The Greatness of God Pt. 1

As we study the names of God and how scripture portrays him, we find that we are able to find attributes of who God is. These attributes describe the nature of God. Theologians have many different ways to classify these attributes. None of these classification systems have become a standard, and each brings out valuable truths about God. Before we talk about which method we will use and begin looking at the attributes of God, some observations should first be made. God’s attributes are not individual qualities, do not act independently of each other, apply equally to each person of the Trinity, and must be distinguished from God’s activities in time and space. That last observation means that God being a creator is not an attribute; rather, it is an activity of God. Finally, the only distinctions that must be made between each person of the Trinity are their functions, activities, and acts. We will discuss this more in-depth in a couple of weeks when we explore the reality of the Trinity. We will take the classification system that Millard Erickson uses that divides God’s attributes between his greatness and his goodness. We will first look at God’s greatness. That means that we will look at his immoral qualities. In other words, his spirituality, personality, and infinity, etc. After we are done with those attributes, we will look at his goodness attributes, which are his moral qualities.

            First, God is self-existent. Theologians call this aseity. This means that God does not need a creator, nor does he need anything or anyone to rely on for his existence. We see in scripture that one of God’s names is I Am. “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’’” (Exodus 3:14). He simply is. He has always been. God actuates his own existence. “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26). God, unlike us, does not need to depend on anything or anyone to exist. He simply exists.

            God is eternal. He has no beginning or end. “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). God is eternal. He was even before time was. Now, there are two ways to understand God’s relationship with time. Since God existed before there was time, we have to figure out if God exists outside of time or throughout time. If God exists outside of time, then he cannot work within time. One has to be within time to operate within it. If God exists outside of time, then he could not make events happen at certain times. He would have to simply say he wants something to happen, and then it would happen at a random time. For instance, God would send his son to die for the sins of mankind, but he would not be able to control the dates on which this happens. While many people who are smarter than me hold this position, I have a hard time agreeing with it. It seems to me that God is able to operate within time. So, I hold to the option that God operates throughout time. This does not constrain God within time. Rather, it allows him to intercept with time. God is eternal. He has always existed without time. However, he created time, and so he exists throughout it in order to be able to work within it.

            The final attribute that we will explore this week is that he is sovereign and free. We will deal with more of the greatness attributes next week. Saying that God is sovereign and free means that he has the capacity of absolute self-determinism. In other words, nothing outside of himself is able to force him to act. He acts as he desires. “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35). “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Psalm 115:3). It must be noted however that he is not free to act contrary to his nature. This fact will be explored more at a later time, but we must keep this in mind. Now, we could just leave it there, but then there’s a nagging question that wants to come up. Does everything that happens in our lives, even the bad things, happen because God desired it to take place? Is God the cause of the bad things in my life? Once again, we will explore this at more length when we discuss the problem of evil. However, something must be said to work towards an answer. We must first acknowledge the fact that God does not cause evil to happen or tempt us to do evil because that would be contrary to his nature. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15). However, everything that does happen is allowed by God. For anything to happen, it must first be allowed by God. We see this exemplified in Job. Before Satan was able to do anything to Job, he had to first ask God for permission. So then we see that there are two different wills of God. The first is his prescriptive will. This is what God desires to take place. This is what would happen in a perfect world. His commands are a part of this will. He desires that we follow them. “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 7:21). His desires are also a part of this will. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). So it is apparent that this will does not always take place. The other will of God is his decretive will. This is what God has planned to take place. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). “‘Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:22-24). God has included things in his plan that he does not regard as good. He has done that because he has given us free will. We naturally are bent to do evil. Anything that we do that is good is because of God’s grace. So, in order for us to be able to act within our free will, God has allowed evil in his decretive will.

            This is all we have space for this week. God is incomprehensible. He is far beyond human reasoning and understanding. I hope you have not been discouraged from further study of who God is. However, I hope this has encouraged you to continue to want to learn more about God and who he is. This week, we have seen that he is self-existent, eternal, sovereign, and free. God is awesome. He inspires awe. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that God in his grander of God saw us while we were a mess and said that he wanted to save us. He decided that he wanted to send his one and only son to die on our behalf. My finite mind simply cannot wrap itself around that. All I can do is sit here in awe and gratitude and worship him.