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In this message we shall conclude our study of God’s attributes.
In Romans 15:5 God is called the God of encouragement. 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.” Encouragement, as an attribute of God, is slightly different from comfort and consolation. The Greek word rendered encouragement in 2 Corinthians 1:3 has the sense of cheered. Encouragement is related to hope. If we have hope, we shall have encouragement.
Paul experienced God as the God of all encouragement. In 2 Corinthians 1:4 he testifies that the God of encouragement “encourages us in all our affliction, that we may be able to encourage those who are in every affliction through the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.” First we need to experience the encouragement of God. Then we shall be able to encourage others with the encouragement we have experienced of God. Hence, we are encouraged so that we may be able to encourage others. This requires experience.
The New Testament reveals the divine attribute of kindness. Romans 2:4 says, “Do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 11:22, speaking of the kindness of God and His severity, emphasizes the attribute of God’s kindness. Furthermore, Ephesians 2:7 declares, “That He might display in the ages which are coming the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Kindness is a benevolent goodness which issues out of mercy and love. It is in such kindness that the grace of God is given to us. Titus 3:4-5 says, “When the kindness and love to man of our Savior God appeared,…He saved us.” It is the kindness and love of our Savior God that has saved us and made us different from others.
Regarding the way God deals with sinners, Romans 2:4 refers to His excellent attribute of forbearance. God forbears with fallen man for a purpose. His purpose in showing forbearance is to accomplish His economy. If God did not show forbearance to man, there would be no way for God to fulfill His purpose of accomplishing His economy.
The Bible reveals that in His economy God has exercised great forbearance. Immediately after the fall of man, God began to show forbearance in His dealings with man. If you read Genesis 3 from the viewpoint of forbearance, you will see how forbearing God was with fallen man. God exercised His understanding, fully realizing man’s situation and need. God also exercised His wisdom to deal with fallen man.
For the accomplishment of His eternal purpose, for the carrying out of His economy, God has always exercised forbearance. With His forbearance, it is full of understanding, wisdom, patience, consideration, sympathy, mercy, kindness, love, and grace. Even the rich supply of life is included in God’s forbearance. God never commands us to do anything without considering our need and granting us His supply. God’s forbearance always includes His adequate supply to meet our need.
God dealt with different people in different ways. He dealt with Adam in one way, with Abel in another way, and with Cain in yet another way. In this we see God’s forbearance.
In the Scriptures there are different dispensations, different ways, God deals with man. These dispensations are actually related to forbearance. For God to deal with people in a particular way during a certain age is for Him to show forbearance.
God makes known His forbearance by dealing with us in a way that is reasonable, suitable, and considerate. God never disciplines anyone without proper consideration. He often waits a long period of time before chastising someone. God certainly is forbearing in dealing with us.
Romans 2:4 also speaks of God’s longsuffering. This also is a divine attribute. Longsuffering is something more than patience. It means to suffer long. “Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and it is associated with mercy” (Hogg and Vine).
In Romans 15:5 God is called the God of endurance. How shall we differentiate longsuffering and endurance? Longsuffering is patience toward the troubling persons, whereas endurance is patience toward the afflicting things. Toward us who give Him trouble, God has His longsuffering; toward the troubles we make, He has endurance. Both longsuffering and endurance are His attributes, which we, as His children should participate in toward people and environment.
Second Corinthians 11:2 says, “For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one Husband, to present a pure virgin to Christ.” Jealousy is usually regarded as a negative thing, but it is one of God’s attributes. The most jealous one in the universe is God. He is jealous whenever we love anything or anyone in place of Him. He wants us to love Him uniquely, singly, wholly.
The jealousy of God is like the jealousy of a husband over his wife. No husband could tolerate his wife’s loving another man besides him. Likewise, God is jealous over us. Jealousy, therefore, is one of His attributes.
Knowing that our God is jealous, we should let His jealousy be ours that we would care only for Him, love Him, and allow no one and nothing to replace Him in our hearts. Furthermore, our love for Him should be pure, our mind should be single, and our entire being should be focused on Him. As the jealous One, He cannot tolerate anyone who does not love Him solely and wholly.
Romans 11:22 shows that another attribute of God is severity: “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; on those who fell, severity; but on you the kindness of God, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” God has both kindness and severity. Although He is kind, He is also very severe. Both kindness and severity are divine attributes.
Impartiality is an attribute of God. Concerning this, Peter says in Acts 10:34, “I surely perceive that God is not a respecter of persons.” In Romans 2:11 Paul says, “There is no respect of persons with God.” Furthermore, in Ephesians 6:9 Paul says, “The masters, do the same things toward them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in the heavens, and there is no respect of persons with Him.” These verses also indicate that God is impartial.
First Timothy 6:16 declares that God “alone has immortality.” Literally, the Greek word for “immortality” is athanasia, which means deathlessness, denoting freedom from death. Only God possesses immortality in Himself; immortality is an essential element of His being.
Another of God’s attributes is immutability. For God to be immutable means that He is not changeable or variable. Regarding this attribute, James 1:17 says, “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variableness or shadow cast by turning.” The Greek word rendered “variableness” may also be translated “variation.” The Father is the Creator, the source, of the lights, of the heavenly luminaries. With Him there is no shadow cast by turning, as there is with the heavenly orbs in the moon turning its dark side to us, or in the sun being eclipsed by the moon, for He is not variable, not changeable. Because God is unchangeable, immutable, Hebrews 6:17 speaks of “the unchangeableness of His counsel.”
Another marvelous attribute of God is glory. Acts 7:2 says, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham.” Acts 7:55 says, “Looking intently into heaven, he [Stephen] saw the glory of God.” Glory is the expression of God, God expressed in splendor. God’s glory was a great attraction to Abraham, separating him from the world unto God. God’s glory was also a great encouragement and strength, enabling Abraham to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4).
Second Peter 1:3 says that God has called us to, or by, His own glory. Furthermore, 1 Peter 5:10 says that God has called us into His eternal glory. According to 2 Timothy 2:10, God’s salvation is with eternal glory. This indicates that eternal glory is the ultimate goal of God’s salvation (Rom. 8:21). God’s salvation leads us into His glory (Heb. 2:10).
In the Gospel of John we read that the Word, who was God, became flesh and tabernacled among us, and that we beheld His glory (John 1:1, 14). John 1:18 goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” There is glory in the declaration of God. When we see God, we see glory.
Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Man was made by God in His image in order that man may express Him for His glory. But man sinned. Now instead of expressing God, man expresses sin and his sinful self. Therefore, man is short of God’s glory. Nevertheless, we have been ordained for God’s glory and called to it (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Thes. 2:12). As believers, we are being transformed into this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) and shall be brought into it (Heb. 2:10). Eventually we shall be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 30) to bear the glory of God for God’s expression in the New Jerusalem.
Romans 9:23 says, “What if He should make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.” God created us as His vessels to contain Him and express Him. God makes known the riches of His glory upon us, His vessels, which He has prepared unto glory. We were predestinated by His sovereignty to be His containers, vessels of honor, to express what He is in glory. This will be fully revealed in the New Jerusalem.
An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God (Rev. 21:11), His expression. The entire city of New Jerusalem will bear the glory of God, which is God Himself shining out through the city. Actually, the glory of God will be the content of the New Jerusalem, for this city will be completely filled with His glory. This indicates that the city is a vessel to contain God and express Him. The glory of God is actually God Himself being manifested. The fact that the New Jerusalem is full of God’s glory means that God is manifested in this city. The church life today should also have God’s glory, manifesting and expressing Him in this marvelous divine attribute.
Revelation 4:9 says that the living creatures “give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits upon the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever.” Revelation 5:13 says, “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying: To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” These verses from Revelation indicate that honor is another attribute of God. Whereas glory — God Himself expressed — refers to a condition, honor refers to a high position, in particular to the dignity that is related to such a position.
Another attribute of God is majesty. Jude 25 says, “To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority before all time, and now, and unto all eternity. Amen.” Here majesty denotes greatness in honor. The fact that God has the attribute of majesty indicates that He is the greatest One with His dignity. We may also say that majesty is the totality of glory and honor. Because God has glory and honor, He also has majesty.
God not only has glory, honor, and majesty; He also has sovereignty. Sovereignty is also one of God’s attributes. He is sovereign. Sovereignty indicates God’s unlimited authority and power. God’s position is also unlimited. We are not able to say how high is God’s position. Likewise, we cannot measure God’s glory and majesty. As the sovereign One, there is no limit to His authority, power, and position.
Although the words “sovereign” or “sovereignty” are not used in Romans 9:20 and 21, these verses certainly refer to God’s sovereignty: “But, O man, who are you that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why did you make me thus? Or has not the potter authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor?” We all need to realize who we are. We are God’s creatures, and He is our Creator. As His creatures, we should not resist His purpose (v. 19) or answer back to Him, the Creator. This is the reason Paul asks, “Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why did you make me thus?” Paul then goes on to indicate that as the Potter God has authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. God is the Potter, and we are the clay. As the Potter, God is sovereign. He has authority over the clay. If He wills, He can make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. This does not depend on our choice — it depends on God’s sovereignty.
These verses from Romans 9 indicate that God has sovereignly created us to be His vessels, His containers, according to His predestination. Second Timothy 2:20 and 21 convey the same thought, saying that we are vessels unto honor. However, being vessels unto honor is not the result of our choice; it originates with God’s sovereignty. It is of God’s sovereignty that He makes His glory known by creating vessels of mercy to contain Himself. This is a deep word. God’s sovereignty is the basis of His selection. His selection depends on His sovereignty.
In Romans 9:22 Paul continues, “What if God, willing to show forth His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?” What should we say about this? We have nothing to say. God is the Potter, and He has the authority. Human beings are simply clay.
In Romans 9:23 and 24 Paul goes on to say, “And what if He should make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory, even us, whom He has also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the nations?” This depends on God’s sovereignty. God has the authority to make the ones He has selected and called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles, vessels of mercy to contain Him in order that His glory might be manifested. According to His sovereign authority, He has prepared us unto this glory. We were predestinated by His sovereignty to be His containers. This is the climax of our usefulness to God. This is the goal of God’s selection according to His sovereignty.
Jude 25 indicates that God has authority as one of His attributes. Authority is power in ruling. Regarding the divine attribute of authority, the Lord Jesus says in Luke 12:5, “I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this One.” God alone has the authority to cast one into Gehenna.
A policeman in uniform illustrates the difference between power and authority. Although the policeman may not have much strength, he has the authority to direct traffic. A boxer, on the contrary, may have much more strength than a policeman, but he does not have any authority. Authority is greater than power. God, of course, has both authority and power.
First Corinthians 1:24 speaks of God’s power, which is a crucial item of the divine attributes. “To those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom.” Christ crucified is God’s power. This power of God destroys Satan, judges the world, deals with sin, crucifies the fallen man, the flesh, the natural life, and the old creation, and annuls the ordinances. It is the power of crucifixion, the power of the wonderful death of Christ. This power not only deals with the negative things, but also carries out God’s plan. Whereas the divine wisdom is for God’s planning and purposing, the divine power is for carrying out what is planned and purposed by God.
Ephesians 1:19 says, “The surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength.” God’s power toward us is surpassingly great. It is according to the operation of the might of His strength. It is the power which God wrought in Christ (Eph. 1:20a). God’s power toward us is the same power which God wrought in Christ. First it has raised Christ from among the dead. This power has overcome death and Hades where the dead are held. Because of this power, death and Hades could not hold Christ (Acts 2:24).
Second, God’s great power which God wrought in Christ has seated Him at God’s right hand in the heavenlies far above all (Eph. 1:20b-21). God’s right hand, where Christ has been seated by the surpassingly great power of God, is the most honorable place, the place of supreme authority.
Third, God’s great power which God wrought in Christ has subjected all things under Christ’s feet (Eph. 1:22a). To seat Christ far above all is one thing; to subject all things under His feet is another. The former is Christ’s transcendency; the latter is the subjection of all things to Him.
Fourth, God’s great power which God wrought in Christ gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church (Eph. l:22b). The headship of Christ over all things is a gift from God to Him. It was by God’s great power that Christ received the headship in the universe.
In these verses God’s great power which God wrought in Christ, is revealed in four aspects: resurrection power, transcending power, subjecting power, and heading-up power. This fourfold power is to the church. The phrase “to the church” in verse 22 implies a transmission. Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained is now being transmitted to the church, His Body.
Actually, God’s great power which He wrought in Christ is the Triune God, who has passed through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, and who has been installed in us as the all-inclusive power. The Apostle Paul prayed that we may have a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know the surpassing greatness of this divine power. Surely we need to pray the same prayer!
Ephesians 1:19 speaks of the might of God’s strength, and Revelation 5:12 also refers to it. God has the attribute of strength as well as power. Inherently God has strength. According to M. R. Vincent, the Greek word ischuos for strength in Ephesians 1:19 and Revelation 5:12 denotes indwelling strength. It is intrinsic, not outward.
Finally, God has the attribute of might. Ephesians 1:19 speaks of “the might of His strength.” Revelation 1:6 declares, “To Him be the glory and the might forever and ever.” In Revelation 5:13 all the creatures say, “To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” Jude 25 ascribes might to God, and 1 Timothy 6:16 says that to Him should be “honor and eternal might.” The Greek word for “might” (kratos) denotes manifested power. Strength is greater than might, power is greater than strength, authority is greater than power, and sovereignty is greater than authority. Our God has might, strength, power, authority, and sovereignty. All these are His attributes.
In these messages we have seen the many aspects of what God is in His person. We have also considered God’s attributes. This God is now dispensing Himself into us. This means that God with all that He is and with all that He has is being dispensed into us. The more we are under God’s dispensing, the more the divine attributes are infused into our being. While God is dispensing Himself into us, He is dispensing all that He is and has.
Let us quickly review the divine attributes: life, love, light, riches, fullness, holiness, righteousness, wisdom, prudence, faithfulness, truthfulness, simplicity, sincerity, goodness, mercy, compassion, grace, peace, joy, hope, encouragement, kindness, forbearance, longsuffering, endurance, jealousy, severity, impartiality, immortality, immutability, glory, honor, majesty, sovereignty, authority, power, strength, and might. How wonderful that these attributes are being dispensed into us! As we remain under God’s dispensing day by day, His attributes will be dispensed and infused into us. After God’s attributes have been dispensed and infused into us, they will all become our virtues.
