Actually, this series is from Understanding Bible Truth booklets by Robert Hicks and Richard Bewes (1981), but I have expanded some texts for modern readers (to make it easier to read) and added Scripture quotes (I’m using ESV Bible) into these writings to clarify its points more clearly. My purpose of making this series available in the internet is single: So that you can be clear the essential facts about the Bible’s teaching in a readily understandable form.
First, What does it mean by “God’s Character”?
When we speak of God’s character, we are referring to those characters of God which constitute what He is. There are the very characteristics of His nature. His characters are permanent qualities. They cannot be gained or lost. They are inseparable from the being or essence of God. With this knowledge of His characters, our faiths are strengthening as we anchored it to what is permanent and unshakeable. What a privilege for us to know about God’s character!
But it is good also for us to know that: “We know God only as He has revealed Himself [thru nature and primary thru the Scriptures]… Thus, there is, and always will be, an element of mystery regarding God” as Millard J. Erickson reminds us. Come let’s examine some of the essentials characters of God:
God’s Truth is Inseparable from His Character
The truth of God is the foundation of all knowledge. Truth is unalterable. It will not change or accommodate itself to varying cultures and standards. Truth is essential to God Himself – it always has existed and always will exist. Thus our existence is not a delusion, as some people claim, and the laws of the universe will not shift, as most of the scientists claim in the Discovery Channel. Truth come from God and is consistent with His character (Romans 3:4). We see this supremely in the person of Jesus who, as Son of God, claimed to be the center of all truth. He said to His disciples,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Matthew 14:6).
God’s Holiness reacts against All Impurity
God is holy. Great angels of God declared, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). There is no statement in the Bible which is more demanding than this. Charles Caldwell Ryrie writes, “Holiness is one of the most important, if not the most important, attributes of God, and certainly nothing that God does can be done apart from being in complete harmony with His holy nature” (A Survey of Bible Doctrine: Moody Press, 1972. Page 19).
God’s holiness means He is totally committed to goodness and is at war with evil. The Bible teaches that God alone is completely pure and free from evil. As a result, it is impossible for wrongdoers to live in God’s presence until they have been made clean. “For [God] alone are holy” (Revelation 15:4).
God’s Love extends to All Mankind
The Scriptures are full of the love, mercy, grace and faithfulness of God. Psalm 103:13 says, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him”. Human love is seen as an imperfect reflection of the love that characterizes God. Thus, we cannot measure or compare or equate our kind-of-love to God’s kind-of-love. [God’s love is the standard of love, not man’s love!]
This is the love that longs to pardon the evildoer, while yet satisfying the demand of justice. Its highest expression is seen at the Cross. “For God so love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God’s Mercy holds back what We Deserve
God’s holiness and moral purity demand that those who revolt against His authority should face judgment and be overthrown. However, the Bible is full of examples of the restraining hand of God’s mercy. Thus the Bible shows that God is slow to punish sin. He is “ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Nehemiah 9:17). He prefers to give people the opportunity to turn from wrong – to repent from sins.
God’s Grace gives Us what We do not Deserve
The word ‘grace’ means that ‘God is generous towards us even though we deserve His anger’. There are two kinds of grace. On one level there is common grace, where God’s gifts in nature (the seasons, our natural abilities and human relationships) are given to the human race, regardless of the attitude of those who receive.
On a spiritual level, we receive God’s saving grace. He has given His assurance and promises to mankind throughout history, sending His messengers to raise the standards of societies and to free them from slavery to evil. Supremely, He has given His Son to the world, so that the gift of eternal life might be freely available – to those who respond. How? “[Only] By grace [from God] you have been saved through faith [in Jesus Christ]” (Ephesians 2:8, brackets mine).
God’s Faithfulness provides for Daily Life
The writers of the Psalm constantly refer to the faithfulness of God (Psalm 89:1), illustrated in the ceaseless cycle of nature and in the return of the morning each day. It is God’s world, and His resources are around us.
Man has to face danger and hardship in a world which is imperfect because of the intrusion of sin – and the Christian is as likely to face illness and testing as the non-Christian (only in this earthly lifetime). But those with a trust in God are assured of His overall care and control of events. God is “a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). Rejoice!
My Conclusion about God’s Character
These are some of the essential characteristics of God, and this is the only God that exists. The God of the Bible is not a god of man’s own making or thinking or choosing, but He is the God of His own revelation as revealed in the Holy Scripture.
In our understanding of God, it is important to see all the aspects of God’s character. If we only see God as holy, He will appear harsh and demanding. If we only see Him as loving, He will seem to be unjust and powerless; and so on and on. A balance understanding of God’s character is needed for a healthy and sound faith – so that you may not “depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1).
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