10 Attributes of God
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)
What are God’s attributes? 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? An attribute of God is something true about him.
When we pray, it is helpful to know to whom we are praying. This series of devotions will enhance our perspective of God.
1. God Is Infinite – He is Self-Existing, Without Origin
” And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17)
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5)
“In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1)
2. God Is Immutable – He Never Changes
“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
God does not change. Who he is never changes. His attributes are the same from before the beginning of time into eternity. His character never changes – he never gets “better” or “worse.” His plans do not change. His promises do not change. This ought to be a source of incredible joy for believers.
3. God Is Self-Sufficient – He Has No Needs
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John 5:26)
As limited humans, we have incredible needs, which left unfulfilled, result in death. God, however, has never once been in need of anything.
“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” (Ephesian 3:16)
“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.” (Psalm 50:10-12)
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20)
4. God is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6)
Omnipotent means to have unlimited power (omni = all; potent = powerful). God is able and powerful to do anything he wills without any effort on his part.
It’s important to note the “anything he wills” part of that statement, because God cannot do anything that is contradictory or contrary to his nature. Scripture is clear that God is strong and mighty (Psalm 24:8).
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8)
Nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Luke 1:37).
“Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” (Jeremiah 32:17)
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)
Often God is called “Almighty,” describing Him as the One who possesses all power and authority (2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8). In fact, Paul says that God is ” able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ” (Ephesians 3:20).”
5. God Is Omniscient – He Is All-Knowing
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
“For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.” (Psalm 139:4)
God is omniscient, which means he knows everything. Because God is all-knowing, we can trust that he knows everything we’re going through today and everything we will go through tomorrow. When we meditate on this truth, especially in light of his other attributes of goodness and love, it makes it easier to trust him with all we have going on in our lives, from the very serious to the silly and mundane.
6. God Is Omnipresent – He Is Always Everywhere
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)
“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:23-24)
To be omnipresent is to be in all places, at all times. Nevertheless, he is with us, the fullness of his presence is all around us. “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where 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 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 God’s omnipresence in Psalm 139.
This ought to bring deep comfort to Christians who struggle with loneliness and deep sorrow. In a very real way, God is always near us, “closer than our thoughts,” writes Tozer. “The knowledge that we are never alone calms the troubled sea of our lives and speaks peace to our soul.”
7. God Is Merciful – He is Infinitely, Unchangeably Compassionate and Kind
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16)
Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope of heaven. Because of our disobedient hearts, we deserve death. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and, “the wages of sin is death.” But because of mercy, we don’t get what we deserve. Instead, because of the mercy of God, we get life through faith in Christ.
8. God Is Gracious – God Is Infinitely Inclined to Spare the Guilty
” The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psalm 145:8)
If mercy is not getting what we do deserve (damnation), grace is getting what we don’t deserve (eternal life). “As mercy is God’s goodness confronting human misery and guilt,” Tozer writes, “so grace is His goodness directed toward human debt and demerit. It is by his grace that God imputes merit where none previously existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before.”
Because grace is a part of who God is and not just an action he bestows, it means we can trust that grace is eternal. His grace is something we do not earn or lose (“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8). His grace is also sovereign. “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” (Exodus 33:19).
9. God Is Loving – God Infinitely, Unchangingly Loves Us
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
10. God Is Holy – He is Infinitely, Unchangingly Perfect
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8)
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.” (Psalm 99:9)
The word holy means sacred, set apart, revered, or divine. And yet none of those words is adequate to describe the awesome holiness of our God. That God is holy means he is endlessly, always perfect. And his standard for us is perfection “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Jesus says in Matthew 5:48. That’s why we need Christ. Without Christ taking the place for us and dying for our sins, we would all fall short of God’s holy standard. Thankfully, the Christian will never have to experience God’s holy wrath poured out. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the penalty for our sins was paid and we were imputed (credited) with Christ’s righteousness. Now, when God looks on us, he sees Christ’s perfect holiness. Hallelujah! It is only in this that we can hope to stand in the presence of the blindingly pure, perfect, Holy One of Israel.
(Excerpts from15 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They Matter Compiled & Edited by BST & Crosswalk Staff January 06, 2023)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com