The Attributes of God under the doctrine of God By Raymond McGough

There is no more exciting or enthralling journey for the disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, than to take a look at whom God really is, as I am., and countless others who have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This study is on his attributes what is characteristically God,

I will make a start at looking at the holiness of God, his moral and ethical perfection. Many scholars and theologians would call it his wholly otherness. Whereas you and I had been born in sin, imperfect, God is not. We see his holiness been acted out against Israel his chosen people. Israel had already sinned and rebelled against God, now because of his holy character he was deciding what punishment to deliver against them. (Ex.33:3, 5 ;) “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff necked people.” (5) For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, “You are a stiff necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your jewellery, that I may know what to do to you.” The holiness of God is not something to be trifled with. He would pass sentence and execute judgment some time later on. But they had been warned earlier of the consequences of being disobedient against the holiness of God. (Ex.20:1 – 4.) (1) And God spoke all these words, saying: (2) “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves. (3) You shall have no other gods before me. (4) You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.” There are no mistakes here God has warned Israel of what he expects of his people his holy character demands it of them. The holiness of God is stressed repeatedly in both the Old Testament and the New Testament but here we look at it in the Old Testament. Because of their immorality while Moses was on the mountain top with God they rebelled against him by making a golden calf by providing the goldsmith with their gold rings, bracelets, and necklaces. They had made for themselves a false idol. When Moses came back a second time to give Israel the tablets God had written his laws upon God reminded them that he is a jealous God ( Ex.34:14.) “(For you will worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)” He is still a jealous God. The New Testament does not replace the Old Testament; it brings quite a number of its prophecies to fulfilment, the most important one, the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore; he like his Father is a very jealous God, when we turn away from him his anger will wax hot against us. Still continuing with the holiness of God, he makes visible his glory in a pillar of cloud while talking to Moses in the tent of meeting. (Ex.33:7-11.) The most noticeable characteristics of the passage, despite the central action of God in conversation with Moses, are the reactions of God’s people, when they saw it, every man worshiped at the door of their tents. Such was the radiance of God’s holiness and glory from the pillar of cloud. They stood in awe of a holy and glorious God the only Lord God. What a great shame that a lot of this awe is missing from a huge proportion of Christ’s church towards him today. Moses had tremendous courage in his relationship with God, which at times verged upon him being quite impertinent towards God, seeing that he himself was

mortal like we all are. He asked God if he could see his glory, without realising that if he looked upon the face of God, he would be completely consumed by his holy fire, because of sin, the curse that affects everyone today who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord. In reply to Moses request God graciously turns him down, but instead of turning him away he makes visible his other attributes to him, but not his glory. (Ex.33:20.) But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.” The very same principle applies to those who do not know Jesus the Anointed One of God, commonly known in our bibles as the Lord Jesus Christ. But as I have said, God manifested his other attributes by letting Moses see them, those under the major attribute of holiness. (Ex.33:19.) Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Obviously Moses is the recipient of God’s grace, and compassion in this instance, the benefactor of God’s qualities, characteristics, which is his attributes. An incredible scene of the highest drama unfolds to allow God to do for Moses what he had promised him. It illustrates God’s holiness in his mercy, graciousness, longsuffering, goodness, truth, forgiving iniquity, transgressions, and sin, and on the other side of his holiness, the perfect morality of his impeachable character he will not clear the guilty visiting the iniquity upon the fathers, and their children, and the fathers of their children. (Ex.34: 4 – 7.) (4) So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. (5) Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. (6) And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “ The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (7) keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation,” but when this all happened God turned his back to face Moses so as not to consume him with his fiery fire. (Ex.33:23.) His holiness illustrated in his mercy, love, and compassion activated towards his faithful servant Moses. There are seven attributes that describes the central attribute of God’s holiness. These are as follows: wrath which can be described as his anger, righteousness his moral perfection, his mighty power as one who is God, his constancy, meaning he is always consistent with his character, never changes. Scholars and theologians describe it as his immutability. As the ever present God in his omnipresence he is everywhere, self creating, and self sustaining. He is eternally God without beginning and without end, his glory, and wisdom. These have all to do with his holiness Those attributes that speaks of the love of God are in the following manner: mercy, grace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, knowledge, The men and women who slavishly commit their very lives like me to the Lord God will find themselves caught up without knowing it in worship of the one triune God, in this instance, the Lord God, while studying his attributes.

The Holiness of the Lord God

To get a proper view of the holiness of God we turn to the prophet Isaiah in his first meeting with God the Lord. However; it should be said he is not the only one who has an encounter with the living God, spoken of in the bible. Before we turn to

Isaiah, try and put yourself in his footsteps, and envisage the drama unfolding. Unimaginable; the Lord discloses himself to a mere mortal. Isaiah sees an incredible vision provided to him from a gracious act of the Lord full of mercy, and compassion. (Isa.6:1.) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Does Isaiah really understand the significance of the Lord appearing in all of his holiness, splendour, and glory, sitting on his throne? No one will really know, but the vision would stay with him, with his faith, and belief remaining constant, which would lead to martyrdom. While looking at this extraordinary vision unfolding before him he saw the seraphim, not just one, all crying out to one another. (6:3), And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of his glory!” The same refrain on the holiness of God is taken up by the prophet John when he was afforded a revelation from Jesus Christ in a vision of which he was part of recorded in the book of Revelation.(Rev.4:8). The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” The time of his coming is drawing nearer. Both of these great visions afforded to Isaiah and then John in the New Testament illustrate the transcendent majestic glory and holiness of God, fully deserving of our eternal praise, sacrifice, love, and self abnegation denying oneself, handing ourselves completely over to the Lord. God’s holiness is like who he is inexhaustible, immeasurable, without depth, bottomless like an abyss. The question often asked by his servants is often who is like you God? The only sensible answer is nobody. Moses asked this very same question. (Ex.15:11.) “Who is like You O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” From his song of praise in heart felt worship towards God. If only Christ’s body could show the same humility in worship towards God. The very same refrain in exaltation of the holiness of God is heard from Hannah in her song of praise towards God. We find the record of that in the first book of Samuel. ( 1.Sam.2:2). “ No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any Rock like our God.” It is at once totally unimaginable to mortal intelligence, but nevertheless authentic, and genuine the worship of the Lord God who is absolutely other in majesty of holiness, separate from us, but with us even although separated from his creation in his otherness, He who knows no beginning, and no end, eternal, the very centre of divine holiness. Men get down on your knees and worship while you breathe, and can. We must never see God in his holiness as being contradictory in his moral, and ethical perfection or in his purity. God is one, and all of his attributes are contained in the oneness of his entity; they do not divide the unity of who he is. I believe it would be profitable to look at the reaction of the prophet Habakkuk towards the Almighty Lord God. (Hab.1:12, 13). “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. (13) You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.” Within his soul and spirit Habakkuk knows of God’s holy morality and his perfect ethical standards in his absolute holiness. God made me, but he does not show only tolerance towards me, he loves me. Because of his holy moral character, and the fact of his love towards me he had to send his Son to die on a cross to enable his blood to cleanse, and cover my sins to appease his anger towards sin. Now when he looks at me he sees no sin. But we all need to understand the meaning of his holiness in regard to his moral perfection,

This can be seen in the book of Hosea when God speaks to the prophet of how he loves his people. God can be angry at rebellion, but he is also loving and merciful to those who love and obey him. (Hos.11:8 – 9) “How can I give up Ephraim? How can I hand you over Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart turns over within Me; My sympathy is stirred. (9) I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not destroy again Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; And I will not enter a city with terror.” God is God in all of his attributes whether to show anger in his holiness or love depending on the circumstances of his people towards him. I have said that every quality in God finds their unity in him as a singular person. There are no different gods for different qualities. All the qualities or attributes are found in the one person of God. We will now look at his anger or divine wrath coming under his holiness. The divine wrath or anger in the holiness of his majesty is directed against all that is evil which opposes him. The letter of the apostle Paul to the saints in Rome is an excellent New Testament volume to turn to, because it is a much systemized account of the Christian faith, and gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He provides a thorough work on the subject of God’s wrath. Paul writing to the saints in Rome writes of the revelation of God’s righteousness towards them in the gospel of his Son Christ Jesus. (Rom.1:16-17) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for every one who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” But from that the apostle immediately turns to the unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, of which because God’s divine wrath is kindled against them. (Rom.1:18) “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.” God’s righteous wrath from the New Testament Greek word, orge is found no less than thirty six times in the New Testament, and of those thirty six times it is mentioned, twenty one of them are written of in the Apostle Paul’s letters. Twelve of them are mentioned by Paul in his letter to the saints in Rome. We must notice that in the passage of Romans I have just mentioned both God’s wrath and grace are revealed against the ungodliness of men. His grace is in the gospel of his Son Jesus Christ, the means whereby he provides an answer to mankind against his holy wrath, because of his righteous and moral character he directs against them, because of their total ungodliness. The free gift of grace is for all, by the same measure his wrath is directed against all. When Paul uses the word revealed, it is a continuous verb in the present tense, meaning it continuous to be active towards everyone; such is the mercy of God our Father. God’s holy anger which is being directed against us is in proportion the reason why he has provided us with the gospel. All of us need the salvation God provides to us through his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, because of our sin against which God directs his holy anger and impending judgment against our sin However; it is in the cross of the gospel of Christ we see the measure of sin against God, which has stirred his wrath against the sins of all. The cross illustrates the holy anger of the Lord God against sin, the very sheer volume of it, that activated the event of the cross on which the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ died. Without the gospel of Jesus Christ there would be no revelation of God’s anger, or of his grace. God’s forgiveness cost him his Son Jesus Christ his very life, when he was put to death upon the cross. There is no such thing of grace being given on the cheap. The price is huge which is the divine life of Jesus Christ sacrificed upon the cross to enable those who accept Jesus Christ as the risen glorified Lord to save them from

God the Father’s wrath, which is to come. You cannot have salvation unless you are going to be saved from something, and that something is the wrath of God to come, and your spirit from being cut off forever. If you study closely the last text God’s wrath is already being revealed against those who have failed to accept the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ upon their lives by accepting him as Lord. It is happening now in a present and future historical context. (1:18) “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Paul continuing in his letter to the saints in Rome writes of the anger of God, which is to be revealed on that final day, when the heavens and the earth are ended in the way we know of it today, which comes under the doctrine of Eschatology, better known as the end times. He warns of the impending judgment of God which will be concluded on the final day. (2:3). “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God.” The absolute stony unbelief of man has led to the hardening of the hearts of men down though the centuries that now in many quarters the mention of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings out a hostile reaction from the rebellious, but God’s righteous wrath awaits them upon the final day. (2:5) “But in accordance with your hardness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Furthermore God will require by the hand of each person their individual guilt of sin on a personal basis to which he will judge, and execute his sentence upon. Each man and woman who refuses to acknowledge his Son Jesus Christ as Lord will be held personally responsible. (2:5 – 6) “But in accordance with your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (6) who will render to each one according to his deeds.” The proof and evidence for the doctrine of divine wrath is clearly taught in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome. However the doctrine of God’s wrath can be seen throughout the whole of Holy Scripture. But for you and me to see clearly the meaning of God’s wrath, and his righteousness, it can only be obtained by the light that the cross of Christ shines upon it. It is in the gospel of Christ Paul writing to the saints in Rome (Rom.1:16 – 18) we see visibly the anger or wrath of God in his judgment of sin and his righteousness that provides salvation. For further corroboration collaborating with what the Apostle Paul is writing of here we can turn to the gospel of John and read what our risen glorified Lord had to say upon the issue. (3:14 – 17) (14) “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Jesus used a well known historical account to visualise judgment and salvation from the book of Numbers (Num.21: 4-9) When the men who had been bitten by poisonous snakes looked upon the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole, they would be saved from a poisonous death. By the same token when the Son of Man who is the Son of God would be lifted up upon the cross for all of our sins God’s judgment for us would fall upon him, and when we looked up to him in belief we would be saved by God’s provision of salvation through the means of Christ’s crucifixion, and resurrection on and from the cross. Glory, glory hallelujah, all of mankind should praise God. It is a sad day and age when we do not properly understand the righteousness of God, another attribute of his holy character. He deals with our unrighteousness,

because he is a holy righteous God. But it is by his holy righteousness that he deals with unrighteousness by showing mercy, love, and compassion to those who sincerely seek his forgiveness. However to conclude the paragraph, God in his holy righteous character is able to deal with unrighteousness. Because God is holy, and righteous he alone brings punishment and judgment upon the wicked. He shall be seen in his righteous acts, and hallowed in them. (Isa.5: 16) But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. We who know God like his people Israel, but unlike them having been born of the Spirit of God are expected to be righteous just as he is righteous in keeping his righteous laws with the help of the Holy Spirit. But that is in a New Testament context Because God is righteous morally, and ethically but full of mercy, and love Abraham intercedes before him for the righteous caught up in the midst of the evil population in the city of Sodom. (Gen.18:25) “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from you! Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord of Glory while on earth, who was Jesus Christ in his earthly habitat, when preaching from his Sermon on the Mount commanded that his disciples should do all that they could for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness then all that they would need on earth would be provided for. We find the incident spoken of here has been recorded by one of our Lord’s disciple’s Matthew in his narrative of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mtt.6:33) “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” Within the new kingdom set up by God the Father through his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns within us, God’s purpose is to make his righteousness shine through each redeemed individual who is committed to him in an attractive manner. To be morally upright in all of your dealings with men letting the holy righteousness of God shine through thereby attracting them to him. I believe there is always a social element to the gospel of God in which he is clearly interested in people, he obviously wants to show his righteousness through those who belong to him, and his Son our Lord Jesus Christ by showing his compassion for his justice, but at one and the same time being vocal about the Good News concerning his gracious offer of salvation from sin by accepting by faith the mercy, and forgiveness the Lord Jesus Christ is providing which will give the g greatest prize of all eternal life. What is truly astonishing is that God loves us so much that he wants to make us like him, without us being totally like him, and then he would not be God. Just as he is righteous he wants his righteousness to shine through us who are his people. But truly amazing according to Holy Scripture is the fact that God through his Son Jesus Christ provides to those who believe by faith have had his righteousness imputed to them as free gift from Him, and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. See the Apostle Paul’s comments on this very crucial subject. (Rom.3:21-26) My question as addressing me is how do I respond to such an awesome and holy God covered in glory resplendent in righteousness? I respond by being Christ’s disciple loving only him, and God the Father by obeying his instructions. My justification is through my belief and faith in Christ Jesus, who being a free gift from God his Father I am made righteous by my risen glorified Lord’s righteousness, with that being the case it his the righteousness of Christ I am imputed with, and not my own. (Rom.3:22, 23) “Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. For there is no difference; (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a righteous God, but he is also a merciful, and compassionate God who is always ready to show his loving kindness to the inhabitants of the earth, which is commonly known as his unmerited favour. But the favour of God high lighted here are those who acknowledge through faith in Christ his atoning death receive from God as a free gift his righteousness continuing to trust his Son our Lord Jesus Christ. We therefore can say, having had the illumination of God the Holy Spirit enlightening our understanding on Pauline theology, which is enshrined in his letter to the saints in Rome, which is encased in the New Testament, and accepted by the Nicene Creed of the Apostolic Fathers as the very divine authority of God, spoken only by him, through his servants the New Testament authors, especially the apostle Paul’s contribution, specifically his letter to the saints in Rome. That the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a righteous God, but is also very gracious to his creatures, mankind. Righteousness being one of his central principles as an attribute of his. Furthermore he is active in his righteousness saving mankind from sin through the cross of Christ, and adding on to that what God has already achieved, and continuing to achieve as he provides to us his righteousness through his Son Jesus Christ, and Him crucified to enable God through him who was once scorned, and ridiculed suffering the ignominy of a criminal’s death is now resurrected, and glorified, through faith in him we receive the righteousness of God, the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ. Let us shout hallelujah, and praise his wonderful name.