GOD IS OUR POWERFUL, Genesis 1:1-3 & 27, Colossians 1:16, I Chronicles
29:11-13,
MAJESTIC, SOVEREIGN I Timothy 6:15-16, Isaiah 40:12-26, & Psalm 115:3.
CREATOR
GOD IS LOVING, I John 4:8, Psalm 36:5-7, Lamentations 3:21-23,
COMPASSIONATE & PATIENT Deuteronomy 7:9-10, II Peter 3:9, & Genesis
6:3.
GOD IS PERFECTLY Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 45:6-7, Exodus 34:7, & Psalm
7:9-11.
RIGHTEOUS & JUST
ABOVE ALL ELSE, Isaiah 6:1-3, Psalm 99:5, Habakkuk 1:13a, Psalm 5:5-6,
GOD IS HOLY & PURE Luke 5:4-9, & Isaiah 57:15.
BECAUSE HE IS HOLY, GOD Romans 1:18-20, Nahum 1:2-7, II Thessalonians 1:6-9,
IS A GOD OF GREAT WRATH Hebrews 10:26-31, Isaiah 55:8-9, & Matthew 10:28.
The WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Bible study is copyrighted ©1989 by William C.
Nichols and is a part of a larger Bible study series. For further information
on obtaining the entire series The Knowledge of God contact International
Outreach, Inc whose address appears at the end of this study.
INTRODUCTION "The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a
clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture.
An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped...Something
more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only known
in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate
all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments."1
The vast majority of people in the world today are virtually ignorant as
to what the God of the Bible is like. They have heard of God, but much of
what they have heard is distorted, one-sided, or altogether inaccurate.
Most today have created a "god" to their own liking who exists
only in their own imaginations. Men and women spend thousands of hours studying
for college degrees so as to equip themselves for the world that exists
around us. It seems very strange that so few will take time to try to know
God better to prepare themselves for the world to come. It is hazardous
not to spend some time examining the God who is revealed to us in the Bible,
for the Bible tells us that He is the judge of all the earth and has ultimate
power over every man's eternal destiny.
The God of the Bible claims to be the one and only true God. He is revealed
to us as being Creator of all that is, powerful, majestic, sovereign over
all creation, loving, compassionate, patient, perfectly righteous, just,
holy, and a God who is full of wrath or anger against all unrighteousness.
These are only a few of the characteristics of the God of the Bible. We
will examine each of the above characteristics of God in more detail in
an effort to get to know Him better.
1. We shall begin at the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis.
Turn to Genesis 1:1-3 & 27. Who does verse 1 say created the world?
How did God create light (vs. 3)? Who created man according to verse 27?
Colossians 1:16 gives us a view of the power and majesty of God in creation.
What does it say God created? Was anything created that God did not create?
I Chronicles 29:11-13 lists some of the qualities or characteristics of
God. List four words used in verse 11 to describe God. What does it say
that God is ruler or head over (vs. 11)? What does verse 12 tell us about
God? What does the knowledge of these things cause the writer to do in verse
13?
Paul, the writer of many books of the New Testament, describes God in I
Timothy 6:15-16. God is called by three seperate and distinct titles by
Paul in verse 15. What are these titles? What does it mean to be Lord of
lords? How does Paul describe God in verse 16? Why do you think God lives
in unapproachable light? What does this tell us about God and about ourselves?
Isaiah gives us a lengthy description of the greatness and majesty of God
in Isaiah 40:12-26. What does verse 12 picture God as doing? What impression
do you get of God from this verse? What are the answers to the questions
asked about God in verses 13-14? How does the greatness of the nations of
the earth compare to the greatness of God (vs. 15)? What does verse 23 say
God does to the power of the rulers of the countries of the earth? What
are the rulers of the earth compared to (vs. 24)? What is the answer to
the question asked in verse 25?
Psalm 115:3 speaks of the sovereignty of God. What does this verse tell
us about God? The sovereignty of God means that His will is supreme. He
is the Creator of all and all creatures are accountable to Him. He is a
law unto Himself, so that whatever He does is right. Psalm 135:5-6 says,"For
I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas
and in all deeps." Since God made us, we are accountable to Him and
responsible to obey His will and submit to His authority. God desires that
we lovingly choose to submit to Him; however, most men and women despise
and hate the idea of the sovereignty of God. Men will allow God to do most
anything except be on His throne. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "When
God ascends His throne, His creatures gnash their teeth. And we proclaim
an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose
of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter;
then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn
a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God they love."
How does the knowledge of God's sovereignty cause you to respond to Him--favorably
or unfavorably?
2. Love is a characteristic of God that most people are familiar with. But
many today who talk about the love of God do not know the God who in His
very essense, is love. A. W. Pink has said, "Divine love is commonly
regarded as a species of amiable weakness, a sort of good natured indulgence."2
God's love as viewed by modern man allows man to do anything he pleases
with no consequences. This is not what the Bible teaches or portrays about
God and His love for men. Let's examine some verses which tell us about
God's love, compassion, and patience.
We will begin with I John 4:8. What does this verse tell us about God? Does
the verse imply that God only "has" love or more than that? Notice
that before John tells us about God being love, John mentions the fact that
God is light in I John 1:5. What do you think of when you hear the word
"light"? Light often implies holiness, purity, and righteous.
Turn to Psalm 36:5-7. What qualities or characteristics of God are mentioned
in verses 5 & 6? How great is God's love or lovingkindness (vs. 5)?
Because God's lovingkindness is so great, what does the Psalmist say this
allows men to do (vs. 7)?
Lamentations 3:21-23 tells us more about God. What qualities does Jeremiah
mention that God has in verses 22-23?
The mistake that most people make in evaluating or attempting to understand
God's love relates to how God responds to and deals with sin or unrighteousness
in man. Deuteronomy 7:9-10 helps strike a proper balance between God's love
and holiness. What does verse 9 say about God? What does verse 10 say about
those who do not love God? How have those in verse 9 demonstrated that they
love God?
Some people doubt that God would ever judge the earth because they see no
evidence of judgment in the lives of the wicked today. This leads to the
misconception that God is indulgent of sin or like an old man up in heaven,
who is so full of love that He winks at or overlooks all sin. At least two
fundamental errors have been made by such people: 1) They do not understand
or realize that judgment follows death. Therefore, since they do not see
evidence of divine judgment, they presume it does not exist and 2) They
mistake the marvelous patience of God toward those in the world for indulgence.
Peter talks about God's patience in II Peter 3:9. Why is God so patient
with those in the world according to what Peter says in this verse?
Genesis 6:3 reveals to us another side of God's patience. It says,"Then
the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever.' "
What do we learn about God's patience from this verse?
3. Not only is God a loving, compassionate, and patient God, He is also
perfectly righteous and just. Deuteronomy 32:4 tells us more about God's
character and what He is like. What does this verse tell us about God?
Psalm 45:6-7 tells us about God's righteousness. What does verse 6 say is
the scepter (a staff borne by a king as an emblem of authority) of God's
kingdom? Since God is declared to be righteous, what is His attitude said
to be toward evil (vs. 7)? God hates all sin and His righteous character
demands that He punish sin. Not just a few sins, but all sin. Proverbs 15:26
says, "Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord."
This balance between God's love and justice is seen clearly again in the
same verse in Exodus 34:7. What does the first half of this verse tell us
about God? What does the last half of this verse tell us God will do to
the guilty (those who break any of His laws)?
Again, we see this balance in Psalm 7:9-11. What does the writer of verse
9 ask God to do to the evil and the righteous? Since God is righteous, what
does this cause Him to do (vs. 9)? What is God's attitude said to be toward
evil (vs. 11)?
4. Above all else, God is a holy God. What does this mean? Holiness is a
quality that is totally unfamiliar to most modern men. Webster's Dictionary
defines holy as "sacred, of unimpaired innocence or proved virtue,
godly, worthy of adoration". Holiness implies purity, moral perfection,
and absolute uprightness. In Isaiah 6:1-3 God's holiness is declared. What
does Isaiah see in verse 1? Seraphim, created beings similar to angels,
surround the throne of God. What do the seraphim call out to each other
(vs. 3)? Why do you think the word "holy" is repeated three times?
It is interesting to note that no other quality of God is ever repeated
three times like this in all the rest of the Bible. God is never said to
be "Love, love, love" or "Mighty, mighty, mighty". Holiness
then, must be the supreme character trait of God. Above all else and any
other quality, God is holy!
In Psalm 99:5 God is declared to be holy. What are we told to do because
God is holy?
In the first half of Habakkuk 1:13 we learn more of God's holiness. What
does it say about God's eyes and sin? How does God respond to wickedness?
Turn to Psalm 5:5-6. How does God feel toward those who sin and do what
is wrong (vs. 5)? What does verse 6 say about God's attitude toward the
deceitful person?
Because God is holy, He hates all sin. God loves everything which is in
conformity or agreement with His laws, and hates everything which goes against
or is contrary to His laws. God hates sin with an absolute hatred, therefore
He must punish all sin. Even those things which men consider to be "little
sins" are hated and despised by God. Every sin constitutes open rebellion
against God's authority and therefore is an abomination to Him.
Let's look at the response one man made when he became aware to some extent
of the holiness of God. Turn to Luke 5:4-9. What instructions does Jesus
give to Simon (also called Peter) in verse 4? How does Simon Peter answer
Jesus (vs. 5)? What happens (vs. 6)? What response does this cause in Simon
Peter (vs. 8)? Why do you think Simon Peter responded in this way?
Finally, we will look at Isaiah 57:15. How is God described in the first
part of this verse? What description is given of the person God is pleased
to live with? Does this describe you?
5. The wrath of God is one characteristic of God which many people prefer
to ignore or try to explain away. In actuality, there are more references
in the Bible to God's anger, fury, and wrath than to His love and tenderness.
We have seen in the last section that because God is holy, He hates all
sin. A. W. Pink has written, "Indifference to sin is a moral blemish...
How could He (God), who delights only in that which is pure and lovely,
not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile?...The wrath of God is...the
holiness of God stirred into activity against sin...God is angry at sin
because it is a rebelling against His authority, a wrong done to His inviolable
sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to
know God is the Lord."3
Turn to Romans 1:18-20. What are the reasons listed in verse 18 that the
wrath of God comes upon men? What can any man learn about God by observing
God's creation around him (vs. 20)? Does any man have any excuse after observing
nature to deny that God is real (vs. 20)?
The Old Testament book of the prophet Nahum begins by describing God. Read
Nahum 1:2-7. What characteristics of God are mentioned in verse 2? What
does Nahum say that God will do to His enemies (vs. 2)? What will God do
to the guilty (vs. 3)? How is God's wrath described (vs. 6)? Still, Nahum
reminds his hearers of God's goodness in verse 7. To whom will God be a
refuge or stronghold (vs. 7)?
II Thessalonians 1:6-9 speaks more about the wrath of God. How will the
Lord Jesus be revealed from heaven (vs. 7)? Who are the objects of God's
wrath (vs. 8)? What will their punishment be (vs. 9)? What character trait
of God is spoken of in verse 6 to describe God's response in repaying evil
men with trouble or affliction?
The passage in Hebrews 10:26-31 is addressed to people who have heard the
truth about God, refused to believe it, and continued on in their selfish
lifestyles. They are described in verse 26 as those "who go on sinning
willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth." What does the
writer say in verse 29 about the person who knowingly rejects Jesus Christ?
What warnings are given to the one who has rejected Jesus in verses 30-31?
Isaiah 55:8-9 will help us to understand God better. In these verses God
is speaking. What are we like in comparison to God (vs. 8-9)? God views
sin and righteousness very differently than we do. For one sin God drove
Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden. For one sin God cursed the descendants
of Ham. For one sin Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land. For
one sin Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, Gehazi was turned into a leper,
and Ananias and Shappira were stricken with death.4
In Matthew 10:28 Jesus gives us counsel and a warning. Whom does Jesus tell
us not to fear? Whom does Jesus tell us to fear? Why?
In examining the character of God we have seen that God is much different
than we are. We have seen that God is our Creator, therefore, we are accountable
to Him and responsible to obey Him. We have seen that God is both a loving
and compassionate God, but that His love must be balanced with His absolutely
holy character. Holiness is a quality that is difficult for us to understand,
because we are not holy. Because God is holy, He hates all sin and must
punish it. Since God hates sin so much, it is very important that we understand
what sin is. Please continue on to the next study entitled "The Nature
of Sin".
Copyright ©1990 by William C. Nichols
1 A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House,
1975), p. 8.
2 A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House,
1975), p. 77.
3 A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House,
1975), p. 83.
4 Ibid, pp. 43-44. (Summary)
Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962,
1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation. Used
by permission.
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