Today we’re going to take what might seem like a detour from the book of John to dive deep into the attributes of God. While this might seem like a much different direction for our study, it is not. To truly grasp John’s message (or any book of the Bible for that matter), you need to understand who God is. That’s where the study of the attributes of God comes into play.
Consider the main reason for John writing his gospel:
John 20:30–31
30Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
These verses give us a clear answer to why John wrote his gospel…so that you may believe. This word for believe implies a wholehearted trust, and the focus of that trust is Jesus. Looking at a Bible dictionary we see that the Greek word for believe can be defined as:
1 to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. 1a of the thing believed. 1a1 to credit, have confidence. 1b in a moral or religious reference. 1b1 used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul. 1b2 to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith1
1 James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).
So, to believe is to put your trust confidently in Jesus. This type of belief is no mere intellectual knowledge that God and Jesus exist. There is ample evidence historically that Jesus existed and ample evidence in nature and the universe that reveal the creational God (try studying physics, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics with a saving belief in God and you will glorify God by His work; but try this without a saving belief and it will all be emptiness…I’ve seen this played out). But the type of belief that stems only from historical or natural evidence will only get you so far. You may believe that there is a God but that He is far away and unconnected to this world and its people. This is not to say that a simple knowledge that God exists is unimportant. You must consider that He exists before you can place your faith in He that exists.
Let’s also consider one of the most widely known verses in John:
John 3:16
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Again we see the use of the word “believe”. But don’t miss the details. We also see in all these verses some descriptions of both God and Jesus. We see that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) and the Son of God who gives life. We see that God both loves us and gives for us out of this (agape) love in John 3:16. All of these descriptions of God/Jesus not only direct and inform our belief (trust) in Him but also strengthen our belief.
You see, intellectual belief is not the end goal here. A saving trusting belief in Jesus is just the beginning. Truly understanding who we are placing our trust in is our long term goal as Christians on this Earth. This understanding of “who” is critical to our ongoing faith and trust in Jesus. Without it, we may be a believer but our sanctification becomes stale and we can become less and less useful to the body of Christ.
Therefore, this study on God’s attributes is tied not only to the underlying message of John’s gospel but also to our continued sanctification and growth in Jesus. As Peter teaches us in the opening of his second letter in 2 Peter 1:2–11
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
5Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
- What does the knowledge of God provide? Here are a few things we can learn from this passage about what knowledge of God provides:
- Grace and peace will be multiplied.
- An understanding that we have everything we need pertaining to life and godliness
- Precious and magnificent promises
- Becoming partakers of Christ and His nature
- An escape from sin
- Knowledge that begets self-control, which begets perseverance, which begets godliness, which begets brotherly kindness, which finally begets love (you see how knowledge and sanctification go together)
This word “knowledge” in the Greek and this context means understanding, correct insight, truth properly comprehended and applied. This virtue involves a diligent study and pursuit of truth in the Word of God.1
1 John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 2 Pe 1:5.
- We become useful.
- We become fruitful.
- We are not blind and will not fall away from God.
- Certainty in our salvation
- We gain abundant hope.
- We gain abundant joy.
And how do we get this “knowledge of God”? Well, certainly Bible study, prayer, sermons, and life’s trials will get us there. But for now I want to focus particularly on the attributes of God. Oh, and by the way, when I say “I” here I mean myself in the context of this writing, but on a larger scope it can also be read as “Tom and I” since we are doing this study in lock-step with each other.
The attributes of God and how they relate to one another are essential to understanding who God is. After all, you wouldn’t put your trust in a prominent person in your life (e.g., boss, spouse, coach, …me) without knowing who they are, right? So to is it with God, but on a much different scale. The prominent people in our lives only have a certain amount of influence over us, which is that amount that we willingly give them. However, God has complete sovereignty over our lives whether we like it or not. You will want to embrace His sovereignty more and more as you learn of who God is through His attributes.