Christian tradition affirms that God is eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good. These attributes express the fullness and perfection of God's divine nature. While no human being can fully comprehend God, He has revealed truths about Himself that allow us to speak meaningfully about who He is. The goal is not simply to gain knowledge, but to grow in reverence, love, and worship of the One who is beyond all understanding yet draws near to us.
One helpful way to reflect on God’s attributes is to distinguish between those that belong to God alone and those that, though possessed perfectly by God, are reflected in human beings in a limited way. This is not a strict division, but it allows us to understand better how God is both utterly transcendent and intimately involved in His creation. The first group includes attributes that are unique to God—those that no creature can possess. The second includes qualities that human beings may reflect, since we are created in the image of God.
God is self-existent. He depends on nothing outside Himself for His existence or being. He is the source of all life and the foundation of all that exists. He is eternal, existing without beginning or end, and He stands outside the boundaries of time. God is unchanging—His nature, character, and purposes are constant and trustworthy. He is infinite, without limitation or measure, in His essence and in all His perfections.
God is also omnipresent, present everywhere at once, not confined by space. He is omnipotent, able to do all things consistent with His nature and will—no plan of His can be thwarted. He is omniscient, perfectly knowing all things—past, present, and future—without effort or limitation. He is incorporeal, meaning He is not made of matter or confined to a physical form; He is pure spirit. And He is utterly simple—not made up of parts, but perfectly unified in His being. His love, power, justice, and wisdom are not separate qualities but are identical with His very essence.
Although these attributes are beyond human comprehension, God has also revealed Himself in ways that can be dimly mirrored in us. He is holy—utterly pure and set apart from all evil. His holiness shapes all He is and all He does. God is just; He acts with perfect righteousness, always doing what is right. He is perfectly good, the source of all that is truly good and worthy. His love is generous, faithful, and self-giving, reaching out even to those who reject Him. God is merciful, showing compassion and forgiveness to those who return to Him with repentant hearts. He is wise, ordering all things according to His perfect plan and purpose.
It’s important to remember that God's attributes are not isolated parts of who He is. His justice is never separate from His mercy. His power is never apart from His love. God is not a combination of qualities; He is one perfect, indivisible being. When we speak of God's various attributes, we are describing different aspects of the one, unified reality of who He is.
Though God is infinite and far beyond what we can fully grasp, He has not left us in the dark. Through creation, through the inspired words of Scripture, and most fully through His Son, Jesus Christ, God has made Himself known. He invites us not only to learn about Him but to know Him personally—to live in relationship with the One who is both infinitely majestic and lovingly near.
In approaching these truths, we recognize the mystery of God’s nature. Our understanding is limited, but it is not false. God has made Himself known so that we may respond—not merely with intellect, but with awe, worship, and surrender. To know God’s attributes is not just to study theology; it is to encounter the living God.
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