Who or what is a God? What is He like? A according to the saints of the church,
here are 6 personality traits of God:
He is Knowable.
God,
who created the universe in all of its magnitude and creative details,
is able to be known, by us. He tells us about himself, but even goes
beyond that. He welcomes us into a relationship, so that we personally
can get to know him. Not only can we know about him, we can know him,
intimately.
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord,
who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23,24)
He is Welcoming.
God
invites us to talk to him and engage him in what concerns us. We don't
have to get our act together first. Neither do we need to be polite,
theologically correct or holy. It is his nature to be loving and
accepting when we go to him.
"The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth." (Psalms 145:18)
He is Creative.
Everything
we make is put together with existing materials or built on previous
thoughts. God has the capacity of speaking things into existence, not
just galaxies and life forms, but solutions to today's problems. God is
creative, for us. His power is something he wants us to be aware of and
to rely on.
"Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit." (Psalms 147:5)
"...where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalms 121:1,2)
He is Forgiving.
We
sin. We tend to do things our way instead of God's way. And he sees it
and knows it. God does not merely overlook such sin, but is prepared to
judge and condemn people for their sin. However, God is forgiving and
will forgive us from the moment we begin a relationship with him. Jesus,
the Son of God, paid for our sin with his death on a cross. He rose
from the dead and offers us this forgiveness.
"We
are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take
away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who
we are or what we have done... We are made right with God when we
believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us." (Romans
3:22,25)
He is Honest.
Just
like a person who lets you know their thoughts and feelings, God
clearly tells us about himself, the possible difference being, he is
always honest. Everything he says about himself, or about us, is
reliable information. Truer than our feelings, thoughts, and perception,
God is totally accurate and honest in what he says. Every promise he
makes to us can be fully counted on, he means it. We can take him at his
word.
"The unfolding of your words gives light;
>it gives understanding to the simple.
>Your word is a lamp to my feet
>and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:130,105)
He is Capable.
How
would you like to be always 100% right, about everything? God is. His
wisdom is unlimited. He understands all the elements of a situation,
including the history and future events related to it. We do not have to
update him, counsel him or persuade him to do the right thing. He will,
because he is capable and his motives are pure. If we trust him, he
will never make a mistake, never undercut us or deceive us. He can be
fully trusted to do what is right, in all circumstances, at all times.
"No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame..." (Psalms 25:3)
This
is who God tells us he is. The following explains how you can begin a
relationship with God right now: Knowing God Personally.
COMMENT:
So
God is capable, honest, creative, forgiving, and knowable - so, what?
The horrible truth about God is that he is only always OMNI-ABSENT. He is never OMNI-PRESENT. We atheists would like to believe in a visible God. We do not give 3 hoots why we should know or believe in the silly existence of an invisible God! - - - Poch Suzara