The Attributes of God

 

 

Central thought: Knowing God’s attributes strengthens the believer’s confidence in Him.

 

 

Text: Psalms 139:1-2; Job 34:21-22; Hebrews 4:12-13

 

 

Attribute can be defined as a quality or characteristic given, or regarded as a natural or typical part of a person that distinguishes him from his contemporaries.  The attributes of an individual are sometimes recognized from the proficiency with which he carries out his activities.  It brings out the peculiarities in its possessor.

Discussing the attributes of God requires the understanding that God is a Spirit as opposed to natural beings.  His attributes are typically expressions of His being and they are inherent.

God is unlimited by time, space and power.  His attributes include Sovereign, Immortal, Invincible, Wise, Holy, True, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Eternal, Alpha and Omega, I am that I am (the Unchanging One), Ancient of days, King of Glory, Rock of Ages, etc.  Of all these attributes, we shall be discussing only three in this study, Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.  God is the supreme authority in Heaven and on earth and He alone is worthy of our worship.

 

 

1. Briefly discuss what you understand about the following attributes of God.

a. Omnipresent:

The word omnipresent refers to a state of being present everywhere at the same time.  This characteristic is commonly used in religious context and it is bestowed only on God.  With the full knowledge of God’s omnipresent nature, the Psalmist declared, “I can never escape from your (God) presence, I can never get away from you r presence”, Psalms 139:7.  In John’s gospel, Jesus (as God) demonstrated His attribute of Omnipresence when He said to Nathaniel “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee”, John 1:48.  He already knew Nathaniel before the two met.  In Jeremiah 23:24, God said, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I should not see him?  Do not I fill heaven and earth?”  God, by this statement confirmed to the people of Jeremiah’s time that truly He is Omnipresent.

b. Omnipotent:

Omnipotent is defined as Almighty or infinite in power: having great or unlimited authority or power; all powerful; supreme or unrestricted ability.  This is what God is saying when He declared, “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.  No one can undo what I have done”, Isaiah 43:13.  Nebuchadnezzar declared of Him, “And all inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, what doest thou?”, Daniel 4:35.

It is unthinkable to expect to see any human being who can manifest these attributes.  Of course, only the LORD GOD, who created the world out of nothing.

c. Omniscient:

Omniscient is the ability or capacity to know everything about all things.  ‘All knowing’ – including situations and circumstances; past, present and future; thoughts, feelings and character, having knowledge and foreknowledge of all occurrences.  God sees all things; even death and destruction hold no secret from Him, Hebrews 4:13.  God knows everything about all things.  He sees and knows all we think and do, though we sometimes behave as if we are unaware of His knowledge about us, but that does not in any way change this His attribute.

 

2. What should be our attitude towards God, as a result of our knowledge of these attributes?

a. Our knowledge of God’s attributes should propel us to develop an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration of Him and worship Him with fear.

b. It will help us to start believing on Him and His Word, and depend on Him in all situations and circumstances.  We can handover our burdens and problems to Him with confidence and assurance that He can and will fix them up for us.  With this knowledge rooted in us we would not entertain any form of doubt, as we are sure we belong to God, no matter where we find ourselves.  We can then pray with confidence, knowing that He is ever present with us.

c. it will help us check how we pursue the material things of life; avoid hypocritical life and keep a healthy relationship with God, having the full knowledge that we can never hide form Him.  “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”, Hebrews 4:13.  However, it is comforting, when we realize that God still loves us though He knows us intimately.

 

3. What are the benefits of being conscious of the attributes of God?

There are lots of benefits derivable from the knowledge of God’s attributes:

a. As we conduct our lives based on this knowledge, God reveals Himself to us more often than before.

b. It increases our faith to act on the Word of God.

c. It helps us acknowledge our potentials and privileges in Christ Jesus.

d. It dispels the fear of the devil which sometimes almost makes us loose our balance in our Christian walk.

e. It gives us the boldness to identify with God even in difficult situations.

f. When we pray, it increases our confidence and assurance that God will answer our prayers.

g. It enables us to resist anxiety and worries.

h. It helps us to flee from committing sin and doing evil.

 

 

Daily living application:

The existence of God is not in doubt.  It is only the fool that says there is no God.  God exists by Himself.  He neither has beginning nor end.  By the Scripture, we understand that He existed before the beginning and He will continue to exist after the end, so the beginning and the end of all things are within His ambit.  It is futile for man to attempt to hide or try to avoid Him.  We do not only know and believe in Him, we have personal relationship with Him.  We should therefore be courageous enough to share all we do or think with Him as we are convinced that His ways are better than ours.  The knowledge of God’s attributes should motivate us to demonstrate to the world around us whom God is, by our conduct and utterances.

 

 

Memory verse

Hebrews 4:13 – “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”