GOD’S ATTRIBUTES

Now that we have seen God is Spirit, a person and that He is the only true God let us
study about His attributes, meaning what He is like.
First, He is everywhere and anywhere. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I
shall not see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?” This is the proclamation of God
himself (Jer. 23:24).
Second, He knows everything. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the
evil and good.” (Prov. 15:3) This means that He knows everything about you,
everything that is in you. Every small thought that think you can hide in the
innermost place of your heart – God knows.

Third, there is nothing impossible with God. He is almighty Jesus, who is the Son of
God says that “with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26).
Fourth, God is eternal. He is not limited by time as we already have seen. He exist
from eternity. “before the mountains were brought forth, or even thou hadst formed
the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” (Ps.
90:2).

Fifth, God is unchanging. We are constantly changed by circumstances and

environments. But God is not. This is the statement of God “For I am the Lord, I
change not.” (Mal. 3:6).

Sixth, our God is holy. There is no sin or evil or corruption or untruth in him. Neither
can He appease with these or does He reconcile to those elements of the world. “the
way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, the thoughts of the wicked are an
abomination to the lord” (prov. 15:9,26). “Your sins have hid His face from you” (Isa
59:2). Because God cannot allow sin between you and Him for He is holy.
Seventh, God is righteous. This can find another expression God is just – meaning
impartial. His judgements are right and just Righteous art thou. O Lord, and upright
are thy judgement.” (Ps. 119:137).
Lastly, God is love. This is the most important characteristic of God as far as your
daily life and the practical implementation of Christian faith in your life is concerned.
When you know that God is almighty, holy, just and eternal it is easy to be afraid of
Him. Because you know that in you “dwelleth no good thing.”
But when you believe that God is also love – this awakening prompts our loyalty and
faithfulness to Him. He loves you so much that He let His only begotten son die in
your place for the remission of your sin.
He loved you before you were even born. He loves you now He will love you always.
Because He loves you. He cares for you. He wants you to bring to him all your
troubles and sorrows because He can and wants to provide comfort and solution.
Because God is love he wants to provide the best things in life for you. Because He
loves you He wants you to share your joy and happiness with Him. And because God
loves you he answers your prayers.
God’s love towards you is pure, unselfish and all-embracing. You do not deserve His
love. Your human nature is rebellious against Him. Left alone you’ll die in your sins.
God loves you not because you deserve it, or have done something to earn it but
because God is love.
When you know that someone loves you like that – you want to live according to His
wish and His pleasure. This is the right beginning of your spiritual life which you
found in Christ “For God is love” (1 john 4:8).
This is what our God is like. It is He who has saved you from your sins when you
accepted His son Jesus Christ, as your personal Saviour. And it is this God who
imparted to you the eternal life through Christ.

It is to this God whom you belong now because you are His child.
CHAPTER 3 MAN
This last chapter of the first lesson is the study about Man yourself. Here again the
final word must be found in the Bible not in your judgement, knowledge or liking.

First, let us briefly think about the age-old question. Where did man come from?
There are two views to this question. That of man, and then of God as recorded in
the Bible.
Man’s view says that you are a creation of natural evolution, meaning that you are
now better product that has become progressed through the passage of time a less
developed biological element.
Have you heard of man called Charles Darwin? He was the champion of the “theory
of evolution”, asserting that man’s original element was a creature called “amoeba”
For a while it gained many followers, but like all other human theories, soon was
proven false.
The Bible says that man is God’s direct and affectionate creature.
You were created by God, says the word of the Creator. You were not made
accidentally you were created with a definite purpose.
When God created man He was very pleased. (Gen 1:27)
You are not a product of some gradual evolution from a less developed creature. God
created man independent of the creatures of the world.
Now, you must open your Bible and read the first 24 verses of the 3 rd chapter of
Genesis.
“For I have created him for my glory I have formed him yes I have made him.” (Isaiah
437) This is God’s statement.
After God created man He gave to His creature two privileges. One was that man
would rule all other creatures. God said “Let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Gen 1:26).
Another privilege was that man would enjoy the freedom of choice. You were not
created like a robot or piece of machine that moves without its own will and
initiative. You were created to exercise freedom in choosing good and evil. Because
you are the image of God. This may surprise you – to know that you, with all your
sins and imperfection – are the very image of God.
The Bible says “Let us make man in our image. (God’s image) after our likeness
(God’s likeness). So God created man in his own image” (Gen 1:26 & 27)
This is distinguishing, point of man from other creatures – such as birds animals and
fish.
God have you will to exercise, intellect to think, emotion to feel.

This brings us to the second point of study about man, yourself now.
What is man, yourself, likes?

We learn that man was created with the freedom of choice

Then what was man’s first choice?
Now you most open your Bible and read the first 24 verses of the 3 rd chapter of
GENESIS – SLOWLY, CAREFULLY, and UNTIL YOU GRASP the picture painted in that
part of the Bible. Because in it you will find the answer to the question. What was
man’s first choice? What is man like?
Have you read all the verses? Do you understand the meaning? If not you must read
them again.
The Bible clearly states that man’s first choice was to sin.
Tempted, he exercised, the freedom of choice to sin. Man yourself, disobeyed God’s
command. Man, yourself hid away from God’s presence. Man, yourself, betrayed
God’s pleasure.
What happened then? Death came as its result of sin
Man sinned. Death came as a result God is holy as you have seen, and he cannot
consent to sin. He must judge sin.
By and from the first act of sin, all men thereafter were born with sin and destined
with death. “Behold, I was sharpened in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceives
me” (Ps 51:5)
Now we must ask another question. Where is man going? In other words, where is
your final destination?
So all men die.
This is the final destination of all men, including you and me. The Bible says “The
wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23). But the same verse goes on to say: “But the gift of
God is eternal life (transcending death) through Jesus Christ our Lord”