Understanding God: His Character, Attributes & Love

God is: outside of time and space.

Computer programmers create programs that contain entire cyber worlds. Within these worlds are computer-generated characters that are limited by the boundaries of the program. However, it would be ludicrous to suggest the programmer is subject to those same boundaries. She exists outside the program and can change its rules whenever she chooses.

In a similar way, God created the universe and everything in it (Nehemiah 9:6). He created people with free will, but sin soon corrupted His perfect creation and suffering followed. God is now working out His plan to redeem what sin has broken and ultimately restore creation.
Within the universe, God established boundaries – the laws of time, space and nature – to which every created thing is subject. Yet we should not assume God is bound by those same laws. Just as a programmer exists outside the program she has written, God exists outside the universe He created. The Creator is greater than His creation.
God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. It is impossible for a finite human mind to fully comprehend an infinite God. Many reject God’s existence because He does not fit comfortably within the boundaries of human understanding. But expecting the infinite Creator to fit inside our limited thinking is like expecting a computer-generated character to fully understand its programmer.
The laws of time, space and science are subordinate to their Creator – not the other way around. Whenever it serves His purpose, God can act beyond the natural laws He established. We call these acts miracles. They are not violations of His laws, but evidence that the Lawgiver has authority over them.
Whether we like the idea of being subordinate to our Creator or not – and many do not – the wisest thing we can do is to get with His program. If God really is our Creator, then ignoring Him makes no more sense than ignoring the maker’s instructions for something we’ve never built ourselves. The Creator knows His creation best, and He invites us to trust Him.
John 3:16 declares: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

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God is: consistent.

Sir Isaac Newton recognised that the laws of the physical world are constant when he coined the phrase: ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’  This is a good law for us to remember before stepping from a great height.

God set many scientific laws in motion and decreed that they remain constant.  I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isaiah 46:11b.
God also created mankind with volition and decreed that it remain free.  The laws of ‘freewill’ are as constant as any scientific law in the physical world.  For every decision there are consequences.  We are free to succeed and free to fail.  This explains most of our suffering in life – we bring it upon ourselves (individually and nationally). 
We may point our finger accusingly at God and ask: ‘How can You allow suffering?’  But God rarely intervenes when it comes to the repercussions caused by our own stupid decisions.  We may earnestly pray for God to miraculously remove bad repercussions (never do we ask Him to remove good ones), but God would sooner suspend the ‘laws of gravity’, than tamper with the ‘laws of freewill’. 
Through many choices we determine our attitude when facing life’s rotten apples.  And, it is our attitude that often determines whether we have dug ourselves out of a hole or dug ourselves into a grave. This is not to say God leaves us alone to deal with life’s problems.  He has promised to deliver us THROUGH adversity – not OUT of adversity, (Romans 8:28).  
God provides the necessary strength to overcome any suffering brought upon by ourselves or others, but it is up to us whether we CHOOSE to utilise His provision. God created us with volition, so life’s central issue will always be about choice and the repercussions of those choices.  So choose wisely.
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15

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God is: a patient Father.

A wealthy man had a son whom he loved very much.  He constantly showered him with gifts.  He spent every moment of the day teaching and caring for his son.  But as the boy grew into manhood, he turned away from his father and soon came to despise him - yet his father continued to support him in the hope that he would come around.  He paid his bills, furnished him with a mansion and wrote to him daily.  Instead of being thankful, the son ripped up the letters, ended all contact and cursed anyone who dared mention his father’s name in conversation.  However, the son never stopped taking his father’s financial support.

Sadly, the ungrateful son illustrates humanity (Judges 8:34).  God is our heavenly Father and many of us imitate the son’s attitude.  God spends every moment with us:  giving, teaching and caring - yet, many turn away.  In spite of this, God still continues to support us with the desire that we will come around.  He supplies us with the riches of the universe, things that cannot be measured in wealth (like sunshine, oxygen, gravity, atmosphere, environment and more); He has paid our bills (Christ on the cross) and written to us (the Bible).  We may curse God - but isn’t it ironic that we still expect Him to continue supporting us - which, as the loving Father, He does.
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.  Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:21-23

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God is: a willing Sacrifice.

Nature is a curious thing.  It seems we’ve all been programmed with a survival instinct – an overwhelming drive to stay alive.  This instinct is in all of God’s creatures.  However, there is another instinctive programme that overrides the survival instinct – it is a protective parental instinct.  Nature shows us that when young are threatened, both the mother and father will override their own survival instinct and fight to the death to protect them.  What makes an animal, programmed to survive, suddenly forfeit its life so its young may live?  Where did this selfless and loving instinct originate and who is the Programmer? 

This loving instinct originates with God and He is the Programmer.  “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13
Through Adam, we all sin and are under the penalty of death and judgement.  We must remember God is uncompromising perfection – He is perfect righteousness, justice and truth. God MUST condemn those who transgress His perfect law or He would compromise His perfection and this He can never do.  However, there is another facet of God’s character – His Perfect Love.
God is a Parent and we are His children.  So as our Divine Father, God has a dilemma – His children are threatened with judgement at death and ironically He must judge them.  Yet the thought of His children suffering eternal judgement is abhorrent to Him – He would die to protect them. In fact, that is exactly what He did.  He willingly came to earth as a man (Jesus Christ) and forfeited His life on the cross to be judged on our behalf.  As our substitute, He took the punishment of our sins onto Himself so we could have everlasting life with Him in Heaven. 
The Cross is the greatest evidence of God’s perfect love to all mankind and a testimony to how He desperately wants everyone to be protected from judgement.  It now rests with us to either accept His loving sacrifice on our behalf, or reject His gift of salvation and face His perfect Judgement.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten (uniquely born) Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

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God is: transcendent.

A man owned an extravagant aquarium and spared no effort maintaining it properly.  He spent many hours attending all his fish and knew their every characteristic.  Yet, for all his time and effort, it was evident the fish knew nothing of him.  It seemed impossible they could ever get to know him.
Whenever he came close to the aquarium the fish hid in fear.  When he cleaned their tank, his fish fled not understanding cleaning was essential for their future well-being.  Even when he showered them with food, they never showed any acknowledgement to their loving caretaker. 
The man finally realized that if his fish were ever to understand who he was, he would somehow have to become a fish and swim among them.

As ludicrous as the above illustration may sound, this is similar to what God did.  He humbled Himself and took the form of man (Jesus Christ) John 10:30. 
We must understand that the human brain is incapable of comprehending a Being who exists simultaneously in the past, present and future - who knows everything that has, will and may happen - with power to create and destroy the universe and the heavens with a single word.  It would be easier for a fish in a tank to appreciate the man outside, than for mankind to comprehend an all-knowing, all-present and all-powerful God.  
However, God gave us the best illustration of who He is, in a way that our tiny brains can understand, by becoming one of us and walking among us.  So, if we wish to know God, we do so by knowing Jesus Christ.
(God) made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:7-8.

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God is: the ultimate Artist.

One of the greatest pleasures artists experience is to see expressions of delight and enjoyment when people appreciate their artworks.

Is not God the ultimate Artist, who all other artists try to imitate?  (Psalms 86:8).  God has created a living interactive exhibition.  His awe-inspiring landscapes can actually be entered.  His ever-changing seascapes are there for our recreational pleasure.  Each day, He paints a new sunrise and sunset for us to enjoy.  His exhibition includes living portraits of people and animals for companionship.  His fruit-bowls are bursting with flavour and His flowers literally smell of perfume.
God receives great pleasure from watching His sons and daughters delight in His many artworks.  When time is taken to enjoy and savour an artwork, it always pleases the Artist.
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelations 4:11

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God is: not a genie.

Genies are magical beings from folklore who grant wishes if their lamp is rubbed the right way.

We often get into the bad habit of thinking God is like a genie - rub Him the right way and He will grant our every wish.  We must understand that God does not bless us on the basis of who we are or what we do, He blesses us solely on the basis of who He is.  We can do nothing to earn God’s blessings – we only receive through His grace.  Furthermore, God cannot be bribed, bullied, blackmailed or ‘suckered’.  God has many reasons why He blesses some and withholds blessings from others.  These reasons are always in accordance with His eternal plan. 
Every time we feel that God isn’t giving us what we deserve, we should stop and consider that due to our transgressions what we truly deserve is Divine judgement.  The only reason we receive blessings instead of condemnation is because Jesus Christ went to the cross on our behalf.  Eternal salvation is a free gift that can neither be earned nor deserved.  If we believe in Christ we will be eternally blessed and thankfully NEVER get what we truly deserve – judgement in time and eternity.
Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2: 4-5 NIV

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God is: the Great Conductor.

Conductors are directors of an orchestra.  They manage and encourage the musical talents of singers and instrumentalists.  Furthermore, the success of any orchestral concert depends on the conductor’s timing and exact reading of the score.

We have a choice of who we allow to conduct our life. We can try conducting our own life or we can choose to allow God to conduct. When we push God off the podium in our eagerness to orchestrate our own life, discord usually follows.
If we desire our life to be filled with beautiful music (happiness and inner peace), it is best to follow God’s lead.  He is the Great Conductor.  He knows the score and His timing is always perfect.  At exactly the right moment He will signal certain events to start in our life and He knows the exact moment when they should finish.  No one is more able to conduct the romances and tragedies of our life. 
Until the day we die, there will be high notes (good days) and low notes (bad days); however, if God is on our podium, we can be assured that every note will be synchronized into a spiritual harmony. 
When God is conducting our lives, we can be confident that each event, good or bad, is there for a reason.  It may be to build us up – to give us greater insight, depth and maturity.  We may undergo certain things to be a blessing to those around.  Or, like Job, we may be placed in bizarre circumstances for the benefit of a heavenly audience. 
Whatever we are undergoing, if we trust God to conduct, we will be relaxed and at peace; our life will be a graceful harmony that will bring joy to those around us and eternal glory to our Heavenly Father.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

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God is: always wanting to provide for us.

The absence of water makes a desert.  The absence of land makes an ocean.  The absence of warmth makes the polar caps.  The absence of light makes darkness.  The absence of God's provision makes Hell.

Hell, for want of a better word, is simply a place where God’s abundant providence is absent.  In life, God sustains us with oxygen, gravity, water, sunshine and all the universal laws of order - even when we make it quite clear that we want nothing to do with Him.  However, there will come a day (death) when God must respect our decision to live apart from Him - His perfection demands it.  On that day He may say to those who rejected salvation, ‘It saddens Me that you have refused all My gracious offers of salvation and shown on all occasions that you want nothing to do with Me.  I must respect your decision (free-will) and leave you in a place that has been set aside where my provision shall be absent, where I will not sustain the environment or the universal laws of order, where My light will be nowhere to be seen and where you are beyond the reach of My comfort.  It is a place where I shall respect your wish and remain absent from you for eternity.’ (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
It is foolish to say we don’t need God in our lives.  Hell is the void created when God’s providence is absent.  It is a place of absolute darkness, chaos and everlasting discomfort.  Let us not eternally regret being separated from God when Heaven is simply ours for the asking. The Bible clearly states: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).