the Attributes of God
1. Understanding God’s Attributes
God’s attributes are the essential characteristics of His divine nature, revealing His perfections and distinguishing Him from creation. They are not separate “parts” of God, but unified expressions of His indivisible and simple essence.
The church has often classified attributes in two broad ways:
Communicable attributes — qualities God shares in some measure with His creatures, such as love, justice, and truth.
Incommunicable attributes — qualities that belong to God alone, such as infinity, immutability, and omniscience.
These categories help us approach the mystery of God, though we must remember that human words can never fully capture His greatness. As Job 11:7 asks, “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?”
2. Why God’s Attributes Matter
Studying God’s attributes is not an abstract exercise but central to faith. They shape worship, discipleship, and mission:
Worship — Knowing God’s holiness leads us to revere Him rightly (Isaiah 6:3).
Discipleship — Recognizing God’s love and patience transforms how we love others (1 John 4:19).
Mission — Understanding God’s justice and mercy motivates the church to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom (Amos 5:24; Matthew 28:19).
God’s attributes are not merely ideas; they invite us into relationship with the living God who reveals Himself in Christ.
3. A Biblical List of God’s Attributes
Here are some of the essential attributes revealed in Scripture, often grouped into communicable and incommunicable qualities:
A. Incommunicable Attributes (what belongs to God alone)
Eternality: God exists without beginning or end, outside the limits of time. (Psalm 90:2; Revelation 1:8)
Self-existence: God depends on nothing outside Himself for life or being. (Exodus 3:14; John 5:26)
Immutability: God’s nature, character, and purposes never change. (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
Impassibility: God is not subject to change or passions as creatures are, yet He freely loves and shows compassion. (Acts 14:15; Hebrews 13:8)
Infinity: God’s being and perfections have no limits. (Job 11:7–9; Psalm 147:5)
Simplicity: God is not composed of parts; His attributes are perfectly unified in His essence. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 John 1:5)
Omnipotence: God has unlimited power to accomplish His will. (Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26)
Omniscience: God knows all things actual and possible, past, present, and future. (Psalm 139:1–4; 1 John 3:20)
Omnipresence: God is present everywhere in His fullness. (Psalm 139:7–10; Jeremiah 23:23–24)
Sovereignty: God rules over all creation with absolute authority. (Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35)
Immutability of Counsel: God’s purposes and promises are unchanging and certain. (Hebrews 6:17–18; Isaiah 46:10)
Incomprehensibility: God is truly knowable but never fully understood. (Job 11:7–9; Romans 11:33)
Self-sufficiency: God possesses all He needs and gives without lack. (Acts 17:24–25; Psalm 50:12)
B. Communicable Attributes (reflected in His people)
Holiness: God is utterly pure, set apart, and glorious in His being. (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15–16)
Righteousness: God always acts in perfect conformity to His moral standard. (Psalm 11:7; Romans 3:25–26)
Justice: God gives to each what is due, rewarding righteousness and punishing sin. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 2:6–8)
Truthfulness / Honesty: God is the source of all truth and cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2)
Faithfulness: God keeps every promise and never fails His people. (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Timothy 2:13)
Goodness: God is the highest good and the source of all that is good. (Psalm 34:8; Mark 10:18)
Mercy: God shows compassion to the helpless and withholds deserved judgment. (Exodus 34:6–7; Ephesians 2:4–5)
Grace: God gives unearned favor and blessing to the undeserving. (Ephesians 2:8–9; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
Love: God freely and sacrificially seeks the good of His creation. (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8–10)
Patience: God bears long with sinners, delaying judgment to allow repentance. (Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
Jealousy: God passionately protects His glory and His people’s worship. (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24)
Wrath: God’s holy response to sin is righteous anger and judgment. (Romans 1:18; Revelation 19:15)
Compassion: God feels and responds to the misery of His creatures. (Psalm 103:13–14; Lamentations 3:22–23)
Forgiveness: God cancels sin’s debt and restores fellowship through His mercy. (Psalm 103:10–12; 1 John 1:9)
Wisdom: God always chooses the best ends and the best means to them. (Proverbs 3:19; Romans 11:33)
Omnibenevolence: God’s perfect love defines what is truly good. (Psalm 145:9; 1 John 4:8)
Jealousy for Holiness: God guards His people’s purity and worship for Himself. (Ezekiel 36:23; James 4:5)
Mercy and Justice: God’s kindness and severity together display His perfect character. (Romans 11:22; Psalm 101:1)
C. Attributes of Glory and Majesty
Glory: God’s supreme worth and beauty are the radiance of His being. (Exodus 33:18–19; Isaiah 42:8)
Beauty: God’s perfection is inherently attractive and satisfies the heart. (Psalm 27:4; Psalm 50:2)
Blessedness: God is perfectly fulfilled, joyful, and content in Himself. (1 Timothy 1:11; 1 Timothy 6:15)
Majesty: God’s greatness inspires reverence and awe in creation. (Psalm 93:1; Jude 25)
Perfection: God lacks nothing and possesses every virtue fully. (Matthew 5:48; Psalm 18:30)
Light: God reveals truth, exposes sin, and gives life. (1 John 1:5; John 8:12)
Consuming Fire: God’s holiness is a purifying power that destroys evil. (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29)
D. Relational / Redemptive Attributes
Shepherd: God leads, protects, and provides for His people. (Psalm 23:1–4; John 10:11)
Redeemer: God delivers His people from bondage and restores them. (Isaiah 41:14; Galatians 3:13)
Savior: God rescues His people from sin, death, and judgment. (Luke 2:11; Titus 2:13)
Judge: God perfectly discerns right from wrong and renders justice. (Psalm 7:11; Acts 17:31)
Kingship: God reigns with authority over all nations and powers. (Psalm 47:7–8; Revelation 19:16)
Providence: God governs all events to accomplish His wise purposes. (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11)
Wisdom unto Salvation: God’s plan of redemption reveals the depth of His wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:21–24; Ephesians 3:10–11)
E. Attributes of God’s Being and Nature
Creator: God made all things from nothing for His glory. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3)
Sustainer: God upholds and governs every moment of creation’s existence. (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17)
Transcendence: God is exalted above and distinct from His creation. (Isaiah 55:8–9; 1 Kings 8:27)
Immanence: God is near and actively present with His creation. (Acts 17:27–28; Jeremiah 23:23)
Trinity: God is one essence in three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Spirituality: God is spirit, invisible, and not bound by physical form. (John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17)
Impeccability: God cannot sin and is eternally pure in every way. (Hebrews 6:18; 1 Peter 2:22)
These attributes are not a menu of options but facets of one perfect being. God is not partly holy and partly loving; He is fully holy, fully loving, fully just — all at once.
4. Communicable and Incommunicable Attributes
The distinction between communicable and incommunicable attributes helps us understand God’s relationship with creation.
Communicable: Love, justice, mercy, truth. Believers are called to reflect these qualities in their lives (Ephesians 5:1–2).
Incommunicable: Omniscience, eternity, infinity. These reveal God’s transcendence and set Him apart as the Creator.
This distinction underscores both God’s nearness and otherness. He is like us in that we reflect His image (Genesis 1:27), but unlike us in His divine perfections.
5. God’s Attributes and Divine Simplicity
It is important to emphasize that God’s attributes are not separate “parts” but expressions of His simple, unified essence. God is not a composite being who mixes love, power, and knowledge; He is one undivided God, wholly loving, wholly powerful, wholly wise.
This doctrine of divine simplicity safeguards God’s perfection. Were He divided into parts, He could change or be dependent on something outside Himself. But Scripture declares, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
6. The Gospel and God’s Attributes
The attributes of God converge most clearly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Holiness demands justice for sin.
Justice requires judgment against rebellion.
Love provides mercy through the cross.
Wisdom brings salvation in a way that magnifies both justice and grace.
Romans 3:26 summarizes this tension and resolution: God is “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” In Christ, we see the fullness of God’s attributes revealed and reconciled, pointing us toward the kingdom where His glory will be fully known.
7. Eschatological Fulfillment of God’s Attributes
The Bible teaches that God’s attributes will be fully displayed at the end of history:
His justice will be revealed in the final judgment (Revelation 20:12).
His mercy will be celebrated in the redeemed community (Ephesians 2:7).
His glory will fill the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:23).
Even now, believers anticipate this day by living in light of God’s character. The church embodies His holiness, justice, and love as a foretaste of the eternal kingdom.
Conclusion: Worshiping the God Without Gaps
God’s attributes remind us that He is complete, perfect, and without deficiency. Unlike humans, who change, forget, and fail, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
To study His attributes is to deepen awe, humility, and worship. They are not abstract qualities but perfections revealed in the face of Christ. Until the day when faith becomes sight, believers cling to the God who has no gaps — the eternal, holy, just, loving, and faithful One.
