Welcome back, my friends. After reading last month’s partial list of God’s attributes, how can you not humble yourself and bow your knee to worship and praise the God Almighty for all that He is, all that He has done, and all that He will do?
As we continue our journey of understanding the Godhead, the God of the Universe, let’s continue to build on the attributes we’ve learned from last month’s lesson so that we can have a complete picture of who God is.
The Goodness of God:
The original Saxon meaning of our English word \”God\” is \”The Good.\” God is not only the Greatest of all beings, but the Best. All that comes from God — His decrees, His creation, His laws, His providences — cannot be anything but good.
His goodness can first be seen in the beginning of the book of Genesis. At the end of the sixth day, after He had created everything, including man, the God of the Universe declared “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Gen 1:31). Thus, the “goodness” of God is seen, first, in Creation.
The word omnibenevolent comes from the Latin word omni, meaning “all,” and the word benevolent, meaning “good” or “charitable.” When we say that God is omnibenevolent, we are saying that God is absolutely good and that no action, motive, thought, feeling or anything else about Him is not purely good. He is “all-good.” The Bible provides many testimonies of God’s goodness, including Jesus’ own. Listen to what Jesus said to the rich man asking what he must do to inherit eternal life.
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.” Mark 10:17-18 (NLT)
Although human beings can do good things, only God is omnibenevolent, or wholly good.
The goodness of God appeared most notably when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to die on a cross for our sins.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT)
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT)
God has in Himself an infinite and inexhaustible treasure of “all goodness” — enough to fill all things.
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased! Luke 2:14 (GNT)
The Patience of God:
The Divine patience of God can be defined as that power of control which He exercises over Himself, enabling Him to tolerate all of the evil and wickedness in the world and withhold His righteous judgment instead of punishing those that deserve to be punished. If we stop and think about it, the “those” that I just mentioned would be each and every one of us. In Nahum 1:3 we read;
The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. Nahum 1:3 (NLT)
How unbelievable is God’s patience with the world today? On every side people are sinning, His divine law is trampled underfoot and God Himself is openly despised. Our nation and the world have turned their backs on the God of the Universe by throwing their morals out the window. We tolerate same sex marriages, homosexuality, drugs, murdering, child abuse, spousal abuse, and government corruption all in the name of PRIDE and self-gratification. It is truly amazing that He, the God of the Universe, does not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him.
Why doesn’t the righteous wrath of God make an end of such abominations? Only one answer is possible. God suffers the flesh to remain in the believer and the evil it creates so that He can exhibit His \”longsuffering” toward us.
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
The Mercy of God:
God being merciful basically means that when we deserve punishment, He doesn’t punish us, but in fact blesses us instead.
For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. Matthew 5:45 (GNT)
It is important to note that the mercies which God bestows on the wicked are solely of a temporal nature; that is to say, they are confined strictly to this present life. Throughout the Bible, God gives many illustrations of His mercy. God fully demonstrates His mercy towards us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
God’s mercy is rooted in His love for us. He is merciful, in large part, because He is love.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (GNT)
As sinners, we deserve punishment (Romans 3:23).
everyone has sinned and is far away from God\’s saving presence. Romans 3:23 (GNT)
God’s righteousness requires punishment for sin — He wouldn’t be holy otherwise.
Since God does love us and is merciful, He sent His Son
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. John 3:16 (GNT)
The fullness of His mercy is seen in Matthew 27. Jesus is brutally beaten and murdered on our behalf; Jesus received our just punishment, and we received His righteousness through God’s mercy.
Because of His love for us, God wants us to be with Him. His mercy is required for that to take place; there is an inseparable connection between God’s love and mercy.
In our effort to study the mercy of God, a threefold distinction of God’s mercy needs to be made.
1. The general mercy of God, which is extended not only to all men, believers and unbelievers alike, but also His every creation:
He is good to everyone and has compassion on all he made. Psalm 145:9 (GNT)
2. The special mercy of God, which is exercised toward men, helping and supporting them, in spite of their sins. To them also He provides all the necessities of life:
For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. Matthew 5:45 (GNT)
3. The sovereign mercy of God, which is reserved for the heirs of salvation, which is communicated to them in a covenant way, through the Mediator, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLT)
The Grace of God:
If mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, then grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. This attribute of God is directed to His elect only, those saved by His divine character of grace through His son Jesus Christ. Grace is the only source from which flows the goodwill, love, and salvation of God unto His chosen people.
Divine grace is the sovereign and saving favor of God exercised in the bestowing of blessings upon those who do not deserve it and for which no payment is demanded from them.
For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God\’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (GNT)
The late Arthur W. Pink describes Grace this way:
“Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the axe of justice, so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that they cannot see Him, so deaf that they cannot hear Him, and so dead that He Himself must open their graves and lift them into resurrection.”
But by the free gift of God\’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. Romans 3:24 (GNT)
The Love of God:
Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (TLB)
This is God\’s description of love, and because God is love (1 John 4:8), this is what He is like.
There is no better way for me to describe the Love of God than to turn to His Holy Word and allow God to speak to your heart about love.
Loving One Another
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
The Wrath of God:
Finally, we would not have a complete picture of the attributes of God if I didn’t talk about His wrath. Many professing Christians wish there were no such thing, and they’d rather not think or talk about it.
As we turn to the scriptures we will find that God has made no attempt to conceal the fact of His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury belong unto Him.
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day.” Romans 1:18-20 (TLB)
Now the wrath of God is as much a Divine perfection as is His faithfulness, power, or mercy. It must be so, for there is no blemish whatever, not the slightest defect in the character of God; yet there would be if \”wrath\” were absent from Him! But there is a vast difference between the wrath of God and the wrath of man. God’s wrath is holy and always justified; man’s is never holy and rarely justified.
God’s wrath against sin and disobedience is perfectly justified because His plan for mankind is holy and perfect, just as God Himself is holy and perfect. God provided a way to gain divine favor —repentance — which turns God’s wrath away from the sinner. To reject that perfect plan (accepting Jesus as your personal savior) is to reject God’s love, mercy, grace and favor and incur His righteous wrath.
The wrath of God is a fearsome and terrifying thing. Only those who have been covered by the blood of Christ, shed for us on the cross, can be assured that God’s wrath will never fall on them.
We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. Romans 5:9 (ERV)
There you have it, my friends, the Attributes of God, the Godhead, the God of the Universe and the Great I Am.
I’ve brought both lessons together and written a summary of the Attributes of God that you can print out and read and reread at your leisure so that you can grasp the magnitude and majesty of God. Remind yourself daily who it is you serve and follow, and why.
The Attributes of God
When we talk about the Godhead, the God of the Universe, the Great I Am, there is no other god but Him. He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things. He is the supreme ruler over everything. Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him. He is the ruler of all mankind.
The majesty and splendor of the hand of God can be seen all around us. We can see His grandeur in the bright sun, the evening moon and the twinkle of each and every star. We can feel Him in the warm sunshine, the gentle rains and the frosty cold snow. He is alive in the forests, and the deserts and the plains. His goodness and beauty can be seen in seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees we use for food. Every living creature that walks, crawls, flies, slithers, or swims was created by His every Word. His power and opulence is visible in the mountains, the oceans and the rivers. And last but not least, His love and compassion can be seen in His finest creation — you and me.
Our God is in need of nothing from the universe He created, His angels or you and me. He is self-contained, self-sufficient and self-satisfied. He is eternally the same, yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He has no beginning and no ending; He is everlasting. His Divine Holiness separates Him from all other beings and is what makes Him distinct from everything else.
Our God is omniscient (He is all-knowing). He knows every detail of every being in heaven, on earth and in hell. God is spirit so He is omnipresent (He is everywhere); He surrounds us everywhere. The God of the Universe is omnipotent (He is all powerful). Not only does He have the will and desire to do what He wants, He also has the power and ability to accomplish what He wants. If you remember one thing, remember this: God is all-knowing, all powerful and exists everywhere.
Before our God laid the foundations of the earth, He knew exactly what was going to happen. He already knew everything past, present and what will happen in the future. Why? Because He has either allowed it to happen or will allow it to happen. Everything that happens is part of His eternal plan. Nothing will ever surprise Him.
There is no one more faithful than God. He is the only one who is faithful in all things and faithful at all times. He is the God who for a thousand generations keeps his promises and constantly loves those who love Him and obey His commands.
Our God is not only the Greatest of all beings, but the Best. All that comes from God — His decrees, His creation, His laws, His providences — cannot be anything but good. God has in Himself an infinite and inexhaustible treasure of “all goodness,” enough to fill all things.
The patience of our God is profound. He exercises Divine patience over Himself, causing Him to tolerate all of the evil and wickedness in the world and withhold His righteous judgment instead of punishing those that deserve to be punished. Our God loves us so much that He is being patient for our sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
The mercies that our God shows us each and every day are what keeps us alive. The very air that we breathe comes from the mercy of God. Most important is the mercy He shows to each and every one of us who deserve nothing more than punishment for our sins. But, He doesn’t punish us, and in fact blesses us instead, because of His love for us. God wants us to be with Him. His mercy is required for that to take place; there is an inseparable connection between God’s love and mercy
The divine Grace of our God is directed to His elect only, those saved by His divine character of grace through His son, Jesus Christ. Grace is the only source from which flows the goodwill, love, and salvation of God unto His chosen people. It is the Godhead of the Universe bestowing a blessing upon those who do not deserve it and for which no payment is demanded from them.
Our God’s “Love is very patient and kind, He is never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. God’s Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (TLB). Because God is love, this is exactly what He is like.
The one thing we must never forget is that the wrath of God is a fearsome and terrifying thing. Our God’s wrath against sin and disobedience is perfectly justified because His plan for mankind is holy and perfect, just as God Himself is holy and perfect. God provided a way to gain divine favor —repentance — which turns God’s wrath away from the sinner. To reject that perfect plan (accepting Jesus as your personal savior) is to reject God’s love, mercy, grace and favor and incur His righteous wrath.
My prayer for you, my friends, is that this summary will speak to your heart and you will begin to admire and worship God, for whom He truly is— the Godhead, the God of the Universe, the Great I Am.
In closing, my friends, let’s just Praise the Lord!
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4 (NLT)
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! Psalm 104:33 (NLT)
Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. Psalm 104:1(NLT)
You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Psalm 118:28 (NLT)
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Psalm 150:1 (NLT)
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NLT)
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. Ephesians 1:6 (NLT)
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. Jude 24 (NLT)
Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Your Journey to Eternity
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