WHO IS GOD ?
Part II :

By: Pastor Mike :

Brothers and Sisters , in this second part of my continuing sermon , I'd like to talk about the ATTRIBUTES of God .

Properly defined , ATTRIBUTES are more than just the characteristics of a being . Attributes are the core essential traits and qualities that define that being . When we are discussing the attributes of God , we are not just describing the ways He acts . Neither are we expressing the ways He has disclosed Himself to us - that would be a discussion of His revelation . When we approach the topic of God's attributes , we are delving into His very nature and being .

Attributes go far deeper than just one's reputation . To put it in human terms , your reputation is what people think and say about you . Your attributes , however , are who you are .  Attributes are qualities , traits , and characteristics that explain what you think , how you act , and how you respond .

With regard to a discussion concerning the attributes of God , the believer is immediately faced with the glaring limitations of that discussion . First , we are limited by our knowledge . Though God has revealed Himself through our universe ( natural revelation ) and the Bible ( special revelation ) , this revelation would in no way present a comprehensive summary of God . He is GREATER than our LIMITED grasp of His revelation .

Furthurmore , we are limited by our very language . When we speak of God , the only vehicle at our disposal is language - words that serve as symbols for ideas . Yet our words can only describe God analogously . We cannot discuss God using words that precisely comprehend Him . The apostle John faced that dilemma when he wrote about heaven in the book of Revelation . FORTY-FIVE times he used the term "like" when making a comparison . For example , Revelation 1:14 states ; " His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire . "  The description John tried to offer here was done by comparison - he was limited in his ability to fully depict what he was seeing . The best he had to offer was a mere evaluation or contrast . Words can never fully convey the actual essence of God . God is greater than our language .

Finally , we are limited by our finite minds . Were God to give us the exact words that describe every detail of His being , our restricted minds would grasp only a small portion of the sum total of His being . God is greater than our understanding . Certainly this is what Paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians 13:12 ; " For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. "

Therefore ,  we are left to find concrete means of describing the abstract . It is with finite language that we attempt to express the infinite nature of God . This task has been known throughout the ages as theology ( the study of God ) . When it comes to describing God , we can look at His attributes as described in His Word , the Bible . These attributes fall into two categories : noncommunicable and communicable .

Let's look first at the NONCOMMUNICABLE attributes of God :

The noncommunicable attributes of God are those characteristics that He alone has , that no man can ever attain . These are the traits that He holds by His very nature . Man can barely describe these features , much less aspire to reach them . These include sovereignty , aseity , immutabilty , eternality , infinity , omnipotence , omniscience , omnipresence , and omnibenevolence  .

The sovereignty of God is fully detailed in Scripture . Sovereignty is a regal term of lordship , illustrating the fact that God is the Supreme Head , Lord , and Ruler over ALL creation . EVERY LIVING THING is subject to HIM completely , and the extent of His rule is infinite . As Creator , God is over creation , as a potter is over clay ( Isaiah 64:8 ; " But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." ) . The potter may do with the clay whatever He desires , and the clay does not have a voice in the decision-making process . The Bible speakes of the galaxies as within the grasp of His hand (Isaiah 40:12 ; " Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? " ) . Sovereignty involes God's right to rule , but it also speaks of His care for that which is within His rule as well . His provision is promised to those who are under His watch and care .

Aseity is a technical term that means "self-existent ." God does not have any needs , as we do . Often we have heard of some who say that God created man because He needed fellowship . This is patently false ! God does NOT need anything ! As a Trinity , God the Father , God the Son , and God the Holy Spirit has perfect fellowship in Himself . He does not act according to need . What God does , He does out of His will , NOT out of any essential requirement . He is perfectly complete , and completely perfect ! THis is simplicity in its most profound sense - God is not composed of anything . He is simply GOD !

God is also immutable . This term means that He is unchanging . Some theologians have used the term impassable in reference to this attribute , but that term is often misunderstood . Impassable does not mean that God does not have emotions , but that God is completely self-controlled . He is never overwhelmed . Does this mean that God does not respond to man ? Certainly there are numerous Scripture texts that indicate a cause-effect relationship between God and man .  2 Chronicles 7:14 famously quotes God saying , " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. "  Jonah even broaches the subject of God's repentance in Jonah 3:9 ; " Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? "  Yet God's "repentance" is not a changing of His will , but His determination to act . God is not dependant upon man's actions , and neither is He ever surprised by them . It is only from our perspective in time and space that it seems as if God changed  . God speaks in Malachi 3:6 and states emphatically , " For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. " 

God is eternal , but man is not . Eternality means that God does NOT have a beginning . Man has a beginning , but does NOT have an end . In the technical sense , God is eternal , but man is only everlasting . Due to the fact that man is completely dependent upon God for his existence , man is neither eternal , immutable , nor aseitic . Psalm 90:2 states , " Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. "

In the evangelical world , we are fond of attempting to summarize the nature and attributes of God by using the prefix omni . God is omnipotent . He is all-powerful , and greater than all the power He created combined . God is omniscient . He is all-knowing , and knows everything that can possibly be known simultaneously . God is omnipresent . He is everywhere , at every possible place , at the SAME moment , and there is NO place that is off-limits to Him . God is omnibenevolent .  He is all-loving , and operates out of His absolute and perfect goodness and love .

NOW . . . let's talk about the COMMUNICABLE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD :

The second category of God's attributes are those traits that are communicable - traits that God calls man to attain . These are the characteristics of God that the believer must imitate , even though he knows that he is incapable of fully achieving them .

For example , God is Holy , and He calls us to holiness ( Leviticus 11:44-45 ; 19:2 ; 20:7 , 26 ) . The Hebrew word for holy is qodesh , which means " separate " and " unique " . God calls us to holiness by calling us to separation from the wickedness of the world . While we can never achieve perfect holiness , the standard by which we operate is God . He IS perfection , and in His perfect Holiness , He cannot even look upon sin ( Habakkuk 1:13 ; " Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? " ) . We are therefore motivated to be a separate and unique people .

God is merciful ( Jeremiah 3:12 ; " Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. " ) , and He calls us to mercy . Mercy is the withholding of a just punishment . For example , if a criminal is found guilty of a crime and stands ready for his punishment , and is then granted a pardon , then he has recieved mercy . He did not recieve that which he deserved . Jesus said in Luke 6:36 that WE as recipients of mercy must also be benefactors of it ; " Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. " ) . 

God is loving , and He commands us to love ( 1 John 4: 7-20 ) . First John 4:7 introduces a unique compulsion of the believer in Jesus Christ : We prove our salvation by our capacity to love unconditionally as God does - " Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. "  This is more than just a mere tolerance or an outward show of compassion - it is a true manifestation of endearment .

It is profoundly important to understand that these traits are not merely characteristics that God has , but they are in fact descriptions of what God is . For example , the Bible emphatically explains that God does not merely have love ; God is love ( 1 John 4:8 ; " He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. " ) . God does not merely grant peace ; God is our peace ( Ephesians 2:14 ; " For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; " ) .

Please remember , my brothers and sisters - God is both Ruler over creation , and therefore the perfect Judge , and also the Father of His children , and therefore our perfect provision .

In Part III of this sermon , I will talkabout the GRACE of God - Until then , May HE Continue to Bless and keep You ALL  - ALWAYS  . .

Your Brother in Christ ;
Pastor Mike