Names of God, con’t…His perfections and attributes.

          Last time we looked at the three primary names of God, Jehovah…Yahweh…Adonai. His character and perfections are recorded for us in Galatians 5:22-25. If you want to know what Christ was like…there it is; love, joy, peace, gentleness, patience, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. They are referred to as the Fruit of the Spirit and we are to be working toward the same character qualities in our lives. You will notice it is “fruit” of the Spirit, not “fruits.” Not plural but singular…we are to attain to ALL of them!

          This time let’s look at His attributes…He is SOLITARY, He as a Triune or three-part God, never had a beginning. Let that sink in for a moment! He always was and always will be. The Triune God had no need of any one else, He was fine as He was. But, at some point in “time”…(eternity is timeless)…they decided to create. There were angels before there were humans, they existed in Heaven with God. They wanted beings that they could fellowship with, love, care for and provide with a relationship with Them.  But make no mistake, He did not need us, He wanted us for Himself, to decide for themselves to love Him back and have full and complete harmony with Him.

          He is INFINITE. Always was, is, will be, with no time constraints. Can you think ahead to ‘forever?” I have no problem thinking backward to eternity past, but for some reason, I can’t think forward without thinking of “an end.” There is none when it comes to God and guess what? We too are eternal…if we know Christ as our personal Savior we will live with Him in the Heavenlies forever, John 14. If we have no personal relationship with Christ, we will live without Him eternally. Think about that, forever apart from God with no hope of change. Pretty ugly thought isn’t it!

          H is OMNISCIENT. He knows all there is to know about everything. Wow! And the best part, He is willing to share that knowledge with us. Now we will never “know it all…”but there is much He can teach us by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, if we are willing to let Him. When the Scripture says we “can have the mind of Christ,” I Corinthians 2:16, it means exactly that. We can learn by reading, thinking, praying, absorbing and applying the Scripture to our lives what God has for us to know. Can you imagine anything more glorious than being made capable of thinking as God thinks. One of my favorite verses is Colossians 1:9, “Enable me to see things from Your point of view.”

          He is SOVEREIGN. Do you remember Harry Truman’s famous plaque on his desk, “the buck stops here.?” Well It REALLY stops with God!!!! We may not realize it in this life, but it is true and in His time, all things will be the way He wants them. No one argues with the Queen of England…neither will they argue with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They may do as they please now, but a day is coming when that will no longer be an option. He will exercise His Sovereignty in full and set up His Kingdom.

          He is OMNIPRESENT. He is everywhere at the same time. How? I have no idea, but the Scripture says it is so, and that’s it for me. This is one of my favorites…He is IMMUTABLE….He never changes. If you think about that, it can be very reassuring. As He was long ago, He is today…and will be tomorrow and all the tomorrows. If He “tells” you something, He does not change His mind. He says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” Malachi 3:6. It also makes His promises more precious…He will do what He says…no matter what! He is HOLY. What is Holy? The very presence of God sanctifies and makes us holy, as we submit our will to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us…we take on His Holiness. Glory! He is GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL. I think we all know what these attributes are. Grace is an internal quality of kindness and gentleness,especially in the face of adversity. Mercy is a quality I dearly love…working with inmates for so many years, along with their wives and moms, mercy was called for many times and in large quantities. There are some criminal acts that are especially abhorrent to me…but not to God! He had to grant me the ability to tap into His mercy and show it in just the right proportions. There have been times when He has literally “blown me away” at His graciousness to me and enabling me to cope with difficult situations. He is JUST. This one fascinates me because I learned the difference between “fair” and “just.” God is not always fair…but He is always just. He cannot be any other way, it is pat of His character. At times I have asked Him about what I considered an unfair situation…through the Word, He showed me He is never wrong, He knows the hearts of people involved in the situation, and He knows the end from the beginning. I learned to rest in that knowledge. And I guess best of all, He is FAITHFUL…HE steadfast, an anchor…He is there…always and forever. He is an awesome God and I for one am glad He made us and loves us now and forever.