What Is God Really Like According To The Bible?

“For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:6-7 KJV)

God Gave Us a Heart To Know Him

God wants you to know Him intimately. And when you learn about God and His ways, you will return to Him with your whole heart. Why? Because God is good! And He loves you more than any other being or person can or does.

“And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7 KJV)

God  Never Changes

“For I am the Lord, I change not…”
(Malachi 3:6 KJV)

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:8 KJV)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17 KJV)

God’s Word And His Promises Never Change

“The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.” (Psalms 12:6-7 KJV)

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. ” (Mark 13:31 KJV)

And since God and His word in the Bible never changes we are assured that we can know Him. And when we known God more intimately we can then understand why He has done what He has done in the true stories of the Bible. The lives of past men and women of God are in the Bible to teach us and let us know about God and His ways. This is the very definition of eternal life:

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3 KJV)

God Is Perfectly Holy

This is the attribute that separates God from all created things. It is His perfect moral purity. God is not a man that he shall lie (Numbers 23:19). God is a truly perfect moral being. It is against God’s Holiness that all actions and morals of people are to be judged.

Speaking of the Angels that surround God’s throne we see that they “…rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8)

The apostle Peter puts it this way, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

When Moses approached the burning bush God spoke and said to Moses,

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. “ (Exodus 3:5)

God Is Perfectly Just

Because God is so Holy, He is also perfectly JUST in all that He does. (Deuteronomy 32:4) The Bible says that to sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4) and that sin is greatly offensive to God. When we sin, God must punish the sinner. And the punishment is eternal separation from God. That is how Holy God is! Sin just once and you must be judged against the whole law of God (The Ten Commandments) and the perfect Holiness of God Almighty.

It is truly a scary thought indeed because according to the Bible, all “…have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). That means EVERYONE OF US, even the Christian. The Apostle John said clearly,

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

Since God never changes He is Righteous, Holy and perfectly just in the punishing of our sinful deeds. Of ourselves, we cannot do anything to make up for our sins. Doing good deeds will not erase the sin deeds and we all stand judged. The truth is that in position, we are in sin, and are sinful and rebellious against God, even when we are trying to do good. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
(Romans 7:19-25 KJV)

Paul is saying that the good he should do, he does not do. And the evil he should not do, he finds himself doing, even though in his mind he believes in God, and the salvation brought by believing in the Christ, Jesus. There is a constant war within one’s self between doing what is right and what is wrong – even for, and especially with Christians. This is the captivity of sin, a literal spiritual prison we find ourselves in.

God Is Our Father

God wants us to be close to Him. To have a close intimate relationship with Him as our Father. To know His ways and how much He loves us and wants to have a close personal relationship with each of us. A guide in times of trouble. In the book of Galatians it reads,

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.“(Galatians 4:4-7 KJV)

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12 KJV)

God Is Eternal

Unlike humans, God is eternal. God had no beginning and has no end. He is the great “I AM”. He was not created He always has existed.

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” (Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV)

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalms 90:2 KJV)

God Is Omniscient

God knows everything that has happened and everything that is going to happen. As the great “I AM” he exists outside of time because after all He created time itself. He even knows our every thought.

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:10 KJV)

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? (Matthew 9:4 KJV)

Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. (Psalms 44:21 KJV)

God Is Omnipotent. God can do anything.

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” (Revelation 19:6 KJV)

“For with God nothing shall be impossible. ” (Luke1:37 KJV)

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 KJV)

“And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36 KJV)

God Is Present Everywhere

 Not to be confused with being everything; to be clear He is present everywhere.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. “ (Psalms 139:7-10 KJV)

“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. “ (Jeremiah 23:23-24 KJV)

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. “ (Proverbs 15:3 KJV)

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. “ (Joshua 1:9 KJV)

God Is Sovereign

As the one and only true God He is supreme over everything that exists. God created everything that exists out of nothing.

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3 KJV).

With full sovereignty, God will accomplish all and everything that He purposes.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV)

God Is A Trinity

God is three persons in one. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. “ (1 John 5:7 KJV)
(Note that `The Word` is a name and is in fact Jesus Christ. John 1:1-3, John 1:14 )

God is not a man that he should lie. God is completely faithful to His nature, words and promises.

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9 KJV)

God Is Love

A small simple statement of fact: God Is Perfectly Loving.

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. “ (1 John 4:8 KJV)

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. “ (1 John 4:16 KJV)

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. “ (1 John 4 :7 KJV)

God Is Our Rescuer

This goes along in full agreement that God is love. He loves you intimately and cares for you. God is always with you and near you. He is our helper in times of trouble!

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. “ (Hebrews 13:5 KJV)

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. “ (Psalm 18:2 KJV)

“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. “ (Exodus 15:26 KJV)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. “ (Psalm 46:1 KJV)

“And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. “ (Isaiah 46:4 KJV)

The very first thing to do in times of any trouble in your life is to call out to God and acknowledge that He loves you and promises to be your deliverer in times of trouble. Agree with God and let Him know this. Thank Him for His presence in this time of great trouble and need.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. “ (Proverbs 3:6 KJV)

In all your ways and things, that is, the good, the bad and the ugly things that affect your life. God is with you! Acknowledge Him and that God exists and loves you. He will direct your life and your path. Believe this ; If God allows something in your life then He has a purpose for it even though we may not know what it is right now! And remember this promise:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. “ (Romans 8:28 KJV)

I can tell you there has been countless times this Scripture has helped me to acknowledge and see that God is with me in times of trouble. There are times in our lives when we feel things are going so wrong and bad that a deep despair puts us to the ground. But when you get to the very heart of why this happens it is because of FEAR. Fear of what will come next. Fear of the future. Fear of death itself! And all that stems from a fear that God does not love you. BUT HE DOES! God is our Father!

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. “ (Romans 8:15 KJV)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. “ (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. “ (Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV)

The Fear Of The Lord

The only kind of fear that is good is the fear of the Lord. And that is not a fear because He wants to hit you on the head for every wrong you have done in your life either. Just the opposite is true according to the Bible. The fear of the Lord is a respectful reverence you should have for God almighty. Respectful reverence because He loves you and He sent Jesus to die for you so that your wrongdoing and sinful ways would be punished upon Christ in order that you would not be punished for your sins.

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. “ (Job 28:28 KJV)

In Psalm 25 is a good description of someone that has the fear of the Lord where it says,

“O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. “ (Psalm 25:1-14 KJV)

Asking God to teach you His ways is a key to knowing God. Knowing His ways is wisdom beyond anything else in this life and the life to come after death. It is an eternal pursuit and God wants you to know Him personally and intimately as well as His ways which never change.

Even though humankind sins against Him, God loves us to the extreme utmost. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son (the second part of the Trinity of God Almighty) to become a human in the flesh as Jesus The Christ to taken upon Himself the punishment for our sins. To redeem us from the prison of sin into the prison of righteousness and eternal life. A free gift from God to be received, without any effort of our own.

“He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name. “ (Psalms 111:9 KJV)

“For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” (Isaiah 54:5 KJV)

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people…” (Luke 1:68 KJV)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:23-24 KJV)

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:23 KJV)

A Positional Problem In The Prison Of Sin

Positionally, those called the unsaved, are in a state of spiritual unrighteousness, with many sins committed – prisoners and slaves to sin. There is a boundary and we are stuck in the prison of sin because of our debt of sins against a Holy God which we can NOT erase by our own effort, leaving us heading for the full wrath and Holy judgement of God. You cannot escape this prison by your own effort, try as you may by performing good deeds.

The good news is that the opposite is also true. The saved person, who accepts Christ’s atonement for sin on the cross, was translated from the spiritual prison of sin and unrighteousness to the new prison of righteousness where God abides. And those saved have a new boundary of being 100% forgiven and righteous…and the saved cannot not escape this wonderful prison by their own efforts either! Christ made sure of that on the cross! Jesus says clearly,

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37 KJV)

Those who turn to God, and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Those that believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, born without the sin curse passed down since the fall in the Garden of Eden. That Jesus died on the cross and at that time accepted the punishment for the sins of the whole world and took upon Himself our sins. Instead of God punishing us for our sins, He became a human (Jesus the Christ) and bore our deserved punishment so that His perfect justice would be served. Those that accept this eternal pardon of sin are now called now “the SAVED”.

It is not working your way out of sin – which is a hopeless endeavor. It is not a religious thing; it’s a relational, positional issue between you and God Almighty. It is by faith, believing in the grace and mercy of God toward us and by believing and accepting this great gift of forgiveness; believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Savior from what? From your sin debt!

“Being then MADE FREE from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18 KJV)

As Christians, we did not make ourselves free from sin! It says we were MADE FREE. By whom? By Christ Jesus! The saved have become a servant slave to righteousness! And before accepting Christ as Lord and savior Paul says, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” There you can see the big flip in our relationship with God! It is a positional change. A prisoner transfer from the prison of unrighteousness, separated from God to the prison of righteousness with God. What a gift!

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” ( John 8:31-36 KJV)

The prison of righteousness is a prison of FREEDOM from sin. Notice that even though God loves you and I, and even though God is perfectly merciful towards you and I, He did not forgive us in a wishy washy way. That is, the punishment for your sin and my sin, still had to be PAID IN FULL. God is perfectly just right? He is not going to just say, “well you did some good deeds to make up for your sin, enter heaven”. NO! God is perfectly Holy and perfectly JUST too! The reality is that God loves you and I so much that He sent His own son to take upon Himself, the punishment we deserve. Jesus, the second part of the trinity of God, who never sinned, became a perfect sacrifice so we could be 100% forgiven for all our sins.

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:15-17 KJV)

That is what true salvation is all about. It is a loving and merciful gift from God, not anything we do or did. And as a gift, it must be received. Will you receive God’s gift of eternal life?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 KJV)

We Were Given The Righteousness Of Christ

Jesus received the punishment we deserved as sinners and so we are now saved from our sin debt. We are completely forgiven in Christ. Many stop there but there is more to it then just this awesome gift of love toward the whole human race. We were not only forgiven by this great act of love. There is more to this gift from God! In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it reads,

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)

An exchange was made when Jesus on the cross cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Christ redeemed us from our punishment from our sins and then we became the very Righteousness of God in Christ. This is the divine exchange that freed us from the prison of sin and placed us within the prison of righteousness. What a gift God has provided us with. And at the Rapture, our bodies and minds and spirit will be just like Jesus is. As the Apostle John states,

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2 KJV