How does the Bible describe God? part 2

Welcome again, my dear reader. This is part 2 of a series of seven articles that address the question, – how does the Bible describe God?’ So let us continue from where we stopped in the previous article.

8. The Bible describes God as a faithful God

The faithfulness of God implies that He is a God who keeps His promises. In the Bible, whatever God promised His servants, He delivered. Let us pick a few examples to elaborate on this point.

In the book of Genesis, God asked Abraham to depart from His native country and his people, for a land that He would show him. Abraham obliged, and we see God fulfilling His promise by settling the children of Israel in Canaan by the hand of Joshua (Joshua 1–24).

God promised His servant King David that he would never lack someone to sit on his throne after his death. This is because during his lifetime, David did what was right in the eyes of God and also intended to build Him a temple in Jerusalem. This is according to the book of 1 Kings 15:4-5, which says

Nevertheless, for David’s sake, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”

In fact, the Bible tells us Christ Jesus is a descendant of King David (Romans 1:13, 2 Timothy 2:8, Revelation 5:5).

In the books of Genesis 18 and 21, we see God promising Abraham a son, and nine months later, Isaac is born (Genesis 18:10; Genesis 21:1-3).

God promises Zacharias a son, and nine months later, John the Baptist is born (Luke 1:13–17, Luke 1:57–66).

In Deuteronomy 7:9, Moses speaks of God’s faithfulness in the following manner:

“Therefore know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep commandments;”

Therefore, as long as we walk in the ways of God as prescribed in the scriptures, He will always keep His side of that bargain.

To sum it up, the Bible tells us that the promises of God are sure for every believer. We read this in 2 Corinthians 1:20, which says

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Lesson for us: Given that God is a promise-keeper, we can fully trust Him to see us through our journey of faith. Therefore, we should hold on to His word despite the afflictions and suffering we go through in our lives. This point is well captured by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 when he says:

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. HE WHO CALLS YOU IS FAITHFUL, WHO ALSO WILL DO IT.”

Through His word, we learn that God has promised His people many things, including, DELIVERANCE (1 Corinthians 10:13), HEALING (Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 53:5), PROMOTION (Psalm 75:6-7), PROTECTION (Psalm 121:5-8), and PROVISION (Psalm 23:1; Psalm 34:9–10), to name but a few.

So let’s trust Him at all times, for He is faithful and will deliver.

9. The Bible describes God as a God of gods

This means that God reigns over all the gods of the earth. In other words, God is supreme over all the other gods. None of them can rival His power and might. This is according to Deuteronomy 10:17, which says

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”

This verse tells us that God is incorruptible and that His judgments are just, meaning without favoritism.

In Daniel 2:46–47, King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the supremacy of the God of heaven after He revealed the King’s dream and its interpretation to Daniel, His servant. The scripture says:

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrated before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.’”

The supremacy of God and His just nature are also captured in Psalm 82:1-2, which says

“God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?”

The term ‘gods’ first appears in Genesis 31:30 in relation to the story of Jacob and His uncle Laban. It so happened that Jacob decided to flee from Laban due to exploitation by the latter. While they fled, Rachel, Laban’s daughter and Jacob’s second wife, stole her father’s gods without the knowledge of Jacob. So, Laban decided to pursue Jacob in order to recover these gods. Genesis 31:30 says

“And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

In Genesis 35:2, we see Jacob instructing his household to ‘put away the foreign gods that were among them in order to serve the one true God’.

In Exodus 12:12, we see God telling Moses how He will pass through Egypt and strike the firstborns of both man and beast and then execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt.

In Exodus 18:11, the writer talks of God being greater and above all the other gods in this manner

“Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”

In short, God is more powerful than the gods of the people.

God commanded the children of Israel never to mention the names of the foreign gods or serve them. This is recorded in Exodus 23:24 as follows:

“You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.”

This tells you how seriously God takes the issue of serving other gods besides Him. This act is called idolatry, and God does not take it lightly. The punishment for this sin is destruction, which lasts for at least four generations (Deuteronomy 7:4).

Lesson for us: We should only worship the God of heaven because He is above all the other gods found in the universe. God proved His supremacy over the gods of other nations when He drove them out of the Land of Promise and settled His people there. In the time of war, God fought for His people and defeated all their enemies around them. Meaning, the gods of these nations were no match against the God of Israel.

We who believe in God, the creator of the universe, have been called to serve ONLY Him through Christ Jesus. However, when we choose to entertain other gods besides the one true God, our destruction will come swiftly.

On the other hand, if we commit to serving the God of heaven, whoever rises against us cannot prevail (Romans 8:31). This is because God will always fight for us to deliver us from the gods of the people (Deuteronomy 3:22).

10. The Bible describes God as a good God

This means that in God, no evil resides. His intentions and actions towards all of His creation have always been good.

The Book of Psalms, 145:9, talks about the goodness of God towards His creation in the following manner:

“The Lord IS GOOD TO ALL, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

Here, the Bible is very clear that God is good to everyone, implying all His creation. It is on account of His goodness that God ‘causes His sun to shine on both the good and the evil’. On the same account, ‘He sends rain to both the just and the unjust’ (Matthew 5:45).

More scriptures that talk about the goodness of God include the following:

Psalm 34:8

“Oh, taste and see that THE LORD IS GOOD; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.”

Psalm 100:5

“For THE Lord IS GOOD; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

Nahum 1:7

“The Lord IS GOOD, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him.”

Jeremiah 31:14

“I will satiate the souls of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.”

Lesson for us: As believers, the Bible encourages us to remain committed to God during good and bad times. This is because He is always working behind the scenes to ensure that it all ends well for His people. Therefore, when things seem to be working out for us, we should give thanks, and when things seem to be heading south, God is still good. In short, our circumstances do not change the ‘good’ nature of our God.  

This is what the Apostle Paul meant in Romans 8:28, when he penned the following words:

“And we know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.”

Therefore, no matter the afflictions or setbacks you are currently facing, the goodness of God will always ensure that all things work out for your good. The important thing is to ensure that you continue loving Him and walking in His ways.

11. The Bible describes God as a gracious God

God’s grace becomes evident when He embarks on a mission to save humanity from eternal condemnation caused by the fall of Adam. In the very beginning, we see God declaring to Satan that the Seed of the woman (Christ Jesus) would one day bruise the head of the serpent, meaning Satan’s government (Genesis 3:15).

The mission began when God gave the Law to Moses to be used for governing the children of Israel. However, the scriptures tell us that instead of bringing justification to men, the law brought condemnation. This is because, through the Law, man came to know sin (Romans 3:20). And, no matter how hard he tried to keep the Law, he always fell short of it. This is evident because of the many times Israel rebelled against the commandments of God. These events are recorded in the books of the Old Testament, from Exodus all the way to the Prophets.

For this reason, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the world in order to die for the sins of man. So now, man gets justified through faith in Christ and not by works of the law. Hence, through Christ’s crucifixion, His death on the cross, and His ultimate resurrection, God’s mission of saving humanity from eternal condemnation has been accomplished. These events are recorded in the books of the New Testament, from the Gospels all the way to Revelation.

Therefore, it is no longer by works of flesh but BY GRACE THAT WE ATTAIN JUSTIFICATION and acceptance by God (Ephesians 2:8–9).

In fact, for the gentiles, God’s grace is more significant as it has allowed them to be incorporated into the commonwealth of the people of God (Ephesians 2:12).

Consequently, gentile believers have become partakers of all the benefits, blessings, and privileges that God promised the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).

God’s grace is also evident in the gifts that the Holy Spirit unconditionally bestows on believers. In other words, it does not matter whether one is a Jew or gentile, slave or free, male or female, etc.; through grace, all believers are equally qualified to receive these gifts (1 Corinthians 12).

In the Old Testament, it was by God’s grace that those who took His people into captivity treated them with compassion. We read this in 2 Chronicles 30:9 as follows:

“For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; FOR THE LORD YOUR God IS GRACIOUS and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

Lesson for us: The grace of God is one of the greatest gifts available to mankind. By doing so, we have obtained forgiveness from God for all our sins, both past, present, and future. The important thing is to always ask for pardon whenever we sin. And through His mercies, God is gracious enough to forgive us and restore our relationship with Him.

Titus 2:11–13 tells us that by this grace we learn to denounce evil and walk in righteousness. This is what the scripture says

“For THE GRACE OF God THAT BRINGS SALVATION has appeared to all men, TEACHING US that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

12. The Bible describes God as Holy

The Bible tells us that God is holy, and as such, He calls upon His people to be holy. This is according to Leviticus 19:1-2, which says

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I THE LORD AM HOLY.’’”

The Apostle Peter voices similar sentiments in 1 Peter 1:13–16, which says

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT, because it is written, ‘BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”

A similar exhortation is repeated in Hebrews 12:14, which says

“Pursue peace with all people, and HOLINESS, WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD.”

This tells you that God places a very high premium on the issue of holiness. 

The holiness of God also implies that He is sinless, harmless, and undefiled. This is according to the book of Hebrews 7:26, which says

“For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED, SEPARATE FROM SINNERS, and has become higher than the heavens;”

The holiness of God is also associated with purity. From Habakkuk 1:12-13, we learn that God is so pure that He cannot gaze upon evil. This is what the scripture says

“Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. YOU ARE OF PURER EYES THAN TO BEHOLD EVIL AND CANNOT LOOK ON WICKEDNESS. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously and hold Your tongue when the wicked devour a person more righteous than he?”

Jesus stresses the importance of purity when He includes it among the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:8, which says

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they SHALL SEE God.”

This means that, as Christians, we should strive for purity by conducting our lives according to the instructions of the Word of God. This is why the Apostle Paul encourages believers to only speak words that will build up the lives of listeners. This is recorded in Ephesians 4:29, that says

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Lesson for us: As born-again Christians, God has called us to walk in holiness. This means that we should always ensure that our ways are pure and clean.

Remember, holiness is one of the important attributes God requires from a person before commissioning them. Here are two examples from the scriptures to help drive this point home.

Our first example comes from Exodus 3:1–5, which records the encounter between Moses and the burning bush in the wilderness of Mount Horeb. The Bible tells us that Moses drew closer in order to behold the site. It was at this point that God called out his name and asked him to ‘take off his sandals because the place he was standing upon was HOLY GROUND’.

The second example comes from Isaiah 6:1-6, which records the encounter Prophet Isaiah had with the Lord and the seraphim. The holiness surrounding the Lord’s throne was so overwhelming to the prophet that he became certain he would die. The Bible tells us that one of the seraphim flew to the altar and picked a hot coal from it using tongs. He then flew to where the prophet was and placed the hot coal on his lips. According to the Bible, this act effectively took away the prophet’s uncleanness or iniquity and purged his sin.

13. God is light

When the Bible says that God is light, it implies that in Him only righteousness exists. In other words, no evil resides in God, only that which is good (Ephesians 5:8–11).

In 1 John 1:5, the Bible tells us that God is light. This is what the scripture says

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

God and light are inseparable, and Psalm 104:1-2 captures this very well when it tells us that God covers Himself with light as with a garment. The scripture says:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, WHO COVER YOURSELF WITH LIGHT AS WITH A GARMENT, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.”

In the world we live in, light plays an important role in helping us to clearly see and perceive things.

For example, when cycling, driving, jogging, or walking on the road, you need light to illuminate the way to enable you to clearly see where you are going. If there is no light illuminating the path you are traveling, getting lost becomes inevitable.

Because God is light, the Bible tells us that no darkness can be found in Him. Therefore, as children of God, He does not expect us to engage in things that represent the Kingdom of darkness. The moment you believed in Him, you got transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, with Jesus Christ as the king (Colossians 1:13).

Lesson for us: When we surrender our lives to Christ, He becomes our light since He is in the Father, who is light. Therefore, we become children of God and should walk as such. Ephesians 5:8–11 is an exhortation that we can use to remind ourselves how to walk as the children of light. It says

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

14. The Bible describes God as the Lord of lords

The Bible tells us that God is the Lord of Lords. This is recorded in Deuteronomy 10:17 as follows:

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”

This means that God is Lord over all the lords found in the world. Who are these lords?

The lords being referred to in this verse are rulers who exercise authority over the kingdoms and dominions mentioned in Colossians 1:15–17. The scripture says:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Now, according to the Bible, all these lords are UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF God because He is the one who CREATED all of them. Which means God is SUPERIOR to all of them, no matter how powerful they are.

It is these lords that the Apostle Paul refers to in Ephesians 6:12 when he says:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

However, the Bible tells us that through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, all these lords were subdued. This is recorded in Colossians 2:15 as follows:

“Having disarmed PRINCIPALITIES and POWERS, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

That is why, while commissioning His disciples to go and preach the good news to the world, Christ told them that ALL AUTHORITY had been given to Him by God. We read this in Matthew 28:18, that says

“And Jesus came to them, saying, ‘ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Consequently, believers exercise this authority by invoking the name of Jesus Christ and the blood of the lamb, as recorded in Revelation 12:11, which says

“And they overcame him by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Lesson for us: God exercises authority over all the rulers of the earth, both visible and invisible. They are all subject to Him. This is the God we serve. Therefore, we should never be afraid of the powers of our enemies, as we have in us and with us the ruler of all the earth. Three favorite scriptures come to mind concerning God’s supremacy. Firstly, we have Isaiah 54:17, which says

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment You shall condemn.”

Secondly, there is Romans 8:31, which says

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

And last but not least, we have 1 John 4:4, that says

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Conclusion

This article is the second in a series of seven that discuss how the Bible describes God. To read the first article, click the link provided below. Through these articles, we seek to examine what the Bible says about the attributes, character, nature, and traits of God. The main goal of this article is to deepen the reader’s understanding of the topic under discussion. It also seeks to add to the already-existing body of knowledge about the attributes and nature of God. It is my sincere hope that you will find it helpful. Thank you, and God bless you.

Related Post: How does the Bible describe God? part 1

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Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

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Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/