Understanding God

Understanding God – Reading the Bible
Understanding God in all His fullness is impossible. In fact, Job 36:26 says that God is infinitely beyond our understanding. However, does that mean we should avoid the subject all together? No, because God has made many of His traits and attributes understandable.

God has revealed Himself to humanity through His book, the Bible. By reading and studying His book, we learn who He is, how He responds, and how He revealed Himself to us.

Here are some highlights of God’s nature, as seen in the Bible:

• God is Spirit (John 4:24), exists everywhere (Psalm 139:7-12), and knows everything (Psalm 147:5).
• God exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17).
• God addresses Himself in parental terms, (i.e. Father).
• God is infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), unchanging (Malachi 3:6), and incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22).

Understanding God’s works is also an important part of understanding Him. God created the world (Genesis 1:1) and He sustains it (Colossians 1:17). He is now fulfilling His eternal plan for the world (Ephesians 1:11) and draws people to faith in His Son (John 6:44). He will judge the world (Revelation 20:11-15).

Understanding God – Studying His Attributes
Another key to understanding God a little more is a study of His attributes. These characteristics, as revealed in the Bible, are crucial to understanding the truth about God, who He is, what He is like, and what He does:

Wisdom of God: God makes no mistakes. He is the Father who truly knows best (Romans 11:33).

Infinite God: God knows no boundaries. He is without measure (Hebrews 13:8).

Sovereignty of God: God is in control of everything that happens (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Holiness of God: There is absolutely no sin or evil thought in God at all (Exodus 15:11).

Trinity: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all called God, given worship as God, exist eternally, and are involved in doing things only God could do (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Omniscience of God: God knows everything, and His knowledge is infinite (Psalm 147:4-5).

Faithfulness of God: Everything that God has promised will come to pass (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Love of God: God holds the well-being of others as His primary concern (1 John 4:8).

Omnipotent God: God is all powerful (Ephesians 1:18-23).

Self-Existent God: He has no beginning or end. He just exists (John 17:5).

Self-sufficiency of God: God has no needs and there is no way He can improve (Colossians 1:15-20).

God is Just: God is fair and impartial (Psalm 75:7).

Immutability of God: God never changes (Numbers 23:19).

Mercy: Mercy is the way God desires to relate to mankind, and He does so unless the person chooses to despise or ignore Him at which time His justice becomes the prominent attribute (Nehemiah 13:22).

Eternal God: God always has been and will forever be, because God dwells in eternity (Psalm 90:2).

Goodness of God: God, by nature, is inherently good (Psalm 34:8).

God is Gracious: God enjoys giving great gifts to those who love Him, even when they do not deserve it (Isaiah 30:18).

Omnipresence of God: God is always present and knows no boundaries (Jeremiah 23:23-24).

Understanding God – Knowing Him Personally
Another way of understanding God is to study the life of His Son, Jesus. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” In the Person of Jesus, God became man (John 1:14) and provided a way for us to have forgiveness of sin and eternal life with Him (2 Timothy 2:10).

Names of God – Learn More!