The Bible reveals much about the character of God. Some key aspects of God’s character include:
God is holy
God is perfectly holy and righteous (1 Samuel 2:2; Revelation 4:8). He is separate from sin and incapable of doing anything wicked or unjust (Deuteronomy 32:4). God’s holiness is the defining aspect of His character and the basis for all His other attributes. His holiness encompasses His perfect righteousness, justice, goodness, and truth.
God is just
The Bible declares that the Lord is just in all His ways (Deuteronomy 32:4). He is the perfect judge who sees all and will judge righteously (Genesis 18:25; Psalm 96:13). God’s justice flows from His holiness. He hates sin and will punish it, yet He tempers justice with mercy through the atoning sacrifice of His Son on the cross for sinners.
God is loving
God’s love is a key aspect of who He is (1 John 4:8). The very nature of God is love. His love is unconditional, unending, and undeserved. God loves people not because of who they are, but because of who He is. His love is sacrificial and seeks the highest good of others (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
God is merciful
Though God hates sin, He delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18). His grace and compassion are enduring and unlimited toward those who turn to Him (Psalm 103:8-14). He is slow to anger and quick to forgive (Psalm 86:5). God’s mercy triumphs over judgment for those who are in Christ Jesus (James 2:13).
God is faithful
God keeps all His promises and is faithful even when people are not (2 Timothy 2:13). He is trustworthy, steadfast, and true to His Word (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 33:4). God will never fail or forsake those who belong to Him (Hebrews 13:5). His faithfulness extends to future generations who follow Him (Psalm 119:90).
God is good
God is the embodiment of perfect goodness (Psalm 119:68). Everything God does flows from His goodness. His intentions and character are purely good. God is kind, compassionate, caring, slow to anger, and full of grace and truth (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 86:5). He loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 33:5).
God is truth
God is truth and the source of all truth (Deuteronomy 32:4; John 14:6). He is the God of truth who cannot lie, deny Himself, or deviate from His Word (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). God’s truth is evident in His faithfulness, reliability, and the eternal accuracy of His Word. His truth endures forever (Psalm 117:2).
God is sovereign
God reigns over everything and His will is supreme (Psalm 115:3). Nothing happens outside His sovereign will and control. God works all things after the counsel of His own purpose to fulfill His divine plans (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11). His sovereignty does not diminish human responsibility.
God is unchanging
God is unchanging and eternal. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His character, purposes, and promises do not change. God will be forever who He has revealed Himself to be. His attributes are steadfast and reliable (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).
God is all-powerful
God possesses all power – He is omnipotent (Jeremiah 32:17). Nothing is too difficult for the Lord (Genesis 18:14). God’s power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
God is present everywhere
God is omnipresent – He is present everywhere at all times (Psalm 139:7-12). His presence fills both heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24). Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight (Hebrews 4:13). He is with His people always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
God is all-knowing
God is omniscient. He fully knows the past, present, and future (Psalm 139:4). God’s understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:5). He knows everything that occurs in heaven and earth. Nothing takes Him by surprise. His knowledge includes all actual and possible events.
God is self-existent
God exists in and of Himself. He relies on nothing else for life or existence (Exodus 3:14). God has no beginning and no end. He is the source of all life and being. Everything else that exists does so through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16-17).
God is self-sufficient
God has no needs and depends on no one for anything (Acts 17:25). He does not require anything from creation in order to exist, be satisfied, or complete His purposes. God is entirely self-sufficient. His self-sufficiency enables Him to fulfill His promises.
God is gracious
God delights in demonstrating grace and extending mercy (Exodus 34:6; 1 Peter 5:10). His gracious kindness is freely given to those who don’t deserve it. God saved us by His grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). His grace equips us to serve Him and do His will.
God is patient
God is extraordinarily patient and longsuffering towards people (2 Peter 3:9). He gives people time and opportunity to repent, though He would be just in punishing sin immediately. God’s patience should lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He waits patiently for wayward sinners to return to Him.
God is jealous
God declares that His name is Jealous and He is a jealous God who demands exclusive devotion (Exodus 34:14). As our Creator and Redeemer, God alone deserves worship and service from the beings He has made. His jealousy is holy and pure.
God is wrathful
In His holiness, God hates sin (Psalm 5:4-6). He intensely detests all that is evil, unjust, and corrupt. God’s wrath is His righteous anger and punishment of sin (Romans 1:18). But in love, He sent His Son to propitiate His wrath (1 John 4:10). His wrath is measured, controlled, and always justified.
These are some of the primary attributes that describe God’s character revealed in Scripture. We see that God’s character is a beautiful, harmonious, perfect blend of justice and mercy, holiness and compassion, righteousness and love. As we gain a deeper knowledge of God’s attributes, we gain a clearer understanding of who He is.
God is personal and relational
Though God is infinite, eternal and all-powerful, He is not detached or unfeeling. The Bible shows God has personality and engages in personal relationships. God is portrayed as a Shepherd who tenderly cares for His sheep (Psalm 23:1). He comforts His people as a mother comforts her child (Isaiah 66:13). Believers are called God’s friends (John 15:15). God welcomes us to converse with Him through prayer and commune with Him.
God is knowable yet mysterious
While God has revealed His character sufficiently for us to know Him, He remains far above human understanding and we cannot fully comprehend His greatness. We cannot define or grasp the full extent of His attributes. God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). There is mystery and inscrutability to God’s being.
God is eternal
God declares “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8). He has no beginning and no end. God has always existed and will exist forever. He transcends time and lives outside the bounds of space and matter. God does not change or age. He is the eternal, immortal God.
God is spirit
Scripture says “God is spirit” (John 4:24). He is an immaterial, invisible being who is not confined by a physical body. God is alive, personal, self-aware, and morally perfect. He thinks, acts, speaks, sees, knows, and wills. Since God is spirit, He is not limited by time, space or material substance.
God is light
The Bible says God is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). He is perfectly holy with no trace of evil. God’s moral purity is likened to pure, bright light. As light exposes darkness and filth, God’s absolute moral purity exposes all sin, corruption and depravity.
God is glorious
Glory belongs inherently to God, who is majestic in splendor and surrounded by light (Psalm 104:1-2). His glory represents the radiant perfection of His divine essence and nature. The glory of God is His infinite beauty, excellence and worth. Creation testifies to God’s glory (Psalm 19:1).
God is our Father
Through Christ, God adopts believers as His children and becomes our intimate, loving Father (John 1:12). He retains His role as sovereign Creator while taking on new roles as our Provider, Protector, Discipler, and Advocate. God relates to us with the compassion and nurture of a perfect Father.
God calls people into relationship
Despite God being self-sufficient, He initiates a relationship with people through Christ and grants them eternal life (John 17:3). Having lovingly chosen us, God calls believers into fellowship with Himself and joint participation in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4). He invites us to become His treasured possession.
God cares about human problems
Though lofty and supreme, God is not indifferent to human needs and troubles. He is intimately concerned with the smallest details of our lives and feels compassion for our infirmities (Psalm 103:13-14). God invites us to cast all our cares upon Him, promising to sustain us (1 Peter 5:7).
God relates to individuals
Despite being infinite, God interacts with finite humans in a personal, individual way. He knows us each by name and distinguishes us from one another (John 10:3). God listens to us as individuals and is involved in the specific details of our lives. He values our personal relationship with Him.
God acts on our behalf
God works directly in human events and acts on behalf of those who love Him (Psalm 57:2-3). Throughout the Bible, we see God intervene miraculously and providentially on behalf of His people. He healed the sick, provided food in famine, and saved from danger. God acts for us today as well.
The Trinity displays God’s relational nature
God eternally exists in tri-personal relationship as Father, Son and Spirit – the Trinity. Even before creating mankind, God enjoyed perfect love and fellowship within the Godhead. This demonstrates the relational nature at the heart of His being. We are invited into fellowship with the Trinity.
God embodies perfect righteousness
God is intrinsically righteous in nature (Psalm 71:19). He defines what moral uprightness is. There is no unrighteousness in Him. God always acts in accordance with truth, justice and purity. His ways are right and all His works are faithful and honest.
God is the source of all life
God is self-existent, needing nothing to sustain His life. He is the Creator and source of all life and the fountainhead of all living beings and spirits (Psalm 36:9). Every creature derives existence from the one living and true God. He formed humanity from dust and breathed life into us.
God does not change
God’s character and purposes remain steadfast from eternity past to eternity future without variation or shifting (Malachi 3:6). He will be forever exactly who He declares Himself to be in Scripture. Any perceivable changes in God’s actions are due to changed circumstances, not His immutable nature.
God cares about morality
Since God is perfectly holy, He cares deeply about morality, ethics, justice and righteousness. His commands reflect His righteous moral standards which He expects people to pursue (Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:48). God instructs us thoroughly regarding how to live uprightly and justly.
God values human life
Human beings are created in God’s image to reflect His glory (Genesis 1:27). As our Maker, God cares deeply about human life and does not desire anyone to perish apart from Him (2 Peter 3:9). He bestows dignity, significance and worth on all people as those made to fellowship with Him.
God desires relationship
Scripture portrays God initiating relationship, desiring meaningful interaction with mankind through Christ (1 Timothy 2:5-6). God calls believers friends (James 2:23) and His children (1 John 3:1). He wants us to communicate with Him, trust Him and experience satisfying relationship with Him.
God values community
Since the Trinity models perfect community and fellowship, God highly values community among His people. Scripture says all believers are members of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27) called to build up and care for one another through Christ-like love in relationship.
God welcomes honesty
God invites His people to honestly express their feelings to Him, both positive and negative (Psalms 13, 42, 88). The Psalms model raw, unfiltered prayers of pain, doubt, fear and disillusionment directed to God. He can handle all our emotions. God values sincerity and authenticity.
God hears and responds
When His people pray according to His will, God promises to hear and answer (1 John 5:14-15). Even if He does not grant our specific requests, God responds with His loving presence and comforts, assures, and directs those who call on Him. He acts for the good of His own.
This overview provides a sampling of God’s attributes revealed in Scripture to help us know His character more intimately. In Christ, believers gain access to God and see His glory displayed (John 1:14). As we grow in understanding who He is, we are transformed to be more like Him.