What Is The Character Of God In The Bible

Noah The Man Of Endurance

In Genesis chapter 6 God tells Noah of the flood that is coming to wipe out all of creation and that Noah needed to build an ark for his family, 2 of every kind of animal , 7 pairs of all clean animals and 7 pairs of the birds of the heavens. Heres the thing, Noah was over 500 years old when he had to build the ark. His sons helped him build it, but some suggest that it took at least 55 years to build it! That is a LOT of work! In those 55 years, Noah and his sons still needed to get the necessities for each day too Noah had to have been extremely exhausted by the time the ark was finished. He endured a 55 year minimum project to save his family and creation from the flood. He is a man of endurance!

Additional reading:How Did Noah Fit All the animals in the ark?

Development Of The Christian Canons

Development of the Old Testament canonDevelopment of the New Testament canonSt. Jerome in his StudyJeromeLatinVulgate

The Old Testament canon entered into Christian use in the Greek Septuagint translations and original books, and their differing lists of texts. In addition to the Septuagint, Christianity subsequently added various writings that would become the New Testament. Somewhat different lists of accepted works continued to develop in antiquity. In the 4th century a series of synods produced a list of texts equal to the 39, 46, 51, or 54-book canon of the Old Testament and to the 27-book canon of the New Testament that would be subsequently used to today, most notably the Synod of Hippo in 393 CE. Also c. 400, Jerome produced a definitive Latin edition of the Bible , the canon of which, at the insistence of the Pope, was in accord with the earlier Synods. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that this process effectively set the New Testament canon, although there are examples of other canonical lists in use after this time.

The New Testament writers assumed the inspiration of the Old Testament, probably earliest stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”.

Some denominations have additional canonical holy scriptures beyond the Bible, including the standard works of the Latter Day Saints movement and Divine Principle in the Unification Church.

Ethiopian Orthodox canon

To Worship In Spirit With The Right Heart Means To Be Zealous In Pursuing God

Listen to what God said through Jeremiah: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart . There must be zeal in worship. It is those and those alone who will find God and receive his blessing. They are like a deer who is desperate for water. It is those he rewards. The casual worshiper receives nothing from God. The Psalmist modeled acceptable worship when he prayed this: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? . True worship must be zealous .

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God Is Both Just And Justifier

God is a God of judgment, wrath, and vengeance. But these are not His only characteristics.

Yes, God is holy, righteous, and just. Therefore He is a God of judgment, wrath, and vengeance. But these are not His only characteristics. God the Father is clearly shown in both the Old and New Testaments as merciful, long-suffering, gracious, and compassionate. The very fact that He promised and planned for mankindâs redemption right after the Fall shows that He loved mankind. He chose to seek and offer us a means of salvation, even when we were His enemies. So God is both âjust and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesusâ . Perhaps the Psalmist said it best when he contemplated the full scope of the character of God: âMercy and truth have met together righteousness and peace have kissedâ .

Do you want to escape the judgment of God and instead be assured of His love and mercy? Then call upon His Son Jesus, the only means of salvation . The Bible says, âif you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be savedâ . If you would like to learn more, please read the good news.

Concepts To Understand And Apply

God is uncreated.

God is infinite in that He is all powerful, all knowing, all present, creator, eternal, and more.

God is a personal/relational being in that He is three distinct persons in one being .

God is sovereign and has ultimate control of history while taking into account the very real choices of people.

God is both transcendent and immanent .

God created people to be relational so that He could have relationship with them.

Worship is an appropriate response to God. There are many different ways to worship God corporately and privately. Worship should also be reflected in our lifestyle.

God invites people to talk to Him about their needs and concerns.

God longs to share things that are on His heart with his people.

Prayer in the name of Jesus makes a real difference.

The Holy Spirit speaks personally and clearly to people through a variety of ways . These personal words or instructions will always be consistent with the Bible and may be confirmed through others.

God pursues the lost and desires all to be saved through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God.

A general knowledge about God is available to all people through creation.

Gods specific revelation of Himself and His purposes are recorded in the Bible.

The Bible is Gods inspired and authoritative Word and is our primary standard for living.

The Bible is to be used in a way that strengthens our faith, renews our mind and informs us to be able to make right choices .

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To Worship In Spirit With The Right Heart Means That Our Worship Is Universal

That means everything we do can be worship. It is not localized. It is not only a Sunday thing or about being at church. First Corinthians 10:31 says: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Paul says our eating, our drinking, and whatever else we do should glorify God.

God The Father Chastens Those Whom He Loves

God the Father does not needlessly burden us, but He sometimes tries us that we may come out as refined gold. The prophet Jeremiah stated that God doesnât arbitrarily and capriciously afflict mankind:

Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

Sometimes we are afflicted because God wants to teach us valuable lessons from His Word, as the psalmist affirmed, âIt is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutesâ . Peter offered this comfort and hope:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faithâthe salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:5â9

This passage, as well as Hebrews 12:5â11, teaches that often the chastening of the Lord is to correct sin, refine our character, and produce in us patience, obedience, and righteousness.

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Farming Reveals Gods Character

Intercropping, the practice of growing more than one crop per field, allows the land to remain productive year after year. Here, Joseph and Genesita have planted potatoes and corn together.

When Joseph and Genesita joined FHs program on Farming Gods Way, they learned techniques like intercropping, mulching, and applying organic manure. We call it Gods Way because we learn from Gods Creation about how to care for the land. We study which techniques result in the highest yields year after year, while replenishing the land for long-term production.

Gods way of looking at the world, based on His character, is even more basic than Gods way of farming the land. Most importantly, by studying His glory, Trinity, love and goodness, we begin to understand how the world was meant to workand what we can do about it. These ideas form the foundation from which we pursue relief and development.

How does Gods character impact the way you see your own world?

Job The Man Of Perseverance

Job is probably my favorite character of the Bible. He persevered through some of the most dreadful circumstances. He lost all of his children, cattle, and servants at the same time! He persevered by worshipping the Lord! This probably would not be the first thing on my mind if my children were taken from me. Then he was struck with loathsome sores all over. He persevered by justly rebuking his wife for her blasphemy and by declaring that God is sovereign whether we receive good or bad. Then his 3 friends taunt him for what seems like an eternity and he still holds fast through it all. He was very strong and persevered through extremely difficult times. Through his faithfulness, God restored him much more than what he had before.

Additional reading:Job Bible Story Summary

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God Is Merciful He Is Infinitely Unchangeably Compassionate And Kind

I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” – Romans 9:15-16

As noted above, Gods mercy is inseparable from his justness. He is infinitely, unchangeably, unfailingly merciful forgiving, lovingly kind toward us. He is inexhaustibly, actively compassionate. His mercy is also undeserved by us. Spurgeon writes that, It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part, to the saving mercy of the Most High God. Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have justly merited the doom and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope of heaven. Because of our disobedient hearts, we deserve death. For all have sinned and fall short glory of God, and, the wages of sin is death. But because of mercy, we dont get what we deserve. Instead, because of the mercy of God, we get life through faith in Christ.

God Is Loving God Infinitely Unchangingly Loves Us

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. – 1 John 4:7-8

Love. The word staggers before its task of even describing the reality, writes R.C. Sproul in his book, Gods Love. As with all attributes, we can only begin to comprehend Gods love in light of his other attributes. The love of God is eternal, sovereign, unchanging, and infinite.

It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God, Tozer writes, that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. Self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. Free as He is, He has let His heart be bound to us forever. Gods love is active, drawing us to himself. His love is personal. He doesnt love humanity in some vague sense, he loves humans. He loves you and me. And his love for us knows no beginning and no end.

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God Is Compassionate And Gracious

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, Psalm 103:8.

Gods very character throughout His word is one of deep compassion and grace for His people. He is slow to anger, forgiving, and full of love. The word compassion means more than just being empathetic or kind to someone it goes much deeper. It literally means to suffer with. He knows every trouble and hard struggle we walk through. He understands the pain of loss, and He sees our hearts when we feel broken. God reaches out to us with the comfort and care of a loving Father. Its in His everlasting arms that were held secure. And one day, He promises to wipe away every tear.

The LORD is gracious and righteous our God is full of compassion,Psalm 116:5.

Paul The Man Against All Odds

Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a huge persecutor of Christians. He constantly threw them in jail or had them killed. Who would have ever thought that God would choose him to be one of the most influential writers of the Bible! He wrote 13 books of the New Testament! When Paul became a Christian, he did remarkable things for the kingdom. He was a church planter and mentor to Timothy. Honestly, there is someone in your life right now that you probably think has no chance to come to Christ. But, God is in the miracle business. If Saul can be converted, anyone can!

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What Do These People Have In Common

Have you noticed yet that all these characters have something in common? Theyre all in the Hall of Faith passage in Hebrews 11! Have you heard of this passage before? If not, you can read it with our free, online Bible.

So try that this week! Read a story, place yourself in the story, and ask yourself how youd respond in the situation. Would you respond the way the character did, or would you respond differently? Whatever you find out, pray to God and share your thoughts with Him honestly.

Answer Key

Archaeological And Historical Research

Biblical archaeology is the archaeology that relates to and sheds light upon the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures . It is used to help determine the lifestyle and practices of people living in biblical times. There are a wide range of interpretations in the field of biblical archaeology. One broad division includes biblical maximalism which generally takes the view that most of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible is based on history although it is presented through the religious viewpoint of its time. It is considered to be the opposite of biblical minimalism which considers the Bible to be a purely post-exilic composition. Even among those scholars who adhere to biblical minimalism, the Bible is a historical document containing first-hand information on the Hellenistic and Roman eras, and there is universal scholarly consensus that the events of the 6th century BCE Babylonian captivity have a basis in history.

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In Closing On What Does The Bible Say About The Characteristics Of God

Sweet friends, after reading the characteristics of God chosen, along with scripture references, I hope it gives you a glimpse of WHO God is. That said, I barely scraped the surface of our Heavenly Father.

I encourage you to study the Bible to learn more about Gods character. I sincerely pray the Holy Spirit opens your spiritual eyes as well ears to hear Gods voice to the truth of His character.

If you wanting to know how to Be a Godly Woman that demonstrates the characteristics of God I highly recommend you check out Brittany Ann of Equipping Godly women. Brittany has an amazing post about 3 Characteristics YOU MUST HAVE.

Check out her video below:

Guide To The Attributes Of God

• Wayne Grudem

Between the things God says and does, what other people say about him, and the life of Jesus, the Bible gives us numerous descriptions of Gods character. These passages are often sorted into attributes of God, a biblical framework we can use to talk about what God is like and how we know that. Exploring the attributes of God helps us prepare for evangelism, learn church doctrine, and most importantly, understand who God is.

There are several different methods for categorizing Gods attributes. This post will use the most common classification system, adapted from Wayne Grudems online systematic theology course.

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These Are The 7 Character Qualities Of A Person Who Is Close To God:

1.) He walks blamelessly and does what is right.

A person who is close to God tries to live a blameless life. A blameless person is a person who is innocent of wrong doing and who seeks to do what is right in the eyes of everyone, including God.

2.) He speaks truth in his heart.

A person who is close to God is sincere and true. They can be trusted. They are not a liar and if their heart was under a microscope, you would see that they are an honest person with integrity.

3.) He does not slander with his tongue.

A person who is close to God does not tell stories about others that would make them look bad, even if they are true. They know how to control their tongue.

4.) He does no evil to his neighbor or takes up a reproach against his friend.

A person who is close to God is kind to all who are near and does not listen to bad talk about their friends.

5.) In his eyes a vile person is despised and instead he honors those who fear the Lord.

A person who is close to God honors those with good character. They avoid those who talk behind other peoples backs. Instead, they seek out friendships with those who fear the Lord.

6.) He swears to his own hurt and does not change.

A person who is close to God keeps their promises, even when it hurts them or would cause them to suffer a loss. Their word is their bond and they do not change.

7.) He does not put out his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent.