The pursuit of knowing God stands at the center of true faith. Scripture does not leave us guessing about who He is, because God has made Himself known by His works, His words, and above all in His Son, so that we may trust Him, worship Him, and walk in His ways with confidence and joy (Psalm 19:1; John 1:14–18). To know God rightly is not a luxury for scholars but the daily need of every believer, for our view of God shapes our view of everything else—truth, holiness, mercy, hope, and the future He has promised (Jeremiah 9:23–24; Romans 11:33–36).
When we speak of God’s attributes, we are not counting the parts of a divine machine but describing the one living God as He has revealed Himself. His holiness, sovereignty, knowledge, power, love, and justice are never in competition, for He is perfect in all His ways, faithful and true from age to age (Psalm 145:17; Psalm 102:25–27). Because He is who He says He is, His people can rest in His promises today and set their eyes on the fulfillment He has planned for Israel, for the Church, and for the world under the reign of Christ in the age to come (Romans 11:25–29; Revelation 21:1–4).
Words: 2704 / Time to read: 14 minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
From the beginning, the living God distinguished Himself from the gods of the nations by making Himself known through mighty acts and clear words. Israel learned God’s name and character not from carved images but from deliverance out of Egypt and from the covenant at Sinai, where the Lord proclaimed His own name as compassionate and gracious while also just and true, forgiving wickedness yet not leaving the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:5–7; Deuteronomy 4:35). The worship life of Israel was ordered by this revelation: the holy God dwelt in the midst of His people, yet His holiness required cleansing, sacrifice, and a priesthood that pointed to the need for a perfect Mediator beyond the sons of Aaron (Leviticus 11:44; Psalm 99:5–9).
Israel’s prophets guarded this vision of God against the idols that could not see or save. They called the people back to the Lord who made the heavens and the earth by His powerful word and who speaks with unrivaled authority, exposing sin while holding out mercy to the contrite (Isaiah 40:25–28; Isaiah 55:6–7). Isaiah’s temple vision set the tone for all true worship, for he saw the Lord high and exalted while the seraphim cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory,” and the prophet himself was cleansed and sent, humbled by grace and eager to obey (Isaiah 6:1–8). This was no abstract lesson; it was the heartbeat of Israel’s Scriptures, which teach that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the path of life (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 16:11).
In the fullness of time, the early church confessed that the God who spoke through the prophets has spoken finally and definitively through His Son, the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His being, who provided purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 1:1–3). The apostles did not trade the God of Israel for a new deity; they proclaimed that Jesus is Lord and that in knowing Him we truly know the Father, for no one has ever seen God but the one and only Son has made Him known (Philippians 2:9–11; John 1:18). Thus both Testaments sing the same song: the one true God reveals Himself so that His people may love Him, trust Him, and bear witness to His name among the nations (Psalm 67:1–4; Matthew 28:18–20).
Biblical Narrative
The Bible’s storyline displays the attributes of God in living color. By His word the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth their starry host; creation itself pours forth speech day after day, declaring the glory and wisdom of its Maker and leaving humanity without excuse (Psalm 33:6; Psalm 19:1–4; Romans 1:20). In the garden, the Lord’s holiness and love come into view as He judges sin yet clothes the guilty and promises a coming offspring who will crush the serpent, a pledge of grace that threads through all generations until it rests on Christ (Genesis 3:8–15; Genesis 3:21). In Noah’s day we see His righteousness, for He will not shrug at violence and corruption, yet we also see His mercy, for He provides an ark and keeps covenant with all flesh after the flood (Genesis 6:5–8; Genesis 9:8–13).
The call of Abram reveals God’s sovereign purpose to bless the nations through a chosen line, for He promised to make Abram a great nation and to bless all families of the earth through him, a promise later reaffirmed and narrowed to a single seed in whom the fullness of blessing would come (Genesis 12:1–3; Genesis 22:17–18; Galatians 3:16). The exodus displays divine power and justice as the Lord humbles Egypt’s false gods and brings His people out with a mighty hand, then binds them to Himself at Sinai with a law that reflects His character and teaches them to love Him with all their heart and to love their neighbor as themselves (Exodus 15:11–13; Exodus 20:1–17; Deuteronomy 6:4–5). Through the wilderness, kings, and prophets, the Lord proves faithful even when His people are not, preserving a remnant and promising a righteous King from David’s line whose reign will establish justice and peace (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 9:6–7).
In the fullness of time the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory, full of grace and truth, for the Son is the exact imprint of the Father’s nature and the image of the invisible God (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15). Jesus’ works unveil divine attributes in action: He commands the wind and the waves and they obey Him; He cleanses lepers, opens blind eyes, casts out demons, and calls the dead from the tomb, showing authority over creation, sickness, evil, and death (Matthew 8:26–27; Mark 1:40–42; John 11:43–44). At the cross we behold love and justice together, for God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us, and He is just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus because He set forth His Son as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of blood (Romans 5:8; Romans 3:25–26).
After He rose on the third day according to the Scriptures, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, to indwell the Church, guiding believers into truth, empowering witness, and pouring the love of God into our hearts so that we cry, “Abba, Father” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; John 16:13; Romans 5:5). Today the Church lives between promise and fulfillment, proclaiming the gospel to all nations while God continues to preserve Israel and keep His covenants, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable and He has a future for the nation in His plan (Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 11:25–29). The Scriptures also speak of coming days of distress when judgments will fall upon the earth, followed by the return of Christ to reign, and at the end the great white throne judgment will demonstrate the perfect righteousness of God before the unveiling of the new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells (Revelation 6:1–17; Revelation 11:15–18; Revelation 20:11–15; Revelation 21:1–4).
Theological Significance
To know God is to know Him as He is, not as we might imagine. His holiness is not only moral purity but the blazing beauty of His set-apartness, the reason the seraphim never grow tired of crying “Holy, holy, holy,” and the reason His people are called to be holy as He is holy, for grace never lowers the standard but makes us new so that we may walk in the light (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15–16). His holiness explains both the seriousness of sin and the wonder of the cross, for only a holy God would judge sin so thoroughly and only a loving God would provide atonement so freely in His Son, who bore our guilt that we might draw near with confidence (Habakkuk 1:13; Hebrews 10:19–22). When holiness is forgotten, worship becomes casual, sin feels small, and the gospel is reduced to therapy; when holiness is treasured, grace shines as the most costly gift and obedience becomes our glad response (Psalm 96:9; Titus 2:11–14).
God’s sovereignty brings deep comfort because His rule is wise, good, and total. He sits enthroned in the heavens and does all He pleases, yet His sovereignty never cancels human responsibility; rather, it guarantees that His plan stands even through human choices, weaving all things according to the counsel of His will (Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11). This same Lord knows the end from the beginning and searches the heart, for there is nothing hidden from His sight, and His knowledge is not cold information but the intimate care of a Shepherd who numbers our hairs and orders our steps (Isaiah 46:10; Hebrews 4:13; Psalm 139:1–4). When the Church forgets the sovereignty and knowledge of God, fear multiplies, anxiety rules, and we imagine the future is at risk; when we remember, prayer rises, peace returns, and we stand firm in hope (Philippians 4:6–7; Romans 8:28).
The power and love of God meet in the gospel and sustain us every day. By His great power He created all things and raised Jesus from the dead, seating Him at His right hand far above all rule and authority, and by that same power He strengthens His people for endurance and faithfulness (Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 1:19–21; Colossians 1:11). Yet the heart of His power is not a display for display’s sake but the strength of love, for God is love and He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life, a gift that proves His justice is satisfied and His mercy is secure (1 John 4:8–10; John 3:16; Romans 3:26). Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, and steadfast love and faithfulness go before Him, which means the Judge of all the earth always does right and always keeps His promises in Christ (Psalm 89:14; Genesis 18:25; 2 Corinthians 1:20). In this way, every attribute of God is good news, for they together reveal a God who can be trusted with our past, present, and future, and whose plan for Israel and the Church will be fulfilled to the very letter in the reign of Jesus the Messiah (Romans 11:26–29; Revelation 22:20–21).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Knowing God grows as we attend to the means He has given. He speaks by the Scriptures He breathed out, which teach, rebuke, correct, and train us for every good work, and His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, leading us into truth as the Spirit opens our eyes (2 Timothy 3:16–17; Psalm 119:105; John 16:13). The same Lord who wrote the world also wrote the word, so creation continues to preach His glory and power, inviting humble wonder and wise stewardship as we recognize the fingerprints of our Maker in the sweep of the stars and the details of daily life (Psalm 19:1–4; Romans 1:20). When we combine the book of Scripture and the book of creation, we learn to read our days with gratitude and to measure our steps by His promises, refusing the lie that God is distant or disinterested (Psalm 104:24; Matthew 6:26–30).
Prayer and worship are the living response to a true knowledge of God. He invites us to call upon Him and promises to answer, revealing to us great and hidden things that we do not know, and He seeks worshipers who will worship in spirit and in truth, for He dwells with the lowly and the contrite who tremble at His word (Jeremiah 33:3; John 4:23–24; Isaiah 66:2). As we gather with the Church, we stir one another to love and good works, we remember the Lord’s death until He comes, and we learn together how to fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:24–25; 1 Corinthians 11:26; Hebrews 12:2). Private devotion and corporate praise are not competing paths but one rhythm of grace, forming humble hearts that listen, confess, ask, and adore (Psalm 95:1–7; Philippians 4:6–7).
A right view of God reshapes daily obedience. Because He is holy, we pursue holiness not to earn favor but because we belong to Him, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices and refusing to be conformed to this age as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (1 Peter 1:15–16; Romans 12:1–2). Because He is sovereign and wise, we trust Him with unanswered questions and unknown tomorrows, acknowledging Him in all our ways as He makes straight our paths and adding each concern to the pile we cast upon Him because He cares for us (Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 Peter 5:7). Because He is loving and just, we walk in love, forgive as we have been forgiven, do justice and love mercy, and live as peacemakers who show the gospel in action while we speak the gospel in words (Ephesians 5:1–2; Colossians 3:12–14; Micah 6:8). Because He has promised future glory, we live with lively hope, looking for the blessed appearing of our great God and Savior, and we hold our plans with open hands as we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Titus 2:13; Romans 15:13; Matthew 6:10).
Conclusion
Knowing God and His attributes is the foundation of worship, doctrine, and life. It guards us from the idols of our age and from the smaller god of our fears, for the Lord is who He says He is—holy, sovereign, all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, and just—and He is the same yesterday and today and forever, faithful to His covenants and near to all who call on Him in truth (Psalm 86:15; Hebrews 13:8; Psalm 145:18). This knowledge does not puff us up; it humbles us into wonder, moves us to obedience, and steadies us with hope in the promises that will be fulfilled in Christ for Israel, for the Church, and for the nations when He reigns in righteousness and peace (Isaiah 11:1–9; Romans 11:25–29).
Let us then seek the Lord with fresh desire. Let us open His word, lift our voices, love His people, and welcome His pruning work as He conforms us to the image of His Son, for to see Him rightly is to live rightly and to love well. And when our words run out, let us join the Scriptures in praise: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out,” for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things; to Him be the glory forever (Romans 11:33–36).
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23–24)
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.