God is Immutable

We have come to the end of our study on the attributes of God. I hope these brief articles have been informative and instructive for you, and I hope they have drawn you deeper into the knowledge of the God—deeper into His word. For our final attribute, we revisit one of our groundwork statements from the beginning of our study—the immutability of God. God is unchanging.

Immutability means that one is immutable. The New American Oxford Dictionary defines immutable as “unchanging over time or unable to be changed.” God does not change. People change. People change constantly. We don’t have to look very far or expound the point to understand this. But if the fact that people change causes us to look at God and view him as changing, we have perverted God’s truth about himself. God doesn’t change.

In our March 26 study of the attributes of God, we learned, “The attributes God possesses are not intermittent; they are constant. God is always both who and what He says He is. In Malachi 3:6 the Lord says, “I do not change.” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.“ And, James 1:17 says that there is “no variation or shadow due to change” with our God. Unlike us, God is always wholly both who and what He says He is. For example, God is love (1 John 4:16); therefore God is always love. His love does not come and go, nor does it burn hot one day and grow cold the next one. God is love. Another example: God is good (Psalm 100:5); He is not only good when I see Him as good. He is not sometimes good and sometimes not. God is good.” God does not change.

It is this humble pastor’s humble opinion that, though God is all of his attributes and every one of them makes up who he is, God being immutable may be the most comforting and astounding of the attributes. Consider the verse we have looked at so often, Exodus 34:6-7. These verses say that God  is merciful and gracious, steadfast in love and faithfulness, slow to anger, just, forgiving. If God is mutable (able to change) in any of his attributes, then he isn’t any of the things he says he is and God would be undone as God. If God can change, then he can be loving and unloving, he can be good and bad, he can be righteous and unrighteous. But God does not change! God tells us himself that who and what he is, is who and what he has always been and who and what he will always be. God be praised!

Go Deeper:

• What, personally, is the greatest of God’s attributes. Discuss with others.

• Memorize Exodus 34:6-7.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John atjwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Sovereign

This week in the attributes of God; God is sovereign. The New American Oxford Dictionary defines sovereign as a noun and an adjective. As a noun (a person, place, or thing), “a supreme ruler, especially a monarch.” As an adjective (a word used to describe a noun), “possessing supreme or ultimate power.” So, by now someone is asking, “Is God the noun or the adjective?” The answer is, God is both the noun and the adjective. However, God is not just a supreme ruler; he is supreme ruler with supreme or ultimate power.

From the first words of the Bible, “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1), to some of the last words of Christ to John in Revelation 22:12, “Behold I am coming soon bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done,” scripture, in its entirety, proclaims the sovereignty of God.

In Genesis 45:5-8, Joseph tells his brothers of God’s sovereignty over him, three times saying, “God sent me.” In Deuteronomy 4:39, Moses says, “The Lord God is in heaven above and on earth beneath; there is no other.” In 1 Chronicles 29:12, David king of Israel says that it is in God’s hands to “make great and to give strength,” and in 2 Chronicles 36:23, Cyrus king of Persia frees Israelite captives saying that God gave him the kingdoms of the earth. In Nebuchadnezzar’s confession of “the Most High” he exclaims, "all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35) Ephesians 1:11 says that God works “all things according to the counsel of his will.” In Isaiah 46:10, God himself says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” 

In The Attributes of God, citing a Charles Spurgeon sermon, A. W. Pink says Spurgeon rightly stated, “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty…On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings…as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah.” Among men, the sovereignty of God is a hotly contested doctrine, but God’s own word settles the matter; Psalm 135:6 says, “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”

Go Deeper:

• Does God’s sovereignty bring you comfort or make you uneasy?

• Open the Word and search out more references to God’s sovereignty.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John atjwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Love

We are approaching the end of our study of the attributes of God, there are just three left. I have enjoyed this study very much and I hope it has also been beneficial to your growth in the Lord. That said, the last remaining attributes are by no means inferior just because they are at the end of the study. In fact they may be the crescendo. This week in our study: God is love.

It’s actually quite hard to talk about this topic, as sin has dramatically distorted our understanding and concept of love. Sadly, many churches today are teaching false doctrine about God’s love. We inappropriately use the word love all the time. Man’s definition of love is based in pleasure, affection, romance, sexual attachment, and deep interest or enjoyment; and this all without ever considering the one from whom love flows! The whole of the Bible is jam-packed with God declaring his love. In Exodus 34:6, God says he abounds in steadfast love. Ephesians 1:4-5 says that it was in love that God chose us to be his children and 1 John 3:1 says, “See the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.”

1 John 4:7-8 says, “Beloved, let us love another for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love.” 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love” and “whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is often read at weddings to testify to the love that a man and a woman have for one another and hopefully will continue to have in their marriage. However, though often referred to as “The Love Chapter,” this is far more than a definition of actions between people. It is a manifesto of who God is. The passage begins, “Love is…” If we understand that God is love, then what we truly read that as “God is…”

It’s not that God loves us, it’s not that God’s love is perfect, it’s not that God’s love is enduring and unfading, though all of these are absolutely true; the point is much deeper. God is love. The character of God, the nature of God, the actions of God; these are all love. When God saves, when he forgives, when he disciplines, it is because of his love for us. John 3:16 says that the only begotten Son of God brings eternal life to his people because “God so loved the world.”

Go Deeper:

• Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and look for God’s character and nature.

• Is your everyday use of the word love misapplied or inappropriate?

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John atjwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Faithful

For years, one of my favorite songs has been “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” The Bible speaks in an almost unlimited manner to God’s faithfulness. In fact, in Exodus 34:6, faithfulness is one of the first attributes that God reveals of himself; “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” In this week’s attribute, God is faithful.

We understand the meaning of the word faithful; it means to be loyal, dependable, consistent, and steadfast. What we struggle to understand is perfect faithfulness. You and I know faithful people. Hopefully others consider us to be faithful, but none of us are perfectly faithful. This is not so with God; his faithfulness is perfect, unending, and unchanging throughout all of time.

Deuteronomy 7:9 calls God “the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” In Psalm 36:5, David singing of God’s attributes says, “Your faithfulness [extends] to the clouds.” Paul declares, in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful” and Peter exhorts Christians to “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). God is faithful.

What does God’s faithfulness mean for us? So much! The Bible says if we confess our sin that God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Psalm 121:3 says that God will not allow your foot to slip, and that he who keeps you will never slumber or rest and 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says that God who is faithful will guard us against the evil one. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says that God who called us is faithful and will sanctify us completely. Hebrews 10:23 tells us to hold unwaveringly to the confession of our hope because “he who called us is faithful.”

This means that our faithfulness is a result of God’s faithfulness to us. Isaiah says, “We are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). We are not faithful people; “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” But we can take great courage in this. As 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
Go Deeper:

• Praise God for his faithfulness to us, even when we are unfaithful.

• Search Bible verses on God’s faithfulness; share them with someone!

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John atjwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Just

Justice is a pretty hot word in our culture today (the United States in the year 2021). Everyone from everywhere is demanding justice over something. It’s an interesting thought; fallen, sinful man calling for justice to be served. Oh sure, mankind has a sense of justice. No matter how twisted it may be for us now, we still understand criminals being justly penalized for their crimes and wrongs being righted. It’s not a new concept, it’s existed as long as man has. The reason we have any concept of justice at all is because we bear the image of our Creator. This week, in our study of God’s attributes; God is just.

Psalm 97:2 tells us that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. Remember that God is self-existent and self-sufficient; therefore, when the Bible tells us that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, it is God’s own righteousness and God’s own justice that his throne sits on. When mankind speaks of justice, it is most typically in a personal sense; we want justice for the wrongs we have suffered or for laws broken that have affected us. We must understand that when we talk about God’s justice, we are talking about the wrong committed against God—the breaking of God’s law. Rarely does man cry out for God’s justice while at the same time realizing that we are the law-breakers, and that God is the only one who can rightfully demand justice—and God, being just, will get it.

Now, we know that God’s justice does impact the daily life of people; however, at this moment, we are talking about the justice of God that every member of Adam’s race will come face to face with before the judgement seat of God (Revelation 20:11-15). To be clear, being descendants of Adam’s sinful race (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22), true justice for all of humanity would be to receive a sentence to eternal death—the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). Romans 2:2 says that the judgement of God rightly falls on sinful man.

Here, we see the beauty of the gospel! In the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, the justice of God is satisfied. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are justified before God. These two things work simultaneously. God does not lay aside our just and deserved punishment because of faith in Christ; Christ satisfies God’s justice for us, through faith in him. God is not ignoring justice in order to save anyone. Justice, for those who are being saved, was served through the cross of Christ.

Go Deeper:

• Praise God that though faith we are free from what sin justly deserves.

• Look up Bible verses on justice and see what God says about it.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Eternal

There is so much about God to learn and understand. However, as we have examined his attributes over the last several months, we have also seen much that we cannot understand. Part of the reason behind this has to do with the attribute we will look at this week: God is eternal.

The New American Oxford Dictionary defines eternal as “lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning.” We cannot understand “without beginning, without end.” This cannot be said of anyone or anything but God. Throughout the Bible we see different words used to describe the eternal God. Abraham called on the name of “the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33). In Deuteronomy 32:40, the Lord says, “I live forever.” Job’s friend, Elihu, declared, “Behold, God is great…the number of his years are unsearchable” (Job 36:26). Psalm 135:13 declares, the Lord’s renown “throughout all ages.” Everlasting, forever, unsearchable, all ages; all of these words are used to describe God’s existence—eternal.

Daniel called God “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:22). Paul called him, “the King of the ages” (1 Timothy 1:17). The Lord God himself said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). 

Part of why this is so difficult to understand is because we exist in time and God exists eternally and time exists in God. A. W. Tozer, in The Knowledge of the Holy, writes, “That God appears at time’s beginning is not too difficult to comprehend, but that he appears at the beginning and end of time simultaneously is not so easy to grasp; yet it is true.” (Revelation 21:6, 22:13)

And what do we draw from this? Why is this important for us to consider? For this reason; all of our temporal earthly hope and all of future eternal glory flows from God eternal who has declared all things; “the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Our salvation comes from God eternal, who chose us in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:4). Our redemption was paid for by the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, whose coming was from ancient days (Micah 5:2). Our sanctification comes by the eternal Holy Spirit of God, who was there before time began (Genesis 1:2). In an eternal God we find eternal life (John 3:16).

Go Deeper:

• Praise God for his eternal existence; thank him for his eternal promise.

• Search out Bible verses about God’s eternity and share with someone.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Omnipresent

In his omnipotence, God is all-powerful. In his omniscience, God is all-knowing. This week, in studying at the attributes of God, we will look at his omnipresence—God is everywhere

In speaking to the Israelites, as they came out of the wilderness and prepared to cross into the promised land, Moses said to them, “Know therefore today, and lay it to heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath,” Deuteronomy 4:29. Solomon, in dedicating the house of God, the temple in Jerusalem, exclaimed, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built,” (1 Kings 8:27). Both men, hundreds of years apart from one another, proclaim the fullness of God—and how God fills heaven above and earth beneath.

We looked at Psalm 139 as it relates to God’s omniscience, but now, look at what David says about God’s omnipresence, Psalm 139:7-8: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” In Proverbs 15:3, Solomon says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” To the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord,” (Jeremiah 23:23-24).

Now, let’s realize the application: God’s omnipresence means his constant, immediate aid (Psalm 46:1) to the Christian living to and for the glory of God. Paul told the Greeks in Athens that God is “not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:27). Twice, the Corinthians were reminded that God’s Spirit was dwelling in them; each of them, individually (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:19). The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the seal of God’s redeeming work in our lives (Ephesians 1:13-14) and is our sanctification, cleansing us from sin (1 Peter 1:2). Only a God who is everywhere present could perform this work in his people.

Perhaps the most comforting words of all, regarding God’s omnipresence, come from Christ himself: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) With us, always!

Go Deeper:

• Spend time praising God for his ever-present, all-sustaining power.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Omniscient

This week, in our study through the attributes of God we examine God’s omniscience. The New American Oxford dictionary defines omniscience as “the state of knowing everything.” It’s difficult for us to comprehend knowing everything. In fact, it’s more likely than not that you have come to accept that you do not know everything. We may know a lot about one thing, or a little about many things, but we do not know everything. However, the Lord does.

“How can God know everything?” Remember, God is not like us (Psalm 50:21), he transcends—is above, goes beyond—all things! Job asked, “Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?” (Job 31:4) And again, “For his eyes are on the ways of man and he sees all his steps.” (Job 34:21) Psalms 147:5 says that God’s “understanding is beyond measure.” When God led Ezekiel into a valley full of dry bones and asked him if the bones could live again, Ezekiel called out God’s omniscience by stating, “O Lord God, you know.” (Ezekiel 37:3) Lastly, Hebrews 4:13 tells us “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God knowseverything!

As the creator and sustainer of all things, God knows us physically and mentally. David said, in Psalm 139, that the Lord knows when we rise, when we sit, when we lie down; he knows our words before they come out of our mouth and he knew our days before we existed. Jesus said that the hairs of our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30 and Luke 12:7); who else could know these details except for the one who made and sustains it all?

Sovereignly, God knows us spiritually, too. He knows those who will be saved through faith in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5), who will spend eternity with him (Revelation 13:8), the good works that he prepared for us to do before we were prepared to do them (Ephesians 2:10), and he knows our sin (Psalm 69:5) and the amount of temptation we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Finally God knows the day and the hour that Christ will return to take us to where he is (Matthew 24:36). You see, God is not out there somewhere unaware trying to figure out how to handle things, that to us, seem like they’re out of control. He is seated on his throne, omniscient, where not one thing exists without his knowledge.

Go Deeper:

• Praise God for his knowledge of all things.

• Read all of Psalm 139 to see how intimately God knows us.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Inscrutable

“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7) As we continue in our study of the attributes of God, we touch on one this week that is all-encompassing of all of God’s other attributes, yet stands alone. It’s a word I have mentioned while preaching; perhaps you made note of it. God is inscrutable.

Unless you listen to a lot of preaching or read a lot of old theology books, you may not be familiar with this word. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines inscrutable as “not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood.” A simple way to understand this word would be to think of that feeling you get when you see someone, a child or practical joker, up to something strange and you wonder, “Now, what are they up to?” Their motives are hidden in that moment. It’s interesting the amount of times I’ve heard people ask this about God. Many times even I have asked, “Lord, what are you up to?” 

Paul writes in Romans 11:33, “How inscrutable his ways!” To the Corinthians he writes, “Who has known the mind of the word so as to instruct him?” (1 Corinthians 2:16) The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28) The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, in a severe rebuke of the false prophets of his day (and ours!) who were filling people (who were rebellious to God) with “vain hopes” that would God look away from their sin and not bring judgement and destruction on them because of it (a heresy still existing today), and God asked, “For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?” (Jeremiah 23:18) 

The inscrutability of God should remind us that the secret things belong to the God, but the revealed things belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). For as much as His word speaks to His inscrutability, God has still provided a way for us to know Him and for sinful man to be reconciled to Himself. We may not (we don’t) always know what God is up to, but through faith in His Word, we know that He is good and has worked out salvation for His people through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Go Deeper:

• Read Job 11:7-12 for more on the inscrutability of God.

• Give God glory! Though inscrutable, we can know Him!

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Omnipotent

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). These are words that most of us, who are acquainted with the biblical account creation, are most certainly with. God spoke, and creation came into being. “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9). Have you ever considered the power of God? He simply speaks and things come into being! This week, in our study of the attributes of God: God is all-powerful; God is almighty; God is omnipotent.

The New American Oxford dictionary says that to be omnipotent is to have “virtually unlimited authority or influence.” - no human possesses this. As much as we may like to think we are not, all of us are under someone else’s power - yet, no man’s power is absolute. Throughout all of human history, as soon as a man appeared to have all the power he could want, he was toppled like a house of cards. This is not so with God. Let’s look at some of the biblical proofs.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases,” Psalms 115:3. “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps,” Psalm 135:6. When speaking about the ability of a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26.

In his book, The Attributes of God, A.W. Pink cites Charles Spurgeon on God’s omnipotence: “God’s power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arms. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and originator of all power.”

Through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are already (and not yet) joined with the chorus at the marriage supper of the Lamb that will be singing, “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty reigns.” (Revelation 19:6)

Go Deeper:

• Read Job 38-42, to see the Lord testify to His own almighty power.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Self-Sufficient

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines self-sufficiency in this way: “needing no outside help in satisfying one's basic needs, especially with regard to the production of food.” For example, to be truly self-sufficient means you have no need of any grocery store or restaurant or pizza delivery driver. To be hyper-self-sufficient would mean never needing a power company for electricity, no department store for clothing, and no mechanic for your broken down car; all of your needs are entirely met by yourself.

God, on the other hand, who is not like us, is thoroughly and completely self-sufficient in and of Himself. In 2 Samuel 7:1-7, David wants to build a house for God to dwell in. God, in rebuking David says, “Did I speak a word…saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’” This is echoed in Acts 7:48, “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands."

Understand, that even if we possessed something that could serve God—which we don’t—He has no need of it (Acts 17:25). Some might say, “God needs our worship of Him! He needs us to preach for Him.” However, this is poor and misguided theology. Sound doctrine teaches that God, by His grace, saves us on the basis of nothing but faith alone in the completed work and person of Jesus Christ. He appoints those that He has mercifully saved, to service in His Kingdom, to preach the Gospel (Mathew 28:19, 1 Timothy 1:12, 2 Timothy 2:11), and to live a life of worship and holiness (Romans 12:1-2). Make no mistake, God does not need anything from us. He gives life to all things (1 Timothy 6:13). He is the Creator of all things (John 1:3). He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). He needs nothing.

In fact, contrary to our small human thinking, we are told by His Word that the Son of God came to serve us (Mark 10:45) This is remarkable! The Second person of the blessed, holy Trinity—the Son of God—came to serve His creation by living a sinless life and dying a sinner's death. Miraculous!

Go Deeper:

• Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-6.

• Pray for God’s help to realize that His self-sufficiency has provided for you.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Self-Existent

“In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1a). “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” (Exodus 3:14a). I wonder how often we have read these words and never taken the time to really consider what they mean. In this week’s study of God’s attributes—God is self-existent.

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer writes, “The human mind, being created, has an understandable uneasiness about the Uncreated. We do not find it comfortable to allow for the presence of One who is wholly outside of the circle of our familiar knowledge. We tend to be disquieted by the thought of One who does not account to us for His being, who is responsible to no one, who is self-existent, self-dependent, and self sufficient.”

The self-existence of God is declared from passages like Psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains are brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Job 36:26 says that the number of God’s years are unsearchable. David encourages us to sing to him who “rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens,” (Psalm 68:32-33). Daniel refers to God as “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:13), and in 1 Timothy 1:17, Paul calls God “the King of the ages.”

Most amazing of all are the words that come from God’s own mouth, multiple times, about His existence being the first—without beginning—and the last—without end (Isaiah 41:4, Isaiah 44:6, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:12). Jesus speaks to the uncreated existence of God when he prays in John 17:5, “And now, Father glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

God’s self-existence encourages us in this way; since God exists eternally of His own power, without beginning, with no rule or authority over Him whatsoever, then His sovereignty is absolute and everything that He has promised He will accomplish, for His glory and for our good.

Go Deeper:

• Pray. Ask the Lord for help in accepting this deep truth of who He is.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God's Wisdom

I can only ever remember the first line of the song; the words go like this: “Immortal, Invisible, God only wise.” In this week's study of the attributes of God, we will look at God’s wisdom. This attribute is extremely difficult for us to grasp. In fact, God reveals to us in His word, that His foolishness is higher than our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25). This is yet another aspect of God being transcendent. Therefore, the only words I offer you are those that God’s own Word says about His wisdom.

In Romans 16:27, Paul aptly calls God “the only wise God.” Certainly, to be the creator of all things (Psalm 104:24), to sustain all things by the power of His word (Hebrews 1:3), to give life (1 Timothy 6:13), to establish truth (Psalm 199:89), and to reign in righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14), God would have to be all-wise.

Proverbs 3:19 says, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth.” Jeremiah 10:7 proclaims, "Who would not fear you, O King, of the nations? For this is your due, for among all the wise ones of the national and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.” Both Daniel and Job declare that wisdom belongs to God (Daniel 2:20, Job 12:13).

Now, before we think that it was only the Old Testament prophets who recognized the greatness of God’s wisdom, let us consider the following: “Oh, the depth and the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God,” Romans 11:33. Colossians 2:3 tells us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ and 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus Christ is our wisdom from God. James 3:17 tells us that wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

The wisdom of God is hard to grasp, but God doesn’t leave us dumb. The Bible says in more than one place that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and is itself wisdom (Job 28:28, Psalm 11:10, Proverbs 9:10). James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it, because He gives it “generously to all without reproach.” Proverbs 3:13 says that the one who finds wisdom is blessed, because if you find wisdom, it was the only wise God that brought it to you.

Go Deeper:

• Proverbs, sometimes called The Book of Wisdom, has 31 chapters. Read one chapter a day for the next month and take in God’s wisdom.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Transcendent

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple,” (Isaiah 6:1). The Psalms declare, “But You, O Lord, are on high forever” (Psalm 92:8), “For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods” (Psalm 97:9), and “The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens” (Psalm 113:4). Solomon wrote to us in Ecclesiastes 5:2, “God is in heaven and you are on earth.” This week, in our study of the attributes: God is transcendent.

The word transcendent is not commonly used today; you probably didn’t use it recently in conversation and you may not know its meaning. Today, I fear many Christians do not understand how this word applies to God, and therefore, what it means for our faith. According to the New American Oxford Dictionary, to be transcendent means to go or be “beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience.” Here is how this applies to God: He is preeminent, supreme, and superior to man in every way. The totality of God is far more and far greater than mere human existence; God is not confined by or to human limitations. Yet, this does not mean that He is inaccessible to us it simply means that He is not like us.

You may ask,“Okay, but what does that mean for my faith?” It means everything! Transcendency, is what makes the Gospel and the God-man, Jesus Christ, so incredibly amazing. Jesus Christ, eternal God, humbled Himself and became like us, taking on flesh (Philippians 2:7-8, Colossians 1:19, Colossians 2:9) in every aspect: hunger (Mark 11:12), exhaustion (John 4:6), thirst (John 4:7), emotion (John 11:33), and temptation (Matthew 4:1), yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). The fact that Jesus lived fully as man, faced all that we face, and yet did not sin, is an incredible demonstration of God’s transcendence.

Realizing how much we are unlike God could cause us to despair—and it should! “How can I, a sinner, approach such a holy and righteous God?” A. W. Tozer writes in The Knowledge of the Holy, “We console ourselves with the knowledge that it is God Himself who puts it in our hearts to seek Him.” The redemptive plan and actions of a transcendent God leaves human logic utterly and completely undone. All glory be to Christ!

Go Deeper:

• Pray. Ask for the Lord’s help in seeing how high and exalted He truly is.

• Read Psalm 113 and look for things that mark God’s transcendence.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God's Grace

Amazing Grace—this famous tune is well-known far beyond Christian circles. The words to this song, drenched in rich theology, were written by a man who knew precisely “how sweet the sound” that saved him. John Newton, a late 18th century pastor from Olney, England, is well known for penning the words to this treasured hymn. Lesser known, is that prior to his salvation and ministry, he was a sailor and captain, who spent years running African slaves as part of the English slave trade. His story of coming to faith is certainly compelling. To know Newton's story, is to know how personal this amazing grace was to him. This week’s attribute: God’s (amazing) grace.

Exodus 34:6-7 has been the cornerstone for this study of God’s attributes. Among the many attributes named in those verses, we find from God’s own words, that He is gracious. Any person truly reborn through faith in Christ, should pause at the thought of God’s grace. It is fitting to follow up talking about God’s mercy, by talking about God’s grace; the two are intertwined—yet, they are not the same thing. Mercy, as we learned, is not being given what your crime or offense deserves. Grace, on the other hand, is being given what you do not deserve (goodness), despite your crime or offense. Similar to mercy, God’s grace is not something that one just goes and takes hold on. God’s grace is the miracle work of salvation to the sinner, through faith in Christ, and it comes according to God’s mercy. It is by grace that we are saved—not by our works (Ephesians 2:4-8). God, in His mercy, does not give us what our sin deserves; instead, He gives us that which our sin does not deserve—forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7) and eternal life (Titus 3:7).

Not only does God save us by His grace, He sustains us in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), He strengthens us for His service, (2 Timothy 2:1), He reaches others through our gospel witness (Ephesians 3:7-10), and He helps us to live simply and sincerely (2 Corinthians 1:12). God’s grace is not only the means by which we are saved, it is the means by which we are  held, sustained, and live the Christian life. As we live the Christian life, we glorify a gracious God, only because we are saved and empowered to do so, by His grace. May the reality of God’s undeserved grace cause us to be gracious to those around us, as we embrace those beautiful words: “How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”

Go Deeper:

• Have you, through faith in Jesus Christ experienced God’s grace?

• In the example of a gracious Lord, are you gracious toward others?

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Mercy

I love the song that we sing together as a church, “His Mercy is More.” If someone spends any amount of time talking about God without referencing mercy, question what god they are talking about. God has mercy. God shows mercy. God is mercy.

I heard this simple definition of mercy, years ago, and I’ve never forgotten it: “mercy is the act of not getting what your crime or offense deserves.” Several weeks ago, I encouraged you to read Exodus 34:6-7 and see how many attributes of God you could identify in these two verses. Did you do it? How many did you get? There are at least four mentioned by name. Did you notice the first one? Merciful. God is merciful. God, the only true and rightful judge and punisher of sin, extends mercy to sinners. This is good news for us!

Ephesians 2:4 informs us that God is not only merciful, but that He is “rich in mercy.” Some might ask, “If God is good to punish sin and sinners, yet not only merciful but rich in mercy, how does someone find God’s mercy?” Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we experience God’s mercy when, through faith in Jesus Christ, He saves us by His grace. This must be understood: humanity, in its gross violation of God’s commands and being under the sentence of death, is not capable of finding God’s mercy. So how do we receive it?

Ephesians 2:9 and Titus 3:5 tell us that it’s not the good works which we do, that bring about the mercy of God to us. God is quoted twice as saying, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,” (Exodus 33:19, Romans 9:15). This is what Jesus meant about new birth when He told Nicodemus, in John 3:8, ”The wind blows where it wishes…So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” God is mercy and His mercy is shown to those whom He chose before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) to show His mercy to.

Go Deeper:

• Read Romans 9:14-24, keeping God’s mercy in mind.

• Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit for help understanding this biblical truth.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Good

When I was a kid, our church had a Sunday greeting that went like this: someone would say, “God is good,” and the church would reply with “All the time.” Then the first person would say, “And, all the time,” and the church would reply “God is good.” As a young church kid, I did not appreciate these words the same way that I do now. This week’s attribute; God is good.

The word good is simple enough for us to understand; the idea of something or someone being or having an acceptable or desirable quality or moral virtue. We know that people who are sometimes good are also sometimes bad, however, God is always good. Throughout all of Scripture, the common refrain can be found, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” Psalm 25:8 says, “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.” I like the contrast found in this verse. The Lord is good, sinners—God’s Word says that’s all of us—are not (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Therefore it is the Lord who instructs or helps sinners, who are utterly incapable of helping themselves. God is good.

From the beginning of creation we see the goodness of God. Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Only a God who is good is capable of making everything good. Psalm 34:8 calls to mankind, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Now, we must understand that God’s goodness doesn’t change when we face hardship (James 1:2-4) or when we receive His discipline (Hebrews 12:11). Nor is God any less good in His punishment of sin and sinners. The Bible teaches that God cannot sin, He cannot have fellowship with sin (1 John 1:5), sin deserves punishment (Romans 6:23). Therefore, God is just as good in punishing sin and sinners (Proverbs 11:21) as He is in His mercy and grace towards them Psalm 119:68 says that the Lord is good and He does good. Both who God is and what God does are good.

Go Deeper:

• Read Psalm 34 and reflect on the goodness of the Lord in your life.

• Pray and ask the Lord for help in seeing His goodness more fully.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

God is Holy

As we begin studying specific attributes of God, it seems fitting to begin with one that sets apart the Lord God of heaven and earth; holiness. God alone is holy (Exodus 15:11, Revelation 15:4). To be holy is to be pure, blameless, sinless, sacred, set apart. God is wholly unlike any other god or man. God’s holiness led Moses to ask, “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?”

God declares His own holiness by His own word. The Lord says to Israel through Moses, “I the LORD your God am holy,” (Leviticus 11:44-45,19:2, 20:26, and 21:8). In the New Testament we read that He who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:15). God’s people declare His holiness throughout His word as well. Psalm 99:9 declares, “The Lord our God is holy.” In Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8 we get a glimpse of the throne of God and angelic beings flying around Him shouting, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord.” 

A. W. Tozer, wrote in “The Knowledge of the Holy,” “We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it…His holiness he cannot even imagine.” Part of our trouble in grasping the holiness of God is declared by Asaph in Psalm 50:21, “You thought that I was one like yourself.” A more literal, word-for-word translation of this verse might say, “You thought that the I AM was like man.” When we view God as less than He declares Himself to be in His Word and more like us, we diminish His holiness.

In “The Attributes of God,” Arthur Pink, who lived from 1886-1952, noted that the majority of Christians look upon God very much like “an indulgent old man, who…leniently winks at the ‘indiscretions’ of youth.” This view strips God of more than just His holiness, it strips Him of all of His attributes. God is not like man. His holiness is nothing like a lenient wink at sin but demands payment for sin. That payment was carried out on the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Go Deeper:

• Have you allowed your view of God to diminish His holiness? How?

• This next week pray for God to highlight His holiness to you in His Word.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)

Easter Weekend 2021

In light of Easter Sunday we are taking a week off from our study of the attributes of God. Next week we will begin looking at the specific attributes starting with God's holiness. I hope you are making plans to join us, together with Byron Baptist, to worship the risen Lord Jesus Christ this Sunday! Worship starts at 10am. We will be in the Byron Baptist Church auditorium instead of the gym. Join us as we hear Scripture read, sing God's praises, pray, and hear a Word from the Lord. 

At Thanksgiving I introduced you to a book called The Valley of Vision; a collection of prayers and devotions from the 16th and 17th centuries. This being Holy Week and today being Good Friday, I wanted to share a prayer from this book that is called The Precious Blood. It is my prayer, indeed a prayer of The Village Church that you will know the saving, cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. That through faith in Him you will encounter the saving grace of Almighty God and be saved. If you have any questions about salvation, please feel free to contact me or the church!

Lord willing, I'll see you Sunday!

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
 

BLESSED LORD JESUS,
Before thy cross I kneel and see
the heinousness of my sin,
my iniquity that caused thee to be 'made a curse',
the evil that excited the severity of divine wrath.

Show me the enormity of my guilt by the crown of thorns,
the pierced hands and feet,
the bruised body, the dying cries.
Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God,
its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.

Infinite must be the evil and guilt that demands such a price.

Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth,
alive in my life,
strong in my character,
dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow,
intermingling with my every thought,
my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.

Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread,
its fruits nourish me,
its creatures subserve my ends?

Yet thy compassions yearn over me,
thy heart hastens to my rescue,
thy love endured my curse,
thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.

Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation,
bathed in thy blood,
tender conscience,
triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

-The Precious Blood, The Valley of Vision

Incomprehensible and Unchanging

We have defined what an attribute is. We have also stated that the attributes of God are equally owned by Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Trinity. This week, we will look at two additional aspects that are important to understand and be aware of, before we move on to the specific attributes of God.

First, God is incomprehensible. We could easily have spoken about this one before we looked at the Trinity last week; it is a truly incomprehensible subject that we attempt to understand, but eventually must accept simply on faith. The sum total of God is far outside of our earthly, human ability to fully understand. Even when enlightened by the Holy Spirit, in His Sovereignty, God has chosen to not reveal all that He is. God’s Word helps us accept this with verses like Deuteronomy 29:29, which says that the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us, and 1 Corinthians 13:12, which says that now we see dimly and know in part, but then, when with God in eternity, we shall see face to face and shall fully know. With as much as we can learn and know, we cannot learn and know everything. 

Second, the attributes God possesses are not intermittent; they are constant. God is always both who and what He says He is. In Malachi 3:6 the Lord says, “I do not change.” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.“ And, James 1:17 says that there is “no variation or shadow due to change” with our God. Unlike us, God is always wholly both who and what He says He is. For example, God is love (1 John 4:16); therefore God is always love. His love does not come and go, nor does it burn hot one day and grow cold the next one. God is love. Another example: God is good (Psalm 100:5); He is not only good when I see Him as good. He is not sometimes good and sometimes not. God is good. We will discuss this more with the attribute of immutability—God does not change.

Go Deeper:

• Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

• Pray, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s revealed things.

Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)