Characteristics of God

Gregory Brown
In considering God’s characteristics, I think a good analogy is looking at a married couple. One of
the great things about being married is the ability to get to know one person in an intimate way, potentially,
for the rest of life. This growing knowledge enables us to learn how to better serve and love him or her
daily.
Similarly, Scripture teaches that we are the bride of Christ, and we will be married to God for all
eternity (cf. Eph 5:23, Rev 19:7). Since God is the bridegroom of the church, we must devote ourselves to
knowing him intimately; so that we might please him and effectively serve him in this loving union
throughout this life and the next.
We can only do this properly if we give ourselves to the discipline of study. We must understand
his characteristics—his person, his being, what brings him pleasure, what brings him displeasure, etc.
Therefore, in this section we will focus on his characteristics with the hope of better serving our Heavenly
Bridegroom for the rest of eternity.
What are some characteristics of God?

I. God Is Spirit
The first characteristic is that God is spirit. Look at what Christ taught the woman at the well: “God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
What did Christ mean by “God is spirit”? He meant that the essence of God, his makeup, is
immaterial. Listen to what Jesus said when he was resurrected from the dead in Luke 24:39:
Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and
bones, as you see I have. (emphasis mine)
Jesus said a “ghost”, or it can be translated “spirit,” does not have flesh and bones. In the same way our,
God does not have a physical makeup. Yes, Jesus does. But Jesus did not eternally exist as a man. He
humbled himself and took the form of man in order to save us from our sins (Phil 2:7). God is spirit.

Anthropomorphisms
Now one might ask, ‘if God is not material, how come there are so many Scriptures that use
illustrations of God having human body parts?’ We see this particularly when God revealed his glory to
Moses in the Old Testament. Listen to what God said in Exodus 33:22–23:
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I
have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be
seen. (emphasis mine)
Did you see that? God talks about himself having a back, hands, and a face. How can this be? This is what
we call an anthropomorphism. This comes from the Greek words “anthropos,” which means “man,” and
“morphe,” which means form. These are times when Scripture talks about God in the form of a man. Why
does God speak about himself in these terms? He speaks like this to give us a frame of reference, so that we
can better understand him.
 Invisible
Because God is spirit, this also means he is “invisible.” We cannot see God. This is what John
taught in his Gospel. Look at what he said in John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and
Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” The only human that has ever seen God in his full
glory is Jesus, and, therefore, it is through Jesus that we can have a better understanding of God.
However, even though God is invisible, it should be noted that there are times in the Scripture when
God chose to take physical form to reveal himself to man in sensible ways. As mentioned previously, these
temporary physical manifestations are called theophanies. We saw one of these in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah
saw the Lord in physical form. He said this in Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (emphasis mine).
In addition, there are many different physical forms in which God revealed himself throughout
biblical history. He revealed himself in a flame with Moses (Ex 3:2), through a man with Abraham (Gen
18:1-2), through a cloud with Israel (Ex 13:21), through an angel with Gideon (Judges 6:22), etc.
Ultimately, the fullest expression of God has been given in Jesus Christ. This appearance would not
be considered a theophany because this appearance was not temporary. Christ will dwell throughout
eternity as the God-man (cf. 1 Tim 2:5), and it is through Christ that we can see God. The writer of
Hebrews said this:
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all
things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty in heaven. (emphasis mine)
Hebrews1:3
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The ultimate expression of God is seen
in Jesus Christ, his Son.
God is spirit, and therefore, he is invisible. However, at times he has chosen to reveal himself to
men in theophanies and ultimately through his Son, Jesus Christ.
How can we apply the reality that God is spirit?
Understanding that God is spirit should drastically affect our worship. How can we practically
worship in spirit in order to honor God?
1. To worship in spirit, with the right heart, means that our worship is universal.
2. To worship in spirit, with the right heart, means to give God our best.
3. To worship in spirit, with the right heart, means that worship must be our priority.
4. To worship in spirit, with the right heart, means to be zealous in pursuing God.
5. To worship in spirit, with the right heart, means to worship with holiness.

II. God Is a Person

As we think about God as spirit, we might be tempted to think that God is not a person. God is a
person. Wayne Grudem said this about God’s personhood:
 In the teaching of the Bible, God is both infinite and personal: he is infinite in that he is not
subject to any of the limitations of humanity, or of creation in general. He is far greater than
everything he has made, far greater than anything else that exists. But he is also personal: he
interacts with us as a person, and we can relate to him as persons.1
In fact, his personhood may be most clearly seen in the fact that God made man in his image. Listen to
Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them.”
God is a person, and he wants to have a relationship with us. He sent his Son to die for this purpose,
so we can have eternal life, which is knowing God (John 17:3).

III. God Is Independent

What does the independence of God mean? It essentially means that God does not need anything.
He doesn’t need anything to be who he is or contribute to who he is. Tony Evans said this about God’s
independence:
This understanding can enhance our worship of God, because while God has a voluntary
relationship to everything, He has a necessary relationship to nothing. In other words, God
relates to His creation because He chooses to, not because He needs to. For example, if you
show up for worship at your church, that’s good and God is glad to see you. But He will not
be worse off if you stay home. He’s not going to panic.2
We, on the other hand, are dependent. We are dependent on our parents for life and clothing as children,
and when we are older, we are dependent upon friends, family, job, education, etc. There is a sense in
which we need these things to make it in life or society.
But we serve a God who needs nothing because he is independent. Look at what Paul said to the
Athenians in Acts 17:24–25:
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not
live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything,
because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (emphasis mine)
That is the wonderful thing about God. He doesn’t need us, but he allows us and calls us to worship
him, though he doesn’t need anything.

IV. God Is Immutable

Scripture would also teach that God is immutable. “Immutability means not having the ability to
change.”3 This is a very important characteristic of God because it affects all his other characteristics.
When we say that God is omniscient, that “he knows all things,” it means he will always know all things.
When we say he is loving, that means he will always be loving and always act in accordance with his love,

1
Wayne A. Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester,
England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 167.
2
Tony Evans. Theology You Can Count On. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle
edition.
3
Tony Evans. Theology You Can Count On (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle edition.
even if that includes discipline. Our God is always the same; he is unchangeable in his character. Listen to
a few texts that describe this:
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will
change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
(emphasis mine)
Psalm 102:25–27
As David looked at creation, he realized that this present earth and the way it operates will one day pass
away. It will wear out like a garment or a piece of clothing and be discarded, but God, he remains the same.
He does not corrupt or change; he will live and remain the same throughout eternity.
Listen to what God said through Malachi: “I the LORD do not change” (3:6).
As we look at God, who is unchangeable, this certainly reflects a characteristic which we as humans
do not share, for we are always changing. We are always growing in knowledge and wisdom. Our bodies
are always changing with age or with every meal, but God never changes.
Sometimes, the fact that we are always changing makes it difficult to understand one another, even
in the closest unions such as marriage. How can you really know someone completely if he or she is always
changing? “Hold up, I thought you didn’t like coffee.” “I do now.” “What? When did this happen?”
This may make it hard to know or understand one another, but it makes it easier to know God. He is
the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
This characteristic of God gives us great comfort. We can trust him because he doesn’t change like
man does.

V. God Is Good
Another characteristic of God is the goodness of God. What does the goodness of God mean? Tony
Evans said this: “God’s goodness can be defined as the collective perfections of His nature and the
benevolence of His acts…God is good by nature and good in what He does.”4 Wayne Grudem defines it
this way: “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.”5

VI. GOD IS LOVE

Conclusion
What can we know about God? He is spirit. He is a person, and therefore, we can relate to him and
get to know him more. He is independent, and therefore, does not need a thing. However, we are dependent

4
Tony Evans. Theology You Can Count On. (Chicago, IL, Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle
edition.
5
Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine . (Leicester,
England; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 197.
upon him for life, breath, and everything else. Also, he is immutable, unchangeable. This is a characteristic
of God we do not share, for we are always changing. But this means we can trust him. He will keep his
promises and complete his plans because he does not change. Finally, we have learned that God is good.
He is the standard of good and everything good comes from him.3

CHALLENGE:

THIS GOD OF THE BIBLE WANTS TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.
THOUGH UNSEEN HE WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE AND COMPASSION.
HE IS ALL POWERFULL GOD BUT HE IS REACHEABLE…
HE WANTS TO WALK WITH YOU IN THIS DIFFICULT TO WALK MAZE OF LIFE.
HE WAS FIRST TO WALK IN THE MAZE OF LIFE..
THE MAZE THAT JESUS WALKED THROUGH IS FULL OF PAIN
HE CARRIED OUR SINS IN HIM

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the MAZE
Your glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now

You tore the veil

You made a way
When You said that it is done

JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE… NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER
EXCEPT THROUGH ME!