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What are God's atributes?

Ellery

New Member
The only thing I feel able to say confidently about God is that he is a creative force, because there is something instead of nothing. Beyond this, I feel that God transcends typical characteristics and that it is incorrect to label him as any point on any descriptive spectrum – he is not kind or cruel, he is not judgmental or indifferent, he is not serious or light-hearted.

Despite this feeling that he can't be classified one way or another, I believe that existence is underlain by love, but I'm not able to substantiate that beyond a secret feeling of excitement.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member


Jesus said in John 17:3 in his longest recorded prayer that "This is eternal life that they might know You and Jesus Christ whom you have sent"

That suggests there is a knowledge of God that is given. The knowledge may be like a personal intimate knowledge like a husband and wife 'knowing' each other" relational in some sense and not mere bare facts Knowing God is one of the few things one is allowed to boast about in the Bible, another is boasting on God himself Even Abraham was called 'the friend of God'

Jer 9:24-27
"Let not a strong man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
 
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sealchan

Well-Known Member
And how do you discern this information?

What do we really know about God?

I have a very specific answer to this...

To experience God in a vision or dream, I have found the following motifs are often present:
  • God is unseen
  • A mood of great fear
  • A resolution to the fear is presented
  • A significant name is presented
  • Decisive action is taken
Less common motifs:
  • Lights in the sky
  • Sexual encounter
Such experiences are rare but rarely forgotten. God may be interpreted as an evil presence due to the level of fear.

These motifs I take to be indicative of the objective reality of God in the human psyche.

Another approach to God is through the term god. God is a "whole term" which is a term meant to indicate the whole of something just as is Universe or Consciousness. As such these words tend to generate issues in logic when used. These issues are not generally noticed unless one presses the particulars of logical analysis. Of course, this happens quite often on this forum!
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
And how do you discern this information?

What do we really know about God?
I believe what we know about God can be learned from (1) what we see in nature - what is called creation, and (2) the writings in scripture - what is called God's word.
I believe experience is like a third witness that verifies the other two.

What are Gods attributes?
The Bible says God is love, and he is all-wise, all-powerful, humble, merciful, patient, compassionate, empathetic, reasonable.... man the list is long, so here we go. Exodus 34:6, 7
...a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth; 7 keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty...

There is more if you are willing to read the whole Bible. :)
When I observe nature, and the things that make life what it is, it tells me that the one who made these thing do fit the description of the God of the Bible - one full of wisdom and love... and what power. The power is awesome - truly fascinating to me.

My own personal experience verifies these facts.
 
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Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Jesus said in John 17:3 in his longest recorded prayer that "This is eternal life that they might know You and Jesus Christ whom you have sent"

That suggests there is a knowledge of God that is given. The knowledge may be like a personal intimate knowledge like a husband and wife 'knowing' each other" relational in some sense and not mere bare facts Knowing God is one of the few things one is allowed to boast about in the Bible, another is boasting on God himself Even Abraham was called 'the friend of God'

Jer 9:24-27
"Let not a strong man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

the only knowledge one can know of the universe is from their own experiences. to know for self, to know thyself is to know the omnipresence of the Absolute


Luke 11:52
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

enter the temple of God most high, is to enter into the Kingdom of God.

the All in all
 

GoodbyeDave

Well-Known Member
God, without a descriptor, … is the name of the Biblical God.
And in the Quran? And in the Granth?

Everytime you read, in the Bible, 'God', without some other descriptor, it is telling you the name, of the Biblical God. Reading the Bible, using the methodology you presented, wouldn't even make sense.
In the early parts of the Bible, El(ohim) refers to the supreme being:
"When God Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of gods. Yahweh's allotment is his people, Jacob is his inheritance." [Deut. 32 :8]

In the later passages, it's a synonym of Yahweh.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Actually, no, it isn't. Jesus for example, is called God at various places, in the Bible. The Father, and Jesus, are both called God, and, the name God is used, then goes directly into referring to either the Father, or Jesus.
Your reading of the Bible, would necessitate, that Jesus is the Father, in both Testaments, OT, and New Testament.
I can't find where Jesus is called God.
I think Jesus told the truth at John 10:36 in answer that he is the Son.
No where does it say that God sent himself, but that God sent the pre-human heavenly Jesus to Earth for us.
At Psalms 110 KJV there are (2) LORD/Lords mentioned.
The LORD in all Upper-Case letters stands for the LORD God, and that is where the Tetragrammaton stands.
Whereas, the Lord ( in some lower-case letters ) stands for Lord Jesus.
The Tetragrammaton (YHWH) is never applied to Lord Jesus.

Plus, to me Jesus said whose name we should hold as being sacred/hallowed.
Jesus also said whose name he would declare at John 17:6; John 17:26.
Also, Jesus taught who should be worshipped at John 4:23-24.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Everyone has their own version of God. It was kind of my point.
Jesus, too I find had his version of his powerful God.
In Scripture God's main attributes or qualities are: love, justice, wisdom and mercy.
Jesus displayed or demonstrated his Father's qualities for us.
Even giving us a New commandment at John 13:34-35 to have love beyond the Golden Rule to love others as self.
Now we are to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as Jesus has as His God has.
We are Now to love others 'more' than self.
 

MonkeyFire

Well-Known Member
Its natural to believe Love is the greatest thing in the universe making the God. Other than Love God is passive, and believing.
 

Patrick Miron

Patrick4Jesus
And how do you discern this information?

What do we really know about God?

This question can be answered differently by pretty much every human being. It depends of=n God's grace offered {GODS choice} and our acceptance or rejection of the OFFERED graces.

But this we can, could and should know:

God can be briefly but accurately defined as: all good things perfected

By which I wish to share that God is the source of all good things and ALL goodness

May God guide our life paths,
Patrcik
 
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