God As He Is

God as He Is

The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Exodus 34:6

I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

Ezekiel 22:31

He was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!

Psalm 78:38

There are some ice cream parlors where you can make your own flavor. You ask the person behind the counter to add a lot of fudge, a few nuts, perhaps a dash of cinnamon—and you have your own unique flavor.

Some people think God’s character is like that ice cream—a mixture of various qualities in various amounts, with more of some ingredients than others. Some think of him as mostly love with a little justice thrown in. Others might think of him as mostly a giver who also makes a few demands. But God is not a bunch of traits mixed together in varying amounts. While it’s true that some actions of God show certain characteristics more obviously, God’s whole being includes every one of his attributes. He is love. He is mercy. He is justice. He is truth. He is beauty. He is completely all of those things, and much more. Every attribute of God that we can find in the Bible is true of all of God, all the time. No single attribute is more important or more influential than all the others. His love is not more important than his justice. His righteousness does not take precedence over his patience. We have a hard time seeing God as he truly is in his completeness. Paul says, “All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Someday we’ll see and know God in the fullness of all that he is.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

How would you answer if someone asked you what God is like?

Which attributes of God do we usually emphasize?

Which attributes do we tend to ignore or pay less attention to?