Search
In this message we shall continue to consider God’s attributes.
First Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” This word is a continuation of 1 Corinthians 1:8, strengthening the thought with the assurance of God’s faithfulness. In His faithfulness He will confirm the believers till the end, making them unreprovable in the day of the Lord’s return. In His faithfulness He has called us into the fellowship, the participation in His Son, and He will keep us in this participation and enjoyment in His fullness. His fullness is an assurance to us for this enjoyment.
First John 1:9 also reveals God’s faithfulness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous that He may forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is faithful in His word (1 John 1:10), the word of the truth of His gospel (Eph. 1:13), which tells us that He will forgive us our sins because of Christ (Acts 10:43). If we confess our sins, He, according to His word, forgives us, because He must be faithful in His word.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says, “No temptation has taken you except that which is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but will with the temptation make also the way out, that you may be able to endure it.” On the one hand, we should take heed not to be tempted, lest we fall. On the other hand, God in His faithfulness will not allow any temptation to befall us beyond what we are able to endure, but will always make a way out for us. This is a word of promise and encouragement.
First Thessalonians 5:23 and 24 say, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.” Here we see that the faithful God who has called us will also sanctify us wholly and preserve our entire being complete. This is Paul’s word of assurance to the believers concerning the faithfulness of God. Surely this divine faithfulness is a sweet attribute of God.
In addition to faithfulness, God has the attribute of truthfulness. In Romans 3:7 and 15:8 the word “truth” actually denotes truthfulness. Although truthfulness is very close to faithfulness, there is a difference between these two attributes of God. Faithfulness must have a basis, and the basis of faithfulness is truthfulness. The truthfulness, genuineness, trustworthiness, of God is a divine attribute in God’s dealing with us.
In 2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul speaks of the singleness, or simplicity, of God. Have you ever realized that God is simple? Simplicity is one of His attributes.
God is wise and almighty, but He is also single and very simple. When we talk to certain brothers, we find that they are extremely complicated. But our God is simple with us. Whenever we talk to Him, we find that He is not full of complications. When He says “white” or “black,” He means white or black, not gray.
No matter how God may feel about us at a particular time, He is always simple with us. Imagine what would happen to us if God were not simple and if He thought about us in a complicated way. Would you like God to consider your situation and examine you in a complicated way? None of us would be favored by God if He were to deal with us in this way. But because of God’s simplicity, His singleness, we have received unreserved blessing from Him all the time.
The source of confusion and division among Christians is the complications within the believers. If all Christians became simple, there would be no problems. The problems in a local church always come from complications. This was the situation among the Corinthians, to whom Paul wrote concerning his conducting himself in the simplicity of God. The simplicity of God is a divine attribute, an attribute of what God is in His faithfulness. To love and enjoy Christ in simplicity (2 Cor. 11:3) is to experience God in His attribute of simplicity.
In 2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul speaks not only of the simplicity of God but also of the sincerity of God. Sincerity follows simplicity and comes out of simplicity. A sincere person is always simple. I do not trust those who are complicated, because they are too clever. However, I can trust those who are simple, for I know that, being simple, they are sincere. When we have simplicity, singleness, we shall also have sincerity. Because Paul conducted himself in the simplicity of God, he was truly sincere, living in the divine attribute of sincerity.
In Luke 18:18 a “certain ruler” questioned the Lord Jesus, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One — God” (v. 19). This verse reveals that God, and only God, is good. Goodness is another attribute of God.
What does the word “good” mean in regard to God? In Greek it is agathos, describing “that which, being good in its character or constitution, is beneficial in its effect” (Vine). Thus it denotes something being essentially, absolutely, and consummately beneficial. God, being good, is essentially, absolutely, and consummately beneficial to man. His goodness, in this sense, is a beautiful item of His attributes.
Romans 9:16 says, “So then, it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God, the One who shows mercy.” Mercy is the most far reaching of God’s attributes. Mercy goes further than grace. God’s love does not reach as far as His grace, and His grace does not reach as far as His mercy. If I am in a good condition and my standing matches yours, and you give me a gift, that is grace. But if I am in a pitiful condition and my standing is far removed from yours, and you give me something, that is mercy. If I come to you as your dear friend, and you give me a gift, that is grace. However, if I am a poor, unclean beggar, unable to do anything for myself, and you give me a gift, that is mercy. This illustrates the fact that God’s mercy is more far reaching than His grace. Grace extends only to a situation that corresponds to it. But mercy goes much further, reaching into a situation that is poor and unworthy of grace. According to our natural condition, we were far removed from God, totally unworthy of His grace. We were eligible only to receive His mercy.
God’s mercy does not depend on man’s good condition. Rather, God’s mercy is shown in man’s pitiful condition. It reaches beyond His grace.
It is God’s mercy that has reached us. None of us was in a condition that corresponded to His grace. We were so poor and pitiful that there was the need for God’s mercy to extend to our fallen condition. God’s mercy has brought us into His grace. How we need to realize this and worship God for His mercy! Even now, after being saved and having shared in the riches of God’s life, we still, in some ways, are in a condition that needs God’s mercy to reach us. This is the reason Hebrews 4:16 says that first we need to obtain mercy, and then we can find grace for timely help. Oh, how much we need God’s mercy! We should treasure His mercy as much as we appreciate His grace. It is always God’s mercy that qualifies us to participate in His grace.
In Romans 9:16 Paul says that “it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God, the One who shows mercy.” Our concept is that the one who wills will gain what he wills to obtain and that the one who runs will gain what he runs after. If this were the case, then God’s selection would be according to our effort and labor. But it is not so. On the contrary, God’s selection is of God who shows mercy. We do not need to will or to run, for God has mercy on us. If we know God’s mercy, we shall not put our trust in our effort. Neither shall we be disappointed by our failures. The hope for our wretched condition is in God’s mercy.
Romans 11:32 says, “For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.” Man’s disobedience affords God’s mercy an opportunity, and God’s mercy brings man salvation. How marvelous is God’s mercy!
God’s mercy and His grace are both the expression of His love. When we are in a pitiful condition, His mercy reaches us and brings us into a state where He is able to favor us with His grace. Luke 15:20-24 says that when the father saw the prodigal son returning, he had compassion on him. This is the deeper mercy, an expression of the father’s affectionate love. Then the father clothed his son with the best robe and fed him with the fatted calf. This is grace, which also manifests the father’s love. God’s mercy reaches further than His grace, bridging the gap between us and God’s grace.
Often, because of our pitiful condition, we need to receive mercy before we can find grace. We come to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16) like beggars, in somewhat the same condition as was the prodigal son when he came to his father. A beggar, like the prodigal, needs mercy. When we come to the throne of grace, we may have the sense that we are pitiful and say, “Father, I am not worthy of anything.” But the Father may say, “You are unworthy, but I am merciful. My mercy reaches you and qualifies you to receive my favor. My mercy brings Me to you that I may clothe you with the best robe.” God’s mercy is always available to us.
If we would serve God in His New Testament economy, we need to know that it is wholly a matter of God’s sovereign mercy. Through many years of experience I have become strongly and deeply convinced that everything that happens to us is of God’s mercy. All is a matter of God’s mercy. The more we see this, the more we shall spontaneously bear our responsibility before the Lord. However, even the bearing of responsibility is of God’s mercy. Why is it that some believers are willing to bear their responsibility and that others are not? The answer lies in God’s mercy. In Romans 9:15 Paul quotes the Lord’s words, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” Because of God’s mercy we responded to the gospel when others did not respond, we received a word about Christ as life when others refused to receive it, and we took the way of the Lord’s recovery when others drew back from taking this way.
Regarding His recovery, God has mercy on whom He will have mercy. We are not in the Lord’s recovery because we are more intelligent than others or because we seek the Lord more than others do. Our being here is altogether due to the mercy of God. If you consider how the Lord brought you into the church life in the Lord’s recovery, you will worship Him for His mercy. Concerning the gospel, the ministry of life, and the church life, God has had mercy on us. How we must praise Him for His sovereign mercy, and worship Him for His mercy!
Ephesians 2:4 says, “God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us.” Here we see that God is rich in mercy because of His great love toward us. The object of love should be in a lovable condition, but the object of mercy is always in a pitiful situation. God’s mercy reaches us for His love. God loves us because we are the object of His selection. But we became pitiful by our fall, even dead in our offenses and sins. Therefore, we need God’s mercy to reach us. Because of His great love, God is rich in mercy to save us from our wretched position to a condition that is suitable for His love. This most far-reaching attribute of God should cause our heart to react to His love.
Romans 9:15 mentions both God’s mercy and His compassion: “He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all encouragement.” What is the difference between mercy and compassion? It is somewhat difficult to differentiate them. Although compassion is close to mercy, compassion is deeper, finer, and richer than mercy. Mercy is somewhat outward, but compassion is inward. Furthermore, compassion is more long lasting than mercy. Therefore, compassion is both deeper and longer lasting than mercy.
The Greek word for mercy, eleos, refers to the kind of response that is motivated by the wretched condition of the poor party. Mercy refers more to the action or manifestation in response to wretchedness. The Greek word for compassion in Romans 9:15 and 2 Corinthians 1:3 is oiktirmos. The basic root of this word refers to the inward organs of man which were believed to be the center of tender affections in man. Hence, this Greek word for compassion refers to the inward feeling that originates in the heart of the affectionate party. This feeling is not mild but deeply affectionate. Compassion, therefore, refers to the inward feeling that resides in the one who looks upon wretchedness. It is the deepest of words showing the inward affection of God for man in his pitiful condition.
With these definitions in view, we may consider Romans 9:15 again for a full contrast, translating the verse in this way: “I will display My kind act of mercy to whom I will display My kind act of mercy, and I will have the deepest feeling of compassion upon whom I will have the deepest feeling of compassion.” The former refers to God’s outward doing motivated by our wretched state; the latter refers to His inward affection originating in His loving essence. We all should appreciate such a sweeter affectionate attribute of God.
Ephesians 2:7 says, “That He might display in the ages which are coming the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul testifies, “But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” The grace of God is a matter of tremendous significance. It is important for us to find out the genuine and proper meaning of the grace of God in the New Testament. If we would understand what the grace of God is as revealed in the New Testament, we need a clear view of the New Testament as a whole.
When I was young, I was taught that grace means that we do nothing and that God does everything for us. According to this teaching, anything we do is work, not grace, but whatever God does for us is grace. However, according to the New Testament, grace is actually what God is to us for our enjoyment (John 1:16-17; 2 Cor. 12:9). Grace is actually God in Christ dispensed into our being for our enjoyment in our experience. Grace is mainly not the work God does for us; grace is the Triune God Himself dispensed into our being and experienced as our enjoyment. In brief, grace is the Triune God experienced and enjoyed by us. The New Testament reveals that grace is nothing less than God in Christ dispensed into our being for our enjoyment.
John 1:17 says that grace came through Jesus Christ. This indicates that grace is somewhat like a person. The personification of grace is God Himself. Paul realized this when he said, “Not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). For Paul, grace was a living person. In Paul this person became the very grace by which he labored. Therefore, grace is God Himself; it is what God is to us for our enjoyment. When God is enjoyed by us, that is grace. Grace is the very God in His Son Jesus Christ to be our portion so that we may enjoy all He is.
We need to emphasize the fact that grace is God as our enjoyment. When God becomes our portion for us to enjoy, that is grace. Do not consider grace as something less than God. Grace is nothing less than the Triune God enjoyed by us in a practical way as our portion. Concerning this definition of grace, the first stanza of Hymns 497 says:
Grace in its highest definition is God in the Son to be enjoyed by us; It is not only something done or giv’n, But God Himself, our portion glorious.
Grace is God not in doctrine, but in our experience, for grace is God in Christ with all He is for our enjoyment. This includes life, strength, comfort, rest, light, righteousness, holiness, power, and the other divine attributes. When we enjoy God and participate in Him, that is grace.
We have pointed out that in Ephesians 2:7 Paul indicates that God will “display in the ages which are coming the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” To display the riches of God’s grace is to exhibit them to the whole universe. The riches of God’s grace surpass every limit, for they are the riches of God Himself for our enjoyment. The riches of God’s grace will be publicly displayed for eternity.
In Ephesians 2:8 Paul goes on to say that we are saved by grace. In Ephesians grace denotes God dispensed into us. Therefore, to be saved by grace means to be saved by God dispensed into us in Christ. Most Christians, however, regard grace as a thing, not as a person. To them, grace is merely a gift freely given. According to this concept of grace, we were sinners who did not deserve God’s salvation, but God saved us freely by giving us His unmerited favor. This, however, is a superficial understanding of what it means to be saved by grace. Ephesians reveals that saving grace is God Himself in Christ wrought into our being. Hence, to be saved by grace actually means to be saved by the dispensing of the Triune God into us.
According to Ephesians, salvation is the transmission of God into us as grace. It was not a simple matter for God to be transmitted into us as grace. It was necessary for Him to be processed through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. By being processed in this way, He is now able to transmit Himself into us. When the processed God is transmitted into us, He becomes saving grace to us in our experience. This grace is not only amazing grace; it is abounding grace. Grace is the processed God transmitted into our being.
If you read Ephesians 1 and 2 with much prayer, you will see that God processed and transmitted into our being is the saving grace and the abounding grace. We have been saved by the transmission of this processed God. In His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, God has saved us by His grace. In the ages to come — in the millennium and eternity — God will display this grace publicly to the whole universe.
In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul speaks three times concerning grace. Twice he speaks of the grace of God, and once, of “His grace.” In this verse grace is the Triune God becoming life and everything to us. It was by this grace that Saul of Tarsus, the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15-16), became the foremost apostle, laboring more abundantly than all the apostles.
First Peter 4:10 speaks of the varied grace of God: “Each one according as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” The varied grace of God is the rich supply of life, which is the Triune God ministered to us in many aspects. As good stewards, by the gift we have received we should minister to the church and to the saints such grace, not mere doctrine.
In 1 Peter 5:10 we have a word concerning “the God of all grace.” In this verse “all grace” refers to the riches of the bountiful supply of the divine life in many aspects ministered to us in the many steps of the divine operation in God’s economy. The term “the God of all grace” is unique; it is found in the New Testament only in 1 Peter 5:10. Peter does not say merely that God is the God of grace; he says that God is the God of all grace. As believers, we should be encouraged by the fact that our God is the God of all grace. This divine grace is an outstanding attribute of our God who has favored us with it in Christ.
Another attribute of God is peace. The New Testament speaks about both the peace of God and the God of peace. Concerning the God of peace, Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Concerning the peace of God, Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God is actually God as peace, infused into us through our fellowship with Him by prayer, as the counterpoise of troubles and the antidote to anxiety (John 16:33). The God of peace mounts guards over our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus. He patrols before our hearts and thoughts in Christ.
The peace of God and the God of peace are one. When God is with us, peace is with us also. The genuine peace we enjoy is God Himself. The way to enjoy the God of peace is by praying to have fellowship with Him.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul says, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly.” Here we see that the God of peace is the Sanctifier. His sanctification brings in peace. When we are wholly sanctified by Him from within, we enjoy His peace in every way.
In our experience peace is a condition that results from grace, that issues from the enjoyment of God our Father. When we enjoy God as grace, we are in a condition that is full of rest and satisfaction. This is peace. Grace is a substance, whereas peace is a condition. The substance of grace is God Himself, and the condition of peace is that which issues out of our enjoyment of God as grace. We all can testify of the peace we have when we enjoy God as grace. We have the divine substance as our enjoyment, and we have the heavenly condition. This is the peace which we enjoy.
The fact that peace is the issue of grace is indicated by the way Paul greets the saints in Ephesians 1:2 and in other Epistles: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This peace results from the enjoyment of God as grace which is also an attribute of the God whom we enjoy in Christ.
Romans 15:13 says, “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace,” indicating that joy is one of God’s attributes. God is the God of enjoyment. In our experience, if we enjoy God as grace, we shall have peace, and if we have peace, we shall have joy.
Romans 15:13 speaks twice of hope which is also one of God’s attributes. “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.” God is the God of hope. When He fills us with joy and peace, we abound in hope. Those who are without joy and peace cannot have hope. But if we enjoy God as grace and thereby have peace and joy, we shall be full of hope.
