Ever wondered how understanding God's attributes could bring you closer to Him? How they could offer peace, relief, and foster a more meaningful relationship with Him? Well, it's time to lift the veil and immerse ourselves in the exploration of these divine attributes. So, get ready for a transformative experience that not only deepens your understanding of God but also inspires you to reflect His unconditional love, perfect wisdom, and boundless forgiveness in your own life. Visit Faithfullyliven YouTube channel for additional resources to support your Bible study.
Want to read more about the character of God? Check out theses resources
The Attributes of God: A Journey into the Father’s Heart, vol. 1 & 2 by A. W. Tozer
The Nature of God by A.W. Pink
Systematic Theology 2nd edition by Wayne Grudem
Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson
Do you want to learn how to study the Bible? Check out the YouTube channel Faithfullyliven youtube.com/@faithfullyliven
Do you want to read about how to live faithfully? Check out the blog http://lyfe102.org
Ever wondered how understanding God's attributes could bring you closer to Him? How they could offer peace, relief, and foster a more meaningful relationship with Him? Well, it's time to lift the veil and immerse ourselves in the exploration of these divine attributes. So, get ready for a transformative experience that not only deepens your understanding of God but also inspires you to reflect His unconditional love, perfect wisdom, and boundless forgiveness in your own life. Visit Faithfullyliven YouTube channel for additional resources to support your Bible study.
Want to read more about the character of God? Check out theses resources
The Attributes of God: A Journey into the Father’s Heart, vol. 1 & 2 by A. W. Tozer
The Nature of God by A.W. Pink
Systematic Theology 2nd edition by Wayne Grudem
Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson
Do you want to learn how to study the Bible? Check out the YouTube channel Faithfullyliven youtube.com/@faithfullyliven
Do you want to read about how to live faithfully? Check out the blog http://lyfe102.org
Welcome to Faithfully Living, the podcast where we learn how to live for Christ in our daily lives. I am Dawn, your host, and I would like to invite you on a journey with me to explore and learn how to be a faithful follower of Christ. Over the next few episodes, we will be talking about the attributes of God. Over the last year or so, I've been studying and writing about the attributes of God on my blog. There's a link to the blog in the show notes for you to check out. I have to say that learning about the attributes of God has increased my faith and trust in Him. Before we dive into this subject, let's take a moment to define our terms.
Speaker 1:
In theology, attributes refer to the qualities or attributes of God and helps us to understand His nature and essence. We are talking about the characteristics that tell us who he is. The attributes of God are permanent and can't be gained or lost. We will never know His nature completely or exhaustively, or understand what we do know completely. We will only know what he has revealed to us about Himself in Scripture. There will always be an element of mystery about the nature of God. These attributes are broadly divided into two categories the incomunable attributes and the communicable attributes of God.
Speaker 1:
So I think I should address the question why is it important to learn about the attributes of God? The answer would be learning the attributes of God helps us to know God better. This might be a poor example, but I want to say it's like a new friend. When you're getting to know someone, you have to spend time with them, and the more time you spend with them, the more you get to know about them. You find out their likes and dislikes. You find out if they're kind, are they giving person, are they dependable if you need help. It's similar to learning about the attributes and character of God. We know who he is and how he works, like I said, to a degree. Like I said earlier, we'll never fully understand God. We learn that we can rest in Him and His character. We find out about who God is from the Bible. When you're reading and studying the Bible, it's important to look for the character of God in the narratives, portrait and prophecies. The Bible is a book about God, so it can tell us about the character of God.
Speaker 1:
Let's explore the incommunable attributes of God. These are qualities that are unique to God and can't be shared or communicated to humans or any other beings. They are unique to God. They could also be called the essential attributes of God, essential to who God is, and that they are beyond our comprehension. These are attributes, are characteristics of God that make God God. Here are some examples of incommunable attributes.
Speaker 1:
God is infinite, meaning no end. There is no bound or limitation to His greatness, knowledge, love and mercy. It's not limited by time or space. God is eternal. He exists outside of time. Unlike us humans who are bound by past, present and future, god is unchanging and exists in an eternal way.
Speaker 1:
God is self-existent, meaning he's independent. This is also called the assayate of God. This means he is self-sufficient and does not rely on anything or anyone for His existence. He is the source of life and being Immutable. That means God is unchanging in His character, nature and purposes. His faithfulness. He's faithful and consistent, providing a solid foundation for our trust and reliance on Him.
Speaker 1:
God is omnipresent. That means he's present everywhere simultaneously. His presence is not limited by space. He is fully present at every point in the universe. God is omniscient. That means all-knowing. God possesses Infinite knowledge and wisdom. He knows all things, including the past, present and future, and nothing is hidden from his understanding.
Speaker 1:
The potent means all powerful. God is all powerful, possessing unlimited divine power. He can't accomplish anything according to his will and purpose consistent with his nature. God is incomprehensible. God's nature is beyond human comprehension. While we can know him to a certain extent, his infinite nature remains a mystery that humbles us and our understanding, and it can't be measured. While these incommunable attributes may kind of seem distant and abstract, they offer us a glimpse into the awesomeness of God, and awesome is something that we should only attribute to God, because God is, beyond measure, the most awesome being in the whole universe. So this reminds us that we serve a God that is beyond our comprehension and that he is still mysterious to us and an intricate part of our faith journey.
Speaker 1:
Have you struggled with studying and understanding the Bible? Do you wish you could get some help? Well, go check out the Faithfully Living YouTube channel. There is a library of videos to help you learn how to study and understand the Bible better. There are videos on various topics, such as Bible study tools and how to use them, understand context and more. You can find a link to the channel in the show notes. Happy studying.
Speaker 1:
Now let's dive into the communicable attributes of God. These are qualities that, to some extent, can be reflected in humanity, because we are created in the image of God. They emphasize our capacity to relate to God on a personal level. These are attributes that we, as humans, can strive to embody in our lives as we seek to reflect Christ in our lives. Here are some examples.
Speaker 1:
God is love. God's love is unconditional and sacrificial. It serves as a model for human love and inspiring us to love others unselfishly. Next, we have wisdom. God possesses perfect wisdom. We can seek his guidance to make wise decisions in our lives and gain insight into the complexities of the world. God is holy. He is eternally separated from sin. As embers bearers, we are called to live purely and righteously in our lives.
Speaker 1:
God is mercy. God's mercy is his willingness to forgive us of our forgive us of our sins and to show compassion to those who seek him. We are encouraged, as believers, to extend mercy and compassion to others. God is just. His justice is perfect and fair. We're called to seek justice and righteousness in our interactions with others and within society. God is patient. God's patience is enduring and even in the face of our sharpcomings, god still remains patient with us. So we are to learn to be patient and long-suffering in our relationship with others. Faithful God is completely faithful and true to his promises. We should be encouraged to be faithful in our commitment and trustworthy with our relationships. Goodness God is goodness, is pure and untamed. We are called to reflect his goodness by doing good deeds and being a source of doing good to those that are around us. Forgiveness, God is God's. Forgiveness is boundless. We're encouraged to forgive others as God forgives us, releasing grudges and fostering reconciliation with those people around us.
Speaker 1:
It's important to note that these communicable attributes can be mirrored in our human experience, but we as humans are still limited and finite compared to God's perfect qualities. Because God perfectly displays these qualities even in our imperfections. We can only try to imitate those. So our attempts to embody these attributes are partially reflection of his divine nature, even though we are not divine. One aspect of the attributes of God is that we will never fully understand God. We should be grateful.
Speaker 1:
God has shown us in his word, glimpses of himself. When we learn to know about the attributes of God, it can provide us with a sense of relief and peace. We have nothing to fear when we place our faith and hope in him. So, as I wrap up this episode, I want to encourage you to reflect on these attributes and how they shape our understanding of God. They challenge us to embrace humility, find solace in this unchanging nature and to seek him with our whole hearts, to live faithfully for him in every corner of our lives. Remember God is always good and he's always faithful. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Do me a favor by following the podcast and leaving a review to help spread the word. I look forward to hearing from you.