Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Four Attributes of God By David Buck (2/28/2008)

Four Attributes of God

Many people have misconceptions about what God is really like. It is important to know who God really is so that you do not make any assumptions as to who He is, which could lead to idolatry. It is imperative to be cautious not to think of God in our terms. Many times people make the mistake of putting limitations on God because we are finite beings and have limitations ourselves. It is essential that our thoughts of God are as true as possible; we need to know the one true triune God. Now I ask you the following questions. Do you know the one true triune God? Or, Are you guilty of creating your own God?

The only way to truly know God is to research what God has revealed about Himself in the scriptures. In this article we will review what God tells us about His wrath, love, mercy, and grace through His word, the Bible.

What is an attribute of God?

There are some 30 attributes of God that are found in the scriptures. An attribute of God is described by Dr. Wilmington as “whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself”.1 Charles Ryrie describes an attribute as “qualities that are inherent to a subject. They identify, distinguish, or analyze the subject”.2

God is a God of Wrath.

The most feared attribute of God is His wrath. The word wrath occurs 198 times in the King James Version of the Bible.

What is God’s Wrath? The definition of wrath is a strong, stern, or fierce anger; a deeply resentful indignation (righteous anger).3 Psalm 7:11 say’s, “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.” This say’s that God is angry with the wicked on a daily basis. His wrath abides on them (John 3:36) and every time they sin they are storing up for themselves wrath that will be released on the Day of Judgment (Romans 2:5).

Paul say’s in Romans 1:18-19,

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

These two verses reveal the wrath of God. Now let’s look at Romans 1:20-23 which reveals the reasons for God’s wrath.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

What are the Objects of God’s Wrath? The object of God’s wrath is man. God is exceedingly angry with man. In Romans 5:10 Paul identifies a man that is a slave to sin as God’s enemy. God sees any man that is living in sin as a child of wrath (Ephesians 3:1). In Ephesians 5:6 it say’s, “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

Anyone who dies in sin and does not repent and put their trust in the Savior will not see everlasting life. Instead you will face the wrath of God. This is illustrated in John 3:36 which say’s: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

What Demonstrations are there of God’s Wrath? In the Bible there are some demonstrations of God’s wrath. One of these demonstrations is the universal flood. This can be seen in Genesis 7:11-12, 21-22 which say’s:

“The floodgates of the sky were opened. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.”

Another demonstration of God’s wrath is found in the Crucifixion of Christ. In Matthew 26:39 Jesus say’s, “let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." This cup that Jesus is speaking of is the cup of God’s wrath; the cup is also a metaphor for the divine punishment of sin. Christ would become the target of untold divine wrath, as every sin that had ever been committed would be heaped on this one sinless Being!4 This statement was made by Jesus just before He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot in the garden of Gethsemane. Later in Matthew 27:50, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” This completed the pouring out of God’s wrath on Christ for our sins.

What is the Result of God’s Wrath? The result of God’s wrath is death. This occurs when man fails to turn from sin as is illustrated in Romans 1:28-32 this will be the result of God’s wrath:

“God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; {they are} gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

There are two deaths that are experienced by the sinful man. These are the spiritual death and the physical death. Both of these deaths are illustrated in the book of Genesis as Adam died first spiritually, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7) When Adam recognized his nakedness that indicated that he was spiritually dead. He had lost his righteousness in the eyes of the Lord. The second death of Adam, the physical death, occurs in Genesis 5:5 where it says, “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.” This was the end of Adam’s physical life.

God is Love

One of the most popular attributes of God is His love. The word love occurs 311 times in the King James Version of the Bible. This attribute is known by many but is also usually very misunderstood. God does love, but God’s love does not operate apart from His other perfections (attributes), including holiness and justice.5

What is God’s Love? Love is defined as the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.6

What are the Objects of God’s Love? The world is the object of God’s love. This is illustrated in perhaps the most memorized verse in the entire bible, John 3:16 which say’s, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son for our benefit only, not the benefit of Himself. He did this so that we could have eternal life through faith and repentance.

God loves the Christian. In 1 John 3:1-4 believers are identified as children of God, who are loved by God, and are also made pure by God. God also loves the church, the sinner, and Israel.

God loves His Son, Jesus Christ. This is demonstrated on many occasions throughout the Bible. John 3:35 say’s, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” In Matthew 3:17 God say’s, “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Then again in Matthew 17:5God said this of His Son: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" I don’t think that there is any doubt that the Father has great love for His one and only Son.

What Demonstrations are there of God’s Love? There are many demonstrations of God’s love displayed in the Bible. One of the most powerful pieces of scripture that display God’s love is found in 1 John 4:8-10, which say’s:

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 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.”

This demonstrates an enormous amount of love by God. He sent His one and only Son in to this world knowing that He would be persecuted, ridiculed, beaten, and brutally murdered so that we could be saved and have everlasting life with him in Heaven.

Another powerful demonstration of love can be found in Romans 5:6 which say’s, “Christ died for the ungodly” and then goes on to say in verse 10, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

This really shows the extent of God’s love for us. While we were helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God, Jesus gave His life for us so that we could be restored. By this act of pure love believers are saved!

What is the Result of God’s Love? There are several results of God’s love. The greatest of these results is salvation! Here we look to John 3:16 for this result which say’s, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

All believers have been confirmed by the love of God. This is illustrated in the following verses:

In John 5:24, Jesus say’s, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Then in 1 John 3:14 the apostle John say’s, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” John later said, “We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him” (1 John 3:19).

God is Merciful and Gracious

God is a god of mercy and grace. The word mercy occurs 276 times in the King James Version of the Bible. The word grace occurs 170 times in the King James Version of the Bible.

What is God’s Mercy? The word mercy is defined as a disposition to be kind and forgiving or something for which to be thankful; a blessing.7 Mercy then, among other things, is not getting what we deserve, namely, hell.8 God’s mercy is not automatic. He is not obligated to save sinners, but instead chooses to do so.

There are 26 verses in Psalm 136 and in the King James Version of the bible the word mercy is used once in all 26 verses. However, there are three verses that stand out in this chapter of mercy. They describe God’s mercy towards all and are found in Psalm 136:23-25 which say’s:

“Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.”

What is God’s Grace? The word grace is defined as a disposition to be generous or helpful, a favor rendered by one who need not do so, or a temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve.9 Grace is unmerited favor; it is getting something we do not deserve, heaven.10 God’s grace is a free gift (Romans 3:24), that is greater than sin (Romans 5:20), and makes the believer what he is (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace is unmerited favor; it is getting something we do not deserve.

Charles Ryrie has written this of God’s grace, “Grace is the unmerited favor of God and is the basis of our salvation, justification, election, faith, and spiritual gifts”.11

God’s grace was incarnate in Christ. In the gospel of John it is written that “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). This is a spectacular display of God’s grace.

An even greater display of God’s grace is found in Hebrews 2:9 which say’s, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, {namely,} Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone”. This say’s that Christ became man so that He could fulfill God’s original design of dominion (Genesis 1:26) and so that He could die for man and bring salvation.12 Is there any greater display of grace than that?

What are the Objects of God’s Mercy and Grace? It is man that is the object of God’s mercy and grace. Without God being merciful and gracious, man would be damned to hell forever with no other option. However, because of God’s grace and mercy we are told in Ephesians 2:8-9 that though we deserve hell, God has provided us with a saving grace. It say’s, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a result of God’s grace and mercy that we have been saved!

Conclusion

The one true triune God is a God of wrath, love, mercy, and grace. It is important to notice that God’s wrath is real which makes His mercy relevant.13 Without real wrath (a real anger) God’s other attributes of long-suffering, mercy, grace, and love lose their true meaning. God’s attributes are amazing and work together flawlessly.

Although God is incomprehensible, I would like to encourage you to research God’s attributes further and get a greater understanding of who God really is and what He is like. You should have a deep desire to get to know the one true God that you as a believer are predestinated to spend an everlasting life with.

BIBLIOGRPHY

Barclay, William. The Letter to the Hebrews. 2nd edition. The Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1957.

Bruce, Frederick Fyvie. The Epistle to the Hebrews. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1964.

Gatiss, Lee. The Theologian. Copyright © 2005

Lawrence, John W. The Five Warnings of Hebrews. http://www.bible.org/ page.php?page_id=50. bible.org, 2007.bible.org -- All Rights Reserved

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews & James. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Slick, Matt. http://www.carm.org/index.html.

_ _ _. Blue Letter Bible. http://blueletterbible.org/index.html.

_ _ _. New Men’s Devotional Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 2006. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society


1 Willmington's Guide to the Bible by H. L. Willmington page 596

2 Basic Theology by Charles C. Ryrie Page 39

3 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

4 http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/24094/eVerseID/24094

5 Basic Theology by Charles C. Ryrie Page 45

6 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

7 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

8 Willmington's Guide to the Bible by H. L. Willmington page 606

9 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

10 Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary by John Phillips Page 82

11 Inspirational Thoughts of Thee by Arthur Bell page 291

12 http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=2118

13 Adapted from audio sermon by Pastor Alistair Begg, Truth For Life Radio Show

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