Attributes of God

[larryt]

So often I hear people say, "Well God is Love." And so often is seems like an excuse for not living the life of a god steward. Granted God is love and His love is why we are to spend eternity in His presence. God is also many other things. I was reading Free Grace Broadcaster by Mt. Zion Press( you can get one here ) and was struck by a passage by David Clarkson (c.1621-1686).

That which we are nost mindful of we make our God.  To be most remembered, to be most minded, is an act of worship which is proper to God, and which He requires as due to Himself alone (Ecc 12:1).  Other things may be minded; but if they be more minded than God, it is idolitry; the worship of God is given to the creature.  When Ye mind yourselves, mind your estates and interests, mind your profits or pleasures more than God, you set these idols in the place of God.  When that time, which should be taken up with thoughts of God, is spent in thoughts of other things; when God is not in all your thoughts; or if He sometimes be there, yet if other things take place of Him in your thoughts; if when you are called to think of God - as sometimes every day we should do with all seriousness - if ordinarily and willingly you make these thoughts of God give place to other things, it is idolitry.

  If either you do not think of God or think otherwise of Him than He is - think Him all mercy, not minding His justice; think Him all pity and compassion, not minding His purity and holiness; think of His fathfulness inperformiing promises, not at all minding His truth in execution of threatenings; think Him all love, not regarding His sovereignty - this is to set up an idol instead of God.  Thinking otherwise of God than He has revealed Himself or minding other things as much or more than God is idolitry.

Any more attributes of God?

LT

[FaithfulFollower]

LarryT,

You ask an intriguing question which I am not exactly certain how to answer without looking to the scripture first. For what I may feel God is may not prove just in my fellow brother's as well as sisters eyes. Will get back to this topic once I have made sure that my view of Him is just.

Awesome topic!!!

With Love In Christ,

Danielle

[apothanein kerdos]

I'm posting in here just to remind myself to post more in depth later There was a lecture Thursday night that I attended that dealt with this very issue.

[FaithfulFollower]

Larryt,

Within the Old Testament I found a verse which I feel describes the Lord fairly well as well as expresses more of the way that God is seen in my eyes, save for the loving Father who gave his one and only Son, Jesus to die for our sins.

Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, God, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

I do hope that has perhaps provided some insight upon the question which you have asked here. If not, or if I have seemed at all cold or brutal in my posting...please forgive me.

With Love In Christ,

Danielle

[larryt]

Larryt,

Within the Old Testament I found a verse which I feel describes the Lord fairly well as well as expresses more of the way that God is seen in my eyes, save for the loving Father who gave his one and only Son, Jesus to die for our sins.

Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, God, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

I do hope that has perhaps provided some insight upon the question which you have asked here. If not, or if I have seemed at all cold or brutal in my posting...please forgive me.

With Love In Christ,

Danielle

Danielle,

This is one verse that describes what I am talking about. In the passage by Clarkson, he mentions 10 attributes of God that I think can be found in scripture. Arthur Pink describes over 40 in his book Gleanings in the Godhead. Pink Archive In the verse you quote continued in the next there are at least 9 attributes that I see at a quick glance.

Ex 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Ex 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children

[apothanein kerdos]

One thing that we lose when speaking in English is that almost all the names of God are translated into "God". However, in the Hebrew we see the names of God are actually attributes of God, or descriptions of God. The only name that God really gives to Himself is "I -M" (edited out of respect for the name...still can't part with that tradition). In Hebrew a name is more than just a name, it describes the person. Thus when we read in Exodus 13-22, Moses is asking God who He is and not what His name is.

Elohim, for example, is describing God's might. It's a name that describes the might of God, the judgemental power of God.

El Shaddai is refering to God's qualities as enough for us, the caregiver.

So if you look at any Hebrew name for God (even Jehovah, or JHVH, which means "I -M") they all describe God.

THus for anyone to assert that love is God's most predominant quality or only quality is to ignore the entire Old Testament and the "names" of God that we have.

[our3blessings]

THus for anyone to assert that love is God's most predominant quality or only quality is to ignore the entire Old Testament and the "names" of God that we have.

I have always believed that all those attributes stemmed from love and that is why most of us define God as love. So, I don't think that would mean anyone is ignoring the qualities that so obviousely stem from that. Think of a dad and his love for his children. Doesn't discipline, judgement, caring, compassion, truth, etc... all stem from the one quality of a dad which is love for his child? JMO :il:

[LOVE SONGS]

In HIS word GOD describes who HE is ...........

The Names and Nature of GOD.......

JEHOVAH ELOHIM................OUR CREATOR

JEHOVAH EL SHADDI...........THE LORD GOD MY SUPPLIER

JEHOVAH ADONI..................THE LORD OUR MASTER

JEHOVAH JIREH...................THE LORD GOD MY PROVIDER

JEHOVAH RAPHA.................THE LORD GOD MY HEALER

JEHOVAH NISSI..................THE LORD GOD MY BANNER

JEHOVAH M-KADESH...........THE LORD GOD MY SANCTIFIER

JEHOVAH SHALOM..............THE LORD GOD MY PEACE

JEHOVAH TSIDKENU...........THE LORD GOD MY RIGHTEOUSNESS

JEHOVAH ROHI...................THE LORD GOD MY SHEPHERD

JEHOVAH SHAMMAH............THE LORD GOD THE ABIDING PRESENCE

HE is tender merciful and lovingkindness which endures forever....

HE abundantly pardons.....ISAIAH 55:7

GALATIONS 5 : 22-23

The fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy, peace , longsuffering, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

LOVE and PEACE to everyone, :hug:

[larryt]

THus for anyone to assert that love is God's most predominant quality or only quality is to ignore the entire Old Testament and the "names" of God that we have.

I have always believed that all those attributes stemmed from love and that is why most of us define God as love. So, I don't think that would mean anyone is ignoring the qualities that so obviousely stem from that. Think of a dad and his love for his children. Doesn't discipline, judgement, caring, compassion, truth, etc... all stem from the one quality of a dad which is love for his child? JMO :il:

Here is an interesting bible stastic. God and Lord are associated more with the adj. holy than with any other adj. Love is a very close second in the statistics.

Love covers a multitude of sins but without holiness no man shall see God.

LT

[Khristeeanos]

Exodus 34:13-15

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.  Do not worship any other god, for the LORD , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.