What Is God Like? Part 2

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What in this world is God doing?

Welcome to Session 8 of Discovering Good News in John.

Today we’ll look at six more of God’s attributes, this time those related to creation. These attributes will help us understand what God is doing in this world. The first attribute is…

1) God Is Independent

Independent means that God did not create heavenly creatures, people, and animals because he was lonely or in any way needed us. Paul in Acts 17:24-25 explains,

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Acts 17:24–25

God does not need creation, but creation is entirely dependent on God. God is not created, which makes him not dependent on anything or any being. Rather, he has always existed and will always exist, as Psalm 90:2 declares:

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

Romans 11:36 tells us that all of creation is from him:

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:36

God takes joy in people, as he says in Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD your God is in your midst,
        a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
        he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

That God rejoices over those who belong to him with singing is pretty amazing.

A second attribute is that…

2) God Is Personal

God is not an impersonal force, like “the Force” in Star Wars. He is personal and alive. Millard Erickson writes,

He is an individual being, with self-consciousness and will, capable of feeling, choosing, and having a reciprocal relationship with other personal and social beings.

Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 83

He identifies himself in Exodus 3.14 as: “I am who I am.” We see him throughout Scripture interacting with people. The temple and sacrificial system taught the Israelites how they could draw near to him for fellowship. Jesus’s atoning sacrifice is for the purpose of bringing those who love God into his presence for eternity.

3) God Is Truthful

This attribute means that God is genuine, tells the truth, and is faithful. “Genuine” means he is the true God, not a god made up by people. Jeremiah 10:10 says,

But the LORD is the true God;
        he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
        and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Jeremiah 10:10

Jesus prayed this to the Father in John 17:3:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:3

God always tells the truth. In 1 Samuel 15:29, God says:

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.

1 Samuel 15:29, NIV

Hebrews 6:18 claims that “it is impossible for God to lie.” Notice here that lying is “impossible” for God.

God is also faithful. He keeps his promises. In Numbers 23:19, he says:

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Numbers 23:19, NIV

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:24:

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24, NIV

The Bible is filled with narratives showing his faithfulness to his promises. One of the most amazing is his promises to Abraham of a child through Sarah. She bore the child of promise after a lifetime of barrenness when she was well past menopause.

4) God Is Holy

Psalm 99:9 calls for us to

Exalt the LORD our God
        and worship at his holy mountain,
        for the Lord our God is holy.

Psalm 99:9, NIV

“Holy” means he is separated from all that is sinful, and he is completely pure. James 1:13 explains:

God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

James 1:13, NIV

Sin can neither stain nor defile him. In the OLD TESTAMENT, if something unclean touched something clean, the unclean object defiled the clean object, making it unclean. Likewise, someone with a contagious disease such as leprosy could pass the contagion to others. But when Jesus walked the earth, he could touch the leper and make him clean, as Matthew 8:2-3 shows:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Matthew 8:2–3, NIV

Everyone else was warned not to touch the leper lest they become unclean, but Jesus touched the leper and made the leper clean.

People Are Not Holy

People ae not holy, though, and being in the presence of a holy God makes them aware of their unholy state, as the prophet Isaiah experienced:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings… And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:1–7, NIV

God’s holiness made Isaiah aware of his unholy state and he feared he would die. He confesses his sinfulness and need for cleansing. Then a seraph acted to remove his guilt and atone for his sins.

Theologian Wayne Grudem defines sin as

Any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature

Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs, 62

Sin separates us from God and incurs the penalty of death. Yet God provided a way to release people from death because—our next attribute…

5) God Is Merciful And Gracious

In an earlier session, we saw that Scripture says God is love. His love shows itself in two other attributes: God is merciful and gracious. When Moses wanted to see God, God passed before him and described who he is:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”

Exodus 34:6–7

Mercy is not giving punishment that’s deserved. Grace is giving undeserved favor. God’s mercy shows in his tender compassion toward people even while they are far from him. God’s grace displays in he himself providing the sacrifice needed to atone for sin. Romans 5:8 says,

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God Longs To Show Mercy And Grace

In the Old Testament, the Israelites abandoned God, robbed, oppressed the poor, murdered, and sacrificed children to demons. Therefore, God sent them into exile for 70 years, but said this in Lamentations 3:31-33:

For no one is cast off
        by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
        so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
        or grief to anyone.

Lamentations 3:31–33, NIV

God’s heart longs to extend mercy and grace, but he will afflict when it’s the only way to end evil and bring a people back to relationship with him. God’s grace and mercy shows in his desire for all people to be saved, as 1 Timothy 2:3-4 explains.

God our Savior… desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3–4

2 Peter 3:9 says something similar:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

6) God Is Wise

In session 2, we said God is omniscient: He knows everything, even our inmost thoughts. That God is wise means that he knows what to do with that knowledge.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
        How unsearchable his judgments,
        and his paths beyond tracing out!

Romans 11:33, NIV

Wayne A. Grudem writes,

God is not only all-knowing but also all-wise. This means he always chooses the best possible goals and the best possible means to meet those goals. He is “the only wise God” (Rom 16:27).

Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs: twenty basics every Christian should know, 27]

His omniscience and wisdom are why “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” as Romans 8:28 assures.

God in wisdom created the universe. Psalm 104:24 declares,

How many are your works, Lord!
        In wisdom you made them all;
        the earth is full of your creatures.

Psalm 104:24, NIV

God knew before creating angels that some of them would choose to rebel. He knew before he created the universe that Adam and Eve would disobey him. But he chose to create angels and humans anyway, and already had his plan of salvation in place, as 1 Peter 1:18-20 explains.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

1 Peter 1:18–20, NIV

The wisdom of God’s plan to save us through Jesus is displayed in three ways.

First, God’s Plan Justifies Satan’s Judgment

Apologetics professor Clay Jones writes,

If Satan rebelled because he thought he deserved better, then it’s no surprise that he would try to make the case that his impending doom is unfair. Thus he becomes the “accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10, see also Zechariah 3:1 and Job 1). In fact, Satan literally means “accuser” or “adversary.” By accusing the saints, Satan tacitly argues that he isn’t the only one who can’t meet God’s standards—no one can. Therefore, God asks too much; He sets the bar too high.

Clay Jones, Why Does God Allow Evil, 214

Jones continues:

Thus God sends Jesus. Because Jesus kept the Law perfectly, He justified Satan’s judgment. Consider Revelation 12, which tells us about the Devil’s defeat in heaven:

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (verses 10-11).

One thing we learn from this passage is that the accuser, Satan, couldn’t be cast down until Christ was victorious at the cross—because until then, Satan’s argument had some merit! As G.K. Beale put it: “Until the death of Christ, it could appear that the devil had a good case, since God ushered all deceased OT saints into His saving presence without exacting the penalty of their sin. Satan was allowed to lodge these complaints because there was some degree of truth in them.” But once Jesus honored God, in spite of immense suffering, He justified Satan’s judgment. Satan’s case was lost.

Clay Jones, Why Does God Allow Evil, 215

Second, God’s Plan Proved God’s Righteousness

God’s righteousness demands that sin be punished. Until Jesus paid the penalty for people’s sins, God could not be proved righteous. Wayne Grudem explains:

Paul speaks of Christ Jesus “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, through faith” (Rom. 3:25, author’s translation). Paul then explains why God put forward Jesus as a “propitiation” (that is, a sacrifice that bears the wrath of God against sin and thereby turns God’s wrath into favor): “This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Rom. 3:25). Paul realizes that if Christ had not come to pay the penalty for sins, God could not be shown to be righteous. Because he had passed over sins and not punished them in the past, people could rightly accuse God of unrighteousness, the assumption

being that a God who does not punish sins is not a righteous God. Therefore, when God sent Christ to die and pay the penalty for our sins, he showed how he could still be righteous—he had stored up the punishment due to previous sins (those of Old Testament saints) and then, in perfect righteousness, he gave that penalty to Jesus on the cross. The propitiation of Calvary thereby clearly demonstrated that God is perfectly righteous: “it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 509-10

Third, God’s Plan Glorifies God Through Man

Isaiah 43:6-7 tells us that we’re created to glorify God:

Bring my sons from afar
        and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
       whom I created for my glory,
       whom I formed and made.

Isaiah 43:6–7, NIV

By justifying Satan’s judgment and proving God’s righteousness, the cross glorifies God through people who are called by the Lord’s name. The Lord displays his loving kindness and mercy while at the same time maintaining righteousness and justice. All the heavenly creatures join with earth’s grateful inhabitants to glorify God for his great wisdom.

In Conclusion

Today we looked at six more attributes of God: God is independent, personal, truthful, holy, merciful and gracious, and wise. He put his plan of salvation into place before he created the world, and now we are seeing the wisdom of his plan. It justifies Satan’s judgment, proves God’s righteousness, and glorifies God through believers. He is truly worth to be praised.

This week in Discovering Good News in John, complete chapter 8: The Vine. We’ll answer the question, What did Jesus say to keep his followers from falling away? See you next time.

Join the Discussion

Please answer these questions in the comments below.

1. What one thought stuck out to you in this post? Why did it stick out?
2. What one thought stuck out to you from this week’s chapter? Why did it stick out?
3. Question 30b, page 146: Describe how obeying Jesus has blessed you.

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