We have a relationship with a big God and it is important to learn about all of His character. If we only focus on one or two of his attributes, we will have a distorted image of who He really is.
In the lesson previous to this one, we considered how God is sovereign, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere. This lesson will cover another five of God’s character attributes: the fact that He is unchanging, holy, just, love, and truth.
One or two scripture passages are included for each attribute, but the Bible is filled with many more descriptions of God’s character. You can easily use an on-line Bible reference such as Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com) to learn more about each attribute of God and deepen your understanding of who God is. As you consider each character quality, take time to think about each one and how that specific attribute shapes your view of God … and your relationship with Him.
God is Unchanging
Since we are always changing our minds or moods, it is hard to imagine anyone or anything that is always the same. In all of our human relationships, change is inevitable. But with God, no change is possible. His character is unchanging. He never changes his mood, never “cools off,” and never stops loving us, which means that He is completely trustworthy, dependable, and stable. It’s important to learn about all of His character.
God never changes … his love for you also never changes. It doesn’t fluctuate with your emotions or deeds.
Q. What do the following verses tell you about God’s unchanging character?
“Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.” —Malachi 3:6
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” —Hebrews 13:8
God is completely trustworthy, dependable, and stable.
Q. If I believe that God is unchanging, I will …
God is Holy
God is righteous and set apart from us. His holiness means He is perfect in every way. God cannot lie. He is totally trustworthy.
God has never thought an unrighteous thought … and never will! He is absolutely pure and perfect in every way! Holiness is a part of God’s very essence. It is unique to God and alone, and it is beyond our comprehension.
Psalm 145:17–20 teaches:
“The Lord is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does. The Lord is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely. He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help and delivers them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.”
Q. What do you learn about God’s holiness from the verses in Psalm 145?
“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.” —Revelation 20:12–15
Q. What do you learn about God’s holiness from the verses in Revelation?
Sin is the exact opposite of God’s nature … and without Christ’s death for you on the cross, you would be totally rejected from his presence. Christ’s death and resurrection give you access to our Holy God. This holiness is truly beyond explanation.
Q. Knowing that God is holy means …
God is Just
When we say that God is just, we are saying that He is perfectly and completely fair. God is the supreme judge of the universe. He cannot make a mistake … and He is always totally fair in His judgments.
Jeremiah 9:24 tells us “I the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things.”
God will always be fair by his perfect standard.
Q. What do you learn about God’s character when you read the following passage?
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” —Romans 8:1–4
Q. Because God is just, I can be confident that …
God is Love
God will never love you less … and He cannot love you more! The Bible tells us that God doesn’t just have love, “God is love!” (1 John 4:16). The fact that your heavenly Father sent Jesus to suffer and die for you on the cross demonstrates the depth of his love for you. “God is love!”
Q. What do you learn about God’s love when you read the following verses?
“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” —1 John 4:7–8
“That Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled up to all the fullness of God.” —Ephesians 3:17–19
Q. Because God is love, I can …
God is Truth
The world is saying, “There are no absolutes. Truth is what you believe or what you say it is. What may be truth for you is not truth for me.”
Q. How would you define 'truth'?
In John 14:6, Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
He also said in John 17:17, “Your word is truth.”
God cannot lie. He is totally trustworthy. Everything He says is true. And His truth is clearly revealed in the Bible, His Word. Since God is truth, you can always count on Him …and you can always trust His promises to you!
It is possible to read God’s words of truth and not understand them or be changed by them. It is important to remember that we need God himself to reveal His truth to us. Since God is Truth, you can always count on Him … and you can always trust his promises to you! Someone once said, “When you know God, really know God, what you don’t know is irrelevant.”
Q. Because God is truth, I can …
Several great resources for learning more about God’s character include God: Discover His Character by Dr. Bill Bright The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer.
Application
Q. Of the five attributes listed in this study, which one is most real to you?
Q. Which one gives you most comfort?
Q. Which one is most confusing?
Q. Which one do you want to learn more about?