Attributes of God

It is important for Christians to meditate on the attributes of God. There are many ways to list God’s characteristics or attributes. As a follower of Christ, we want to worship God for who He is and what He does. As we do, it increases our gratitude.

In the Bible we learn about God. Notice how this passage reflects the character of God (His goodness) and His work (His mercy, the outworking of His goodness). “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (1 Chron 16:34; cf. Ps 118:29).

I have provided below some of the list of attributes provided by Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 187–197. I have deleted content for space purposes. You can refer to his helpful book for all the details.

 

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

DEFINITION

The attributes of God may be defined as “those distinguishing characteristics of the divine nature which are inseparable from the idea of God and which constitute the basis and ground for his various manifestations to his creatures.”⁸ God’s attributes are to be distinguished from His works. God’s attributes do not “add” anything to God; they reveal His nature. Gordon Lewis provides a comprehensive definition.

God is an invisible, personal, and living Spirit, distinguished from all other spirits by several kinds of attributes: metaphysically God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging; intellectually God is omniscient, faithful, and wise; ethically God is just, merciful, and loving; emotionally God detests evil, is longsuffering, and is compassionate; existentially God is free, authentic, and omnipotent; relationally God is transcendent in being, immanent universally in providential activity, and immanent with His people in redemptive activity.⁹

God’s attributes are usually classified under two categories. The pairs of titles that are used depends on which of many contrasts the theologian wishes to emphasize. More frequent classifications include absolute and relative, incommunicable and communicable (intransitive and transitive), or moral and non-moral. In the study of God’s attributes it is important not to exalt one attribute over another; when that is done it presents a caricature of God. It is all the attributes of God taken together that provide an understanding of the nature and Person of God. As already indicated, the following categorization, which follows the divisions of A. H. Strong, is somewhat arbitrary like any other listing.

ABSOLUTE ATTRIBUTES

Spirituality. God is spirit (not a spirit) who does not have corporeity or physical form (John 4:24). A body localizes, but God as spirit is everywhere; He cannot be limited. Although God does not have a body, He is nonetheless a substance but not material. Spirituality goes further than simply identifying God as not having a body; it also means He is the source of all life.

Self-existence. God’s self-existence means “He has the ground of His existence in Himself.… God is independent in His Being, but also … He is independent in everything else; in His virtues, decrees, works, and.… causes everything to depend on Him.”¹⁰ … An unborn child is dependent on its mother for life; animals are dependent on their surroundings for life; trees and plants are dependent on sun and rain for life; every living thing is dependent on someone or something else but God is independent and existent in Himself (Dan. 5:23; Acts 17:28).

Immutability. Immutability “is that perfection of God by which He is devoid of all change, not only in His Being, but also in His perfections, and in His purposes and promises … and is free from all accession or diminution and from all growth or decay in His Being or perfections.”¹¹ Change is always for better or for worse, but since God is absolute perfection, improvement or deterioration are impossible for Him. Malachi 3:6 teaches the doctrine of immutability: “I, the Lord, do not change.”

Truth. Truth means that the facts conform to reality; truth identifies things as they are. Properly defined in relation to God, truth is “that perfection of His being by virtue of which He fully answers to the idea of the Godhead, is perfectly reliable in His revelation, and sees things as they really are.”¹⁴ First, it means He is the true God in distinction to all others; there is none like Him (Isa. 44:8–10, 45:5); second, He is the truth in that His Word and His revelation are reliable (Num. 23:19; Rom. 3:3–4; John 14:1, 2, 6; Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2). He can be trusted. Third, He knows things as they are; He is the beginning of all knowledge and makes it available to man in order that man may have fellowship with Him. He is the truth in a comprehensive sense…

Love. First John 4:8 indicates “God is love” while verse 10 explains how that love is displayed: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Thus, God’s love may be defined as “that perfection of the divine nature by which God is eternally moved to communicate himself. It is not a mere emotional impulse, but a rational and voluntary affection, having its ground in truth and holiness and its exercise in free choice.”¹⁶

Holiness. The basic meaning of holiness is “set apart” or “separation” (Heb. qedosh; Gk. hagiazo). Many see holiness as the foremost attribute of all because holiness pervades all the other attributes of God and is consistent with all He is and does.

Several features are embraced in the holiness of God. It has a transcendent emphasis, indicating “He is absolutely distinct from all His creatures and is exalted above them in infinite majesty.”¹⁸ Exodus 15:11 explains that in His holiness God is without peer and awesome—revealed in the marvelous way He delivered Israel from the Egyptians. Isaiah 57:15 describes His transcendence: He is “high and exalted” living on a “high and holy place.” It has an ethical emphasis, indicating “He is separate from moral evil or sin. ‘Holiness’ points to God’s majestic purity, or ethical majesty.”¹⁹ The foundation of this emphasis is Leviticus 11:44, 45, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Because God is morally pure, He cannot condone evil or have any relationship to it (Ps. 11:4–6). In His holiness God is the moral and ethical standard; He is the law. He sets the standard.²⁰

RELATIVE ATTRIBUTES

Some attributes may be termed “relative” because they are related to time and space.

Eternity. The eternity of God is usually understood as related to time. By definition it means that God is not limited or bound by time; with God there is no succession of events; He is above all temporal limitations. …His eternity is expressed in Psalm 90:2, “from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” God’s eternity extends backward to infinity and forward to infinity. Moreover, God’s eternity is also related to His eternal rule in His universal kingdom (Ps. 102:12).²²

Immensity. Immensity may be defined as “that perfection of the Divine Being by which He transcends all spatial limitations, and yet is present in every point of space with His whole Being.”²³ First Kings 8:27 emphasizes this truth (cf. also Isa. 66:1; Jer. 23:23, 24; Acts 7:48, 49). Solomon declared, “heaven and highest heaven cannot contain Thee.”

Omnipresence. In the next three attributes the prefix omni comes from the Latin word omnis, meaning “all.” Thus, omnipresence means God is everywhere present (this is contrasted with pantheism, which states that God is in everything). More specifically, omnipresence may be defined as “God, in the totality of his essence, without diffusion or expansion, multiplication or division, penetrates and fills the universe in all its parts.”²⁵ Psalm 139:7–12 explains the omnipresence of God. From the highest heaven to the depths of the earth and sea—God is everywhere present. There is no escaping God’s presence. In the definition it is noted that God is present everywhere in the totality of His person. This definition militates against the idea that God is in heaven and only His power is on earth.

Omniscience. The English word omniscience comes from the Latin words omnis, meaning “all,” and scientia, meaning “knowledge”; thus it means that God has all knowledge. A more comprehensive definition will state that God knows all things actual and possible, past, present, and future, in one eternal act.²⁶ A number of things should be noted about God’s omniscience.

(1) God knows all things that exist in actuality (Ps. 139:1–6; 147:4; Matt. 6:8; 10:28–30). The psalmist recognized the omniscience of God in that God knew his actions, his thoughts, his words before he even spoke them, and his entire life (Ps. 139:1–4).

(2) God knows all the variables concerning things that have not occurred. Jesus knew what Tyre and Sidon would have done had the gospel been preached to them (Matt. 11:21).

(3) God knows all future events. Because God is eternal and knows all things in one eternal act, events that are future to man are an “eternal now” to God. He knew the nations that would dominate Israel (Dan. 2:36–43; 7:4–8), and He knows the events that will yet transpire upon the earth (Matt. 24:25; Rev. 6–19).

(4) God’s knowledge is intuitive. It is immediate, not coming through the senses; it is simultaneous, not acquired through observation or reason; it is actual, complete, and according to reality.

Omnipotence. The term omnipotence signifies that God is all powerful. However, it does not suggest that because God is all powerful He can and does do anything or everything at random. A proper definition states: “God is all-powerful and able to do whatever he wills. Since his will is limited by his nature, God can do everything that is in harmony with his perfections.”²⁷ In other words, the question, “Can God create a stone so large that He could not lift it?” is not a legitimate question. God can do all things that are in harmony with His nature and Person.

The name Almighty means “the mighty one” and is probably derived from the verb meaning “to be strong” (cf. Gen. 17:1; 28:3; Isa. 13:6; Ezek. 1:24; Joel 1:15). Because God is Almighty, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). The One who has formed the unborn child (Ps. 139:13–16) and created the heavens (Jer. 32:17) can do all things; nothing is too hard for Him. He does as He pleases (Ps. 115:3) and decrees all things in accordance with His will (Eph. 1:11).

God cannot do things that are not in harmony with His nature. He cannot go back on His word (2 Tim. 2:13); He cannot lie (Heb. 6:18); He has no relationship to sin (Hab. 1:13; James 1:13). Since God is able to do as He pleases, the doctrine of God’s omnipotence becomes a source of great comfort for the believer (cf. Gen. 18:14; 1 Pet. 1:5).

 

There are also relative attributes of God that relate to morality.

Truth. In speaking of God as truth it is implied that God is all that He as God should be and that His word and revelation are completely reliable.

(1) God is the truth in His person. He is perfectly complete and completely perfect as God; He is without peer (Isa. 45:5).

(2) God is the truth in His revelation (Ps. 110:5; 1 Pet. 1:25; Matt. 5:18). It means that He is completely true in His revelation to mankind. He is reliable. Unlike a mortal, God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18); He speaks the truth and fulfills everything that He has promised to do (Num. 23:19). God is true in that He will never abrogate His promises (Rom. 3:3–4). In concert with the Father Jesus proclaimed, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). His word was reliable; His disciples could trust Him. The application of this doctrine is of significant value. Since God is truth it means His word to mankind is absolutely reliable and can be trusted implicitly. It means He will never renege on a promise He has made, such as in John 3:16.

Mercy. A general definition of mercy is “the goodness or love of God shown to those who are in misery or distress, irrespective of their deserts.”²⁸ The Hebrew word chesed in the Old Testament emphasizes “help or kindness as the grace of a superior.” It stresses the faithfulness of God despite man’s unfaithfulness and therefore emphasizes pity, sympathy, and love. The New Testament Greek word eleos also includes the idea of pity and sympathy and may be translated “loving-kindness” in a general sense.²⁹ God’s mercy seeks both the temporal need of mankind (Ruth 1:8; Heb. 4:16) as well as the eternal salvation of people (Rom. 9:23; Eph. 2:4; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3; Isa. 55:7); however, the latter is the stress in the New Testament.

Grace. Grace may be defined as the unmerited or undeserving favor of God to those who are under condemnation. A prominent Old Testament word describing God’s grace is also chesed.³⁰ This word denotes deliverance from enemies, affliction, or adversity (Ps. 6:4; 31:7, 16; 57:3; 69:13–16); enablement (Ps. 85:7); daily guidance (Ps. 143:8); forgiveness (Num. 14:19; Ps. 51:1); and preservation (Ps. 23:6; 33:18; 42:8; 94:18; 119:75, 76). The New Testament word charis particularly focuses on the provision of salvation in Christ.³¹ Grace is reflected in God providing salvation (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; 2:8); Christ brought grace and truth (John 1:18; Rom. 1:5); the grace of Christ enabled believers to have a positional standing before God (Rom. 5:2); Christ brought life instead of death through grace (Rom. 5:17); the grace of Christ exceeded the sin of Adam (Rom. 5:15, 20); the grace of Christ dispensed spiritual gifts to all believers (Rom. 12:6; Eph. 4:7); Jews and Gentiles alike are accepted through grace (Eph. 3:2).

Justice. Justice is sometimes taken together with the righteousness of God. The justice of God means that God is entirely correct and just in all His dealings with humanity; moreover, this justice acts in accordance with His law. The justice of God, therefore, is related to man’s sin. Since God’s law reflects God’s standard, then God is righteous and just when He judges man for His violation of God’s revealed law.^[1]

 

 

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: VARIETIES OF CATEGORIZATION
Theologians	Categories	Attributes
Henry C. Thiessen Vernon D. Doerksen	Non-moral	Omnipresence Omniscience Omnipotence Immutability
	Moral	Holiness Righteousness and Justice Goodness and Mercy Truth
Augustus Hopkins Strong	Absolute/Immanent	Spirituality: life personality Infinity: self-existence, immutability, unity Perfection: truth, love, holiness
	Relative/Transitive	Related to time and space: eternity, immensity Related to creation: omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence Related to moral beings: truth and faithfulness mercy and goodness (transitive love), justice and righteousness (transitive holiness)
William G. T. Shedd Charles Hodge Louis Berkhof Herman Bavnick	Incommunicable	Shedd/Hodge: self-existence, simplicity, infinity, eternity, immutability Berkhof: self-existence, immutability, unity, infinity (perfection, eternity, immensity) Bavinck: independence, self-sufficiency, immutability, infinity: eternity, immensity, (omnipresence); oneness (numerical, qualitative)
	Communicable	Shedd/Hodge: wisdom, benevolence, holiness, justice, compassion, truth Berkhof: spirituality intellectual knowledge wisdom veracity moral goodness (love, grace, mercy, longsuffering) holiness righteousness remunerative justice retributive justice sovereignty sovereign will sovereign power Bavinck: Life and Spirit spirituality invisibility Perfect in self-consciousness knowledge, omniscience wisdom veracity Ethical nature goodness righteousness holiness Lord, King, Sovereign will freedom omnipotence Absolute Blessedness perfection blessedness glory
Millard J. Erickson	Greatness	Spirituality Personality Life Infinity Constancy
	Goodness	Moral Purity holiness righteousness justice Integrity genuineness veracity faithfulness Love benevolence grace mercy persistence
Gordon R. Lewis	Metaphysically	Self-existent eternal Unchanging
	Intellectually	Omniscient Faithful Wise
	Ethically	Holy Righteous Loving
	Emotionally	Detests evil Long-suffering Compassionate
	Existentially	Free Authentic Omnipotent
	Relationally	Transcendent in being Immanent universally in providential activity Immanent with His people in redemptive activity[2]

 

⁸ A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology (Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1907), p. 244.

⁹ Gordon R. Lewis, “God, Attributes of,” in Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), p. 451.

¹⁰ Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1941), p. 58.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹⁴ Ibid., p. 69.

¹⁶ Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 86.

¹⁸ Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 73.

¹⁹ Ibid.

²⁰ Wm. G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 3 vols. (Reprint. Nashville: Nelson, 1980) 1:362–63.

²² See Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom (Chicago: Moody, 1968), pp. 22–36, for a discussion tracing God’s universal kingdom throughout eternity.

²³ Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 60.

²⁵ Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 279.

²⁶ It is important to recognize that in speaking of God’s knowledge or foreknowledge it does not imply a passive awareness of what will happen, but in connection with His knowledge or foreknowledge He has decreed all events. Compare Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 1:353–58, 396–99.

²⁷ Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 82.

²⁸ Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, p. 72.

²⁹ Rudolph Bultmann, “Eleos,” in Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), 2:479–85.

³⁰ The Hebrew word chesed really denotes “loving-kindness,” and the concept overlaps into both mercy and grace.

³¹ Charles C. Ryrie, The Grace of God (Chicago: Moody, 1963), pp. 9–26. This is a most helpful book on the entire subject of grace and is highly recommended for a proper understanding of this most important doctrine.

^[1] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 187–197.

^[2] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 190–191.

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