Appendix 1: Who Is God?

The nature of God is the basis of faith as we walk through life. If we do not know what God is like, it is impossible to trust him. As we study Abraham’s life, we understand that he obeyed because he believed in some of the attributes of God listed below. I encourage you to read the verses as you find qualities that you want to better understand and trust.

God’s Attributes—

Transcendent, Meaning That God Is Completely Other To Us, Nothing Like Us, And Majestic, Meaning That His Attributes Declare His Greatness And Call Us To Worship Him (Psalm 93:1-2; 145:5; 2 Peter 2:16). Thus He Is—

• Mysterious & Inscrutable: God is so beyond his creation that we can never fully understand him. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-34; 1 Corinthians 1:21)
• Eternal: God has always been and will always be. (Psalm 93:2; Jeremiah 10:10; Romans 1:23; 1 Timothy 6:16)
• Spirit: God is not human, nor does he have a body. He is neither male nor female. Jesus did become man in his incarnation. (John 4:23-24)
• Incarnate: Jesus, as God became flesh and blood as a man, without losing his deity—a great mystery! (John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:17-18)
• Triune. God is one in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (There is no verse that uses the word trinity for God, but the concept is there in the New Testament as Jesus is treated as God and yet distinct, as is the Spirit.) the concept of three in one has no parallel in nature. We believe it by faith, not because we can figure it out. (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Immutable or Unchanging: God does not change in his nature and person; thus, we can trust that he will continue to have the same characteristics that he has throughout the Bible. (1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19; James 1:17)
• All knowing or Omniscient: God knows everything. (Psalm 139:1-6)
• All powerful or Omnipotent: God’s names include God Almighty, and he is the Creator God. (Genesis 1-2; 14:19-22)
• Everywhere or Omnipresent: God is everywhere because he is spirit; yet he is not part of his creation but is set apart from it. (Psalm 139:7-12)
• Sovereign: He is God Most High, who rules over all. (Daniel 4:34-35)
• Holy: The word means set apart. God is totally set apart from us and from sin. (Revelation 4:6b-8)

Moral, And As His Followers We Are Called To Be Like Him Morally—

• Righteous and Just: God always does what is right and therefore judges perfectly. (Genesis 18:25; Daniel 4:35)
• Wise: Wisdom reveals the best path. (Job 9:4; 12:13; Daniel 2:20)
• Truthful: God does not lie. (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 31:5,108:4; Isaiah 65:16; John 17:17; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18)
• Faithful: God does what he says. (Psalm 36:5; Lamentations 3:23; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; Hebrews 10:23)
• Loving: (1 John 4:8-10, 16; John 3:16; Romans 5:8) Related to his love, he is compassionate, merciful, gracious, and slow to anger. (See Exodus 34:5-7.)