What is God like?
So some who call themselves Christians say, ‘My god would never send anyone to hell.’ Such a statement is only possible if you ignore all that the Bible has to say and just impose your own thoughts on the subject. This attitude is responsible for what is possibly the greatest sin a person can commit—to reduce God to terms that are acceptable to us (Psalm 50:21).
This is why in the Old Testament one of the sins that grieved God the most was idolatry. This is to substitute man-made objects and ideas in the place of the one true God (Jeremiah 10:3–5). It is a slander on the character of God, and all worship that flows from it is worthless.
What is God like?
The answer to this question is that he is not like anything we have known or experienced. In Isaiah we find God challenging us on this question: To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?’ (46:5). The psalmist does the same thing: ‘For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?’ (89:6).
If this is true, how can we know anything about God? We must go to the place where God has chosen to reveal himself to us. We must go to the Bible. In the Bible, we discover the attributes of God. An attribute is anything God has chosen to tell us about himself. We need to know these things for two reasons: firstly, if God has been so gracious to show us something about himself, then we need to receive all he gives; and secondly, because the study of God is the highest and greatest subject that can occupy the mind of a Christian.
God is holy
The truth we are told more than anything else in Scripture about God is that he is holy (Psalm 99:9; 119:9; Revelation 15:4). This means that he is free from all sin and evil, and there is in him absolute moral perfection. This particular truth touches everything else, so that God’s love is a holy love; his justice is a holy justice; his wrath a holy wrath. God can do nothing that is not holy.
This is an awesome truth but also a comforting one because the salvation he provides for us is holy. There is no fault or blemish in it; therefore, there is no possibility of it failing.
God is sovereign
This means the absolute rule and authority of God over his creation (1 Chronicles 29:11–12). He has the power to carry out his will and purposes. God is no fairy-tale king who can only look on helplessly as his enemies triumph. He is omnipotent (has all power), omniscient (has all knowledge), omnipresent (is in all places). He can do what he likes, when he likes, how he likes and with whom he likes (Job 23:13).
What a comfort and joy to know that this is our God!
The God of providence
He is always at work in the lives of his people, so nothing happens to us by chance or luck. God upholds, guides and governs all circumstances (Genesis 41:32). Sometimes it is difficult for us to see this, but Paul tells us that God ‘works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will’ (Ephesians 1:11).
It was belief in this great truth about God that brought peace and contentment to Paul in difficult times.
God is good
God is good; he is kind and generous, tender-hearted and full of sympathy (Psalm 145:9, 15–16). There is nothing harsh or unreasonable about him, but God’s goodness is not weakness or softness. He is not some soft touch that people can take advantage of.
For his people, this goodness means that we can rely on God; we can trust him and know that whatever circumstances we will have to face, God will use them for our good and well-being.
God is love
If God were not love, there would be no hope for any of us. Divine love is not a sloppy, sentimental thing but a love that acts on behalf of its recipients.
It is undeserved love (Romans 5:6–8)
It is unsought love (1 John 4:10)
It is unimaginable love (1 John 3:1)
There are many, many other truths about God that the Bible reveals to us, and we shall see more of them later in this book. But for the moment, these are enough to lay the foundation of all that is to follow. Every biblical doctrine originates in the heart and mind of God. Every doctrine is rich in expounding the character of God, and every one of them will deepen our love for God.
It’s worth quoting
‘Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead (C. H. Spurgeon).
Think about it
1. Why should people want to worship such useless gods as described in Jeremiah 10?
2. Is idolatry a thing of the past?
3. How would you explain Romans 8:28 to someone in sorrow over the death of a loved one?
4. Why does the Bible emphasise so much the holiness of God?
