In order to complete our redo for godliness, we need to make sure we know what God’s attributes are. We looked at the first batch in March.
Let's Put It into Context
A Spirit and Transcendent
God is a spirit. Because He is a Spirit, God could be a Creator, “… the LORD alone” (Deut. 6: 4 NLT), eternal, self-sufficient, unchangeable, omnipresent, and perfect. Since He is a Spirit, one way we worship God by praying to Him (Attributes of God: A Spirit).
Right now, we have no context to determine what God as a Spirit is. But really, that isn’t where God wants us to focus our thoughts (Attributes of God: A Spirit).
God transcends time and space, yet He chooses to live in us when we imitate His character (Attributes of God: Transcendent). We are alive only because of God’s provision. He can function fine without us. The thing that is amazing is that He doesn’t want to be without us. He wants a strong, loving relationship with us (Attributes of God: Eternal and Infinite).
God transcends whatever corner we try to stick Him in. He is superior to whatever being we put Him in a line up with – angel, Satan, demon, human (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
Because God is invisible, we worship Him in Spirit and truth. God’s spirituality removes barriers to our worship. Even though we use physical attributes like rock and fortresses to describe Who He is, when we spiritually worship God, we gain a deeper meaning (Attributes of God: A Spirit).
God’s thoughts and ways are transcendent to ours, but we must try to imitate Him (Attributes of God: Transcendent). He may be different from us right now: but one day, we will be as He is. We need to worship Him now in preparation for eternity (Attributes of God: A Spirit).
Mysterious and Incomprehensible
God does keep secrets from us. Satan made Adam and Eve to believe that that was not acceptable. God shouldn’t be allowed to keep secrets from us in the gospel according to Satan (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
Other things are only secrets until God reveals them. He reveals to us as we either need to know them or as we grow to be able to comprehend them (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
When we feel we must know everything that God knows — that He shouldn’t keep secrets from us — we are not acknowledging His sovereignty. We are elevating ourselves to a place we were never meant to be (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
We need to accept that we will not understand everything that God does. God withholds the things from us that we don’t need to know or can’t know. Science isn’t going to figure everything out. No, we don’t need to know everything. We need to trust Him (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent
God’s power is never ending and goes beyond what we can imagine. Nothing is easy or hard for God. God is able to do everything with ease. Things are either done or not done with Him. That takes it out of whether God can do it. It firmly puts it into it is God’s choice on what to do (Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful).
God is powerful, but He is not a dictator. He allows us to make our own decisions. We will have to pay the consequences of those decisions, but He doesn’t force Himself on us.
God is powerful and can and will provide for us whether we ask Him to or not. He will provide in the way that is best for us (Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful).
God’s holiness makes Him stately. It gives Him His dignity and power (Attributes of God: Sovereignty).
Wisdom is part of God’s essence. God alone is wise as He does not have to acquire wisdom (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
God’s wisdom can be seen throughout creation. His governance of man and nature show His greatness. God’s wisdom is sufficient that it puts Him in control (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
Most importantly for us, we see God’s wisdom in His dealings with fallen mankind. He not only brings glory to Himself, but He also brings redemption and goodness to mankind (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
God had, has, and will always have the knowledge, wisdom, and control of His creation because His plan was always in place. He knows from beginning to end. He understands all. His Will will be accomplished (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
God is all-encompassing. There is no place that God is not (Attributes of God: Omnipresent).
If God is going to be perfect, He has to be omnipresent. God has to exist through all time and space. This enhances Him being perfect. If He is perfect, He should be eternal. If God is not omnipresent and eternal, then His perfection and His power will be limited. It can feel like, if God is not there, He has never existed. God has to be present to act. He has to be present to create and to sustain the creation. His wisdom must be present (Attributes of God: Omnipresent).
We know God is a thinker and a planner. He doesn’t just spontaneously do something. It is part of God’s omniscience. He knows all — past, present, and future (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
Eternal, Self-Existent, and Unchangeable
God inhabits eternity and will continue to rule His creation throughout eternity. He occupies eternity, not just lives eternally. That makes it more of a space than a time (Attributes of God: Transcendent; Attributes of God: Eternal and Infinite).
God is Ruler over all things and will be for eternity. He is Sovereign God. From Him all other life flows (Attributes of God: Eternal and Infinite).
God hasn’t changed His mind since before the foundation of the world. We know He won’t for the rest of eternity. Not only can He not change, but He also made the promise never to change if He could. His covenant is secure. Instead of holding the worldview that it would be better if God changed, we actually benefit that He is unchangeable (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
We generally think that God’s immutability means we don’t have to guess what He is thinking on a subject any given day. It also means that He can’t be corrupted. That means He won’t fail (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
God’s immutability makes Him dependable. He doesn’t change His mind to manipulate us into doing what He wants. That God is unchanging allows us to build a strong foundation on His Word (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
We tend to think that constant change is detrimental to us. That shifting landscape, though, can help us grow closer to God. It can identify areas on which we need to work (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
God is self-sufficient because He is blessed. He was not created by another entity — He has life within Himself. He has life because of His essence. This essence He possesses is blessedness (Attributes of God: Self-Sufficient).
God has all the ingredients to be happy. He has he knowledge and power to feel that emotion. His wisdom can direct those. He has the goodness as the foundation for happiness and the moral character to make Him a perfect Being (Attributes of God: Self-Sufficient).
God is self-sufficient because He can do it all — far more than we mere humans can do. There is nothing to which God can be measured. He is much higher than anything. God is self-sufficient because He is in control. He doesn’t need anyone to bring things about. He can (Attributes of God: Self-Sufficient).
Sovereign and Pure
Sovereign God is clothed by His moral character (Attributes of God: Sovereignty). God is Sovereign because of His purity (Attributes of God: Sovereignty). He is pure, faithful, and blameless in what He does because He is pure, faithful, and blameless (Attributes of God: Purity).
We have to remember that God won’t do anything that is not in His nature. He will remain pure (Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful). God is holy and pure, so He cannot tolerate anything less — sin. He loves us, so He can offer us salvation. But there is one unpardonable sin, which I think is unbelief. If we can’t give up our sin and won’t submit our lives to Him, God can’t forgive that. God can’t alter His purity to accept our impurities. He can’t reconcile Himself to sin (Attributes of God: Purity).
There is a difference between God’s power and His authority. God has the strength and the power to do all the things He is doing. God has the authority to do what He does. Sovereignty means supreme power, giving God the right to control things. And God is definitely in control of the universe. He created it, and He hasn’t put its control in our hands (Attributes of God: Sovereignty).
Over all of God’s power, over His strength and holiness is His love. God loves us (Attributes of God: Sovereignty). Our Sovereign God is unique in His forgiveness and His works (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
Sovereign and Father is almost like a continuum. The majesty and splendor that is on the Ruler’s side, and love and tenderness is on the Father’s side. Power is offset by love and grace. But it isn’t so much a continuum. God does fall at one point one day and on the other side the next. God is at all points at all time (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
Unified and Three in One
Scriptures are very clear that there is only one God. There can only be one infinite, omnipotent being that gives life to others. God has no rival or equal (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
No proof has been given that there is more than one god. If there were more than one god doing the creating, it wouldn’t work. Both would not be termed the Highest or the Most Excellent (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
No, there is no one like God. He created mankind, knowing we would disobey. The Plan of Salvation was always Plan A (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
We can take comfort in the fact that, when we grab hold of God’s promises, we won’t be destroyed either. We no longer have to fear the fury of hell when we submit our lives to Him (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
We would never have been told to go proclaim the gospel “… in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28: 19 CSB) if they were not Three in One (Attributes of God: Three in One).
Main Nugget
- We have to determine what God is and what we are not. God is virtuous, perfect, and holy. We are not (Prayer the Wrong Way).
- The amazing thing is, is that God isn’t finished revealing Himself to us. On each step on the Sanctification Road, God will reveal more of Himself to us (Attributes of God: Self-Sufficient).
Our Relationship with God
- So, we are supposed to seek God for answers even if we may not understand them and even though He may or may not tell us? Wait a second. Jeremiah 29: 13 doesn’t say anything about seeking for answers. It says seek God. God instructs us to seek Him, not understanding. It means seek a relationship with Him. It means seek to imitate His character. All the other answers we seek are inconsequential. Everything else is second tier to getting our spiritual condition right (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible; Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
- One thing we have to keep in mind is that we need God — God doesn’t need us. God would still be God even if He had never created mankind (Attributes of God: Eternal and Infinite).
- The Scriptures are a big reveal to us. However they are only — really — an introduction to God. He reveals even more of Himself to His children through the Holy Spirit. He is going to save the explanations for those who have communication with Him and those who have His character (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
- We have to approach God with humility. We can’t lead with arrogance (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
- We don’t have to pray in the King James Version style. We don’t have to have enough words to rival Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Our prayers have to be genuine worship. They have to be relationship building (Attributes of God: Sovereignty).
- God not only made us, He has specific plans for us. The King James Version of Jeremiah 29: 11 says His plans are for peace. It isn’t a prosperity gospel or what we can gain. It is about our spiritual condition and our character (Attributes of God: Sovereignty).
- What God does or doesn’t do isn’t tied to what we ask or think. God is going to follow His plan for us (Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful).
- God’s power is in us — the power that raised Jesus and others from the dead, that split the Red Sea and the Jordon River, that stopped the sun from making its trek to night (Attributes of God: Omnipotent and Powerful).
- We love God by showing that we want to please Him. We love God by enjoying being in His presence (Learning about Love).
- Free will brings with it the responsibility for our choices. It isn’t God’s fault that we do or do not choose salvation. His purpose only comes into play for the reward or punishment of our choices (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
- God is not going to start us down the Sanctification Road, and suddenly take an off-ramp (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
- We cannot hide our thoughts from God. Even when we try to hide things in our hearts – we don’t speak of it, we don’t even acknowledge it – God knows (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
- Isn’t the original sin about Adam and Eve wanting the knowledge that God had? That was Satan’s argument with Eve — you eat this fruit, and you will know as much as God. Well, Satan was right that mankind then knew what good and evil were. Satan was wrong. We had already been like God. (No, we hadn’t been gods. We were His character then.) (Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing).
- If God is everywhere at all times, then so is His love, mercy, forgiveness, and provision is here, too. We need to grab onto that fact and feel it down in our hearts. No matter how our days are going or the trajectory of our lives, God is providing for us and watching over us (Attributes of God: Omnipresent).
- Most importantly, God is growing us. I think sometimes we feel that quest for godliness has to be deep theological growth. I don’t know. An Old Testament faith was simple — an undoubting faith. If perfection isn’t what we do or don’t do but is about being — really — that is simple. What do we believe? How deep is it? Does it guide our actions? (Attributes of God: Omnipresent).
- We may not be God’s equal, but we are beloved of Him (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
- But only those who have ABCDed will get to live with Him forever. The only way God will condescend to live with us is if we hold the same character traits and values as He does. What does that take? “… a contrite and humble spirit …” (Isa. 57: 15 KJV). It takes true repentance (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
- We can’t rely on religious ceremony to secure God living within us. It has to be a redo for godliness — changing our character to be like Him. That means: fixing our minds to acknowledge we are not great, learning to truly worship God, getting God to our heart level, and kicking out the doubts through prayer (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
- We have to remember that God is working with what we are, but that He is trying to get us all to the same place — pure like Him. God has to start with what each of us are and where we are (Attributes of God: Purity).
- But what is God really looking for when He looks inwardly? He is looking for motivation. Have we really submitted our lives to Him? Are we using the Sanctification Road to change our characters to be like His? (Prayer the Wrong Way).
- We can’t think that God’s love is going to win out over His intolerance of sin (Attributes of God: Purity).
Glossary
Obeying God’s Laws and Commandments
- God’s laws are not going to change. That means we won’t get up tomorrow and hear Him say, “From here on out, this is a sin” or “Good new, guys! I’ve evolved. That won’t be counted as a sin anymore” (Attributes of God: Unchangeable and Immutable).
- The moral law can only be given by God, Who is not divided in thought. It can only come out of spiritual wholeness or completeness and a solid relationship of conscientious obedience (Attributes of God: Unified and One).
- After Jesus completed the Plan of Salvation, the civil laws and ceremonial laws were fulfilled. We no longer have to take people out and kill them when they break God’s laws. Neither do we have to kill all the animals. God as Sovereign God can choose to invoke laws and to repeal them. We don’t. We are to obey. But that also means that God has the authority to punish those who break His laws and commandments. We know that a final judgment day is coming (Attributes of God: Sovereignty).
- We put our faith into practice through the law (Learning about Love).
- The greatest commandments show that God is not interested in a checklist of what we do or don’t do. There is only one item on God’s checklist: that we imitate Him (Practicing Love).
- Walking in the Spirit and obeying God’s laws and commandments changes our character to be like His. In that way we worship Him because we are focusing on the being, not the doing (Attributes of God: A Spirit).
- The law shows us what is a sin and what isn’t. But that is not it’s only purpose. It goes deeper into showing the principles behind the law. Why is a sin a sin — and why isn’t something a sin? It is or isn’t because the law is consistent with God’s character. So, the laws and commandments show us Who God is (Attributes of God: Purity).
Glossary
Reflecting Him to Others
- Loving God and others lead to eternal life (Learning about Love).
- Loving our neighbor talks more of morals than affection (Learning about Love).
- Loving others should have the same emphasis as loving God — and loving God should have the same emphasis as loving others (Learning about Love).
- Eternal life comes from loving God that shows itself in loving others. We can’t skip a step and think we’ll get eternal life (Learning about Love).
- A major component of our religion must be mercy and compassion (Practicing Love).
- Jesus drove home the point that disciples must be compassionate to all (Practicing Love).
- Eternal life comes from loving God that shows itself in loving others. We can’t skip a step and think we’ll get eternal life (Learning about Love).
Miscellaneous
- The Plan of Salvation is not based on our knowledge. It is based on our hope (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
- What is required, according to Jesus, is love. His way. Not the religious way or the worldview way. Not the way that supports the lawyer’s views. God’s way (Learning about Love).
- God may not have put it in my plan to do some thing, so my not doing it is not a sin. It will always be a sin if I am not growing and changing my character to be like his (Practicing Love).
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