Attributes of God
Getting to know who God is
Introduction
We are able to submit to the lordship of Christ as we get to know Him. Only as we get to know Him will we be able to trust Him with every area of our lives. Ignorance of God and what He is like leaves us in a life of doubt and distrust. We need to hunger for knowledge of God, searching the scriptures that we might learn of Him.
"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God" (1 Chronicles 22:19).
1 Chronicles 22:19ESV
Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD.
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1,2a).
Psalm 42:1-2ESV
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
"Come near to God and He will come near to you" (James 4:8).
James 4:8ESV
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
"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,
Knowing God is critical for living our lives. The world becomes a strange, mad and painful place for those who do not know God. Not to know God is to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what is happening around you. In addition, our worship is only as pure as our thoughts of God. The mightiest thoughts the mind can entertain are the thoughts of God. Therefore, our ideas concerning God should correspond to that which is true of God. True worship allows God to manifest His attributes in our lives. We must "worship God in the splendor of His holiness."
Psalm 96:1-13ESV
Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Look up the first half of Psalm 46:10 and write it out:
Psalm 46:10ESV
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
What is it I am supposed TO KNOW about God in order to know Him? As we see some of God's ATTRIBUTES, we will see the things we are to know about God that help us to "cease striving," to "be still."

Attributes of God Alone
- 1. Sovereign
- 2. Eternal
- 3. Omniscient
- 4. Omnipresent
- 5. Omnipotent
- 6. Immutable
- There is nothing resembling them in a created being or spirit.
Relational Attributes
- 7. Righteous
- 8. Just
- 9. Love
- 10. Truth (Veracity)
- Attributes belonging to God, which are also seen in God's relating to mankind. Limited manifestations of these are seen in His created beings and spirits.
Attributes of God Alone
1. God Is Sovereign
The word sovereign means chief, highest or supreme. When we say that God is sovereign, we are saying that He is the number one ruler in the universe.
Psalm 103:19ESV
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
2 Samuel 7:28ESV
And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13ESV
Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name."
The idea of sovereignty is an encouraging one, for it assures the Christian that nothing is out of God's control and that His plans do triumph.
Because God is sovereign, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: Today I choose to give up my demand for that promotion on my job and to stop fretting about it.
2. God Is Eternal
There has never been a time when God did not exist. He has no beginning and He has no end.
Isaiah 44:6ESV
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god."
Revelation 1:8ESV
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
1 Timothy 1:17ESV
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Being eternal, God is not bound by time. Having always existed He sees the past and the future as clearly as the present. With this perspective, He has a better understanding as to what is best for our lives. Knowing this, we should be willing to trust Him with our lives.
Proverbs 3:5-6ESV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Because God is eternal, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I've been impatient with God about answering my prayer! I choose to trust His eternal perspective. His timing is perfect, not mine.
3. God Is Omniscient
God possesses all the knowledge there is to have. Nothing ever takes Him by surprise.
Hebrews 4:13ESV
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Job 42:2ESV
"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Isaiah 40:12-14ESV
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Think of His omniscience in relation to the certain salvation of the believer. If God knows all then obviously nothing can come to light after salvation which He did not know when He saved us. Knowing all about us, He still forgave our sins and accepted us into His forever family.
Because God is omniscient, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I praise Him because of His forgiveness! I've been fooling myself about something. I choose to be completely honest with myself and with Him about this.
4. God Is Omnipresent
God is infinite and everywhere present through all time and space.
Jeremiah 23:24ESV
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
Proverbs 15:3ESV
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Deuteronomy 31:6ESV
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Colossians 1:17ESV
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
If God is everywhere, it is foolish to think we can hide from Him. In the Old Testament Jonah tried to run from God, but he ended up as fish bait. On the other hand, it also means that today a believer may experience the presence of God at all times and know the blessings of walking with Him in a most vivid way.
Because God is omnipresent, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I purpose to be aware of God's presence. I'll thank Him and listen to Him and talk with Him about everything all through the day.
5. God Is Omnipotent
God is all powerful, having more than enough strength to do the sum total of all things.
Philippians 3:20-21ESV
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Psalm 147:5ESV
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
Ephesians 3:20ESV
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.
Because God is all powerful, the believer is kept secure in his salvation. Our salvation comes because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Furthermore, God's omnipotence is seen in His power to create (Genesis 1:1), in His preservation of all things (Hebrews 1:3), and in His providential care for us.
Because God is omnipotent, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I'll continually praise Him for his power to keep me as His own. I do not need to be fearful because I have a powerful, loving God.
6. God Is Immutable
God never changes in His nature or attributes.
Numbers 23:19ESV
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Psalm 102:27ESV
But you are the same, and your years have no end.
Hebrews 13:8ESV
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
The Bible contains thousands of things that God has promised to do for those who belong to Him. He can be trusted to keep His Word.
Because God is immutable, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I praise Him for His reliability! I've been meaning to memorize His promise in Romans 8:37-39. I'll start today.
Romans 8:37-39ESV
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Relational Attributes
7. God Is Righteous
It is impossible for Him to do or cause anything that is wrong.
Deuteronomy 32:4ESV
"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he."
Isaiah 45:20-25ESV
"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory."
Psalm 111:1-3ESV
Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
2 Corinthians 5:21ESV
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Because God is perfect, He demands perfection from those who desire to be in His presence. Jesus said, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). This impossible standard shows us that salvation is not humanly possible (Matthew 19:23-26) but must rely on God's grace.
Because God is righteous, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I've been thinking I can change myself if I just try hard enough. It's pride! Dear Lord, I submit to You; have your way in my life.
8. God Is Just
It is impossible for Him to do anything that is unfair, either to Himself or to man.
Revelation 15:3-4ESV
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
2 Thessalonians 1:3-10ESV
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering -- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
2 Timothy 4:8ESV
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
God's justice is most applicable in the area of judgment. When men stand before God to be judged they will receive full justice. This is both a comfort (for those who have been wronged in life) and a warning (for those who think they have been getting away with evil).
Romans 1:18ESV
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Because God is just, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I'll trust God's fairness and not depend on my understanding about that problem I've been talking to Him about.
9. God Is Love
God is perfect infinite love. His love is given freely and without any consideration of the loveliness or merit of the object.
John 3:16ESV
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 8:37-39ESV
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 3:16ESV
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Godly love is that which seeks good for the object loved. Love expresses itself in action. God is our example. He demonstrated His love for us in sending Jesus to die in our place (Romans 5:8).
Because God is love, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: I purpose to spend daily time with God. I want His love to flow through me and change me. I know I can't truly love that person I work with unless He does it through me.
10. God Is Truth (Veracity)
He is absolute truth.
Psalm 33:4ESV
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
Titus 1:2ESV
In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.
In John 18:38, Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Man is constantly searching for truth, but in sources other than God. Jesus said, "I AM the truth," but man has suppressed the truth in his unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). He has exchanged the truth of God for lies (Romans 1:25). When a person comes to Jesus, his quest for the truth ends and freedom begins. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
Because God is veracity, what thoughts, attitudes, and actions does He desire for me today?
Example: These circumstances I am going through now are so hard! But I purpose to trust God and His Word no matter what.
The Holiness of God
"Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is. Because He is holy, all His attributes are holy; that is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy."
-- A.W. Tozer, The Holiness of God
Read Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6:1-8
Revelation 4:1-11ESV
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Isaiah 6:1-8ESV
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."
What is your response to 1 Peter 1:14-16?
1 Peter 1:14-16ESV
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
Read Psalm 139 and Psalm 145
Psalm 139:1-24ESV
O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 145:1-21ESV
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Suggested Reading
- The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer