May 4, 2022
Attributes are the characteristics someone possesses, they describe who they are and what makes them, them. They are exclusively used when attempting to describe God and what He is like. When we think about the attributes of God, we are trying to answer questions like, Who is God? What is God like? What kind of God is He? These are all questions we have all had about God at some point. And it is impossible to describe an infinite Being who surpasses all existence; it just blows our tiny minds. A Supreme Being who is beyond our level of understanding but who, we, nevertheless, desperately want to know. Though we will never be able to fully comprehend God (on this side of heaven) we can begin to try to understand some truths about Him. And even these words fall short, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of who God is.
Still, learning more about Him will compel us to want to know Him better and maybe we can begin to know Him as we are known to Him. Our existence revolves around our need to know Him, and He has made Himself known to all creation through His Word and through His creation. (Romans 1:19-20)
I have compiled this list of 18 attributes of God that give us a small idea about the character of God. With this article I hope to inspire and encourage you to study the Word deeper and spend more time in prayer getting to know the Father.
1. God is Eternal
Eternity is a concept that as mortal beings, we cannot wrap our heads around. Because earthly life is dependent on time, eternity is as foreign to us as mortality is to Spiritual beings. We can only imagine it but we cannot experience eternity…yet. God is not a created being, He has always been and always will be. He is immortal so there isn’t a time when He has never existed. God is the only one who cannot stop existing. Even other immortal beings like angels are not eternal. God can annihilate them at any moment if He so desires.
Our finite minds are blown away at the mere concept of eternity, but that is who God is and what sets Him apart and above everything and everyone. He has no beginning and no end. Everything started with Him and everything will end with Him, but God will continue to be.
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17, KJV)
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalms 90:2, KJV)
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they all will wear out like a garment, and like a robe You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” (Hebrews 1:10, NASB)
2. God is Immutable
Immutable means unchanging. God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The fact that no matter how bad earthly life may get- God is still the same, He is constant- gives us so much security and peace. All the attributes that God possesses remain unchanged, unaltered for all eternity. This is great news, my friends! That means that God is always good, He is always loving, He is always merciful, He is always faithful, He is always powerful, He is always God. We may not always understand God’s ways but that doesn’t change who He is.
God doesn’t change His plans; He doesn’t change His mind; His thoughts and His heart remain the same. That may be a little difficult to grasp because we are always changing our minds and changing as we grow. But God is incapable of changing.
If you’re having trouble comprehending something about God or think He contradicts Himself, the problem lies in your understanding and your limited view as a human. But God remains True. He is the same God the Israelites worshipped 3,000 years ago and the same God who created Adam and Eve over 6,000 years ago. He hasn’t changed; humanity has and so has the world, but God is never changing.
“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6, KJV)
“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29, KJV)
“God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NASB)
“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil..” (Hebrews 6:17-19, NKJV)
3. God is All-Filling
In God through Christ Jesus, we are filled, we are complete. When Jesus came to live and die for humanity, He completed the work of the Father. Because we are now reconciled unto Him, we are now made right with God, filling the gap between God and humanity. The gap caused by sin which before was reconciled through animal sacrifices. And when Jesus came, He revealed the mysteries of God that could not be understood or known before. He revealed Himself through His Son and fills us with Himself, which was not possible before the death of Christ.
God has created us with a void that can only be filled with Himself. He fills us and only He can satisfy. He has made us with an unquenchable longing for Him. The more we are filled with Him, the more we need of Him. God fills us up to overflow, that is who He is. And we were created to want Him.
“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:23, KJV)
“And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19, KJV)
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14, KJV)
4. God is Loving
God doesn’t only possess love, He IS love. Whatever you thought you knew about love is wrong until you understand that God is the ultimate definition of love. And you cannot start to comprehend the love of God until you understand the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Do you know someone else who would sacrifice the life of his only son to redeem the world? Neither do I. Until you comprehend the magnitude of the cross, what it means for us, and what it did for us then you don’t know God’s love. His love changed the course of human history!
His love is unconditional, it is eternal, it is immutable, it is all-filling. You experience the love of God every day, many times without even knowing it! God expresses His love in a myriad of ways, sometimes in ways we cannot understand. That is because to experience God is to experience love, and His love is perfect. And well, I could be here all day trying to describe the love of God and still not scratch the surface so I will leave the following verses that do a better job than I.
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:7-10, KJV)
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:3-5, NASB)
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39, KJV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, KJV)
“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” (John 15:9, KJV)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8. KJV)
“ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NKJV)
5. God is Faithful
God is the only being who is faithful. If you’ve ever broken a promise, cheated, failed someone, or done anything else under this category, then you’re not faithful (which includes everyone). God has never broken a promise, cheated nor failed. He has kept all His promises and you can bet that everything He said He would do, He will do.
The existence of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel are evidence of God’s promise/covenant to Abraham. Why do you think that even after thousands of years of persecution, the Jews still walk the earth and continue to multiply? God is faithful!
Because God is immutable, He does not change His mind, He is faithful. Even after falling thousands of times when we go to God for forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive and renew our relationship with Him! So, every single promise you encounter in the Bible, God keeps them all! Not because of anything we have done, but because of who God is!
“For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalms 33:4, NASB)
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3, KJV)
“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9, KJV)
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13, NASB)
“God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind;
Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NASB)
6. God is Patient
If God has put up with the idolatrous, evil, sinful creation that we are for thousands of years, then He is VERY patient. His patience can be witnessed every day when we wake up and He has not destroyed us. Many Christians like to point fingers and judge the Israelites but what we do now makes them look like saints. And God still has not brought the end! God is patient and we are not.
As a very impatient person, I have learned much from God’s patience. Trying to imitate His patience and grace has been a hard lesson for me, but God is patient even with my impatience. And He is patient even after watching us sin again and again, breaking His commandments and laws.
He never grows tired of us. So, we can come before Him at any time for anything and He will listen and answer because He is patient. When we struggle with sin, He is so patient to hear our confession and repentance and forgive again and again.
Now, don’t think that you can take advantage of God’s patience and grace because one day you will face the consequences. That God is patient doesn’t mean that there aren’t punishments. But it should compel us to be faithful to Him.
“But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.” (Psalms 78:38, KJV)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, KJV)
“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon objects of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, namely us, whom He also called, not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles…” (Romans 9:22-24, NASB)
7. God is Merciful
Mercy is extending compassion and forgiveness when it is in His power to punish.
Scripture is replete of God’s mercy. From the OT to the NT, we see God forgive and give chance after chance over and over. Despite our constant sinning and failings God chooses not to annihilate us. He shows mercy to humanity every day. Waking up in the morning is evidence of God’s great mercy. How many times have you woken up? Exactly, He is patient and merciful. The fact that He doesn’t just cut our lives short after blowing it time and again goes to show that God is more merciful than we are faithful.
How many times did God hold back from wiping out an entire people because they repented at the last minute? Nineveh comes to mind. God knew they would repent and turn back from their evil ways so He chose to forgive and extend mercy. Adam and Eve disobeyed and instead of killing them, the Lord exiled them from the Garden of Eden. This is mercy.
This doesn’t mean that we should abuse of God’s patience and mercy, but that it should convict us to repentance and to change our ways.
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, KJV)
“For the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” (Deuteronomy 4:31, KJV)
“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” (Micah 7:18, KJV)
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:8-14, KJV)
8. God is Gracious
Grace is being given something good without being asked for nor deserved. God is full of grace. He gives when we don’t deserve it and when we don’t even ask. How many times has God blessed you by surprise? Many, I’m sure. We experience His grace every day. We don’t ask to continue breathing, yet He continues to give us life. He answers our prayers and works in our lives. Many times, we are unaware of His grace, but He never loses sight. We have His favor, and it’s through grace that we were saved and continue to be saved.
He forgives, picks us up, restores, gives strength and wisdom, guidance, and favor, and help in our need. These are all examples of God’s grace. If you look back at your old life and, compare it to your life now, you’ll realize how much you’ve changed! It wouldn’t have been possible without God’s grace! So, praise Him because He is forever good!
“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more..” (Romans 5:20, NKJV)
“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32, KJV)
“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16, NASB)
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10, ESV)
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people…” (Titus 2:11, NASB)
9. God is Good
If there is something I’ve learned about God it’s that He is good. No matter what happens, He is good. When the world is falling apart, and wars rage, people kill and people die, you get sick or go homeless, your family disowns you, pandemics and hunger continue, or wealth and prosperity increase God will continue to be good. In a shifting world- more towards evil than good- God is good through it all. And nothing that may happen to you changes the goodness of God. His goodness is not dependent on your circumstances nor the world’s darkness. So, when you next find yourself in trouble remember that God is good, and you can depend on Him. He hears and will give you exactly what you need, not what you want.
Those without understanding like to complain that God is not good because there is evil in the world. But the world is evil because humans sin. It is not God’s fault that evil exists. And He cannot force anyone to be good because that would make God a tyrant and not a loving God. He is good and loving that is why He has given us free-will. People choose to sin that is why there is evil in the world.
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7, KJV)
“So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11, NASB)
“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalms 33:5, NASB)
“Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” (Psalms 119:68, KJV)
“I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.” (Psalms 145:5-7, KJV)
10. God is Wise
God is wise, not in a human-way but in the spiritual, God-only way. His wisdom is unlimited, it stretches into eternity and has no end. The creation of the world is just one example of His wisdom. Not only did God create the world and everything in it but He also created the laws of science which sustains and governs creation. He created the human body, the organs and physiology, wildlife, earth and sky, elements, and time, absolutely everything! One can live a millennium and still not learn nor understand the depth of God’s wisdom.
The wisdom of God can be seen everywhere not just in nature but also in the way that He governs. He teaches everyone differently and knows the exact needs of each person. His parenting is perfect and never makes mistakes. He determines our future and leads us in the right path. God’s wisdom is good and sovereign. Why not seek Him today and ask Him to impart His wisdom on you?
“It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:12, NASB)
“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” (Psalms 104:24, KJV)
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6, NASB)
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, NASB)
11. God is Holy
When Moses found himself face to face with God in the burning bush, God commanded him to remove his sandals because the ground on which he stood was holy. God is not just holy, He is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. Three times holy emphasizes the holiness of God. He is so holy that man cannot see his face and not die. His holiness literally kills! The Bible is chock-full of examples of the holiness of God and what it means for the Christian. Scripture says that holiness is so important to God that without it not one soul may enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must be holy as He is holy!
Now, I know that it seems like a tall order, but it’s not meant to be done on our own. When we seek His face, the Holy Spirit indwelling in us will start to work and convict, correct, and guide us into a holier life. It is a process and it takes time but you cannot do it on your own.
“For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; so you shall be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45, NASB)
“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3, KJV)
“And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’” (Revelation 4:8, NASB)
“There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2, KJV)
12. God is Omnipotent
Omnipotence means all-powerful. God is all-powerful, there is none who can overpower Him or equal Him. When He created the universe, He did so by His power and His might. There is nothing He can’t do because all power belongs to Him. This is the God we serve and worship! The gods of religion cannot help themselves because they need maintenance and human strength to fashion and carry them, but our God is limitless! Nothing is out of His reach! You can walk with confidence when you put your faith in a God who is omnipotent!
The God who parted the sea, and from dust formed man, created the stars and galaxies, oxygen and H20, stopped the sun and flooded the earth, came down as a man, died and resurrected, is the same God who wants you to be part of His kingdom! I’m getting chills just writing this! That’s how powerful God is!
“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their lights, the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly lights bow down before You.” (Nehemiah 9:6, NASB)
“For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalm 33:9, NASB)
“Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself…” (Isaiah 44:24, KJV)
13. God is Omniscient
Omniscience means all-knowing. This means that God knows everything. He knows everything about you including your thoughts, your past, present, and future, absolutely everything. He knows everything that is happening all over the universe at once. From a child being born in Africa to a leaf falling from a tree in Canada, God is aware of it all. Nothing escapes Him. He is aware of your innermost thoughts and desires and knows you better than you do yourself. Nothing is new to Him.
“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, Lord, You know it all.” (Psalms 139:4, NASB)
“Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalms 44:21, NASB)
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.” (Hebrews 4:13, NASB)
“Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men…” (1 Kings 8:39, KJV)
“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1 John 3:20, KJV)
14. God is Omnipresent
Omnipresence means all-present. God is present everywhere at once. There isn’t a single place, nook and cranny that God does not know about. He is with you now and your relatives on the other side of the world at the same time. His presence is inescapable, you cannot hide from it. No one can. Ezekiel chapter 1 describes a vision where the omnipresence of God is depicted in the form of 4 interconnected wheels full of eyes. These wheels move and see everything happening on earth. These are the eyes of God everywhere at once. Of course, this creature is symbolic, it doesn’t mean that God literally has 4 wheels full of eyes, but the text gives you an idea of the omnipresence of God.
“Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:24, KJV)
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3, NASB)
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will take hold of me.” (Psalms 139:7-10, NASB)
15. God is Infinite
God cannot be measured! That is the best way I can describe infinity. I discussed eternity in my first point, and they can easily be confused. While eternity cannot be measured in terms of time, there is no measurable tool that can be used to describe infinity. God cannot be measured. His height, weight and depth are infinite, that is, He is endless and limitless. You know how the universe is endless? Well, God is more so because He created the universe. And that is as close as I can get to the infinity of God.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13, NASB)
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27, NASB)
16. God is Self-Sufficient
God doesn’t need anything nor anyone to sustain His existence. He exists in and of Himself. He doesn’t need sustenance nor support. On the contrary, He provides. Without the wisdom, knowledge and omnipotentance of God this world wouldn’t last a second. The chaos that would ensue is astronomical. While God isn’t dependent on anyone or anything all creation is dependent on Him. He is self-supporting, complete, and perfect.
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God…” (2 Corinthians 3:5, KJV)
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself…” (John 5:26)
17. God is Sovereign
God can do whatever He sees fit and just and no one can stop Him or question His wisdom. We can have goals, dreams, and work toward them but at the end of the day they are subject to the will of God because He is sovereign. He is in control of everything, nothing happens outside of His will. As His creatures, we must learn to submit to His sovereignty and accept His will in everything. There is nothing out of sync where God is concerned, and we can rest under the assurance of His sovereignty. To understand the sovereignty of God is to understand the Gospel.
“But our God is in the heavens; he does whatever He pleases.” (Psalms 115:3, NASB)
“I know that You can do all things, and that no plan is impossible for You.” (Job 42:2, NASB)
“Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.” (Psalms 135:6, NASB)
“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever He pleases.” (Proverbs 21:1, NASB)
18. God is Just
Everything that God does is fair. His judgments are righteous because He is just. This is why there is punishment for sin. Because God is holy and just, He cannot let sin go unpunished. If He did, then He wouldn’t be just. People have a hard time understanding this because we lack the mind of God, His thoughts are higher than ours. Suffice to know and trust that God is just. We can always trust the Lord’s judgment. He does not show favoritism nor metes punishment unfairly.
“I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” (Ecclesiastes 3:17, KJV)
“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” (Hebrews 10:30, NASB)
“He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalms 33:5, KJV)
There are more attributes of God but time and space would fail me to discuss them all. I hope this article has been helpful in some way or at least made you excited to dig deeper. These descriptions of the attributes of God are in no way exhaustive, please do your own research and study. My main goal in writing this article was to provide an introduction to the topic.
Books I Recommend for Further Study:
