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==Another of God's attributes is patience==
Another of God's attributes is patience. Patience is forbearance, endurance, long-suffering, self-restraint. It is the quality of one who is able to avenge oneself but refrains from doing so. In the Old Testament God's patience is mainly manifest in His dealings with the children of Israel. They continually rebelled and disobeyed Him, but He always dealt with them patiently (CP Isa 48:1-9; Hos 11:1-9; Ro 9:22). God's patience with sinners gives them time to repent (CP Ro 2:4; 2Pe 3:8-9). God was patient with sinners under the Old Covenant, suspending judgement - forbearing their sins - until Jesus came and paid for them with His life-blood under the New Covenant (CP Ro 3:25 with He 9:15). God's patience will run out though in due course and then it will be too late for sinners (CP Ac 17:30-31). It will be too late also for many professing Christians (CP Rev 2:1, 5; 2:2, 14, 16; 2:18, 20-23; 3:1-3; 3:14-19). Patience is one of the attributes Christians in the New Testament are admonished to add to their faith, in order to grow in grace (CP 2Pe 1:5-11). Jesus is the exemplar of patience in the New Testament - the greatest example that Christians must follow (CP He 12:1-3).

Another of God's attributes is His faithfulness (CP De 7:9; Psa 36:5; Isa 49:7; 1Cor 1:9; 1Pe 4:19). God is faithful to His word. He will carry out both His promises and His warnings (CP De 7:7-15 and 8:19-20 with Nu 23:19). The same teaching is in the New Testament also (CP 2Ti 2:12-13). This is a warning to Christians to remain faithful to Christ. If they do not, Christ, who must remain faithful to His word, will disown them (CP Mt 10:33). This is the retributive aspect of God's faithfulness, and Christians must be aware of it in order to carefully consider their position before doing anything that could jeopardise their standing with God (CP He 6:4-8; 10:26-31). Christians must understand that when they choose any course to follow, they choose its consequences as well. God cannot bless and prosper disobedience and unfaithfulness. Another attribute of God is life. He gives this life to those who love and obey Him (CP De 30:19-20; Psa 27:1; 36:9; 91:14-16; 103:2-4; Pr 16:15). Jesus is the life-giving expression of God in the New Testament (CP Jn 10:9-10, 27-28; 11:25-26; 14:6; Col 3:4).

God is also just. Righteous and without sin God upholds the moral order of the universe (CP De 32:4; Neh 9:33; Psa 36:6; 89:14; Isa 45:21-22; Dan 9:14). God's determination to punish sinners with death proceeds from His justice (CP Gen 2:16-17; De 28:63; 30:15-20; Ro 6:23). God is angry at sin and reveals His wrath against every form of wickedness because of His love for righteousness (CP Judg 10:7; 1Ki 14:15, 22; Psa 78: 21-22; Ro 1:18; 3:5-6). God's justice is not opposed to His love. It was to satisfy His justice that He sent Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners as His gift of love (CP Isa 53:5-11; Jn 3:16; Ro 4:23-26; 1Pe 3:18; 1Jn 4:9-10). Jesus is called the Just One in the New Testament (CP Ac 3:14; 7:52; 22:14). Another of God's attributes is His compassion - He is compassionate. To be compassionate means to have sympathy for, to suffer with, to pity, have mercy (CP 2Ki 13:23; Psa 78:38-39; 86:15; 103:13; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8). Out of His compassion for humanity God provided forgiveness and salvation (CP Mic 7:18-20). In the New Testament Christ was likewise moved with compassion on those He preached to and healed, multitudes and individuals alike (CP Mt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32: 20:30-34; Mk 1:40-42; Lu 7:12-15; Jas 5:11).

Forgiveness is another of God's many attributes. From the Divine perspective it denotes complete pardon for sin of those who confess and repent (CP Psa 32:5; 103:11-13; 130:3-4; Pr 28-13; Jer 31:33-34; Mic 7:18-19; Ro 3:24-26; Col 2:13; 1Jn 1:9). In the Old Testament the primary means of obtaining forgiveness was through the sacrificial system as the atonement for sin (which prefigured Christ as the supreme sacrifice in the New Testament). The forgiveness of God was channelled through the sacrificial offerings as an act of mercy. However, the emphasis was still on the need for a repentant heart as the basis for forgiveness (CP Isa 1:10-18; Hos 6:6; Joel 2:12-13; Amos 5:21-27). In the New Testament Christ is the perfect and final sacrifice through whom God's forgiveness is available to all who desire it (CP Ro 3:23-26; He 10:11-14; 1Jn 2:2). Forgiveness in the New Testament rests on the atoning work of Christ and is directly linked with faith in Him (CP Jn 3:16, 18; Ac 10:43; 13:38-39; Ro 10:11; Ga 3:22).

Another attribute of God is His Kindness (CP Neh 9:16-17; Psa 103:8, 11, 17; 117:2; 119:76; Isa 54:8, 10; Joel 2:12-13; Jon 4:2). In the Old Testament kindness is intermingled with mercy and grace. Being slow to anger and abounding in love is a characteristic of God which distinguishes His kindness from His wrath (CP Ex 34:6; Nu 14:18; Neh 9:17; Psa 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jon 4:2). God's kindness is also referred to in the Old Testament as His loving-kindness, denoting an everlasting love that cannot be shaken (CP Psa 17:7; 36:7; 63:3; 103:1, 4; 107:43; 138:2; Jer 9:24; 31:3; 32:18). In the New Testament, God's kindness expressed through Christ is equivalent to His grace, and embodies the fullness of salvation (CP Tit 3:4 with Eph 2:7).

Yet another of God's attributes is His providence. God's providence is His continual care for His people and His creation. It is the infinite care God takes of His creation from the falling of each sparrow to the ground and the numbering of each hair of each head (CP Lu 12:47), to the unfailing upholding and sustaining of all the vast universe by the word of His power (CP He 1:1-3). It is that eternal power at work that precludes any notion that fate or luck or chance has anything to do with the outcome of a man's life. Divine providence has been at work in the universe since creation. It was God's providence that originally brought all things into existence (CP Isa 45:18; Col 1:16-17), that provided redemption after the fall (CP Gen 3:15; Eph 1:1-11), that preserved the human race at the flood (CP Gen 6:8-8:22). It was the providence of God that multiplied Abraham and Sarah's offspring as the dust (CP Gen 13:16), as the stars (CP Gen 15:5), and as the sand, in numbers (CP Gen 22:17). God's providence also provided the sacrifice for Abraham in place of his son, Isaac (CP Gen 22:1-14). Jehovah Jireh means, "the Lord will provide".

The theme of God's providential care for the created order is present throughout scripture (CP Neh 9:6-38). The Psalms are filled with allusions to God's guidance and sustenance of His creation (CP Psa 19:1-13; 23:1-6; 65:1-13; 104:2-19; 107:1-43: 150:2, 6). The most significant of God's providential acts was to send Messiah - Christ - as the atoning sacrifice for mankinds' sins (CP Isa 42:1-6; 53:1-12 with Jn 3:16-17; Ro 3:21-26). Christians can face the future with confidence knowing that nothing will ever be able to separate them from God's providence and mercy and love in Christ (CP Ro 8:28-39), and the fact that they may suffer for their faith is of no consequence in light of Christ's strengthening and sustaining power within them (CP 2Cor 1:3-7; Php 4:13), Amen!

This now completes the study on God - His nature, His names, His attributes. It is essential to be mindful of the fact that God is triune and therefore all that describes Him is equally true of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit. The three beings in the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-equal.

These Studies by Br Val Boyle may be downloaded and freely distributed but not sold for profit.


[[Advanced Bible Studies 2]]