Ch. 38 Memorize The Attributes Of God
We cannot know everything about God because He is infinite and we are finite. We can only know the things which He has chosen to reveal to us. This study is based upon what the Bible tells us about God’s nature.
If a person says they worship God, but they have a view of God based on their own opinion and not based on His Word then they are guilty of idolatry. For example, if a person says God will not send anyone to hell because God is love then that person is guilty of idolatry. They have a view of God based on who they want God to be and not who God is. Their view of God is in error. God is indeed love, but they are ignoring that God is also justice and He tells us He will judge sin and everyone who does not trust in Jesus Christ will be sent to hell.
It is important to have a correct view of God because it will bless you. If you memorize the true attributes of God, then you will get to know God better. You will worship the one true God and not an incorrect idolatrous view of God. You will draw closer to God, and He will draw closer to you. God has blessed me many times as I think about His true attributes. For example, when I am in bed trying to fall asleep, or waiting in a line up, or sitting in traffic, I can meditate on the attributes of God and worship Him in Truth. He blesses me as I prayerfully meditate on His true nature.
The House Memory System enables you to memorize a list of items and recite them forwards or backwards. House Memory involves picking a familiar room or office space and then in your mind imagining a memory-hook picture on each piece of furniture in the room. The picture triggers your memory for a key point, item, or word you would like to remember. For example, we can use the system to remember the attributes of God. To do this we will need to change intangibles into tangibles and use something called sound-alikes. Also, the more action and strangeness you can include in your memory-hook picture the more easily you will remember it; the better it will be written in your memory. For a more detailed explanation of the memory system, if you have not already done so, please read the chapter titled
Memorize the Names of The Books of The New Testament.
The Attributes
Trinity
The Trinity refers to the essence or nature of God. The Trinity is the concept that God is one God, and He exists as three eternal persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is distinct yet are one essence or nature. The Father loves the Son and loves the Spirit; the Son loves the Father and loves the Spirit; the Spirit loves the Father and loves the Son.
God wants a loving relationship with each of us. It comes from His very nature; He is a Trinity. Loving relationships are an expression of who He is at His core. It has been said that:
God is one what and three whos.
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
The Bible teaches the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is God:
Romans 1:7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Son is God:
Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son He says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.
The Holy Spirit is God:
Acts 5:3–4
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
4 “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
All three can be present and interacting:
Matthew 3:16–17
16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Self-existent
A self-existent being is a being which exists in and by itself i.e., its existence is independent of any other being or any other cause. It is a being which was not brought into being by someone else or something else.
There is no higher power than God.
John 17:5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Self-sufficient
A self-sufficient being is a being which can maintain oneself without the outside assistance of any kind.
God needs nothing from us; everything He gives us is an expression of His grace; we cannot earn it and He does not need to give it to us to satisfy any of His own needs because He has no needs.
John 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
Acts 17:25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
Spirit
Spirit is life which exists outside the physical realm. For example, it is a non-physical part of a born-again Christian.
God is not physical, yet He was willing to take on physical human flesh to die for our sins; Jesus is God in human flesh.
John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Infinite
Infinite means limitless or endless. For example, God is infinitely wise -- which means He has all human wisdom and beyond i.e. His wisdom is limitless or endless.
God is infinite, we are not. We are finite, we have limits.
1 Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!
Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
Eternal
Eternal means never-ending or everlasting. For example, God is from everlasting to everlasting; He was never created, and He will never come to an end.
We had a beginning, God did not. He existed before there was time, He created time and space.
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Unchanging
Something which does not change, it is constant and never varies. God is unchanging in His attributes.
For example, one of His attributes is goodness and one of His attributes is that He is unchanging therefore He will always be good i.e., there will never be any evil in God, ever. When I think of God’s unchanging attribute combined with any of His other attributes it gives me great assurance of my eternal salvation. For example, He has given me eternal salvation based on His infinite love, infinite grace, and infinite mercy; because He is unchanging in all of His attributes, I know He will never cancel my eternal salvation.
Malachi 3:6 “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Being
That which has conscious existence.
God is a being therefore He has conscious existence, and He is not an impersonal force like electricity or gravity.
There are many verses which testify that God is a conscious being.
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
Wisdom
The ability to take knowledge and apply good judgment and insight in a situation. Wisdom is the godly application of knowledge.
I can trust in God’s justice because He is infinitely wise and therefore will apply good judgment in all of His decisions.
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Omniscient (all knowing)
Awareness of all facts, all information, and all skills.
God is aware of all facts, all information, and all skills.
Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
Isaiah 46:9–10
9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
1 John 3:20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Omnipotent (all powerful)
One who has all power.
God has all power. Any power we use was given to us by God.
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,
John 1:12 (KJV) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Holy
One who is worthy of total devotion because they are perfect in goodness and righteousness. Can also mean someone or something which is dedicated or set apart for service to God i.e., something set apart for a specific purpose.
God is perfect in goodness and righteousness; He has always been that way and He will always be that way, for evermore.
1 Samuel 2:2
“There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
Isaiah 6:3
And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
Transcendence
Existence or extending beyond the physical.
God existed for all eternity, and He created time and space therefore He exists outside of time and space; He transcends time and space.
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Justice
The fair and impartial choice to assign rewards or punishments.
God is infinitely just therefore I know all His judgments are completely fair and impartial.
Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.
Goodness
Holds the highest principles (fundamental truths) of right and wrong.
God is infinitely good and there is no evil in Him.
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 136:1
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Grace
The free and unearned support or gift of God.
G.R.A.C.E. =
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense.
Human salvation is an unearned gift from God; it is an expression of His infinite grace.
Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Truth
Being in perfect alignment with fact and reality.
God is infinitely truthful. There is no deception within God.
Psalm 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Omnipresent
Present in all places always.
God is always present in all places; He also transcends space and time and is eternally present everywhere outside time and space. Anywhere you go, God is already there and has always been there and always will be there.
Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
Psalm 139:7–10
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol [Hell], behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Faithful
One who keeps promises and remains loyal.
God keeps His promises and is loyal for eternity.
Lamentations 3:22–23
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Mercy
Compassion shown to an offender. God’s infinite mercy was expressed in the giving of His gift of salvation to condemned sinners.
Romans 9:15–16
15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Love
An intense feeling of deep affection arising out of family relationship or personal ties.
Those who are saved have become the children of God therefore God has a deep affection arising out of a family relationship.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:7–8
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Sovereign
One who possesses supreme power.
God is above all others; He holds power over all others. No one has power over God. God holds control over everyone and everything.
Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11–12
11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
12 “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.
To memorize the attributes of God, try the following suggested memory pictures which are an expansion and adaptation of the pictures first suggested by Graham Best.
Once you have memorized all the attributes of God you can recall them as you are waiting in a line up or sitting in a traffic jam or even when you are in bed trying to fall asleep.
As you recall each attribute, I suggest you contemplate some of His other attributes. For example, when you think about God’s goodness recall that He is infinite, therefore He is infinitely good. And recall that He is unchanging in His attributes, therefore He has always been infinitely good, and He will always be infinitely good. Think about what it means that He is infinitely good i.e., there is no evil in Him and since He is unchanging in His attributes there will never be any evil in Him. What a marvelous assurance of our salvation it is to realize that our infinitely good God has given us salvation and our infinitely faithful God will always keep His promises.