What Does the Bible Tell Us About What God Is Like?
If you read the entire Bible and categorized every remark about the nature of God, most of the descriptions would regard his overall greatness, power, majesty, authority, reign, or dominion over everything. This is what theologians call the sovereignty of God.
You can see this throughout the creation account in the amazing power God has to make things happen just by speaking; things that didn’t exist came into being just because he said so (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9). But to take it one step further, because God is the creator of all things, he also owns all things (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1). And because he is the creator of all things, he has authority over all things—in other words, he has the right to rule (Psalm 47:2).
He is the “God of gods and Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17). The title Adonai reflects the sovereignty of God. It appears first in Genesis 15:2, where Abraham refers to God as “Sovereign LORD” (Adonai Yahweh), and nearly 300 times in the rest of the Old Testament.
The prayers in the Bible are filled with references to the sovereignty of God. Read David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–16; God’s sovereignty permeates these verses. Similarly, Nehemiah begins his prayer by saying, “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.
The prayers in the Bible are filled with references to the sovereignty of God. Read David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–16; God’s sovereignty permeates these verses. Similarly, Nehemiah begins his prayer by saying, “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (9:6). The earliest Christians prayed in the same way: “They raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them’ ” (Acts 4:24). Even Christians who were martyred due to their faith in Christ acknowledged the sovereignty of God in their prayers (Revelation 6:10).
The sovereignty of God also implies other aspects of his nature. For example, he is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17, 27), all-knowing (Isaiah 40:13–14), totally self-sufficient (Acts 17:24–25), and totally free to do whatever pleases him (Psalm 115:3). If he were not all these things, he would not be sovereign over all things. So the predominant characteristic of God that leaps from nearly every page of Scripture is his sovereignty.
But in addition to sovereignty, the Bible teaches us other characteristics of God, although some of these can be hard to fit together.
The sovereignty of God also implies other aspects of his nature. For example, he is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17, 27), all-knowing (Isaiah 40:13–14), totally self-sufficient (Acts 17:24–25), and totally free to do whatever pleases him (Psalm 115:3). If he were not all these things, he would not be sovereign over all things. So the predominant characteristic of God that leaps from nearly every page of Scripture is his sovereignty.
But in addition to sovereignty, the Bible teaches us other characteristics of God, although some of these can be hard to fit together.
On the one hand, God is said to be holy (Leviticus 11:44; Isaiah 6:3) and righteous or “just” (Genesis 18:25; Psalm 51:4). These words mean that God is morally perfect—he always does what is good and right—and therefore he holds everyone accountable for their own moral choices.
He punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. On the other hand, God is said to be a God of love (1 John 4:8, 16), mercy (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15–18), and grace (Psalm 103:8; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:11). God is love because he desires the very best for the objects of his love. God is merciful in that he does not give people what they do deserve, namely, punishment for sin. God is gracious in that he does give people what they do not deserve, namely, his goodness and blessing.
But if God is merciful, why would he condemn anyone for their sin? If God is loving, how could he send anyone to hell? If God is just, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), how can anyone be saved? These are not easy questions to answer, but we need to acknowledge that the writers of Scripture do not see these as contradictory.
But if God is merciful, why would he condemn anyone for their sin? If God is loving, how could he send anyone to hell? If God is just, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), how can anyone be saved? These are not easy questions to answer, but we need to acknowledge that the writers of Scripture do not see these as contradictory.
Instead, they keep these aspects of God’s nature in careful balance and harmony, often in the very same contexts. For example, God himself says,
“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:7–8).
Notice the movement from judgment to salvation, to judgment, to salvation. In Ezekiel 18, God calls his people to repentance, and if they do not repent, he threatens judgment:
“The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them” (v. 20).
This shows the justice or righteousness of God. But God goes on to say,
“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (vv. 21–23).
This shows God’s heart of compassion and his longing to forgive. We see the balance between God’s justice and God’s mercy in verses 30–32.
Even though it may not be clear to us how these aspects of God’s nature fit together, we can be confident they do. No characteristic of God ever contradicts another characteristic of God; all the aspects of his nature are complementary to all other aspects.
Therefore, we must work hard to keep our understanding of God in biblical balance. Many Christians down through the centuries have tended to emphasize one side of God’s characteristics almost to the exclusion of the other side.
For example, if the love and grace of God are emphasized over his holiness and justice, it can lead to believing in Universalism—everyone is going to end up in heaven and no one in hell.
On the other hand, if the holiness and justice of God are emphasized over his compassion and mercy, it can lead to legalism—obey God’s rules or face his punishment. Neither of these extremes represents the perfect balance within the character of God.
Much more could and should be said about the nature of God, but suffice it to say that God, as presented in the Bible, is a great God, who is worthy of adoration and worship as he really is, not only how we would like him to be. Therefore, he ought to be desired and sought above all else (Jeremiah 9:23–24).
aron, D. (2012). Understanding Your Bible in 15 Minutes a Day (pp. 152–155). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publisher.
Much more could and should be said about the nature of God, but suffice it to say that God, as presented in the Bible, is a great God, who is worthy of adoration and worship as he really is, not only how we would like him to be. Therefore, he ought to be desired and sought above all else (Jeremiah 9:23–24).
aron, D. (2012). Understanding Your Bible in 15 Minutes a Day (pp. 152–155). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publisher.
