Everyone of us has his own idea of God. Some of us picture Him as a good-natured Grandfather with a long white beard, who will gladly overlook our faults. Others view Him as the big heavenly policeman. Still others think that He is a supernatural „Something“, that is unfathomable. Ultimately, only He can make right statements about himself. The following examples describe, what God Himself has revealed about His character in the Bible.
God is incredibly great.
There are many things about God which we are incapable of comprehending. We cannot understand the great things he does, and to his miracles there is no end. (Job 5:9) God is out of our reach. Human thought and reason cannot bridge that gap. But that shouldn’t surprise us, because, if we could fully grasp God, He wouldn’t be God. God's power is so great that we cannot come near him; he is righteous and just in his dealings with us. No wonder, then, that everyone is awed by him, and that he ignores those who claim to be wise. (Job 37:23-24)
God is a person.
God is not a thing, a force or an idea. In the way He thinks, feels, wishes, and acts, He reveals Himself as a living person. But He is not simply “the guy up there”, or the “good Lord” or a kind of “Superman”. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. (Jeremiah 10:10)
God is eternal.
God has no beginning and no end. Expressed with words from the Bible: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:2) There has never been nor will there be a time in which God does not exist. God introduces himself: “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, “who is, who was, and who is to come.” (Revelation 1:8) And He will remain the same forever. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) God is still the same how He was, and how He always will be.
God is independent.
Every creature is dependent on other creatures, certain circumstances and ultimately on God – but God is totally independent of His creation. Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. (Acts 17:25)
God is just.
The Bible says: For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18) But God is not only our Creator and Sustainer, He is also our judge. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (Psalm 97:2) He rewards and punishes in time and eternity with a perfect and irrevocable justice.
God is holy.
Who is like you, wonderful in holiness? Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours? (Genesis 15:11) God’s holiness is incomparable. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no solid rock like our God. (1. Samuel 2:2) He is completely without flaw and weakness. And this holy God demands of us all that we should be holy. This demand is written in His book, the Bible. You shall be holy, for I am holy. (1. Peter 1:16)
God is omniscient.
His knowledge is complete. There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves. (Hebrews 4:13) God knows everything about our past, present and future; He knows even all our thoughts, words and deeds. His wisdom is complete and beyond our understanding. How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? (Romans 11:33)
God is almighty.
I am the Lord, the God of all people. Nothing is too difficult for me. (Jeremiah 32:27) However, that doesn’t mean that God can do anything. For example He cannot lie or become unfaithful to Himself. He cannot make mistakes. He cannot sin or deny himself. But God can do anything He wants in accordance with His divine nature.
God is love.
This is certainly the most important and most beautiful. 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) His Son, who is one with the Father, gives His life for us humans. To lay down one's life for somebody else cannot be outdone. This is the ultimate expression of showing one's love, and this not theoretically, but practically.
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