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God’s Attributes

Augustus Strong defines the attributes of God as, “those distinguishing characteristics of the divine nature which are inseparable from the idea of God and which constitute the basis and ground for his various manifestations to his creatures.”[1]

Theologians tend to classify God’s attributes into two categories. Attributes that only God possesses, those that belong to God alone, often referred to as absolute, incommunicable, non-moral, or infinite attributes. The attributes that God does transmit, and that man has to a certain degree, are often referred to as relative, communicable, moral, or personal attributes.

A couple of points need to be made at this stage:

(1) No one attribute should be elevated or exalted over another because doing so could provide a distorted view of God.
(2) In order to gain a proper understanding of the nature of God, all His attributes need to be taken together, for by doing this we gain a “complete picture” of God.

Incommunicable Attributes (those belonging to God alone)
Unity – This attribute teaches two things, (1) God is one numerically (Deut. 6:4), and (2) He is unique, there is none other like Him, He is incomparable (Ex. 15:11).
Immutability – God is unchanging and unchangeable, this is the quality of being unchanging (James 1:17; Ps. 102:25-27; Mal. 3:6).
Omnipresence – This attribute teaches us that God is present everywhere at once or everywhere present (Ps. 139:7-12). Strong defines it as “God, in the totality of His essence, without diffusion or expansion, multiplication or division, penetrates and fills the universe in all its parts.”[2]
Omnipotence – This attribute teaches that God is all powerful. He can do whatever He wills as long as it is in harmony with His perfections. God’s will is limited by His nature (Gen. 17:1; Rev. 4:8; Job 42:2; Jer. 32:17; Matt. 19:26).
Omniscience – This attribute teaches that God is all-knowing (Ps. 139:1-6; 147:4; Matt. 6:8; 10:28-30; 11:21; 24:24-25; Dan. 2:36-43; 7:4-8; Rev. 6-19). Thiessen states that God is infinite in knowledge. He knows Himself and all other things perfectly from all eternity, whether they be actual or merely possible, whether they be past, present, or future. He knows things immediately, simultaneously, exhaustively, and truly.”[3]
Infinity – This attribute teaches that God is unbounded, He is limitless and unconfined, God transcends space (1 Kings 8:27).
Eternity – This attribute teaches that God not only transcends space (infinity), but He also transcends time. In other word, He is not limited or bound by time. Unlike us, who are bound by the temporal succession of events, God isn’t, since for Him there is no such succession because He is above temporal limitations (Ps. 90:2).
Other incommunicable attributes are self-existence, simplicity, immensity, spirituality.

Communicable Attributes (those He shares with us)
Holiness – This attribute teaches that God is not only separate and exalted above all His creatures and distinctive from the universe (Isa. 57:15; Ps. 113:4-6; 1 Sam 2:2), but that He is also completely separate from all evil and sin (Hab. 1:12-13; Isa. 6:1-5; 1 John 1:5).
Righteousness – This attribute teaches that God is not only is righteous in character (Dan. 9:7, 16), but in actions as well (Ps. 145:7, 17).
Justice – This attribute teaches that since God is righteous, He is therefore fair with all His creatures (Deut. 32:4). Righteousness and justice are often viewed together since in the Hebrew and Greek there is only one word group behind these two terms. It is in English that these two terms are different words, not so in both the Old Testament and New Testament.
Goodness – This attribute teaches that God, morally speaking, is excellent, and that in His dealings with His creatures, He deals with them well (Luke 18:19; Ps. 100:5; 106:1; 107:1). Grudem defines it as follows, “The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.”[4]
Love – Grudem states, God’s love means that God eternally gives of Himself to others…This attribute of God shows that it is part of His nature to give of Himself in order to bring about blessing or good for others.”[5]
This is whom God is (1 John 4:8).
Other communicable attributes are mercy, grace, freedom, glory, faithfulness, benevolence, wisdom, and veracity.

[1] A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology (Valley Forge, PA.: Judson, 1907), p. 244.
[2] Ibid, p. 279.
[3] Henry C Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, revised by Vernon D. Doerksen (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), p. 81.
[4] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 197.
[5] Ibid., p. 198.

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