But the character of God rises above the struggles we face here. Does debt affect giving in modern times in light of the Israelite tithe and slaves? Worshipper He doesn’t need us, but he allows us and calls us to worship him, though he doesn’t need anything. God sees every pain and struggle. He will forgive. Recognizes the difference between right and wrong then does what is right (Hebrews 5:14) Look at what he said in John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” The only human that has ever seen God in his full glory is Jesus, and, therefore, it is through Jesus that we can have a better understanding of God. They are like a deer who is desperate for water. It is not only a Sunday thing or about being at church. It brings him pleasure because we are fulfilling his purpose. He loves us more than we could ever imagine, his love is everlasting, and it’s never based on how good we are. Creation is marred by the fall but still offers a glimpse of God’s works (Genesis 3:17-18; Romans 1:19-20). Romans 12:11). 1 John 4 talks extensively about God’s love. God’s care for us is infinitely greater than any hen could ever possibly care for her chicks. A Lasting Legacy: Choosing A Wife For Isaac (Gen. 24:1-67). We can trust him because he doesn’t change like man does. Sometimes, people treat one another like this. The Bible reminds us over and over of God’s faithfulness to His people and righteousness over all. We can trust these prophecies. Much of Christianity is full of all kinds of legalism keeping Christians from things that God nowhere forbids in Scripture. James 1:17). He is our refuge, our strong tower — He is our hope in every storm. He made men, and now, he is going to destroy them. Invisibility: God’s total essence, all of his spiritual being, will never be able to be seen by us, yet he shows himself … Happy New Year: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives. If I enjoy nurturing my anger towards someone who hurt me, or if I cherish an impure relationship the Lord will not hear me. Deuteronomy 6:15 says this: “For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.”. Paul said this understanding would lead to our being filled with the “fullness of God.” This means we would be controlled and empowered by him (cf. They are very fearful; one commentator said they are often fearful of running water or the dark. It should constantly draw us to worship, thanksgiving, and ultimately to practice good works, as children representing their good Father. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. Psalm 103:1-22 ESV / 162 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Pray that we would be like little children (Matt 18:3–4) and that we would grow more and more in dependence upon God. Eph 5:18). Finally, we saw that he is immutable. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Paul means at least two things by saying that God is not served by human hands. He tried to implant the lie into the woman’s head that “all the trees” of the garden were forbidden. Because of this, the teacher described the Trinity by using the illustration of ice melting and becoming water, then evaporating as steam. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that in order for a person to enter the kingdom of God, they must become like a child. Nothing in this world can compare with God’s love for us and his power in our lives. And for this reason, a believer should give thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone,” 1 Chronicles 29:11-12. It is just as likely (and perhaps more so) that none are right and some other god with an entirely different set of characteristics exists. What did Christ mean by “God is spirit”? We may view him as some far away presence up in the sky, just waiting to zap us for doing something wrong. The Communicable Attributes Of God. The Psalmist said, “Save us and help us with your right hand” (Psalm 60:5). Pray that we would worship God in spirit with a right heart. Like Paul, we must pray for ourselves and others to have power to grasp God’s love so that we may be transformed by it. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Yes. Millard Erickson said this about the characteristics or attributes of God, “When we speak of the attributes of God, we are referring to those qualities of God that constitute what he is, the very characteristics of his nature.”1 Ryrie instead calls God’s characteristics, his “perfections” because all of the qualities or attributes of God are perfect.2 In this portion of our study, we will be considering God’s attributes—his characteristics—his perfections. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. He didn’t need to create us since he doesn’t need anything, but God created us because he loves us. When Jesus says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”‘ (John 4:24), he essentially is saying this reality should affect how we worship him. What can we know about God? Pray that we would know his personhood and all his characteristics. He devotes his time to doing Godly work. The first characteristic is that God is spirit. Theology You Can Count On (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle edition. We start thinking God must be the same. He delights in us, especially, when we are following him and walking in the unique giftings that he gave us. He is sovereign and in control of everything, but evil cannot be attributed to him (cf. The following is a list of God's characteristics that you can use to build your vocabulary of praise. When we have become children of God, we have a lifetime of discovering more and more of God’s character. God is spirit, so we must worship him in spirit. Kind – “So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:7-8. As we learn to walk in God’s grace, we begin to exhibit self-control. Not only should God’s goodness provoke us to hedonism, thanksgiving, and worship, it should provoke us to the practice of good works. Spirituality: God is not made of matter, has no parts or dimensions ( John 4:24 ). When we do the things that God created us for, he takes great pleasure in us as well. Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. In the space provided in the left column, place the letter of the lesson which applies to that attribute. Did you see that? Understanding this reality should make us seek to enjoy God’s gifts. Every person God loves, he disciplines (Hebrews 12:6). These plans include things like prophecy. Merciful. He understands what we’re walking through, even when no one does. Of David. This shows something of our dependence upon him. Doesn’t this seem like God changed his mind? 10 Incredible Attributes of God (And Why It's So Good to Reflect on God's Character), The word reminds us that in this world, we will have trouble — it’s not always good, and many days can feel really bad. I remember being confused about the doctrine of the Trinity while in Sunday school class, along with every other student. The man looks to God to guide him and direct his movements. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. (Chicago, IL, Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle edition. Others view him as disinterested in their lives, too busy, or feel like they could never measure up. Job declared, “The Lord gives, he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). How can you really know someone completely if he or she is always changing? This world will have troubles; we can be sure of that, and maybe you find yourself there right now, but be assured — nothing takes God by surprise. When did this happen?”. As mentioned previously, these temporary physical manifestations are called theophanies. It is those he rewards. We will look at four more in this chapter. We network or talk to people only to open potential doors for a job or a promotion. THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: APPLICATION. The following is a list of some of God's known attributes. How else should God’s goodness make the believer respond? You will be blessed, fortified, encouraged, and empowered! We use a toothbrush to clean our teeth, but we don’t have a relationship with a toothbrush. God is independent; he doesn’t need anybody or anything. Satan works overtime to keep us from knowing God’s love. Tozer in Knowledge of the Holy finds 18 characteristics of God in the Bible. Certainly, it’s the same for us. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing (emphasis mine)” (Zephaniah 3:17). An infant can’t feed himself, clothe himself, guide himself, or protect himself. If these characteristics, and their misuses, do not reflect your motivations, we encourage you to read and study similar information about each of the other six spiritual motivational gifts (serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, organizing, and mercy). OMNIPOTENT: God is perfect in that He can do all things consistent with the perfection of His being. God chatted with him one on one- Genesis 18 vs 33 Let us, therefore, always do good as well. God’s very character throughout His word is one of deep compassion and grace for His people. He is true and faithful to His word in a world that’s constantly shifting and changing. They spend time in prayer. Sin quenches not only our prayer life but also our worship. God is loving towards His creatures. Look at what the Psalmist said: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. God reaches out to us with the comfort and care of a loving Father. It is normal to have questions about God and his characteristics. He is the standard of good and everything good comes from him. In other words, God relates to His creation because He chooses to, not because He needs to. Paul believes this is a very important reality for Christians to understand. Look at what else Paul says in Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (emphasis mine). God declares that he is a jealous God that will share his glory with no one. Eph 5:23, Rev 19:7). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. In this episode, you will get much more insight about what was conferred to you by the King. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. It is not so much about location or activity. Pray that God would reveal any areas in which our hearts are not pleasing to him (Psalm 139:23–24). With that said, the illustrations of the Trinity, though they fell far short of the glory of God, all were mildly helpful at that young age. He knows no limits. How do we see this reflected in Scripture? Some people can go weeks without reading his Word, which shows their lack of dependence, their lack of childlikeness. If so, rejoice, because God has given you a unique responsibility in the Body of Christ! And as we exhibit self-control, our lives begin to effortlessly reflect the beauty of God… Luke 11:11–13. God is a spirit (John 4:24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. It is a matter of the heart, will, and emotions. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Q. Ultimately, the fullest expression of God has been given in Jesus Christ. Jeremiah could feel God’s anger at Israel. Everything God created is good and is to be received with thanksgiving. He is the source of all of them! Understanding that God is spirit should drastically affect our worship. God doesn’t change, and therefore, we can trust what he says and does. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love,” Psalm 103:8. The Psalmist modeled acceptable worship when he prayed this: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. (emphasis mine)Hebrews1:3. Some of God’s incommunicable attributes include his: We can tell how much we need God by considering how much we pray, read the Bible, worship, or need to be around his people. Characteristics of a Christian – unselfish A trait of a true Christian is that he is completely unselfish. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Christ said this in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). This is true because that person and has become sensitive to him or her. What does God’s immutability mean? Scripture talks about him covering us with his wings like a bird (cf. In the next verse, Christ says, he who becomes like this child is greatest in the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:4). The parent is running around, trying to get the child to take one more bite. God understands how much we need Him to walk courageously and uprightly in this life, and He is always there to help us. House, 2004), 167. This is an aspect of worship, expressing to God and others how they have benefited our lives by showing their support and benevolence. Attributes of Being. God would never accept anything that was not the best. Scripture would say our high calling is to bring God both joy and pleasure. Similarly, even though God does not have material form, he uses illustrations we can relate to, in order to help us comprehend something of his glory. They are treating God like a tool, to get what they want, instead of as a person. Galatians 6:10 says this, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” As the opportunities arise, let us do good to all people, but especially to those who are saved. “The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion,” Psalm 116:5. Certainly, we see God changing his mind, but only in accord with his characteristics. All rights reserved. True worship must be zealous (cf. Don’t apologize for what He says. He is spirit. Listen to a few texts that describe this: In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 1 Tim 2:5), and it is through Christ that we can see God. Father, You are the independent God. I'll tell you some characteristics of the Christian God. For some, he made us intelligent, others athletic, others are great with their hands, and others are gifted at serving or teaching. 1 Millard J. Erickson. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:4-5, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”. 17:8; 36:7) and feathers (Ps. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. God is a holy God, and because he wants holiness, he will bring discipline or judgment. You can use these characteristics in the following way: Psalm 115:3-"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." There are many things in life that I don’t need. He compares God’s desire to give good gifts to a parent trying to feed his son. I have no doubt that many times on Sunday, God is in pain by hearing the worship. But God also has a sovereign mercy He shows to those who are His. God is not only the standard of good things, but he is also the source of all good things, and therefore, we should seek his face for his blessing. Louis Berkhof states that "the consensus of opinion" through most of church history has been that God is the "Incomprehensible One". He understands the pain of loss, and He sees our hearts when we feel broken. We worship a God that is loving, patient, and compassionate simply because he is good. It is just as likely (and perhaps more so) that none are right and some other god with an entirely different set of characteristics exists.