The question of who God is may be one of the most difficult to answer for one main reason. No one has seen God, but He has made human beings in His own image.
The Creator of the Universe
What are the attributes of God? Many people have tried to describe who God is. The Biblical God is the creator of the universe, the one who existed before everything else came to be. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1), says the first book of the Bible.
“God” is a proper noun. “God” with a capital ‘g’ as opposed to ‘god’ or ‘gods’ with lowercase g’s, which are common nouns for lesser deities. When Christians say “God”, they are talking about the supreme being who made the heaven, earth, and human beings. He is the eternal Creator whom the Jews and Christians worship.
The Name “God” in Hebrew is ‘El, an ending of several proper names such as Israel. Interestingly, the same word is used as the name of the high god of the Canaanite pantheon, while the Bible, the word of God, also roundly condemns the worship of another Canaanite god, Ba’al, because it is seen as a false god.
This word occurs in compound names for God such as:
- ‘El ‘Elyon, “God most high” (Genesis 14:18, 19, 20, 22; cf. Psalm 57:3); and
- ‘El Shadday (alternatively spelled El Shaddai), “God almighty” (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:3; Ezekiel 10:5; cf. Job 8:5 35:13).
More commonly in the Hebrew Bible, the word for God is the plural form ‘Elohim. Does the plural form hint at an earlier polytheism? Possibly. Earlier scholars confidently identified this as a “plural of majesty.” However, more recent scholarship indicates this grammatical idea is known in some European traditions but is hard to find in the biblical world. A few Christian scholars have even suggested that the plural indicates the Trinity, but there is no evidence for that in the Hebrew text.
The Names of God in the Hebrew Bible
Although “God” is His most common name, derived from Germanic English, He goes by other names that list the attributes of God, how and when God reveals Himself to His people. God’s many names help us understand His character. The ancient Jews used names to capture the character of a person. When one heard someone’s name, it revealed clues about who they were.
El Shaddai: God Almighty
El Shaddai, which means “God Almighty,” appears 48 times in the Old Testament. This is how God revealed Himself to Abram n Genesis 17, when he promises to bless Abram numerous descendants if Abram (later Abraham) remains faithful to Him. As promised, God Almighty gives Abraham a son through his barren wife Sarai.
Yhwh: The Sacred Name
The God of Israel and Judah has a proper name, written Yhwh in the oldest Hebrew texts which do not have vowels (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls). In Exodus 3:13-15 6:3, YHWH was revealed to Moses at the burning bush, but other parts of the Bible use the name earlier. YHWH was likely pronounced “Yahweh,” but this is uncertain. We are certain, however, that by the time of Jesus, God’s only son, this name was considered too sacred to pronounce in everyday life. It was only uttered once a year by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement – see Mishnah: Yoma 6:2; Sotah 7:6; Sanhedrin 7:5 & 10:1; Tamid 3:8 & 7:2).
In reading the pages of Scripture, the tradition was to say “the Lord” instead of pronouncing the sacred name. This is indicated by the pattern of vowels added by Jewish scribes in the early Middle Ages and is the regular pattern in the old Greek translation called the Septuagint, from about 200 B.C.E, which uses the Greek word Kurios (Lord) to translate the sacred name. Many modern Bible translations use the term LORD (in all capital letters) wherever the Hebrew text uses the sacred name. A medieval Christian scholar misunderstood the pattern of the Jewish scribes and came up with the erroneous pronunciation of “Jehovah”.
Yhwh Tseva’oth: Yhwh of Armies
The sacred name occurs in other compound expressions, especially Yhwh Tseva’oth, “Yhwh of armies” (more than 200 times). (The second word is sometimes transliterated as Sabaoth, not to be confused with Sabbath.) Theologians generally interpret this as angel armies, but in earlier times when Yhwh was thought of as a war god (for example Exodus 15:3; 1 Samuel 4:1-11; 17:45, 47). This represents major challenge to the notion of a merciful God. In a number of passages, God tells the Israelites to exterminate enemy peoples, sometimes including women and children. Critics say this proves that the god of the Old Testament is violent and bloodthirsty.
God the Warrior and God the Father in the Hebrew Bible
Time does not permit a full discussion of the name Lord of Armies, but we can note here that the warrior God is not the prevailing name for God in the Hebrew Bible.
God is also the righteous shepherd, as in “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” (Psalm 23:1) who King David appeals to times of distress. His son, King Solomon, requests God grant him wisdom above power and riches (1 Kings 3:9). This is remarkable because both David and Solomon commanded armies of thousands, yet they appeal to God not as a warlord, but as a merciful father.
Polytheistic Influences and the First Commandment
Likewise, there are hints of an earlier time when Yhwh was considered simply the God of Israel only, just as other nations had a patron deity: Chemosh was the god of Moab (Numbers 21:29; Judges 11:24; 1 Kings 11:33); Astarte of Sidon and Milcom of Amon (1 Kings 11:33). In this context, the first commandment (to have no other gods before me) does not deny that other gods exist; it simply forbids worshiping them. Similarly, Yhwh is considered the best (Exodus 15:11 and especially Psalm 82), but not necessarily the only God. Other passages, possibly later, say there is no other god (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 1 Kings 8:60; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 45:5, 14, 21, 22).
The Nature of God: Mercy, Love, and Justice
Exodus 34:5-8 expresses the meaning of the name Yhwh. In most ancient cultures a name was not just a convenient label but told something about a person’s nature. About the sacred name, it says:
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God’s divine nature demands justice.
The last part sounds ominous to modern ears but may refer to learned behavior or intergenerational trauma. But the emphasis is on how much greater Yhwh’s steadfast love is. Further, this passage is quoted, in part, in Numbers 14:18-19; Jeremiah 32:18; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; and Nehemiah 9:17b. This is who God really is, at least according to one major current of thought in the Hebrew Bible.
Essential Characteristics of God
God has certain characteristics that are essential to who He is and what kind of god He is.
Self-Sufficiency and Holiness
To begin, God is self-sufficient. He, unlike all living beings, does not need anything to survive. God’s existence does not depend on anything. He has everything in Himself to exist. God does not require air, water, food, or shelter to exist. He is self-existent.
God is holy. He is separated from all else and transcends all. There is no one like Him in the whole earth, or in the heavens, or in the seas. He is all pure, all light. There is no shadow of darkness in Him.
Love and Patience
God is love. The Bible actually calls him love in 1 John 4:16.
God is patient with all of us, desiring that we should all come to His saving knowledge. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23, “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” God sent His son, Christ Jesus, to die for sinful humanity so that we may be reconciled to Him. God sending his son Jesus as a restorative act is the most glaring proof of his love, the proof of His divine essence.
Eternity and Triune Nature
God is eternal. He existed before time, he exists now, and He will always exist. This creator is the very source of eternal life. Unlike created things, He will never die and will live forever.
He is triune, the three distinct persons in one God. This is the concept of the Trinity. These three persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is the one who sent His son, the second person in the trinity, to die for humanity, who now sits at the right hand of God. The Father also sent the Holy Spirit to live in His followers so that they will be sanctified and live holy lives. Although all three persons are God, people usually refer to “God, the Father” when they say “God”. While the term Trinity does not appear in scripture it is the implication of many scriptural passages and has been orthodox theology since the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E.
Justice and Omnipotence
God is just. He will not let any evil deed go unopposed. He fights for the oppressed and the downtrodden. This virtue of God gives hope. He intervenes when people are being treated unfairly.
This is especially clear in the prophets, especially Amos, Micah, and Isaiah, as well as in several Psalms. Even if His intervention is not discernable through corporeal eyes He stands for justice in the eternal scheme.
His ultimate justice is rewarding the faithful, usually the most downtrodden with eternal life.
God Demands Human Authorities To Not Pervert Their Power
God speaks several times against the sin of bribing witnesses to convict the innocent. God commands this first in Exodus 20:16, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor (NIV).” In later pages of scripture, He says, “You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.” (Deuteronomy 16:19 ESV) “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” (Proverbs 17:16 ESV). God castigates those “Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!” (Isaiah 5:23). Here God’s word is provides a minimum standard for the conduct of the powerful among the children of Israel.
God, would disagree with Supreme Court decisions that have allowed Attorneys to knowingly prosecute the innocent just because they had false witnesses available to help make their case. God demands that judges, and even kings, must use their earthly power in a righteous fashion.
Finally, God is omnipotent. This means He is all-powerful. There is nothing He cannot do. This characteristic is seen in His name “El-Shaddai” The one who created the heavens and the earth surely is able to do everything. This means those who believe can can go to Him with any problem, no matter how large. They can go to Him trusting that He is able to help them in whatever has become a burden to them. This can get confusing if you think in philosophical terms. Some ask, “Can God make a rock bigger than God can lift?” But the Bible is not about philosophical word games. “Almighty” simply means that ultimately God is in control.
God Provides Power to All of His Creatures
The power God remains the energy source for His creation. God Himself poses this over three chapters to Job. “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb?” (Job 38:8 NIV). “Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons?” (Job 38:32 NIV) “Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?” (Job 39:19 NIV) And many more. God the Creator is still fueling His creation with wonder that man can only start to comprehend.
In His Own Image
God created all and knows all, down to details that are beyond human comprehension. Yet, we are made in His image, a reflection of Him and His abilities to create, imagine and make moral choices, though on a smaller scale.
The two Hebrew translations of “image,” tselem (a reflection of the original) and demut (likeness, to resemble in form or function) hint at who God is based on who we are when we are at our best. Our human minds reflect, on a smaller scale, who He is in our capacity to create, imagine and make moral choices.
Jesus embodies, literally, the tselem and the demut, the form and function of God the Father. The Son of Man, Jesus is an exact imprint of His nature. The earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, limited in time and space, ironically, offers us a way to reach for the unlimited eternal life with God.
Invitation to All People
He welcomes everyone who will come to Him through fellowship with his Son. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity and His earthly manifestation. He says that he will not turn away whoever comes to Him (John 6:37). No matter who we are and what we have done, we can go to Him confident that he will accept us, reveal Himself to us and have a personal relationship with us. This is the very grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, even though He is set apart and transcendent, desires to have His creation draw close to Him, as he is the creator of all things. He is our Heavenly Father, making all of us the children of God. He assures us that whoever seeks Him will find Him. Therefore, though we know so much about God from his word, the surest way to really know Him is to seek Him with all our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)
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