DO YOU WANT TO KNOW GOD?
THE GOSPEL EXPIRE
The Character & Attributes of God
Can we conceptualize God? Can we explain what God is in perfection? Although some think so, we can not dissect God as one does to a corpse and explain all the details if His Person. The finite can not comprehend the Infinite. This is what Paul declared in Romans 11: 33-36, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable are his ways! Who then knew the mind of the Lord? Or who was your counselor? Or who first gave it to him to be restored to him? For of him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him, therefore, eternal glory. Amen!".
However, within our inability, finitude and ignorance God himself shows us a particle of who He is. Through his attributes - or that which he allows us to know - we can have an idea of His Great Person.
Why is it important to know the attributes of God? I want to give four simple reasons:
(1) Knowing the attributes of God we will know a little who He is, His character, thought and will;
(2) Knowing God as He is, we can honor Him as he deserves, by giving him a biblical worship;
(3) We will be more prepared to make an apology for our faith and to be immune when the heretical distortions arising in the present century;
(4) We can help so many who are incurring grave error by embracing the most diverse heresies and distortions about the Person of God.
What is an attribute? ATTRIBUTE: (from Latin 'attribution') Property inherent to the subject without which it can not exist or be conceived. In philosophy, Aristotle distinguished between attribute and accident. Descartes regarded attributes as fundamental properties of substance. Spinoza understood that extension and thought are attributes of the single substance. According to the French materialists of the 18th century, they are attributes of matter to extension and movement; Some (Diderot, Robinet) also included thought.
In theology, Berkhof, for example, says that: "God's attributes can be defined as the perfections that are predicatives of the Divine Being in Scripture, or that are visibly exercised by him in His works of creation, providence, and redemption." Although he prefers the term "virtue" or "perfections" rather than attributes, he thinks that "attribute" can convey the notion of adding something to the Divine Being. (Berkhof, 1994: 54)
There are, among the theologians, various positions regarding the number of attributes of God. Some speak of natural attributes and moral attributes, others of absolute and relative attributes, others of immanent or intransitive attributes, and emanating or transitive attributes. The most common is between communicable and incommunicable attributes. We will not follow any pre-established pattern, we will deal generally with the attributes of God, in the end I will be indicating some books that may help in a more in-depth study on the subject.
Let us now look at a summary of the various attributes listed in Scripture:
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD OWNS PROPERLY
1 - SINGULARITY AND SIMPLICITY: God is not composed of parts, because all composition implies imperfection. The compound necessarily depends on the constituent elements. God is therefore perfectly simple. One attribute is not more important than another; They all constitute the Being of God. God is unique in the sense of singularity as well as of simplicity. Singularity: God is unique, numerically one; There is one God. Simplicity: God is not divided into parts, for He is not composed; However its attributes are emphasized at different times. Being infinitely simple, God is infinitely one and indivisible. But it is also absolutely unique. To suppose two or more equally perfect Gods would be absurd. Two Gods would be identical and then would be confused, or would be different and then could not both be infinitely perfect. 1Re 8.60; Dt 6.4; Mc 12.29, 32; 1Co 8.6; 1Tm 2.5; Jn 17: 3; Eph 4.6.
2 - INFINITY AND IMENSITY: God is infinite, that is, without limit in his being, because it is the being by itself, the being that exists by its own essence. Nothing exists beyond and above God, that nothing depends and to which everything is subordinate. He "dwelleth in inaccessible light" (1 Tim. 6:16), a God of "unfathomable judgments" and whose ways are "inscrutable" (Rom. 11.33). God is infinite, unlimited, unlimited. "Am I only a God, says the Lord, and not from afar? Would anyone hide in hiding so that I do not see him? Saith the Lord; Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? Saith the Lord "(Jer 23: 23-24). "Whither shall I depart from thy Spirit? Where will I flee from your face? If I ascend to heaven, there you are; If I make my bed in the deepest abyss, there you are also; If I take the wings of the dawn and stand at the ends of the seas, there will my hand still guide me, and your right hand will hold me. " 139.7-10
3 - ETERNITY: Being infinite, God has no beginning and no end. Only imperfect beings have limited duration. God, being infinitely perfect, is eternal. There is no past, no future, no present. Eternity is an attribute related to the immutability of God in the aspect that time can not add or take something from Him, can not increase or decrease His knowledge. But he perceives events in time and acts in time. "Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. Before the mountains were born and formed the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God. " Sl 90.2
4 - INTELLIGENCE: Being everything, in God, infinite, his intelligence and his science are also infinite. To know, He does not need to reason. Everything sees and knows. "... who first gave it to him to be restored to him?"
5 - WILL: The divine will has no limits and is free from all obstacles. God just wants to do. He acts with absolute independence and without contradiction. "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed for nothing; And according to his will he worketh with the host of heaven, and with the inhabitants of the land; There is no one to hold his hand, nor to say to him, What doest thou? "
6 - WISDOM: The infinitely perfect intelligence of God generates the absolute wisdom that makes Him employ the most effective means for the most worthy ends. God governs everything with intelligence, security and order.
7 - KINDNESS: God is infinite and perfect love. God is good in himself; Absolutely nothing can be added or improved because it is not incomplete or defective. He is the sumo good to his creatures; The source of all good. His goodness manifests itself to all his creatures, for it is perfection that leads him to treat all his creatures kindly and generously. This attribute of God implies that He is the definitive parameter of what is good, and everything He is and does is worthy of approval. Gn 1.31; 145.9, 15-16; Sl 100.5; Sl 106.1; Lk 18: 18-19; Rm 12.2; Tg 1.17; 1Jo 1.5; 14.17.
8 - JUSTICE: Being in an infinite degree, intelligent, wise and good, God is just. Having absolute holiness that is the order of love, He acts with infinitely perfect justice. Therefore punish evil and reward good. God always acts according to what is right, and that He Himself is the definitive parameter of what is just. Deut. 32: 4 "He is the Rock; His works are perfect, because all his ways are just; God is faithful and without iniquity; Righteous and upright is he. " Other references: Ed 9.15; Ne 9.8; 119.137; 145.17; Jr 12.1; Lm 2.29; 3.4; Rev 16.5; Dt 32.4; Rm 3.25-26; Job 40.2,8; Rm 9.20,21.
9 - SELF-EXISTENCE: This is a characteristic of God alone. "The God who made the world and all that is in him, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands. Nor is it served by human hands, as if by any means necessary; For He himself is the one who gives life, breath, and all things "(Acts 17: 24-25). God is self-sufficient. He does not need anything or anyone to be who he is or do what he did and does. God is absolutely independent of everything outside Himself, even for the continuity and perpetuity of His Being. God is the cause of all things without being caused.
10 - IMMUTABILITY OR INALTERABILITY: Every change constitutes progress or decay. Only imperfect beings change and become. Being necessarily perfect, God is immutable, that is, remains identical with itself, without any change or variation. (Rev. 22:13, Is 44: 6). It is the same God, unique and true. He is not only; He is what he is, always. Nothing changes in Him. (Hebrews 1: 10-12). "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, in whom there can be no variation, or shadow of change." Tg 1.17. "For I the Lord do not change." Ml 3.6
11 - ONIPRESENCE: God has no size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point in space with his whole being; But he acts differently in different places. God is not everywhere in the same sense; That is, the manifestation of Him is greater in the heavens his dwelling, but its manifestation in hell happens in a punitive way, for example. God has no spatial dimensions, He is our closest environment. Its center is everywhere; Your circumference is nowhere. "Am I only God at hand, saith the Lord, and not even God afar off? Would someone hide in hiding so I do not see him? Says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? Saith the Lord. " Jr. 23: 23-24, and still. 139.7-10
12 - Prescience: If we look at the aspect in which the word "foreknowledge" in the Bible is employed, not in the sense of predicting events or actions of people, but rather that it is related to God's prior knowledge of people. The foreknowledge of God is not causative, but God knows beforehand what it will be because He has decreed what is to be. So we conclude that God knows the people He Himself has chosen. Rm 8.28-29; 1Pe 1.2.
The word "foreknowledge" in Greek: "prognosis", does not mean just "to know before". When this term is used in relation to God it often means "to look with love". "You have rebelled against the LORD from the day that I have known you." Dt 9.24. "Of all the families of the earth, only to you I knew (I chose); Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. " Am 3.2 (emphasis ours). "Knowing" means loving. "Then I will tell you explicitly: I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. " Mt 7.23. (Jn 10.14, 1Co 8.3, 2Tm 2.19; Rom 8: 29-30; 11.22).
13 - SOVEREIGNTY OR SUPREMACY: God the supreme creator of the universe can not and will never be influenced by any human attitude or event of his creation. God controls everything and has dominion eternally over the will of men, of heavenly beings and over all the rest of his creation. "Thine is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for thine is all that is in heaven and in earth; Thine is, O Lord, the kingdom, and Thou hast exalted himself as the chief over all. " 1Cr 29.11 As well expressed A. W. Pink:
● God is sovereign in the exercise of His power - Ex 17.16; 1Ch 29.11-12; Dn 2.22-21.
● God is sovereign in the delegation of His power to others - Deut. 8:18; Ps 29.11; Dn 2.23.
● God is sovereign in the exercise of His mercy - John 5: 1-9.
● God is sovereign in the exercise of His grace - Rom. 9.19-24; Rm 11.5-6; Eph 2.4-10.
God is sovereign in the realm of nations - 2Ch 20: 6; H, 10.16; Rev 19.6; Pv 21.1; Dn 4.35.
14 - HOLINESS: The holiness of God traces the pattern that his people must imitate. "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." Lev 19.2 The biblical God is both holy and loving, in inseparable unity in every person of Triunity. God's holiness is central to his being, and is especially prominent in the Old Testament (Lv 11.44, 19.2, Js 24.19, 1Sm 6.20, Ps 22.3, Is 57.15). The holiness of God indicates that he is absolutely pure and perfect, without any sin or evil; His own being is the radiance and the outpouring of purity, truth, justice, righteousness, goodness, and all moral perfection.
15. IRA: God strongly hates sin, and this is associated with God's holiness and righteousness. He opposes everything that goes against his moral character. "Remember and do not forget much that you provoked the wrath of the Lord your God in the wilderness; From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you rebelled against the LORD; For in Horeb ye have provoked the Lord to wrath, that the wrath of the Lord was kindled against you to destroy you "(Deuteronomy 9: 7-8). An example of divine wrath lies in the execution of the flood in the days of Noah (Gen 6 -8)
16 - ONIPOTENCE: This is clearly expressed in the question: "Is anything too difficult for God?" After God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son in old age - Gen 18.14, and repeated again with his promise to restore and Liberate Jerusalem from its imminent destruction by the Babylonian army - Jer 32.27. In both cases the divine promise was fulfilled to the letter. The New Testament also contains a similar testimony regarding the omnipotence of God. He reveals himself as the God for whom "nothing is impossible." (Gn 17.1; 18.14; Ps 24.8; 33.9; 89.13; 115.3; Hb 1.3; Eph 3: 20,21; Ps 24.8; Ps 32.27; 2Co 6.18; Ap 1,8: Lc 1.37; Mt 19.26; Tg 1:13, 17).
17 - UNISCIENCE: This perfection is closely linked to its omnipresence (Psalm 139: 1-12). The practical implications are similar and disturbing, but they bring safety at the same time: God sees and therefore knows everything. This is especially pertinent to the judgment, being symbolically expressed by the "opening of the books" (Rev. 20:12).
18 - LOVE: "God is love" (1 John 4: 8) is the best-known biblical definition of God. In human contexts, however, love includes a considerable variety of attitudes and deeds. In relation to God, it is a very specific idea. "In this is love ... wherein ... He sent forth his Son as the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4.10; "In this was manifested the love of God ... in that God sent his only begotten Son into the world" 1Jo 4.9. The term agapê here has comparatively little use outside the New Testament. The common Greek word, Eros, speaks of a love associated with a worthy person, while agape is love for the unworthy, for someone who has lost all right to the devotion of the beloved. God's love, agape, is chiefly expressed in the redemption of sinners and in everything that is connected with it.
19 - MERCY: It is the exercise of God's love for the afflicted and the distressed. The basic difference between grace and mercy is that it sees sinful men guilty and condemned, granting forgiveness, while it sees them miserable and needy, acting affectionately towards them, that is, granting relief. It is helpful to say that mercy is an extension of God's grace. (2Si 24.14, Mt 9.27, 2Co 1.3, Hb 4.16, 2.17, Tg 5.11). "And after all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt, yet you, O our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have left us this remnant ..." Ed 9.13.
20 - PATIENCE: It is the power of control that God exercises over himself, acting complacently towards the ungodly, holding for a time the punishment he deserves. This attribute, although it benefits the creature, concerns God, for it is the power that he controls his wrath, delaying judgment, continuing to offer salvation and grace for long periods. Nm 1.3; S, 86.15; Rm 2.4; 9.22; 1Pe 3.20; 2Pe 3.9; Tg 1.19; Jn 4.21; Sl 103.8-9. What would be the "Pedros" if God were not patient?
IMPLICATIONS OF THE ATTRIBUTES STUDY
What good is it for us to know about the attributes of God? In what would our life change everything we have studied so far about the person of God? In addition to the reasons I mentioned in the introduction, it is imperative these days that God's attributes are connected with the way we serve Him. If I do not know God how can I worship him? Love him? Serve it? Pray? Otherwise, let's see:
If God is SINGULAR, then I can not associate with any other god;
If God is INFINITE, then He is greater than my own life;
If God is ETERNAL, then we can trust Him at any time;
If God is INTELLIGENT, then I can trust your decisions about me;
If God has WILL, then I must discover His will for my life;
If God is WISE, then I need Him in my ignorance;
If God is GOOD, then in His hands I will be safe;
If God is FAITHFUL then I will give to Him the injustices that I have suffered;
If God is SELF-EXISTING, He does not need me, but I need Him;
If God is IMUTABLE, then my faith can rest His Being;
If God is ONIPRESENT, then I do not need to make pilgrimages to "holy" places to meet Him;
If God has Prescience, then I know that He loved me before the foundation of the world;
If God is SOVEREIGN, then nothing can catch him by surprise, even the worst calamities;
If God is HOLY, then I must seek holiness, for He says to me, "Be holy";
If God breaks, then I must understand that I can not sin against Him;
If God is ONIPOTENT, then why do I care about my problems more than I should?
If God is ONISCIENT, then I can not deceive Him at any time;
If God is LOVE, then I can believe in his forgiveness;
If God is MERCY, then I know that although there is hell, it is not for me;
If God is a PATIENT then you know the best time to act.
SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A. W. PINK, God is Sovereign. Editora Fiel.
A. W. PINK, The Attributes of God. Editora Fiel.
CHARLES HODGE, Systematic Theology. Publisher Hagnos.
COLIN BROWN, (Org.) International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. New life. (2 volumes).
E. H. BANCROFT, Elementary Theology. Editora Batista Regular.
HERMANN BAVINCK, Systematic Theology. Socep.
LEWIS SPERRY CHAFER, Systematic Theology: Volumes 1, 2 and 3. Regular Baptist Press.
LOUIS BERKHOF, Systematic Theology. Editora Luz para o Caminho.
MILLARD J. ERICKSON, Introduction to Systematic Theology. New life.
MYER PERLMAN, Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible. Editora Vida.
WAYNE GRUDEM, Systematic Theology. New life.
WAYNE H. HOUSE, Christian Theology in Pictures. Editora Vida.
SOME QUESTIONS & ANSWERS THAT CAN SATISFY YOUR DOUBTS ...
1. How is the character of God in a single word?
"He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love." I John 4: 8.
2. What are some of God's attributes?
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." Ps. 145: 17.
3. Does Christ have these same attributes?
"By His knowledge My servant [Christ] the righteous will justify many." Isaiah 53:11. "Thou shalt not suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption." Acts 2:27.
4. In proclaiming His name to Moses, how did the Lord define His character?
"And the Lord went down in a cloud, and stood by him: and he proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him, and cried out, Jehovah, the Lord, a merciful God, and a godly man; Great in mercy and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, which he hath not offended the guilty. " Ex. 34: 5-7.
5. What is said of the tender compassion of God?
"But You, Lord, are a God full of compassion, and pious, suffering, and great in kindness and truth." Ps. 86:15.
6. What is said of God's faithfulness in keeping His promises?
"Thou shalt know that the Lord thy God is God, the faithful God, that keepeth covenant and mercy unto a thousand generations unto them that love him, and keep his commandments." Deut. 7: 9.
7. What is affirmed of the strength and wisdom of God?
"Behold, God is great, and despiseth no man: he is great in the power of the understanding." Job 36: 5.
8. What treasures are hidden in Christ?
"In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Col. 2: 3.
9. In what language is the righteousness of God described?
"He is the Rock, whose work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment: God is truth, and in him is no injustice: just and upright is." Deut. 32: 4.
10. In what words is His impartiality proclaimed?
"For the Lord your God is the God of the gods and the Lord of lords, the great and mighty God, who does not accept a person and does not accept a reward." Deut. 10:17.
"And Peter opened his mouth and said, I acknowledge for truth that God is no respecter of persons, but that it is acceptable to him who in any nation fears him and doeseth what is just." Acts 10:34, 35.
11. For how good is God?
"The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works." Ps. 145: 9.
12. Why did Christ command us to love our enemies?
"But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; His sun shall rise on the evil and on the good, and the rain shall come down upon the just and upon the unjust. " S. Mat. 5:44, 45.
13. How perfect, said Christ, should they be His followers?
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." S. Mat. 5:48
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