Scripture reveals the nature and character of God in many ways. The attributes below provide a clear and biblical picture of who God is.
ETERNAL
God has no beginning and He has no end. He is not confined to the finiteness of time or man’s reckoning of time. He is, in fact, the cause of time.
Deuteronomy 32:40; Isaiah 57:15; Revelation 1:8
FAITHFUL
God is always true to His promises. He can never draw back from His promises of blessing or judgment. Since He cannot lie, He is totally steadfast to what He has spoken.
Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 146:6; 2 Timothy 2:13
GOOD
This attribute of God causes Him to give to others in a way that has no motive and is not limited by what the recipients deserve.
2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalm 106:1; Nahum 1:7
GRACIOUS
Our God is a forgiving God. His goodness and compassion cause Him not to treat us as our sins deserve, but instead to provide the way for our salvation.
Nehemiah 9:31; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 1:6
HOLY
God is morally excellent and perfect, pure in every aspect of His being.
Leviticus 19:2; Isaiah 47:4; 57:15; 1 Peter 1:15
IMMUTABLE
God is always the same in His nature, His character, and His will. He never changes and He can never be made to change.
Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:25–27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8
IMPARTIAL
The Lord of the universe does not show favoritism or partiality. He does not treat any of us as our sins deserve, but freely offers His grace to all.
Deuteronomy 10:17; Job 34:19; Romans 10:12; 1 Peter 1:17
INCOMPREHENSIBLE
Because God is God, He is beyond the understanding of man. His ways, character, and acts are higher than ours. We only understand what He chooses to reveal.
Job 11:7; Isaiah 55:8–9; Romans 11:33
INFINITE
The realm of God has no limits or boundaries whatsoever.
1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 145:3
JEALOUS
God is unwilling to share His glory with any other creature or give up His redeemed people. His holiness does not tolerate competitors or those who sin against Him.
Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14; Joshua 24:19
JUST
In all of His actions, God acts with fairness. Whether He deals with man, angels, or demons, He acts in total equity by rewarding righteousness and punishing sin. Since He knows all, every decree is absolutely just.
Numbers 14:18; Psalm 89:14; Romans 3:24–25
LONG-SUFFERING
God’s righteous anger is slow to be kindled against those who fail to listen to His warnings or obey His instructions. His eternal longing for the highest good of His creatures restrains His holy justice.
Exodus 34:6–7; Psalm 78:38; 2 Peter 3:9
LOVING
The attribute of God that causes Him to give Himself for another, even to the laying down of His own life. He desires the highest good for others without any thought for Himself. This love is not based on the worth, response, or merit of the one being loved.
1 Chronicles 16:34; Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7–11
MERCIFUL
God is an actively compassionate being. In His actions, He responds in a compassionate way toward those who have opposed His will in pursuit of their own way.
Deuteronomy 4:31; Psalm 62:12; Micah 7:18; Romans 9:14–16
OMNIPOTENT
God possesses all power. He is able to bring into being anything that He has decided to do, with or without the use of any means.
Genesis 18:14; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:27; Ephesians 3:20–21
OMNIPRESENT
God is present everywhere in all the universe, at all times, in the totality of His character.
Psalm 139:7–10; Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 23:23–24; Hebrews 4:13
OMNISCIENT
God knows all. He has perfect knowledge of everything that is past, present, or future.
Job 37:16; Psalm 139:1–6; Proverbs 5:21; Romans 11:33
RIGHTEOUS
God is always good. Righteousness is essential to His character. He always does what is right. His actions are perfectly consistent with who He is, which is love.
Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 119:142; Hosea 14:9; Matthew 5:48
SELF-EXISTENT
There is nothing upon which God depends for His existence. The whole basis of His being is within Himself. He added nothing to Himself through creation.
Exodus 3:14; John 5:26
SELF-SUFFICIENT
Within Himself, God is able to act and bring about His will without any assistance. It is His choice, not His need.
Psalm 50:7–12; Isaiah 40:14; Acts 17:24–25
SOVEREIGN
God is totally, supremely, and preeminently over all His creation. There is not a person or thing that is not under His control and foreknown plan.
Job 9:12; Psalm 99:1; Daniel 4:35; Acts 4:24–28
TRANSCENDENT
God is above His creation and would exist even if there were no creation. His existence is completely apart from His created order.
Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 55:8–9
TRUTHFUL
All that God says is reality. Whether believed by man or not, whatever God speaks is truth.
1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 31:5; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:20
WISE
God’s actions are based on His character, which allows Him to choose righteous ends and make fitting plans to achieve them.
Job 12:13; Isaiah 40:28; Daniel 2:20; James 3:17
WRATHFUL
There is within God a holy hatred for all that is unrighteous and a sure resolve to judge sin. Whatever is inconsistent with Him must ultimately be consumed.
Exodus 34:6–7; 2 Chronicles 19:2; Romans 1:18; Hebrews 10:30–31
Adapted from “Lord, Heal My Hurts” by Kay Arthur