The attributes of God are the characteristics or qualities that define His nature and reveal who He is. These attributes help us understand God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. They can be categorized into two types: communicable attributes (qualities that humans can reflect, like love and mercy) and incommunicable attributes (qualities unique to God, like omnipotence and immutability).
Incommunicable Attributes of God
These attributes are unique to God and cannot be fully shared with or reflected by humans.
- Eternality
- God has no beginning or end. He exists outside of time and is eternal.
- Psalm 90:2 (NIV):
“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
- Immutability (Unchanging Nature)
- God does not change in His being, purposes, or promises.
- Malachi 3:6 (NIV):
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” - Hebrews 13:8 (NIV):
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
- Omniscience (All-Knowing)
- God knows all things, including the past, present, and future. Nothing is hidden from Him.
- 1 John 3:20 (NIV):
“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” - Psalm 139:1-4 (NIV):
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”
- Omnipotence (All-Powerful)
- God is all-powerful and can do all things according to His will.
- Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV):
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” - Revelation 19:6 (NIV):
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”
- Omnipresence (Present Everywhere)
- God is present everywhere at all times.
- Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV):
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
- Self-Existence (Aseity)
- God is independent and does not depend on anything or anyone for His existence.
- Exodus 3:14 (NIV):
“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.'” - John 5:26 (NIV):
“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”
- Sovereignty
- God is in complete control over everything in the universe and His plans cannot be thwarted.
- Isaiah 46:9-10 (NIV):
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.”
Communicable Attributes of God
These attributes can be reflected to some degree by humans because we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).
- Holiness
- God is morally perfect, completely separate from sin and evil.
- Isaiah 6:3 (NIV):
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” - 1 Peter 1:16 (NIV):
“For it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'”
- Love
- God is love and expresses it perfectly and unconditionally.
- 1 John 4:8 (NIV):
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” - John 3:16 (NIV):
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”
- Mercy and Grace
- God shows compassion by withholding punishment (mercy) and giving unearned favor (grace).
- Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV):
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” - Titus 2:11 (NIV):
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.”
- Justice
- God is perfectly just, rewarding righteousness and punishing evil.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV):
“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”
- Faithfulness
- God is always faithful to His promises and His people.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV):
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
- Goodness
- God is inherently good and the source of all good things.
- Psalm 34:8 (NIV):
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
- Patience
- God is patient, giving people time to repent and turn to Him.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV):
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
- Wisdom
- God’s wisdom is perfect, and His plans are beyond human understanding.
- Romans 11:33 (NIV):
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
Summary of God’s Attributes
Incommunicable Attributes: Eternality, immutability, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, self-existence, sovereignty.
Communicable Attributes: Holiness, love, mercy, grace, justice, faithfulness, goodness, patience, wisdom.
These attributes reveal the greatness of God and His unique, perfect nature. They encourage us to worship Him and reflect His character in our own lives.