What is the character of God the Father? We can get a glimpse through a brief Bible story, the story of Enoch.
Enoch was a good man. He followed God in everything and was a blessing to the people around him.
And then he had a son. And somehow, the birth of his son revolutionized his relationship with God in a way nothing else had done so before. By seeing how deeply he loved his son, he understood how deeply God loved him since God is the heavenly Father.
As a result, his experience with God became so much deeper, that God decided he was closer to heaven than to earth. And God took Enoch to heaven!
“Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years… and he was not, for God took him” (Gen 5:21-24).
I don’t know what your experience with your father has been. Maybe good. Maybe not so good. But even if it has not been so good, take a moment to imagine in your mind the ideal father. What would he be like? God is that much and so much more.
In this study we will look at 10 characteristics of God.
“God is love” (1 John 4:16).
Love is the most important attribute of the character of God the Father. Love is the motivation behind everything that He does. God’s love is self-less and unconditional. He loves every human being, even those who deny Him.
He loves every human being infinitely more than any human father could love his son or daughter.
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Everything we see around us and throughout the starry sky was created by God. As such, it belongs to Him.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2).
You can read more about Creation in the relevant study.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).
Holiness simply means that there is absolutely nothing impure in God. The character of God the Father is pure in everything.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone’” (James 1:13).
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works” (Psalm 145:17).
To be just means not to tolerate any form of injustice, or evil.
“For I, the Lord, love justice” (Isaiah 61:8).
“Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes” (2 Chronicles 19:7).
But then, why does He allow injustice in this world?
“For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
God tolerates injustice for the time being. But the time will come when He will bring everything and everyone to justice.
This means that we are all in trouble because no human is without sin.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
Yes, this is indeed the case. We are all sinners. But don’t worry, there is good news below!
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands” (Exodus 34:6).
Mercy means to show compassion or forgiveness to someone who does not deserve it or has not earned it. The character of God the Father is full of mercy. He delights to show mercy. His mercy flows directly from His character of love.
God’s love for sinful humans is so strong, that He does not want our sinfulness to separate us from Him. So He set in motion a plan to save everyone who wants to be saved, and to restore us to Himself, through Jesus Christ, His Son.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
You can read more about the plan of salvation in the relevant study.
“I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him” (John 8:26).
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
Because God is truth, everything He does is true, and He expects as much from His people.
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered” (Job 36:26).
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).
Because God is everlasting, He will give everlasting life to all who choose to belong to Him!
Omniscient means that He knows everything, even our innermost thoughts.
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-4).
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
Omnipotent means that God is all powerful. Omnipresent means that He is everywhere.
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14).
“’I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8).
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psalm 139:7-12).
God is an amazing God. Everything about Him is so wonderful. And He is our Father. Your Father. Do you want to get to know Him better?
Yes, I want to know God better and be part of His family.
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