8 Attributes Of God
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Ever wondered how everything was created?
The Lord created the world out of nothing, and made everything for its purpose. But who exactly is God? And what exactly do we know about our creator?
Apart from being known as the supreme being, and the principal object of faith, for most Christians, God is known to possess attributes such as omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, omnibenevolence, sovereignty, holiness, justice, immutability, and justness.
What do these eight qualities mean? We’ve written them all down for you, so take a look!
- God is “Omnipotent”
Meaning: all powerful. Omnipotence is derived from the Latin word Omnis, which means “all” and “potens,” or “powerful.” This word may not be seen in the Bible, however, ‘almighty’ is written in the Old Testament.
Since God is utmostly perfect, hence He is omnipotent. The Lord has control of everything and is capable of doing whatever He wants to do. Nothing is too difficult nor impossible, so when He performs miracles, it follows through. Even when earthly beings disobey Him, God still has power over everything.
Nevertheless, God cannot lie, do anything immoral, inappropriate to His nature, or evil actions; because He is perfectly holy, good, consistent, and is the perfect truth. He cannot do things that are logically contradictory either.
Read Bible Verses: Psa 115:3; cf. Isa 55:11, Jer 32:17, Gen 18:14, Isa 55:11, Psa 105:24-25, Gen 45:5-8, Exod 4:21, Psa 105:24-25, Rom 9:18, Acts 2:23, 4:28, Deut 18:21-22, Titus 1:2, cf, and Num 23:19.
- God is ‘Omniscient’
Meaning: all knowing. Omniscience originated from the Latin words “omnis” which means “all” and “scientia” which means “knowledge.” God being Omniscient means that He has knowledge of all things which goes beyond what we can imagine, and he is the very nature of truth.
He is aware of what has transpired in the past, present, and what’s to come. The Lord is conscious of what is on our minds, how we feel, and He also knows all the potentialities of any given circumstance. God’s knowledge is based on his authority, for he is the judge of all things.
Bible Verses: Psa 147:5, John 21:17, Heb 4:12-13, 1Jn 3:20, 1Sam 10:2, 1Kgs 13:1-4, 2Kgs 8:12, Psa 139:4, Acts 2:23, 4:27-28, and 1 John 3:20.
- God is Omnipresent
Meaning: all present. The term Omnipresence came from the Latin word “omnipresent” used in the early 17th century. This literally means that God is everywhere at all times, even if one may not see Him. He is never absent and looks out for all the inhabitants of the earth from where He is enthroned.
Notwithstanding the fact that God does not have a body and is immaterial, He is present in all events taking place here on earth, as well as in the Heavens. The Lord has been around since the beginning, thus there will never come a time when He will cease to exist.
Bible Verses: Gen 26:3, Psa 33:13-14, Isa 7:14, Matt 1:23, Exod 6:7, 2Cor 6:16; cf. Gen 17:7, Exod 6:7, 29:45, Lev 26:12, Jer 7:23, 11:4, 24:7, 30:22, Ezek 11:20, 14:11, 36:28, 37:27, Heb 11:16, Rev 21:3, and Jhn 1:14.
- God is Omnibenevolent
Meaning: all good. Omnibenevolent comes from the Latin word “omni”, meaning “all,” meanwhile benevolent means “good” or “charitable.” Needless to say that God is good and is able to show this in various ways. He is good and loving in His every being.
It can be recalled that He sacrificed his own son, Jesus, to save us, which goes to show that his love for humanity goes beyond what we can comprehend. It is because of God’s love that we have a chance to be saved from sin and have eternal life. When one is sincere and repents, God is fair and forgives.
Bible Verses: Psalm 86:15, Psa 100:5, Jas 1:17, Mrk 10:18, Mat 5:48, and Rom 11:33–36.
5) God is Sovereign
Meaning: Absolute rule. Sovereign is borrowed from the French word “souverain,” which is derived from the Latin word superānus, meaning “above”. When we say that God is sovereign, this means that his rule has no limits. He is in control of the whole world and everything that occurs in it.
The Lord has full authority over the universe where he is the source of all power. He is never idle nor defeated. There is nothing too difficult for him to do because He can accomplish anything.
Bible Verse: Rev 21:6, Col 1:16, Rom 11:33, Jer 32:17, and Psa 103:19.
6) God is Holy
Meaning: absolute purity. “Holy” is derived from the Old English word “hālig” and is related to the German word “heilig”, which means “blessed.” God being “Holy” means that He is set apart from sin. The Lord is eternal and committed to seeking his own honor.
The Lord is not like man for His holiness is a unique attribute. We should fear His purity, but at the same time, be in awe and hunger for His word.
Bible Verses: Psa 50:21, Rom 12:1, Isa 8:13, 1 Sam 2:2, 1 Pet 1:16, Rev 4:8, Lev 19:2, and Psa 99:9.
7) God is Immutable
Meaning: Unchangeable. Immutable comes from the Latin term “immutabilis”, which means unable to change. This goes to show that God cannot alter in His essence or attributes. Moreover, the Lord does not lack anything and doesn’t to rely on anyone or anything outside himself.
Our creator is immutable in His promises, perfections, gifts, nature, and purposes. He is perfect.
Bible Verse: Mal 3:6, Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Isa 46:9-11; and Ezek 24:14, and Jas 1:17, and Jas 1:13.
8) God is Just
Meaning: absolute justice. The term “just” comes from the Latin word “upright” or “lawful”. It is mentioned in the Bible that God is just, which means that He is fair and impartial. This also entails that He does not tolerate tyranny and abuse of people, and of everything else He created.
It is important to note that Holy Scriptures indicate that God is a judge. The Lord is able to establish what is right and wrong, and will one day judge the world fairly according to His standards.
Bible Verses: Rom 3:23, Rom 6:23, Rom 3:24, Rom 3:26, Jhn 13:34, Lk 6:27-28, and 2 Pet 3:9.
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