What is God like?
Many Christians will answer this question by spouting off a few buzzwords. But we really can’t understand God. He is quite beyond our realm of understanding. To answer the above question, we must first ask: How do we know that God exists?
First, I’d like to say that humans are born believing in God/a god. Atheists are made, not born. Atheists are usually talked out of believing in God, whether it was through themselves, through a conversation with someone, or through writings of others. Am I right? If you’re not convinced, then consider that no explorer ever found tribes of atheists (*smile*). If humans require food, it is logical to believe that food exists. So, if humans require a God/god, then, following the same logic, it is logical to believe that God/a god exists. I use the term “god” loosely. Everyone has a god. It’s what they most cherish having and most fear losing. For some people, this is God. For many, it is the world’s possessions.
Now that I’ve told you about believing in God, we can work to try to understand this God. I consider God as having six basic attributes:
- All-powerful, also known as omnipotent. God is powerful. He is always at one hundred percent of His energy. He can do anything doable. It is important to remember this. For instance, God cannot sin. If God were to sin, He would not be God. Likewise, He is unable to make a rock so big that He cannot move it. His only limit is Himself.
- All-knowing, also known as omniscient. Not only is God powerful, but He knows how to use His power. He knew what color shirt you were going to wear today while the earth was still void. You’ll like the Hebrew translation for “formless and void”: Tohu wa-bohu. Why use boring words to describe the earth before creation? Now you know: it was tohu wa-bohu! But I digress. This is also associated with free will. God gives you the choice to make certain decisions, and knows all the different ways in which your life could turn out as a result of it.
- All-present, also called omnipresent. God does not exist in the sense that the world exists. He is self-sufficient; God does not depend on anyone or anything. Humans require a place to exist in order to exist. By calling God omnipresent, we mean that God is not limited by space. Everywhere for God is “here”. Mind-boggling? Yes, God is like that fairly often.
- Eternal, also called everlasting. Similar to the above explanation, this means that God is not limited by time. Every moment for God is “now”.
- Just. God is morally perfect. He gives sinners what they deserve. He is impartial and fair. He seems like a good guy to have on your side. But remember that you’re a sinner. God is just. That means that you will have to pay for those sins. The price for sin is death. But go to the next point and I’ll tell you the good part about this.
- Merciful. God forgives us today through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Since He is merciful, he will release us from our punishment of eternal death.
God is just and merciful, always, all at the same time? How is that possible?
Thus comes the great unanswerable question of our time. The answer cannot be fully understood, but we know that Jesus somehow is the reason. Whatever happened that Friday afternoon when the curtain tore and the earth shook, it happened in the same way that God is able to be both just and merciful.
One day, we can follow His example. I’ll go a little bit into becoming like God over the next few posts.
Have a great Friday.
–JFG
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