God’s Character: What it means for our lives.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned some of God’s character. We know He is our Heavenly Father (Galatians 1:1) and Creator (Genesis 1:1) of us and our world, but who is He? I wanted to take the opportunity to go deeper into His character better understand our Creator.

He is good.

“No one is good – except God alone” is what Jesus says in Mark 10:18, and because He is good, all He created is good (1 Timothy 4:4), although it has been tainted by sin and human destruction.

God is good; therefore, His actions are designed to be good and for our benefit. When we seek Him, He blesses us (Psalm 34:8). He protects us from harm not intended for good because He cares for us (Genesis 50:20; Nahum 1:7).

He has given us everything we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). He wants us to know Him, which is why we have the Bible – a way to hear His voice but also to teach us (Psalm 25:8). To show us the examples of those who came before, those who failed but never gave up on the God who never gave up on them.

God, in His goodness, wants the best for us, and whatever happens, good or bad, God has control over and can use for His purposes (Romans 8:28).

He is Immutable

‘I, the Lord, do not change.’ (Malachi 3:6).

Because He never changes, we can trust in Him to keep the promises He made long ago. We can rely on Him.

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’ (James 1:17).

He is Holy

Set apart, unique; there is none like Him (1 Samuel 2:2). That is what holiness means. And God calls us to strive for holiness too.

‘Be holy for I am holy’ (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 1 Peter 1: 15-16).

The multiple verses saying this emphasises the importance of holiness in our lives. The only way we can be set apart is to be saved by Jesus (Romans 10:9).

He is Righteous and Just

Righteousness is defined as moral perfection. God is perfect in a way that no human can ever be. He demonstrated His righteousness through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus; Jesus took the punishment for sin, which is death, so that we could be free to one day reach Heaven (Romans 3:25-26).

The Lord is also just. He is fair and perfect in His judgment and treatment of His creation. We can trust in Him to always make the best choice for our lives and for others even if it seems unfair to us. Our own judgement cannot always be trusted.

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18).

He is Love

1 John 4:8 says, ‘Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love’. He is slow to anger, compassionate, gracious and merciful because of His love (Psalm 86:15, Nehemiah 9:31).

God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only son so that we could live with Him for eternity (John 3:16). He loves us not because of our righteous acts but because He is merciful (Titus 3:4-5), and His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).

We can wake up every day with the knowledge that we can begin again and make each day better than the last with God’s help.

He is Omnipresent

‘If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.’ (Psalm 139:8),

He is everywhere; we cannot escape God; many have tried and failed. Just look at Jonah! But it also means we are never alone, which is comforting.

‘Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’ (Hebrews 4:13).

He is Faithful

Without God calling out to us, we would not enter into a relationship with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, ‘The one who calls you is faithful’. He is so faithful that even when we lose faith, He remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). He will never abandon us; He only wants to be with us.

1 John 1:9 – ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’

He is Truth Incarnate

God can’t lie (Hebrews 6:18), so why should we doubt His Word? He is not human and has no sin, so why should He lie? (Numbers 23:19).

Isaiah 45:19 tells us that ‘the Lord speaks the truth and declares what is right’ and that ‘His Word is flawless’ (Psalm 12:6). He is both faithful and wise, and in His wisdom, He gives us understanding so we can discern truth from lies (1 John 5:20). Thanks to His knowledge we can find the evidence of the Bible for ourselves. Through His truth, the Bible declares that we are to be set apart and purified (John 17:17).

He is Eternal and Omniscient

He has seen the beginning of time and will see the end. All knowledge is in His grasp, which is as vast as His existence. Immortal, eternal. God created life, and all life flows through Him. Time means little to the one who exists outside of it. Yet inside of it, His timing is perfect.

In His infinite wisdom, He is patient with us and slow to anger (Exodus 34:6), knowing that we are sinful creatures and can take time to follow His instructions. The Lord is generous with time, not because He hesitates but for our benefit. 2 Peter 3:9-10 tells us He does not want anyone to die without first receiving the opportunity to repent and join Him. He desires to be with us as a Father (Psalm 68:5).

‘For the word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all that he does.’ (Psalm 33:4)

If you didn’t know much about God before, you certainly do now. Isn’t He amazing? He’s done so much for us, and I hope this post has encouraged you to make more time for Him. Until next time…

References

Got Questions (2022). What is the Character of God? Available at: What is the character of God? | GotQuestions.org [Accessed 30 April 2023]

Compelling Truth (2023) What is holiness according to the Bible? How can I be holy? Available at: What is holiness according to the Bible? How can I be holy? (compellingtruth.org) [Accessed 1 May 2023]