We serve a God that is beyond our comprehension in every way. If every person on the planet dedicated all their days to writing about the attributes of God, we would still never be able to describe them all.
So, in this article, we won't try to create a comprehensive list. Instead, we will look at what attributes God tells us about himself in the Bible.
In other words, how does he describe himself? What does he want us to know about him? I believe a few that he purposefully shows us will act as the foundation for all other attributes of him.
God wants us to know that he is omnipotent, meaning that he is infinite in power. He can do anything at any moment. Nothing and no one is stronger than him. He can blink and create a new galaxy. He can sneeze and erase existence. Whatever he thinks, whatever he wants, he is capable of doing.
Jesus himself tells us, "For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37, ESV). If you truly believed that nothing was impossible for God, that he had all power in his hands, how would you live differently?
God tells us that he is omniscient or infinite in knowledge. He knows everything, all at once. God knows every thought in every human at every moment while simultaneously knowing what is happening with stars and planets a billion lightyears away.
He knows every cell's movement on the bottom of the deepest ocean and every snowflake’s pattern on the top of the highest mountain. Every nanosecond that passes, he did not miss.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether (Psalm 139:4, ESV).
He wants you to know that he knows you better than you know yourself.
God is omnipresent, meaning he is everywhere at the same time. He does not just know what is happening. He is there. He is not bound by space or matter, or time.
He can be with you as you read this article and be with me as I write it. He does not leave you, does not lose you. He is in all of the time at the same time.
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there (Psalm 139:8).
God is everlasting, meaning you can go an infinite amount of time in the past, and God is there. You can then travel an endless amount of time in the future, and God is still there. He has no beginning and no end. Every moment to him is the present moment for him.
He can give you 100% of his attention and be with you every moment. Notice in John 8:58, Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth before Abraham was even born, I am!” (NLT).
He said, "Before Abraham was," talking about the past, then shifts and says, "I am" in the present. Our history and future are in the present before God.
God can do all things for you. He knows what is going on in your mind, heart, and life. God is there with you, and you have his complete attention. He is all-mighty and yet all personable.
What a wonderfully powerful and intimate God we have!
Everything God ever has done has been good. He can't not be good. He is the definition of goodness.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).
Is something good? Then it came from God. Did you breathe today? That is because God is good. Did you eat food this week? That is because He is good.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:8).
Did you laugh? That's because he is good and gives you the ability to laugh. Did you cry? That is because he is good and gives your body the ability to release the pain you feel.
One foundational block of our faith is that God is good all the time, no matter what. So, when we read the Bible, we have to approach it with this underlining truth.
When I see a situation in the Bible or in my life that doesn't seem good to me, I have to stop myself and say, "The truth is that God is still good." Then I pray, "God show me how you are good in this situation."
God does not withhold his goodness. Psalm 84:11 says, "… no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." He is good to all, even those who do not deserve it. Psalm 145:9 says, "The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
God isn't just infinitely powerful and present, but infinitely good as well.
Just like God is the definition of goodness, He is the very essence of love as well.
"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).
Love is not something that God has. It is something that he is. Every action he does is love itself. So once again, in the broad mystery of life, I must have the bedrock of my faith be that "God is love" and not "God is loving."
They seem similar, but there is a difference. One is an action. One is a being. Humans can be loving somedays and mean other days. But God is love, and there has never been nor will ever be a day when he ceases to be love itself.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10).
God is perfect love, and He is perfectly just. He tells us this himself in Isaiah 61:8, "For I, the Lord, love justice…" and that in Isaiah 30:18, "Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him" (ESV).
Sometimes, in Scripture, we can see choices God made and think, "That doesn't seem right? Why did God tell Israel to kill that enemy nation? Shouldn't he have said to go love them?"
Many people offer a solution to this by saying, "Well, that was God in the Old Testament. Now we have Jesus." Almost as if God took a 180-degree personality change in the pages between the Old and New Testaments.
I dislike this answer because the Bible tells us that God never changes in Malachi 3:6. We also know that Jesus is God, so he was in heaven with the Father even in the Old Testament.
Every choice God made in the Old Testament is the choice Jesus made as well. Jesus tells us that he is eternal and never changes in Hebrews 13:8. In the New Testament, the Jesus we see is the same God we see in the Old Testament.
A better answer is that God is just no matter what and if he is all-knowing and all present, he can see an eternal we cannot.
Imagine a Judge who knows all of the facts, saw every single possible piece of evidence, was in the room as a witness when the crime happened, can read the minds of everyone involved, and loves you more than anyone on the planet loves you.
Would you trust him to make the proper judgment that is both just and loving? Absolutely!
It is okay to say, "God, I don't understand." But we cannot submit him to our limited view of justice. Instead, we must realize, he is good, loving, and just.
Want to know more attributes of God? Look at Jesus. Jesus said that if we have seen him, we have seen the Father (John 14:9.) So, look at the life of Christ, and you will see the attributes of God.
Is Jesus merciful? Then God is merciful. Is Jesus kind? Then God is kind. Is Jesus a healer? Then God is a healer. Is Jesus perfect, holy, and sinless? Then so is our God.
Whatever attributes you see in Jesus, God shares as well because Jesus is God. So, whenever you want to learn more about the characteristics of God, look upon Jesus to find your answers.
For further reading:
What Are the Most Important Things to Understand about the Nature of God?
Is Nothing Really Impossible for God?
What Does it Mean God Is Good?
What Does it Mean That God Is Just?
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