Characteristic of God

The Characteristic of God identifies the primary truth about God's character, His work, or His ways most clearly revealed within a passage of Scripture.

Sometimes that revelation is best expressed by a single word such as Holy, Just, Faithful, or Sovereign. At other times, a brief descriptive phrase more accurately captures the way God faithfully works among His people.

The goal is not to force every passage into a predetermined list of theological attributes. Rather, it is to allow the passage itself to reveal the characteristic God has chosen to emphasize.

Why Identify the Characteristic of God?

Every passage reveals God.

On occasion in our study, His holiness stands at the forefront. At other times His justice, grace, wisdom, patience, compassion, sovereignty, or faithfulness becomes the dominant emphasis. In still other passages we discover the faithful ways in which God works among His people. Although several characteristics may be present, one usually stands out above the others as the primary revelation of the passage.

Identifying that characteristic helps us keep our attention where Scripture consistently directs it—not merely toward biblical truth, but toward the God from whom that truth flows.

With this understanding, we expand our approach and study of the Bible. Instead of asking only, "What does this passage teach?" we also begin asking, "What does this passage reveal about the God who inspired it?" That simple shift transforms Bible study from an academic exercise into the joyful pursuit of knowing God more deeply.

Our Bible study and the identification of God’s character are an important part of our homiletics process.  It is helpful to learn more about our living God. God is the source of every truth we discover.

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV

Every step of studying God’s Word leads us closer to the God who has spoken – so that we may love Him and follow Him more faithfully.

 

(An Extract from "Walking through God’s Word")