The Attributes of God under the doctrine of God By Raymond McGough There is no more exciting or enthralling journey for the disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ than to ta!e a loo! at "hom God really is as # am$ and countless others "ho ha%e surrendered their li%es to the Lordship of Jesus Christ$ This study is on his attributes "hat is characteristically God # "ill ma!e a start at loo!ing at the holiness of God his moral and ethical perfection$ Many scholars and theologians "ould call it his "holly otherness$ &hereas you and # had been born in sin imperfect God is not$ &e see his holiness been acted out against #srael his chosen people$ #srael had already sinned and rebelled against God no" because of his holy character he "as deciding "hat punishment to deli%er against them$ '(x$))*) + ,- .Go up to a land flo"ing "ith mil! and honey, for # "ill not go up in your midst lest # consume you on the "ay for you are a stiff nec!ed people$/ '+- 0or the Lord had said to Moses .1ay to the children of #srael .2ou are a stiff nec!ed people$ # could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you$ 3o" therefore ta!e off your je"ellery that # may !no" "hat to do to you$/ The holiness of God is not something to be trifled "ith$ 4e "ould pass sentence and execute judgment some time later on$ But they had been "arned earlier of the conse5uences of being disobedient against the holiness of God$ '(x$67*8 9 :$- '8- And God spo!e all these "ords saying* '6- .# am the Lord your God "ho brought you out of the land of (gypt out of the house of sla%es$ ')- 2ou shall ha%e no other gods before me$ ':- 2ou shall not ma!e for yourself a car%ed image;any li!eness of anything that is in hea%en abo%e or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the "ater under the earth$/ There are no mista!es here God has "arned #srael of "hat he expects of his people his holy character demands it of them$ The holiness of God is stressed repeatedly in both the <ld Testament and the 3e" Testament but here "e loo! at it in the <ld Testament$ Because of their immorality "hile Moses "as on the mountain top "ith God they rebelled against him by ma!ing a golden calf by pro%iding the goldsmith "ith their gold rings bracelets and nec!laces$ They had made for themsel%es a false idol$ &hen Moses came bac! a second time to gi%e #srael the tablets God had "ritten his la"s upon God reminded them that he is a jealous God ' (x$):*8:$- .'0or you "ill "orship no other god for the Lord "hose name is Jealous is a jealous God$-/ 4e is still a jealous God$ The 3e" Testament does not replace the <ld Testament, it brings 5uite a number of its prophecies to fulfilment the most important one the coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus Christ$ Therefore, he li!e his 0ather is a %ery jealous God "hen "e turn a"ay from him his anger "ill "ax hot against us$ 1till continuing "ith the holiness of God he ma!es %isible his glory in a pillar of cloud "hile tal!ing to Moses in the tent of meeting$ '(x$))*=;88$- The most noticeable characteristics of the passage despite the central action of God in con%ersation "ith Moses are the reactions of God>s people "hen they sa" it e%ery man "orshiped at the door of their tents$ 1uch "as the radiance of God>s holiness and glory from the pillar of cloud$ They stood in a"e of a holy and glorious God the only Lord God$ &hat a great shame that a lot of this a"e is missing from a huge proportion of Christ>s church to"ards him today$ Moses had tremendous courage in his relationship "ith God "hich at times %erged upon him being 5uite impertinent to"ards God seeing that he himself "as
mortal li!e "e all are$ 4e as!ed God if he could see his glory "ithout realising that if he loo!ed upon the face of God he "ould be completely consumed by his holy fire because of sin the curse that affects e%eryone today "ho does not !no" Jesus Christ as Lord$ #n reply to Moses re5uest God graciously turns him do"n but instead of turning him a"ay he ma!es %isible his other attributes to him but not his glory$ '(x$))*67$- But 4e said .2ou cannot see My face for no man shall see Me and li%e$/ The %ery same principle applies to those "ho do not !no" Jesus the Anointed <ne of God commonly !no"n in our bibles as the Lord Jesus Christ$ But as # ha%e said God manifested his other attributes by letting Moses see them those under the major attribute of holiness$ '(x$))*8?$- Then 4e said .# "ill ma!e all My goodness pass before you and # "ill proclaim the name of the Lord before you$ # "ill be gracious to "hom # "ill be gracious and # "ill ha%e compassion on "hom # "ill ha%e compassion$/ <b%iously Moses is the recipient of God>s grace and compassion in this instance the benefactor of God>s 5ualities characteristics "hich is his attributes$ An incredible scene of the highest drama unfolds to allo" God to do for Moses "hat he had promised him$ #t illustrates God>s holiness in his mercy graciousness longsuffering goodness truth forgi%ing ini5uity transgressions and sin and on the other side of his holiness the perfect morality of his impeachable character he "ill not clear the guilty %isiting the ini5uity upon the fathers and their children and the fathers of their children$ '(x$):* : 9 =$- ':- 1o he cut t"o tablets of stone li!e the first ones$ Then Moses rose early in the morning and "ent up Mount 1inai as the Lord had commanded him, and he too! in his hand the t"o tablets of stone$ '+- 3o" the Lord descended in the cloud and stood "ith him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord$ '@- And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed . The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth '=- !eeping mercy for thousands forgi%ing ini5uity and transgressions and sin by no means clearing the guilty %isiting the ini5uity of the fathers upon the children and the children>s children to the third and fourth generation/ but "hen this all happened God turned his bac! to face Moses so as not to consume him "ith his fiery fire$ '(x$))*6)$- 4is holiness illustrated in his mercy lo%e and compassion acti%ated to"ards his faithful ser%ant Moses$ There are se%en attributes that describes the central attribute of God>s holiness$ These are as follo"s* "rath "hich can be described as his anger righteousness his moral perfection his mighty po"er as one "ho is God his constancy meaning he is al"ays consistent "ith his character ne%er changes$ 1cholars and theologians describe it as his immutability$ As the e%er present God in his omnipresence he is e%ery"here self creating and self sustaining$ 4e is eternally God "ithout beginning and "ithout end his glory and "isdom$ These ha%e all to do "ith his holiness Those attributes that spea!s of the lo%e of God are in the follo"ing manner* mercy grace patience !indness faithfulness goodness !no"ledge The men and "omen "ho sla%ishly commit their %ery li%es li!e me to the Lord God "ill find themsel%es caught up "ithout !no"ing it in "orship of the one triune God in this instance the Lord God "hile studying his attributes$ The 4oliness of the Lord God To get a proper %ie" of the holiness of God "e turn to the prophet #saiah in his first meeting "ith God the Lord$ 4o"e%er, it should be said he is not the only one "ho has an encounter "ith the li%ing God spo!en of in the bible$ Before "e turn to
#saiah try and put yourself in his footsteps and en%isage the drama unfolding$ nimaginable, the Lord discloses himself to a mere mortal$ #saiah sees an incredible %ision pro%ided to him from a gracious act of the Lord full of mercy and compassion$ '#sa$@*8$- #n the year that ing iah died # sa" the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the train of 4is robe filled the temple$ Does #saiah really understand the significance of the Lord appearing in all of his holiness splendour and glory sitting on his throneE 3o one "ill really !no" but the %ision "ould stay "ith him "ith his faith and belief remaining constant "hich "ould lead to martyrdom$ &hile loo!ing at this extraordinary %ision unfolding before him he sa" the seraphim not just one all crying out to one another$ '@*)- And one cried to another and said* .4oly holy holy is the Lord of hosts, The "hole earth is full of his gloryF/ The same refrain on the holiness of God is ta!en up by the prophet John "hen he "as afforded a re%elation from Jesus Christ in a %ision of "hich he "as part of recorded in the boo! of Re%elation$'Re%$:*-$ The four li%ing creatures each ha%ing six "ings "ere full of eyes around and "ithin$ And they do not rest day or night saying .4oly holy holy Lord God Almighty &ho "as and is and is to comeF/ The time of his coming is dra"ing nearer$ Both of these great %isions afforded to #saiah and then John in the 3e" Testament illustrate the transcendent majestic glory and holiness of God fully deser%ing of our eternal praise sacrifice lo%e and self abnegation denying oneself handing oursel%es completely o%er to the Lord$ God>s holiness is li!e "ho he is inexhaustible immeasurable "ithout depth bottomless li!e an abyss$ The 5uestion often as!ed by his ser%ants is often "ho is li!e you GodE The only sensible ans"er is nobody$ Moses as!ed this %ery same 5uestion$ '(x$8+*88$- .&ho is li!e 2ou < Lord among the godsE &ho is li!e 2ou glorious in holiness 0earful in praises doing "ondersE/ 0rom his song of praise in heart felt "orship to"ards God$ #f only Christ>s body could sho" the same humility in "orship to"ards God$ The %ery same refrain in exaltation of the holiness of God is heard from 4annah in her song of praise to"ards God$ &e find the record of that in the first boo! of 1amuel$ ' 8$1am$6*6-$ . 3o one is holy li!e the Lord 0or there is none besides 2ou 3or is there any Roc! li!e our God$/ #t is at once totally unimaginable to mortal intelligence but ne%ertheless authentic and genuine the "orship of the Lord God "ho is absolutely other in majesty of holiness separate from us but "ith us e%en although separated from his creation in his otherness 4e "ho !no"s no beginning and no end eternal the %ery centre of di%ine holiness$ Men get do"n on your !nees and "orship "hile you breathe and can$ &e must ne%er see God in his holiness as being contradictory in his moral and ethical perfection or in his purity$ God is one and all of his attributes are contained in the oneness of his entity, they do not di%ide the unity of "ho he is$ # belie%e it "ould be profitable to loo! at the reaction of the prophet 4aba!!u! to"ards the Almighty Lord God$ '4ab$8*86 8)-$ .Are you not from e%erlasting < Lord my God my 4oly <neE &e shall not die$ < Lord 2ou ha%e appointed them for judgment, < Roc! 2ou ha%e mar!ed them for correction$ '8)- 2ou are of purer eyes than to behold e%il And cannot loo! on "ic!edness$/ &ithin his soul and spirit 4aba!!u! !no"s of God>s holy morality and his perfect ethical standards in his absolute holiness$ God made me but he does not sho" only tolerance to"ards me he lo%es me$ Because of his holy moral character and the fact of his lo%e to"ards me he had to send his 1on to die on a cross to enable his blood to cleanse and co%er my sins to appease his anger to"ards sin$ 3o" "hen he loo!s at me he sees no sin$ But "e all need to understand the meaning of his holiness in regard to his moral perfection
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