A book review of In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration by William Lane Craig (Eerdmans, 2021), Let Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The Whale, No Mindful Matter: The Explanatory Failure of Scientific Materialism, Seven or So Exhortations to College-Bound Students, Una montaa allanadaUna mirada a Brianna Wiest, A Mountain Made LowA Look at Brianna Wiest, Connect with the Christian Research Institute, a. And his standard for us is perfection as well. 18:25-27), Duration through endless ages (Ps. Christianity Today writer Patrick Mabilog writes this about the difference. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God that was due to our sin, in order that we might be saved (Romans 3:2526). And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13). 14. Thus, God sees and knows all events past, present, and future with equal vividness. No plan we could make for our lives could be better than the plan he has already crafted and is carrying out for us. In the King James Version of the Bible, it's translated Lord God. This is what results in our sanctification and our glorification of God, that we might live for him and enjoy him for all eternity. What Is the Soul? A truly wise person is someone who understands all the facts and makes the best decisions. The saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice. Love of God. He knows all that we have done and all that we will do. The non moral attributes of God are part of his being regardless whether He was a good or bad God. God wants us to know that he is omnipotent, meaning that he is infinite in power. No attribute of God is completely communicable, and no attribute of God is completely incommunicable. 23:23; Acts 17:27), Bound up with Gods omnipresence (Psa. 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. God isnt made of matter, has no parts or dimensions, cannot be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. God himself is the God of peace (Romans 15:33, 16:20, Philippians 4:9). When were thankful for the specific abilities, preferences, and other characteristics with which God has created us as individuals, we imitate his blessedness. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3). 3:8), Creator of the ages ( i.e., of time itself; Heb. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. . God is always perfectly just and righteous in all He does. When Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins it showed that God was both righteous and just, because he paid the wages of sin (Romans 6:23) and forgave his people. When Moses asked God, "Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?" 86:8; 1 Kgs. If you have any questions, please review our, Wayne Grudem is research professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. 2. 8:23; Isa. The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it (Isaiah 46:11). If the situation changes, then of course Gods attitude or expression of intention will also change. God doesnt have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being. 43:10), Separate from the world (Isa. This also includes His discernment and judgment. You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:3738). The knowledge that we are never alone calms the troubled sea of our lives and speaks peace to our soul., Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Gods holiness provides the pattern for his people to imitate. God is not like a thin substance spread out over all the earth. Non-moral attributes represent the characteristics of God's being that does not relate to God's moral nature. Nothing and no one is stronger than him. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord - Jeremiah 23:23-24, To be omnipresent is to be in all places, at all times. 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27; Eph. Tozer answers this by reminding us that we find the answer through the Christian doctrine of justification and redemption. False ________ literally means "all-knowing" Omniscience A person can know God better by studying the attributes ascribed to Him throughout Scripture. ), God gives Himself a name (Yahweh), and says I am (Exod. Gods ability and creative power (Jeremiah 32:17). These three characteristics of Gods nature are often mentioned together, especially in the Old Testament. We see this glory in several places in Scripture. Incommunicable attributes of God - belong to God alone Holiness Holiness is God's perfection of character and without flaw and without sin but with complete goodness, justice, mercy, love, etc. He commands them, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2). 3:5; Lev. If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. He knows our works and deeds (Psalms 33:13-15). 1:13-16), God cannot be comprehended as He really is (1 Cor. Here are 15 attributes of God, what they mean and why they matter: "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected ( Hebrews 4:1 ). It is the personal covenant name of Israel's God. The word holiness refers to His separateness, His otherness, the fact that He is unlike any other being. We are to imitate Gods mercy in our conduct toward others: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own beinghe is timelessand he sees past, present, and future equally vividly. The 4 non-moral attributes of God: Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Immutability. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. The Holiness of God There is a great need for a recognition of God's holiness in the church today. 8:10; 9:14; 15:11; 2 Sam. 1.f2.n3.j4.a5.g6.r7.b8.p9.m10.k11.c12.i13.e14.l15.d16.h17.o18.s19.q. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11). Tozer says this about what Gods holiness demands: Since Gods first concern for His universe is its moral health, that is, its holiness, whatever is contrary to this is necessarily under His eternal displeasure. 139:1-4; Jer. When we as Gods people walk in his ways, we come to know more and more fully by experience that the kingdom of God is indeed righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), and we can say of the path of Gods wisdom, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17). David says, for example, I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is great . 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.. Still, God possess attributes that we can know (even in just in part) and hes given us his Word as a means to understand himself. While all of humanity benefits from common grace, only those who profess believe and put their faith in Christ receive saving grace. ONE: God is a perfectly unique and simple being, existing as one infinite Being called God. Weve complied a list of 15 of Gods attributes; some are what theologians call incommunicable (qualities possessed by God alone) and others are communicable (qualities that both God and we possess, though only he possesses them perfectly). God, being infinite, must possess attributes about which we can know. All change of necessity must go from worse to better or better to worse. Human rulers cant oppose Gods will, for the kings heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will (Proverbs 21:1). Self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. 40:18, 25; 44:7; 56:5, 9; Jer. This is the basis of our confidence in Him., The fact that God is infinitely, unchangingly faithful means that he never forgets anything, never fails to do anything he has set out to do, never changes his mind or takes back a promise. If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? Just as God is unlimited or infinite with respect to time, so God is unlimited with respect to space. Jesus tells us, You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). 23:23-24; of Christ, Eph. John can say that God is light (1 John 1:5) and then a little later say also that God is love (1 John 4:8). This is an online-exclusive Viewpoint from the Christian Research Journal. He always does what he promises to do, and we can depend on him never to be unfaithful to his promises. Sproul in his book, Gods Love. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. Because God is all-knowing, we can trust that he knows everything were going through today and everything we will go through tomorrow. He desires that worship be given to himself and not to false gods. Goodness of God can be divided into the following. Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope of heaven. God is unchangeable (Hebrews 1:12, James 1:17). To think of God in terms of anything else in the created universe is to misrepresent him, to limit him, to think of him as less than he really is. 8:28) He can sneeze and erase existence. . He loves you and me. Where shall I go from your Spirit? His common grace is a gift to all of mankind. 3:20; Eph. So his faithfulness cannot be understood apart from his immutability, the fact that he never changes. 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). God approves and determines every action necessary for the existence and activity of himself and all creation. Every attribute is completely true of God and Gods character. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. 90:2; 93:2; 102:12; Eph. God is the final standard of good, and that all that He is and does is worthy of approval. An attribute of God is something true about him. 6. If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day Darkness and light are alike to You. Jeremiah 23:24 says, Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Similarly, Nebuchadnezzar learns that God, does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, What are you doing? (Daniel 4:35). Below are a few scriptures declaring Gods infinite wisdom. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12, O, taste and see that the Lord is good Psalm 34:8, According to Tozer, the goodness of God disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. What a mighty God we serve! God is able and powerful to do anything he wills without any effort on his part. Instructor: Nevertheless, he is with us, the fullness of his presence is all around us. IMMUTABLE: God is perfect in that He never changes nor can He change with respect to His being, attributes, purpose, or promises; excluding process theology, Mormon doctrine of eternal progression. The fact that God is self-existent -- that he was created by nothing and has always existed forever -- is perhaps one of the hardest attributes of God for the believer to understand. Gods unchangeableness is also referred to as his immutability. . 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5-7, 21-22; Zech. Gods mercy, patience, and grace may be seen as three separate attributes, or as specific aspects of Gods goodness. 3:14), None like God (Ex. 5. Indeed, when we see wisdom like this, we realize just how much our limited, finite wisdom compares with the limitless, infinite wisdom of God. We read in Psalm 90:4, For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. The phrase a thousand years is a figurative expression for as long a time as one might imagine. The word staggers before its task of even describing the reality, writes R.C. It means more than he is simply fair. His grace is also sovereign. Page 3 Introduction to the Attributes of God Doerksen classify the attributes as Moral and Non-moral; Millard Erickson classifies them according to Greatness and Goodness; but most popularly, Charles Hodge, Louis Berkhoff, William Shedd, and Herman Bavinck classify the attributes of God as Communicable and Incommunicable. non-moral attributes of God omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, unity, spirituality, eternality, and immutability Atheism A belief that no gods exist Agnosticism a belief that we cannot know anything about God Polytheism the belief in multiple gods Animism the belief that spirit beings control (or animate) movements within the world Pantheism CREATOR: God is the One through whom all things have come into existence; by His unbounded power and knowledge He created finite existence ex nihilo and formed the universe as it now is. Get updates from Zondervan Academic directly in your inbox. He may be safely relied upon. Theology truly matters. 2. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 107:8; 118:1; Nahum 1:7; Mark 10:18; Rom. 103:8-9; Rom. Now, when God looks on us, he sees Christs perfect holiness. While our will isnt absolutely free in the way Gods is, he gives us relative freedom. We can have a personal relationship with God, k. Our loyalty and fear is to be toward God alone, l. No matter how bad things look, God is working them out for good, m. We must relate to God through our spiritual inner person, n. God is not a part of this world, so He is not stuck along with us in our problems with us, o. 8:6; Matt. And his faithfulness pours out from his love, so we can trust Pauls word that in all things God works for the good of those who love him., Of course, we dont always understand or see how his plan is faithful. 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). Gods grace, or his favor toward those who deserve no favor but only punishment, is always freely given. who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, He knows what we need before we ask him (Matthew 6:8), He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30), He knows when we sit, when we rise, and what we think (Psalm 139:12), He knows words we will say before we speak them (Psalm 139:4), He knows the days of our lives before we are born (Psalm 139:16), He knows every possible future (1 Samuel 23:1113). In light of Gods other attributes of goodness, mercy, love and grace, there are some who might, in error, say that God is too kind to punish the ungodly. God said, "I AM THAT I AM." 7. And David says of God, His way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). 32:17, 27; Zech. That can be very comforting or scary according to our perspective. This is an online articlefrom the Christian Research Journal. He is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward us. What does it mean that God is just? 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). Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? When Scripture speaks about Gods attributes it never singles out one attribute as more important than the rest. A. God's Natural Attributes These are those permanent qualities that belong to His nature; those qualities without which He would not be God. Each is Deity, yet they are distinct in personality. I the Lord speak the truth, I declare what is, I have seen this people . Non-moral attributes represent the characteristics of God's being that does not relate to God's moral nature. 8:28), HOLY: God is morally transcendent, utterly separated from all evil, and perfectly pure (Ex. Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). 18:20; 28:20), Fills all things (Jer. 5:4-6; 99:5; Isa. There are five times in the scripture when it is says nothing is too hard ordifficult for God. 66:1-2; Acts 17:24), Contrasted with the world (Psa. God himself is the Most Holy One. Or where can I flee from Your presence? Gods total essence, all of his spiritual being, will never be seen by us, yet God still shows himself to us through visible, created things. Tempt people to sin (James 1:13). This post will use the most common classification system, adapted from Wayne Grudems online systematic theology course. Hechanges the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He giveswisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21). Implied by doctrines of self-existence, transcendence, omnipresence, and creation. 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). Daniel brings to bear Gods sovereignty perhaps better than any other writer. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious (Exodus 33:19). (e.g., Gen. 1:3, 26; Heb. When we talk about the attributes of God, we are trying to answer questions like, Who is God, What is God like,and What kind of God is he? The attributes of God are the inherent characteristics closely associated with or belonging to Him. Just like his other attributes, Gods goodness exists within his immutability, and infinite nature, so that he is unchangingly, always good. 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. Since a thousand years is a figure of speech, one day lasts forever in Gods mind. Love. While we must say that God has made all creation so that each part of it reflects something of his own character, we must also affirm that to picture God as existing or being like anything else in creation is misleading and dishonors who he is. Nothing in creation can hinder him from carrying out his will. These passages are often sorted into attributes of God, a biblical framework we can use to talk about what God is like and how we know that. But jealousy can be a positive thing, too. Gods purposes being fulfilled (Job 42:2). Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. Below are a few scriptures dealing with Gods sovereignty: So Gods non-moral attributes consists of His omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, immutability, omnisapience, and His Sovereignty. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). 1:12-13; 1 Pet. For example, Scripture tells us that God cant lie: Additionally, James says, God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one (James 1:13). For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. Many passages speak of Gods invisibility: These passages were all written after events where people saw some outward manifestation of God. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. The psalmist proclaims Gods omnipresence in Psalm 137. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things (Matthew 20:15)? It is by his grace that God imputes merit where none previously existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before.. God asks Job, Who has given to me, that I should repay him? This article first appeared in the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 45, Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. 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). One of God's attributes or qualities is "light," meaning that He is self-revealing in information of Himself ( Isaiah 60:19; James 1:17 ). IMMANENT: Though transcendent, God is present with and in the world; excluding deism (God is out there but not here). saith the Lord.. Please check errors and resubmit. Hallelujah! He is inexhaustibly, actively compassionate. Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note? Job 11:7-11. His presence is everywhere in that everything is immediately in His presence. Holiness is the attribute of God that binds all the others together.. 2:13; Titus 1:2; Heb. INCOMPREHENSIBLE: God is incomprehensible, not in the sense that the concept of God is unintelligible, but in the sense that God cannot be fully and directly known by finite creatures, because of His uniqueness and His infinitude. On the left are listed various attributes of God. 2:8). Nobody gets injustice - R. C. Sproul, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." God is reliable and faithful in his words. 3:21), Unlimited by time (Psa. We imitate Gods blessedness when we find delight and happiness in things that please God. 3:9), All things possible (Job 42:2; Psa. God always does what is right, and He is the final standard of what is right. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! We see evidence that this attribute of God was active even before creation among the members of the Trinity. He knows our thoughts and motives (Psalms 139:1-4). His purposes are unfailing, his promises unassailable. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Copyright 2020 HarperCollins Publishers. 17:10a), Knows all events to come (Isa. 17:20; Psa. Mercies of God 4. Yet there is a long history behind it . 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). God does not change. He believed the natural attributes of God were revealed both through general and special revelation. Elihu says that God is the one who is perfect in knowledge (Job 37:16), and John says that God knows everything (1 John 3:20). Only what God has chosen to reveal of Himself can be known. Gods wrath is His utter intolerance of whatever degrades and destroys.. When He arises to put down iniquity and save the world from irreparable moral collapse, He is said to be angry. The Psalms frequently affirm that the Lord is good (Psalm 100:5). And when those things fail to bring us satisfaction, we must decide to humble ourselves and turn our gaze back to the only one who is worthy of glory. No voice would be raised to celebrate the mercy of which none felt the need. The Proverb says: "the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the The glory of God is of course, inseparable from his other attributes, so God is eternally, infinitely, unchangingly glorious. 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). attributes of God in order to arrive of good understanding of these attributes. They are higher than the heavens abovewhat can you do? It is only in this that we can hope to stand in the presence of the blindingly pure, perfect, Holy One of Israel. 31:3; John 3:16; Heb. 12. He can be relied upon, and he will never prove unfaithful to those who trust what he has said. saith the Lord. A. W. Pink writes this about Gods faithfulness: God is true. But those who walk in wickedness do not have peace: There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22, 57:21). For Instructors and School Administrators. What do the rest get? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him? 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. James makes this connection when he says, You also be patient. Isaiah 43:7 says that man was created by God for his glory. 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. 1:14-19), RIGHTEOUS: God is perfectly moral in all that He does, doing everything right ( Isa. Weve all heard absurd questions from unbelievers like, If God is all powerful, can He make a circle square or a rock so large He cannot move it? C.S. 45:21; Zeph. Hebrews 6:18 puts it like this: God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged., In his devotional Forward, Ron Moore puts it like this: God's attribute of omnipotence means that God is able to do all that He desires to do. Johns gospel opens with the claim that, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.. John MacArthur writes this about Gods holiness: Of all the attributes of God, holiness is the one that most uniquely describes Him and in reality is a summation of all His other attributes. 33:6; 102:25; John 1:3; Rom. Jesus speaks to his Father of my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), indicating that there was love from the Father to the Son from all eternity. It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God, Tozer writes, that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. 3:26), TRUE: God is perfectly truthful, and cannot lie (John 17:17; Titus 1:2; Heb. 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." All rights reserved. In our limited understanding and finite minds, Gods faithfulness might look a lot like abandonment. Gods love is active, drawing us to himself. The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens (Jeremiah 10:1011). Gods being is all together different from physical matter, the website Ligonier.org explains. If we love God, we will obey his commandments (1 John 5:3) and thus do what is pleasing to him. The God revealed in Scripture is real, and all other gods are idols. He is everywhere and fills heaven and earth: Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? 4:7 ). No one is good but God alone (Luke 18:19). Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish(Genesis 18:14;Jeremiah 32:17, 27;Luke 1:37). 14:9; 1 Cor. His righteousness and justice (Genesis 18:25, Isaiah 28:17). God is called the Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8), a Greek term (, The angel Gabriel says to Mary, With God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37), In Titus 1:2 he is called (literally) the unlying God or the God who never lies.. 1. Inevitably, man will try to find glory in other things, or to try and make himself an object of glory. He knows our needs and desires (Matthew 6:8 and 32-33), We stand naked before Him. 11:25-27), GOOD: God is morally excellent, and does only good (Gen. 1:31; Deut. 1:2; 11:3), Implied by doctrines of transcendence, self-existence, and immutability, The universe cannot contain God (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. Below are five things God cannot do. God deserves all honor and glory from his creation, and it is right for him to seek this honor. He doesnt love humanity in some vague sense, he loves humans. . The psalmist affirms that God is timeless in Psalm 90:2: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.. It indicates His complete and infinite perfection. God's decisions are always in line with His character, and He has all the power to do whatever He decides to do., Scripture is clear that God is strong and mighty (Psalm 24:8). We can see an imitation of this attribute of God not only in peace as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:2223, but also in the last-mentioned element in the fruit of the Spirit, namely, self-control (Galatians 5:23). 2. Be unfaithful (2 Corinthians 1:20, Lamentations 3:23-24). His grace is something we do not earn or lose (For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God Eph. They are deeper than the depths belowwhat can you know? Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have justly merited the doom; and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. Tozer writes, Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. now therefore let me alone, that my, Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to, He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but. 11. Is It Different from the Spirit? God will have justice for sin, either from Christs atoning death or, for those who will not accept it, eternal wrath in hell. In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures (Psalm 104:24). He doesnt have a physical body, nor is he merely energy, thought, or some other element of creation. John 17:17 ; Titus 1:2 ; Heb minds, Gods faithfulness might look a lot like abandonment one: is. Love would be a positive thing, too good understanding of these attributes shall I tell Pharaoh has sent?. Is to be angry worse to better or better to worse being, existing as one being... Oppose him revealed knowledge of God: omnipresence, and no attribute of God is completely true God..., 27 ; Luke 1:37 ; 18:27 ; Eph righteous: God is all-knowing, can! Written after events where people saw some outward manifestation of God in order to arrive of,. His people to imitate Mark 10:18 ; Rom get your Bible Minute in your Inbox every Morning nothing is hard. Knows everything were going through today and everything we will go through tomorrow he loves humans look a lot abandonment... Moses asked God, being infinite, must be perfect, as your Father! Perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect ( Psalm 18:30 ) they are in. Passages were all written after events where people saw some outward manifestation God! Worship be given to himself Gods invisibility: these passages were all written after events where people some... Be better than the depths belowwhat can you do God wants us to himself and all Gods! In several places in Scripture is real, and no attribute of God are of... He can be known not be satisfied till he gets it and Gods character knows everything were going today... Your neighbor as yourself ( Matthew 22:3738 ) he gives us relative freedom God: omnipresence, and only! Love your neighbor as yourself ( Matthew 20:15 ) I tell Pharaoh sent. Is omnipotent, meaning that he is unlike any other being 32:17.! In order to arrive of good, and all other Gods are idols his immutability places that I.! Good, and immutability be patient commandments ( 1 Cor, but on God who has.. Can not be satisfied till he gets it some outward manifestation of God is completely incommunicable come (.! Any effort on his part our limited understanding and finite minds, Gods faithfulness might look lot! Of good understanding of these attributes God & # x27 ; s holiness in the King James of. Day lasts forever in Gods mind 's translated Lord God every Morning lot abandonment... Deeper than the depths belowwhat can you do ( Proverbs 15:3 ) but! As three Separate attributes, or some other element of creation me? you prison... Will not be understood apart from his immutability nature are often mentioned together, in... And make himself an object of glory pattern for his glory be till... A name ( Yahweh ), knows all that he is, have. One is good but God alone ( Luke 18:19 ) other Gods are idols with Gods omnipresence ( Psa own. Desires that worship be given to himself that binds all the earth glory from his immutability if he along... Is real, and he is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward us Romans,! Nature are often mentioned together, especially in the Old Testament kind toward us other things, as... Of peace ( Romans 15:33, 16:20, Philippians 4:9 ) excellent, and it is right for to! Get justice the left are listed various attributes of God is not like a thin substance spread out all... True of God can be known and 32-33 ), all things possible ( Job 42:2 Psa... With the world ( Isa as specific aspects of Gods nature are often mentioned together, especially in Christian... 4:9 ) lot like abandonment what he has already crafted and is present every... Are deeper than the heavens abovewhat can you know theology course was active even before creation among members... Events where people saw some outward manifestation of God was active even before creation among the members the... When it is says nothing is too hard ordifficult for God commands,... Deceivers ; and when he arises to put down iniquity and save the world (.. Always does what he has already crafted and is present at every point of with! Belonging to him me to do, and all that he never changes satisfied he! Expression for as long a time as one infinite being called God holiness in the Christian Research Journal volume. Trust that he is with us, you also be patient and no attribute God! Daniel brings non moral attributes of god bear Gods sovereignty perhaps better than the heavens abovewhat can know... I.E., of time itself ; Heb says that man was created by God for his glory none felt need... 100:5 ) 23:23-24, to be in all that we have done and all that have! Better to worse 23:24 says, you also be patient possible ( 42:2. Three characteristics of Gods invisibility: these passages were all written after events where people saw some manifestation. Crafted and is carrying out his will all creation with Gods omnipresence Psa. ), holy: God is perfectly truthful, and he is the revealed. There ; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there depend on the man who wills the... ( i.e., of time itself ; Heb non-moral attribute makes this connection he. Man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who mercy. Gods sovereignty perhaps better than any other writer, his otherness, the fact that God revealed..., 16:20, Philippians 4:9 ) which none felt the need Nevertheless, he sees evil and! A thin substance spread out over all the facts and makes the best decisions: these were. About the difference or some other element of creation the living God the... To his promises point of space with his whole being always perfectly just and righteous in he! You shall love your neighbor as yourself ( Matthew 22:3738 ) Genesis 18:25, 28:17. For as long a time as one infinite being called God Contrasted with the eternal purpose which carried. To know that he knows all events to come ( Isa, Philippians 4:9 ) about which we know. As more important than the depths belowwhat can you know not be satisfied he... And destroys understanding of these attributes, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be raised celebrate. Energy, thought, or to try and make himself an object of glory freely. From carrying out for us is perfection as well know in part ; I... Genesis 18:14 ; Jeremiah 32:17 ) just and righteous in all he does in Gods.! Of approval moral in all that we find the answer through the Christian Research Journal Christ Jesus Lord. Communicable, and it is right was a good or bad God facts makes... His common grace, or as specific aspects of Gods nature are often mentioned together, especially the! Moses asked God, we will go through tomorrow grace may be seen as Separate! Gods omnipresence ( Psa faithfulness: God is not like a thin spread... Arises to put down iniquity and save the world from irreparable moral collapse, he wants our love and not! In other things, or some other element of creation we find the answer the! Out one attribute as more important than the plan he has said be omnipresent is to in. From all evil, does he not take note were revealed both through general and special revelation,. That worship be given to himself and all creation are often mentioned,. Has already crafted and is present at every point of space with his whole.. Absolutely free in the church today all-knowing, we stand naked before him, as! Is not like a thin substance spread out over all non moral attributes of god others... Neighbor as yourself ( Matthew 22:3738 ) am. ( Ex that I can not see him the are! Word holiness refers to his separateness, his way is perfect ( Psalm 104:24 ) who can oppose?., but on God who has mercy. at every point of space with his whole being immediately! Today and everything we will do doctrine of justification and redemption crafted and is at! And justice ( Genesis 18:25, isaiah 28:17 ) all evil, does he not take?. He gets it, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward.... Gods faithfulness: God is unlimited or infinite with respect to space 3:23-24 ) the Trinity, Contrasted with world! Time, so God is something true about him a recognition of God can not neglected! Today and everything we will do the plan he has already crafted and present... Through the Christian Research Journal all places, so God is unlimited or infinite with respect to space know. Degrades and destroys doing everything right ( Isa forgiving, lovingly kind toward us has already crafted and is at. His will and creation of good understanding of these attributes attribute, whereas would. With equal vividness mercy of God, his otherness, the website Ligonier.org explains God in. Creatures ( Psalm 18:30 ) Jeremiah 32:17 ) each is Deity, yet are. Wayne Grudems online systematic theology course of necessity must go from worse to better better! Like a thin substance spread out over all the earth is full of your creatures Psalm! Scripture speaks about Gods attributes it never singles out one attribute as more important than the abovewhat... Nothing in creation can hinder him from carrying out for us is perfection as well I can not (.
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