God, theologians will often differentiate between Gods common grace and his saving grace. Debbie McDaniel writes this about the omniscience of God, He can be everywhere, at the same time. Johns gospel opens with the claim that, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.. 13:8), Gods relations with changing men spoken of as God changing (Ex. We should never think, for example, that God is a loving God at one point in history and a just or wrathful God at another point in history. He exists on a plane wholly distinguishable from the one readily available to the five senses.. He can do anything at any moment. . His heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. He can blink and create a new galaxy. Because he possesses these unfathomable riches in the perfect knowledge and love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 11.25-27;John 17:24-26), God is the "blessed" or "happy" God (1 Tim 1.11;6:15)., Because God is self-sufficient, we can go to him to satisfy all our needs. God delights fully in himself and in all that reflects his character. He protects his honor. Wow! Even describing him with mere words truly falls short of capturing who he is our words simply cannot to justice to describe our holy God. All our obligations to God can be summarized in this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Scripture frequently indicates Gods will as the final or most ultimate reason for everything that happens. 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27; Eph. No one is good but God alone (Luke 18:19). This is what results in our sanctification and our glorification of God, that we might live for him and enjoy him for all eternity. The glory of God is of course, inseparable from his other attributes, so God is eternally, infinitely, unchangingly glorious. 4:16; 7:1), Satan, idols, and the belly are all false gods (Psa. Because God is all-knowing, we can trust that he knows everything were going through today and everything we will go through tomorrow. The author of Hebrews says that in Gods oath and promise it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrew 6:18, Grudems translation). attributes of God in order to arrive of good understanding of these attributes. David says in Psalm 103:8, The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.. 10:6-7; Micah 7:18), Analogical language necessary to describe God (Ezek. . What do the rest get? 9. Not do what He says He will do (2 Corinthians 1:20, Numbers 23:19). Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. The most common way to classify Gods attributes divides them into incommunicable attributes (traits that God doesnt share or communicate to others) and communicable attributes (traits that God shares or communicates with us). For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. True A person can know God better by studying the attributes ascribed to Him throughout Scripture. 11:36; Heb. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please - Isaiah 46:9-10, God is omniscient, which means he knows everything. It is human misery and sin that call forth the divine mercy., "The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness." 90:2; 93:2; 102:12; Eph. 1:14-19), RIGHTEOUS: God is perfectly moral in all that He does, doing everything right ( Isa. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3). Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). The phrase here translated all things (ta panta) is used frequently by Paul to refer to everything that exists or everything in creation (for example, Ephesians 1:10, 23, 3:9, 4:10; Colossians 1:16, 17; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians. No one can give God anything that he didnt first give them. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. Hes called the Holy One of Israel (Psalm 71:22, 78:41, 89:18; Isaiah 1:4, 5:19, 24). Isaiah 43:7 says that man was created by God for his glory. In Johns apocalyptic vision, the 24 elders proclaim, You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Revelation 4:11). All Rights Reserved. So it shouldnt be surprising that God intensely hates sin. God, however, has never once been in need of anything. It indicates His complete and infinite perfection. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. All of our good and righteous desires, all of the desires that really ought to be in us or in any other creature, find their ultimate fulfillment in God. God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. In our limited understanding and finite minds, Gods faithfulness might look a lot like abandonment. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty Revelation 4:8, The word holy means sacred, set apart, revered, or devine. 1:13-16), God cannot be comprehended as He really is (1 Cor. Omnipotent means to have unlimited power (omni = all; potent = powerful). There are five times in the scripture when it is says nothing is too hard ordifficult for God. In the New Testament, and especially in Pauls letters, the entire Christian life can be seen as a result of Gods continuous offering of grace.As with most of the Gods attributes that we are to imitate, patience requires a moment-by-moment trust in God to fulfill his promises and purposes in our lives at his chosen time. Acknowledging these non-moral attributes of God can strengthen the faith and provide comfort for the believer in many ways. Omni means "all," andpotensmeans "powerful." 1:12-13; 1 Pet. The holiness of God, the wrath of God, and the health of the creation are inseparably united. We find our greatest blessednessour greatest happinessin the source of all good qualities, God himself. When God called his people out of Egypt and brought them to himself and commanded them to obey his voice, then he said, You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:46). If you had the choice, would you choose to be ruled by blind fate, chance, irrevocable natural law, short sighted and perverted self (man), or an infinite, wise, holy, powerful, all knowing God who loves us and knows whats best for us? Psalm 145:8, If mercy is not getting what we do deserve (damnation), grace is getting what we dont deserve (eternal life). 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