Who is God Really?—Part 2

Last time, we looked at God’s incommunicable attributes. If you’re kinda lost, God’s attributes are those qualities that describe what He is like. They can be divided into two: incommunicable and communicable attributes. God’s communicable attributes are those qualities we share with him a little bit. They are God’s gift to us through which we reflect his image. We are going to see how God’s love, righteousness, wisdom, and justice show his greatness and call us to live differently. We’ll also see how these attributes work together and why they matter to us. Let’s dive in!

Communicable Attributes of God

Unlike incommunicable attributes, communicable attributes are those God shares with us to some degree. Only man has this unique privilege of being made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26-27 says:

Then God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Being made in God’s image means that we get to reflect attributes such as love, justice, wisdom, and righteousness.

Love: All-Loving

“God is love,” says the apostle John, “and he that does not love does not know God” (1 John 4:8). This is not some sloppy headless movie-style romance, as some may want to suggest. No! God’s love is deep, steadfast and leads to action. The Prophet Jeremiah said: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”  (Lam. 3:22-23). God’s love was the motivation behind his redemptive plan for mankind through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). And get this: His love isn’t just for believers, it extends to unbelievers as well (Matt. 5:45).

Righteousness: Perfect Goodness

God’s righteousness refers to his perfect moral purity. It is part of what we mean when we say God is holy. King Rehoboam and his officials acknowledge this when confronted by the prophet Shemaiah (2 Chron. 12:6). God is so holy and pure that he can’t even be tempted by evil (James 1:13). In fact as far as God is concerned, no one else is righteous. Jesus told the rich young ruler: “…No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). He’s the ultimate standard of good.

Wisdom: Flawless Comprehension and Judgement

God’s wisdom is his flawless comprehension and judgment of all things and situations. He used it to create the world. Proverbs 3:19 says: “The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.” Do you want to be wise? Go to Him (Prov. 2:6). In Romans 11:33, Paul is awed at the infinite depths of God’s wisdom. He exclaims, “How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable are his ways!” He’s reacting to God’s genius plan for salvation. 

Justice: Absolute Fairness

God’s justice means that he rewards good and punishes evil. In Genesis 18:25, when God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham, leaning on God’s justice, pleads with him not to destroy the righteous along with the wicked. David in Psalm 9:8 describes God as upright and righteous in judgment. 

Imaging God

As God’s image bearers, we are called to reflect these communicable attributes such as love, righteousness, wisdom, and justice. In Ephesians 5:1, Paul instructs believers to be imitators of God. As such, they are to walk in love, righteousness, and wisdom (vv. 2-3, 15). Similarly, Jesus, by instructing his disciples to be perfect as the Father is perfect, was pointing to God as the standard of righteousness that his disciples are to emulate.

But let’s be real: we can only imitate these attributes to a limited degree. Remember, as we said last time, God is not merely a supersized version of us. He transcends us. The difference is not merely in quantity, no, it’s one of quality. His justice, love, wisdom and righteousness are infinite and different from man’s (Isaiah 55:9).

The Interconnection Among God’s Attributes

Some folks when considering God’s attributes emphasize an attribute in isolation from the others. But that’s a mistake. God’s attributes aren’t fighting each other—they are one. God, for example, does not have to suspend his justice in order to exercise mercy. In Exodus 34:6-7, God simultaneously makes himself known both as the God of mercy and the God of justice. Look at Jesus’ sacrifice: In his justice, God punishes Christ for the sins of all believers and yet in his mercy forgives those believers. Likewise, in Revelation 4:8-11, God‘s attributes of holiness, power, and eternity are praised together and in unity with each other, precluding any attempt to isolate them as if they were in conflict. 

Why these Attributes Matter to Us

God has not revealed his attributes to satisfy human curiosity. The purpose of biblical revelation is so that “we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). God does not command an idle or indifferent response from man.

God’s communicable attributes form an absolute standard for human morality. The Apostle Peter makes this clear when he exhorts Christians to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). He’s calling us to reflect God’s goodness. As Wayne Grudem notes when humans obey God, their likeness to him is seen in holy and righteous behavior, but when they don’t, they look less like him.

God’s attributes inform one’s understanding of redemption. 1 John 1:9 assures believers that God will forgive one who confesses his sins because he is faithful and just. Even two thousand years since John penned down those words, men can still rely upon this promise because God does not change. 

Conclusion: Live Like God’s Image Bearers

This series has discussed God’s attributes and categorized them into two: incommunicable and communicable attributes. And these are interconnected and cannot be separated. They work in harmony with each other. However, our human minds cannot fully grasp their infinite extent or interconnection. These are not just facts for us to cram. No! They reveal who God is and shape our life and worship.