Blake Jennings

Grace Bible Church

“Who is my God?”

Introduction to the Attributes of God

Do we really know God as He is? If so, are those beliefs merely theoretical, or have they been allowed to change the way that we live, the way that we worship, our attitudes, decisions, and even our emotions? Our study of the attributes of God intends to bring not only greater illumination to our minds, but also to transform us more and more into the very image of the God whom we worship.

Our Goal this Summer

Ÿ Answer, “Who is my God?”

– Not “What should I believe about God?”

– But “What do I really believe about God?”

Ÿ Why bother?

1. It’s our greatest command (Mt 22:37-38)

2. It’s our greatest privilege (Phil 3:8)

3. It’s the foundation of all else in life

worldview, attitudes, behavior, relationships…

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him… one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

—Isaiah 6:1-5

Overview

Ÿ Attribute

– Definition: “a characteristic, quality or property which is intrinsic to its subject”

◦ Objective

◦ Not an action or choice

– Incommunicable: “does not share”

◦ Self-existence, immutability, omnipotence, etc.

– Communicable: “shares in a limited sense”

◦ Spirituality – life, personality

◦ Intellectual Attributes - wisdom, truth

◦ Moral Attributes – Goodness, love, grace, righteousness

◦ etc.

Guiding Principles

1. God is ultimately unfathomable

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable.

—Psalm 145:3

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

—Romans 11:33

Theological term: Transcendent

1. “to exist outside, beyond the material universe and so not limited by it”

2. “to be above or beyond all known categories of experience or language”

2. But He chose to reveal Himself to us

– Creation (Romans 1:20)

– His actions in history (Acts 14:16-17)

– His Word (Hebrews 1:1)

– His Son (Hebrews 1:2-3a)

Theological term: Immanent

“God condescends to be present in His creation and to experience relationships with His creatures.”

But to understand it … 1 Cor 2:10-16

Application

1. Reflect on past times of struggle

– How did you respond?

– What does this reveal about your conception of God?

2. Pray

– That God would unearth false conceptions about Him…

– …and correct them…

– …and transform you more fully into His image.