WHAT IS AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD?
We are going to, in the will of the Lord, take up the grand topic of "The Attributes of God." What is an "attribute" of God? An attribute of God is something that is true about God. We could think about it, in human terms, as "characteristics." We have to realize though, that God is infinitely greater and higher than any number of "characteristics" could ever describe. Being that as it may, God has chosen to reveal many things about Himself, His character, and His ways of dealing with mankind to us through His holy word. For example, we learn of the eternity of God, the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, and the love of God. These a just a few of the "attributes" of God.
Now we have to pose the question: "why would we take this topic up in ministry spanning several weeks?" It is of upmost importance that we, as believers, be continually seeking to know our God and Saviour in a deeper and closer way. Since our God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His attributes, then it is in our best interest to learn and better acquaint ourselves with each of these attributes. As we come into a deeper understanding of God's attributes, we will be coming into a deeper understanding of our blessed God and Saviour.
RECOMMENDED READING
An excellent work on this great subject is A. W. Tozer’s “Knowledge of the Holy” (recommended reading). Here are several quotes from his introduction to the subject:
"Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God."
“That our idea of God correspond as nearly was possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us.”
“The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long…”
“The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him - and of her. In all her prayers and labor this should have first place.”
- A. W. Tozer
OUR GREAT AND WONDERFUL GOD
It is our prayer and desire that, through this summer ministry series, each of us will come into a deeper appreciation and understanding of our great and wonderful God. This will undoubtedly affect our labours and service for Him in a positive way. Also on a practical note, it would be good for each of us to, through this series, to take down and keep handy a list of scripture references which proves/explains each of God’s attributes. In this way, when the need arrises, we can easily find the scripture(s) relating to any one attribute.