In fact, Paul says that God is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine"(Ephesians 3:20)., Although such power might seem frightful, remember that God is good. Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Psalm 139:7-12 says, Where can I go from Your Spirit? 7:22; 1 Chr. God does as He pleases, which is encouraging in light of all His attributes. Omni means "all," andpotensmeans "powerful." 2:5; James 2:19), All other gods are only so-called, (1 Cor. 139:7-10; Jer. Self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. Love of God. 14:9; 1 Cor. While our will isnt absolutely free in the way Gods is, he gives us relative freedom. There are several different methods for categorizing Gods attributes. Each attribute is simply a way of describing one aspect of Gods total character or being. No one can hide from God or escape from His presence. Immutability God's nature does not change in any way. His radiance and beauty emanate from all that his is and all that he does. If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? As with all attributes, we can only begin to comprehend Gods love in light of his other attributes. As a holy God, there are things that he only possesses. Gods wrath is His utter intolerance of whatever degrades and destroys.. Scripture shows us that God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises (Psalm 102:27, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). What a mighty God we serve! 33:6; 102:25; John 1:3; Rom. While all of humanity benefits from common grace, only those who profess believe and put their faith in Christ receive saving grace. He may be safely relied upon. Only one God (Deut. His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Duet 32:4. 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. Mirroring God's non-moral likeness means that we use our intellect and reason to think and that we can be creative with the materials God has created; it also includes the fact that we are immortal and will live spiritually even after our physical death. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses (Daniel 5:20-21). Often God is called "Almighty," describing Him as the One who possesses all power and authority(2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8). 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 Let's begin with those attributes that are incommunicable. However, it is important for an individual,. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 1) Eternity - God is eternal. 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. When His hand is stretched out to do something, no one can turn it back. But Gods glory also describes the bright light that surrounds his presence. 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). 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? Therefore, he commands the people of Israel to tear down the altars of pagan gods in the land of Canaan, giving the following reason: For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9). Mercy is often emphasized where people are in misery or distress. Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. This is an online-exclusive from theChristian Research Journal. 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). 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. 82:1, 6; John 10:34-36), Yahweh is Elohim (Gen. 2:4; Deut. Thats why we need Christ. 4. Johns gospel opens with the claim that, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.. In a very real way, God is always near us, closer than our thoughts, writes Tozer. Compiled & Edited by BST & Crosswalk Staff. For instance, love would be a moral attribute, whereas omnipotence would be a non-moral attribute. It is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not even powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. Do I not fill heaven and earth? He cannot do anything contrary to His will, character, or nature. God is unchangeable (Hebrews 1:12, James 1:17). All Rights Reserved. The attributes of God are the inherent characteristics closely associated with or belonging to God. 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). 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). 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. The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. He is complete or perfect in every way. John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). God doesnt have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being. That the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Lets assume that all men are guilty of sin in the sight of God. 5. The Natural (Non-Moral) Attributes of God. There was no right on the sinner's part, to the saving mercy of the Most High God. Sproul in his book, Gods Love. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. Non-moral attributes represent the characteristics of God's being that does not relate to God's moral nature. Gods omnipotence refers to his power to do what he decides to do. True A person can know God better by studying the attributes ascribed to Him throughout Scripture. 1:12-13; 1 Pet. 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. 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). 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. God, however, has never once been in need of anything. His righteousness and justice (Genesis 18:25, Isaiah 28:17). The beauty of our lives is so important to Christ that his purpose now is to sanctify the entire church that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Pantheism- one god existing in the creation-i.e., world=god 4:7 ). Not do what He says He will do (2 Corinthians 1:20, Numbers 23:19). Thankfully, the Christian will never have to experience Gods holy wrath poured out. Omnipresence (God is everywhere at once, but we can only be in one place at a time) In this study we will be discussing God's non-moral attributes. Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor (Romans 9:16-18 and Romans 9:21)? Tempt people to sin (James 1:13). He holds degrees from Harvard (AB), Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv, DD), and Cambridge (PhD). Malachi 3:6 says, For I am the Lord, I change not. This verse refutes Joseph Smiths doctrine of eternal progression. Indeed, Tozer writes this about the confusing, head-spinning attribute of Gods infinity: To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of humility, more than most of us possess, so we save face by thinking God down to our level, or at least down to where we can manage Him., In his article on Christianity.com, Dr. Adrian Rogers writes about the self-existence of God: The name Jehovah is used some 6,800 times in the Bible. says the Lord. 18:25-27), Duration through endless ages (Ps. - Deut 7:9, [I]f we are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13. 1:2; 11:3), Implied by doctrines of transcendence, self-existence, and immutability, The universe cannot contain God (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. Enhance your schools traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust. He knows our needs and desires (Matthew 6:8 and 32-33), We stand naked before Him. 8:28), HOLY: God is morally transcendent, utterly separated from all evil, and perfectly pure (Ex. 32:9-14; Psa. 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). 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). His mercy is also undeserved by us. 115:3; Matt. Who he is never changes. Debbie McDaniel writes this about the omniscience of God, He can be everywhere, at the same time. 1:23; Heb. His lists of the attributes typically included . David says in Psalm 103:8, The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.. In verse 19, he makes the remarkable announcement, Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Even with a good God, who is sovereign over everything and has the power to do whatever he likes, good people still suffer. The non moral attributes of God are part of his being regardless whether He was a good or bad God. His promises do not change. 40:18, 25; 44:7; 56:5, 9; Jer. 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 asks Job, Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. We are finite, created beings, made in the likeness of our infinite creator. 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. As judgment is Gods justice confronting moral inequity, so mercy is the goodness of God confronting human suffering and guilt. God wants us to know that he is omnipotent, meaning that he is infinite in power. 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. . Gods unchangeableness is also referred to as his immutability. Sam Storms writes this about the good news of Gods unchanging nature: What all this means, very simply, is that God is dependable! 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27; Eph. We can be wise, but we can never be as wise as God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. - 1 John 4:7-8. Paul refers to God as the one who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11). It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? His love is personal. It is only in this that we can hope to stand in the presence of the blindingly pure, perfect, Holy One of Israel. This passage and others like it in the Old Testament indicate that there was a sense in which God could not be seen at all, but that there was also some outward form or manifestation of God which at least in part was able to be seen by man. God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. God said, "I AM THAT I AM." 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. Below are five things God cannot do. He desires that worship be given to himself and not to false gods. We imitate Gods blessedness when we find delight and happiness in things that please God. These three persons are one in nature. This post will use the most common classification system, adapted from Wayne Grudems online systematic theology course. This is an online-exclusive Viewpoint from the Christian Research Journal. Where shall I go from your Spirit? 23:23-24; of Christ, Eph. So it shouldnt be surprising that God intensely hates sin. 1:23; 4:10; Col. 3:11), Nothing too difficult (Gen. 18:14; Jer. 2:8). 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). God does not change. He is inexhaustibly, actively compassionate. Our confidence that the Lord will soon fulfill his purposes for our good and his glory will enable us to be patient. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.. If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. For how could a faithful God allow his children to suffer, to hurt, to die? Amen (Romans 16:27). 3:9), All things possible (Job 42:2; Psa. God is always perfectly just and righteous in all He does. Gods grace, or his favor toward those who deserve no favor but only punishment, is always freely given. 10. God is reliable and faithful in his words. There is therefore only one God, who is called Yahweh in the Old Testament, and who reveals Himself in the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the New Testament; thus excluding polytheism, tritheism (belief in three gods), and subordinationism (in which Christ is a lesser god subordinate to the Almighty God). So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Malachi 3:6. God will have justice for sin, either from Christs atoning death or, for those who will not accept it, eternal wrath in hell. 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. What are Gods attributes? 12:6), WRATHFUL: Gods moral perfection requires Him to show displeasure against anything which seeks to act contrary to its moral purpose, to judge that which rebels against His authority as Creator and Lord (Psa. Each is Deity, yet they are distinct in personality. He can do anything at any moment. ASEITY Definition: God is never in need of anything outside of himself. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. 1. This is also why pride is sinful for us: we do not deserve the honor that belongs to God alone (1 Corinthians 4:7; Revelation 4:11). 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