What is God Like? 

“6 You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.” Nehemiah 9:6, NLT 

Everything in the universe was created by God’s hand (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3). This is not just the stars, the sun and the earth. This also includes you.  

“13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s  womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is  marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalm 139:13-14, NLT 

God is far too great for us to fully understand. He has no beginning and He has no end. But what is God like? 

The Bible reveals that God is:  

All-powerful 

“17 O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful  arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Jeremiah 32:17, NLT (see also Matthew 19:26; Ephesians  3:20) 

God’s power is without limit. But even more than this, God has the right to use that power in any  way He sees fit. This is what the Bible means when it says God is sovereign (Isa.40:10-29).  

Everywhere 

 “5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.  6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7 I can never   escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will   support me.” Psalm 139:5-10, NLT 

God is everywhere. His presence is not just limited to a church or cathedral. He is with you at home, at work, wherever you are.  

All-knowing 

“1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know  when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.” Psalm 139:1-4, NLT (read the whole Psalm;  also 1 John 3:20) 

God knows everything. His knowledge, like His power, is without limit.  

“13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his  eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” Hebrews 4:13, NLT 

God is absolute in knowledge, absolute in power and absolute in presence. But if God knows  everything, then He knows every sin I have committed. If He is everywhere, there is no place I can escape His hand. If He is all-powerful, He can judge and destroy me. If all we know is the attributes  of God, and know nothing of His nature, we have every reason to fear Him.  

“29 For our God is a devouring fire.” Hebrews 12:29, NLT

The Nature of God 

The Bible reveals two special parts to God’s character: 

God is holy 

“2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2, NLT (read also Isaiah 6:1-5) 

God is absolutely holy. This does not just mean that God cannot do evil. It also means that nothing  evil is allowed to enter into God’s holy presence (Exodus 33:20).  

God is love 

“16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone  who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, NLT (see also 1  John 4:10) 

God is not only perfect in holiness; He is also perfect in love. He is moved by compassion for His  creation (Psalm 145:17-18). He is a Person we can get to know (James 4:8).  

“16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love,  and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” 1 John 4:16, NLT 

A Balanced Nature 

“6 The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, ‘Yahweh! The LORD! The God of  compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.  7I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.  But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and  grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth  generations.’” Exodus 34:6-7, NLT 

It is important to see God’s whole nature, not just focus exclusively on one part. God is a God of  love, but He is also a God of holiness. He is a God of compassion, but He is also a God of justice  (read Jeremiah 9:23-24). When mankind sinned, God was faced with a problem. He loved us, but  His holiness demanded judgment be sentenced against us. He could not turn a blind eye to our sin.  

Immediately after mankind’s first sin in the Garden of Eden, this two-fold nature is seen by God  shedding the blood of an innocent animal (judgement) to cover the nakedness of Adam and his wife  (love/mercy). This event set in motion the sacrificial system of the innocent dying for the guilty, and  was a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross: 

“21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” Genesis  3:21, NLT 

In His wisdom, God eventually sent Jesus to die in our place. Instead of punishing us, as He has the right to, God took on Himself the punishment His holiness demanded. The Cross was where the love of God and the holiness of God met.  

“8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were  still sinners.” Romans 5:8, NLT (see also 1 John 3:1) 

Seeing the Unseen God 

God is unseen (1 Timothy 1:17), but He has revealed Himself in two special ways to mankind: 

In His creation 

“20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through  everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and  divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20, NLT 

Creation reveals the attributes and character of God. This is like a rough sketch of the image of God.  

In His Son 

“18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s  heart. He has revealed God to us.” John 1:18, NLT (see also Col.1:15). 

In Jesus, we see the nature of God expressed. He is the perfect image of God – not a rough sketch, but an exact likeness. In Christ, we see everything that God is – His love, His holiness, His wisdom  and His power – all in perfect balance.  

“6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our  hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2  Corinthians 4:6, NLT (see also Hebrews 1:3)