Lesson 21
The Godhead
Part VI
by Ruth Mahoney Swaim
There are ten main attributes of God.
We started with the six Essential Attributes of the Godhead. These attributes are those which God and God alone possess. They are:
Eternal - He has always existed
Self Existent - He is the reason for His own existence
Immutable - Unchanged and Unchangeable
Omnipotent - He is all powerful
Omniscient - He is all knowing
Omnipresent - He is everywhere present at all times
There are four moral attributes of God. These four are attributes which God has and intends for His creatures to possess. They are also called communicable Attributes. They are:
Perfect Holiness
Perfect Righteousness
Perfect Love
Perfect Faithfulness
3. Perfect Love
Love is God's nature. The love of God is the perfection of affection. God does not only have love, give love, show love. He IS love. Love is not merely an emotion. It is an act of God's will in which He eternally gives Himself. That means His love will never end and it will be bestowed on you for eternity, through all eternity...forever. What a marvelous mystery!
It was the perfect love of God which bought our redemption and covers the penalty of our sin through Jesus.
Love is a tri-unity. There must be the Lover, the Love and the Loved.
In the Godhead, the Father is the Lover, the Son is the loved, and the Holy Spirit is the love.
Matthew 3:16, 17: Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Colossians 1:13, 14: He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, and forgiveness of sins.
Romans 15:30: Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the Love of the Spirit...
Galatians 5:22, 23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.
The love of God encompasses the following:
The Goodness of God; Psalms 145:0; Matthew 6:26; 5:45; Acts 14:17
The Grace of God; Ephesians 1:2,6,7; 2:5-9; 3:2; II Timothy 1:2
The Mercy of God; Ephesians 2:4; James 5:11; Psalm 102:13
The Compassion of God; Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 18:27; 15:32; Luke 15:20; Psalm 78:38
The Kindness of God; Ephesians 2:7; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:4; Psalm 31:21
The love of God is so vast, so deep and so far beyond our understanding that I find it almost presumptuous to try to discuss it.
Paul tries, in Romans 11:33, to plumb the deep things of God's being and relate it to us but even he seems unable to adequately put it into words. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
The deep wisdom and knowledge of God includes His love, His mercy, His goodness, His grace, His compassion, His kindness, and much more. When I think of His love toward me I weep and ponder in wonder.
The words of the old song come to mind 'the love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong. It shall forever more endure...'
One of the first results of love in your life will be giving. If you love, you give. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he GAVE His only begotten son...
If you are a parent or grandparent, you begin to have a very small understanding of this love. You constantly want to give to your children. You want the best for them. You are always rooting for them and wanting them to succeed. You never wish or want evil for your children.
We have a loving Heavenly Father who far exceeds our capacity of love. He constantly looks out for us, never leaves us nor forsakes us, is always working on our behalf.
He disciplines us in love. He comforts us in love. He provides for us and takes us through the hard places in love. AND, here is something you may not have thought of; He loves your children even more than you do!
Paul tries again in Romans 8:35, 38 and 39: Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wow! How can we resist love like that? Open your heart today to His love and let Him flood you with the wonderful warmth and acceptance which only He can bestow.
When you begin to receive His love, you will then become a conduit through which He flows to others. Your life will be a glowing and vibrant beacon of the life of Heaven.
4. Perfect Faithfulness
God is absolutely trustworthy, loyal and true to His Word. His Word is truth and He is absolutely reliable. God cannot lie. He is the only true God.
Psalm 89:37; Faithful Witness
John 17:3; True God
Psalm 119:86; God's commandments and testimonies are faithful
I Corinthians 1:9; God is faithful
God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful and true to Him. Even when we question His purpose and try to take circumstances into our own hands and act against His leading, He remains faithful.
How many times have you stumbled or deliberately disobeyed Him, saying something or doing something which you knew was against His principles or will? Even though you may have had to pay the price for your disobedience because of its results, He still remained faithful, brought you back into line, forgave you and took up where you left off.
That is why He is called a 'Friend who sticketh closer than a brother.'
I have had and still have many good friends for which I am grateful, but I have never had a friend like Jesus who is faithful and true; who never gets mad at me; who puts up with my besetting sins and allows me to confess them, who forgives me and faithfully welcomes me back into His arms.
His faithfulness to me over the years has helped me to develop faithfulness to others. It is a growing process. It is a wonderful blessing to be and to have a true and faithful friend here on earth. But it's even more wonderful to have Jesus as your friend...your faithful friend.
It is God's desire that all His children be imbued with His moral attributes which, of course, will result in communion and fellowship with Him as well as each other. As you seek Him and grow in Him, His nature will become more a part of you and you will shine forth His LOVE, His FAITHFULNESS, His HOLINESS and His RIGHTEOUSNESS.
When I was a little girl we used to sing the chorus: "To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, all I ask, to be like Him."
That was not wishful thinking.
He longs to answer that desire in us. As we seek Him we become more like Him. We were singing a real truth and a real desire from God. He truly wants us to be like Him in these attributes. God will fill you with His love, His faithfulness, His holiness and His righteousness...if you let Him.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father: I desire to know you better. I now open my spirit and my heart to hear you and receive revelation of your love toward me. Thank you for loving me and for your faithfulness to me. Reveal more of your Word to me that I might not sin against you and may walk faithfully with you all my life.
Note: For a deeper study in the attributes of God the following references may be helpful:
Systematic Theology by Dr. A. H. Strong
Spurgeon on the Attributes of God by C. H. Spurgeon
The Foundations of Christian Doctrine by Kevin J. Conner
This lesson by Ruth Mahoney Swaim may be copied, shared and distributed free of charge.
Copyrighted by Ruth Mahoney Swaim for protection against commercial use.
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