What are the attributes of God? What is God like?

The Bible, which is the Word of God, tells us what God is like and what He is not like. Without the authority of the Bible, any explanation of God's attributes will be no better than a mere idea of God, which is itself flawed (Job 42:7). It is important to say that this is a very low level sentence in an effort to understand what God is like! Failure to do this will cause us to create, follow, and worship other false gods that are contrary to God's will (Exodus 20:3-5).

Only what God has chosen to reveal about Himself can be known. One of God's attributes or qualities is "light," which means that He reveals information about Himself (Isaiah 60:19; James 1:17). The fact is that God himself has given information about himself that should not be ignored (Hebrews 4:1). The creation, the Bible, and the Word (Jesus Christ) who became flesh will help us know what God is like.

We begin by understanding that God is our Creator and that we are a part of His creation (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1) and that we are made in His image. Man is placed above all else in creation and given authority over them (Genesis 1:26-28). The creation is cursed by the Fall but it still reflects His works (Genesis 3:17-18; Romans 1:19-20). Contemplating the vastness, complexity, beauty and order of the universe, we realize its awe.

Reading some of God's names can be helpful in our discovery of what God is like. These are the following:

Elohim – the only powerful, divine (Genesis 1:1)

Adonai – Lord, referring to master-to-servant relationships (Exodus 4:10; 13)

El Elyon – Most High, Most Powerful (Genesis 14:20)

El Roi – omniscient God (Genesis 16:13)

El Shaddai – Almighty God (Genesis 17:1)

El Olam – God of eternity (Isaiah 40:28)

Jehovah – Lord “I am,” meaning the eternally self-existent One (Exodus 3:13,14).

God is eternal, meaning He had no beginning and will never cease to exist. He is immortal, He is infinite (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17). God is immutable, that is, He never changes; This means that God is absolutely trustworthy and reliable (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:26-27). God is without comparison; That is, there is no one else like him in actions and existence; He is matchless and perfect (2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 5:48). God is incomprehensible, unfathomable, unfathomable, and extremely difficult to fully understand (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 145:3; Romans 11:33, 34).

God is just; He shows no partiality regarding man (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30). God is omnipotent; He has all-power and can do anything that pleases Him, but His actions are always consistent with His character (Revelation 19:6; Jeremiah 32:17, 27). God is omnipresent, that is, He is present everywhere and at all times; But this does not mean that God is everything (Psalm 139:7-13; Jeremiah 23:23). God is omniscient, meaning He has knowledge of the past, present, and future, including what we are thinking at any given time. Because He knows everything, His justice will always be just (Psalm 139:1-5; Proverbs 5:21).

God is one; This not only means that there is no one else, but also that He is the only one who is capable of fulfilling the deepest desires and longings of our hearts. He is the One who deserves our worship and devotion (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is righteous, meaning God can never condone wrongdoing. This is because in order for our sins to be forgiven because of God's righteousness and justice, Jesus had to experience God's judgment when our sins were laid upon Him (Exodus 9:27; Matthew 27:45-46; Romans 3:21-26).

God is sovereign, that is, He is supreme. Not all of His creation combined can thwart His purposes (Psalm 93:1; 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20). God is Spirit, meaning He is invisible (John 1:18; 4:24). God is Trinity. He is three in one, equal in essence, equal in power and glory. God is true, meaning He will always remain truthful and cannot lie (Psalm 117:2; 1 Samuel 15:29).

God is holy, separate from and opposed to all forms of moral impurity. God sees all evil and it angers Him. God is referred to as a consuming fire (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13; Exodus 3:2; 4:5; Hebrews 12:29). God is gracious, and His grace includes His goodness, goodness, kindness, and love. If it were not for God's grace it would seem that His holiness would separate us from His presence. Thankfully, it is not, because He desires to know each one of us personally (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 31:19; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16; John 17:3).

Because God is an eternal being, no man can fully answer this question of God's interpretation, but through God's word, we can understand much about who and what God is like. My prayer is that we will all continue to seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13).