Attributes of God

The six most comprehensive aspects or characteristics of God that can be found in both the Old and New Testaments are God’s justice, mercy, wisdom, love, goodness and greatness. This paper will discuss these characteristics and show, using references from the Old and New Testament for each attribute, that God always possesses the attribute and never changes from one collection of books to the next. In doing so, this paper will demonstrate that God’s character is defined from the beginning in a way that is consistent with its definition in the modern era of revelation.
Justice of God
The justice of God is described in multiple places in the Old Testament. In Ecclesiastes 3:17, one finds: “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” In Proverbs 21:15, it is written: “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” And Proverbs 28:5 states, “Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.” In other words, the Old Testament clearly articulates that God is concerned with justice and will judge one and all. He is therefore the God of justice. This characteristic does not change in the New Testament, as God is still described as the One Who will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5).
For example, it is described in Hebrews 10:30: “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’” And Romans 12:19 states, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” The consistent message throughout both the Old and the New Testaments is that God is concerned with justice. God wants his people to be concerned with justice as well, but as those writing the Epistles observe God wants them to understand that ultimate justice will be delivered by Him alone. In asserting this fact, the writers of the Epistles leave room open for Christians to explore the works of mercy in their own lives while recognizing that God will dispense justice as He sees fit.
Mercy of God
The mercy of God is also a quality that is often described in both the Old and the New Testament. Yet Seibert argues that the God of the Old Testament is not merciful at all times and points to Deut. 7:1-2 to show that God commands His people to show no mercy to the enemy. What needs to be understood is that God in this instance is demonstrating justice in that infidels are destroyed whereas those who have faith are saved. Mercy is always shown to those who have faith and trust in God, as is shown throughout the many trials of King David and in the Psalms. Mercy is a quality of God but it is often conditional upon faith in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 4:6 states, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” This mercy is, however, conditional, as Christ notes: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). If people want forgiveness they need to show forgiveness. They cannot just assume that all their sins will be forgiven when they forgive nothing of anyone else. Thus, in the New Testament, the mercy of God is conditional as it is in the Old, and the condition is the same—that people have faith in God and show that faith in actions that are Christ-like (Moberly 2004).
Wisdom of God
God’s wisdom is also characteristic in the Old and New Testaments. Yet critics disagree. Copan objects to the idea of God’s wisdom by mockingly attributing the putting to death of idolaters as “God’s timeless wisdom” (Deut. 13:6-15). What Copan does not understand is that it is God’s wisdom that this should happen. Copan sees through the eyes of skepticism rather than of faith—and Scripture is going to be interpreted differently when that is the case. Proverbs 2:6 states, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Ecclesiastes 2:26 further elaborates that wisdom is also a gift from God to those who seek Him: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
In the New Testament it is no different. 1 Corinthians 1:25, for example, points out that those who think they are wiser than God are foolish: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” James 3:17 describes God’s wisdoms in these terms: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” However, again, the condition of knowing God’s wisdom is faith. Those who seek God shall find Him and all His fruits—that is the main message of both the Old and New Testament. Those who do not seek Him but rather seek to criticize Him the way Job’s friends sought to criticize Job for his afflictions miss the character of God completely for they do not understand Him. They look, like Block, for some proof of character—some evidence that will clearly show whether God’s attributes are really real. They miss it all because they do not see through the eyes of faith, as Hays says one must do.
Love of God
The love of God is evident throughout Scripture. This love is first demonstrated in the act of creation as seen in the Book of Genesis. It is then demonstrated in the fact that God does not abandon His human creatures after their sin but promises to save them. The act of redemption is further evidence of God’s love, as the Incarnation is the ultimate demonstration of sympathy. John 3:16 states clearly that “God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.” The love of God is a major theme from the Old Testament to the New. When Jonah is sent to preach repentance to Nineveh, it is a demonstration of love on God’s part that he wishes these people to be saved as well. Love is the defining characteristic of God for it animates, ultimately, His every action—even justice.
Goodness of God
The goodness of God is also on display. Exodus 34:6 makes the case that God is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.” Having freed the Hebrews from Egyptian captivity, God showed His goodness. God’s goodness to the Jews is also demonstrated in His faithfulness to David, who is brought up out of obscurity to lead the Jews. Psalm 25:8 reflects David’s appreciation for God’s goodness: “Good and upright is the Lord.” This voice is continuous through the New Testament as well: “No one is good but One, that is, God,” writes Mark 10:18. And James 1:17 states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” God is thus associated with goodness by those who receive His blessings and put their trust in Him. Psalm 34:8 sums it up nicely: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” It is essentially the same call to faith that is made in the New Testament.
Greatness of God
The greatness of God, His glory and majesty, is also an attribute in Scripture from beginning to end. Jeremiah 10:6 states, “There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might.” Then there is Psalm 96:4, which asserts, “For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” Isaiah 12:6 likewise proclaims: “Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” And Nehemiah 1:5 states, “I said, ‘I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments.’” The prophets of the Old Testament are filled with a sense of God’s greatness. The same is true in the New Testament. Ephesians 1:19-20 refers to the power of God, Who raised Christ from the dead: “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” His greatness is described in terms of mercy and love: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Conclusion
God’s mercy, love, greatness, justice, wisdom and goodness are all on display in both the Old and the New Testament. However, just as these qualities were shown to those who believed, it takes faith to see them. Critics who see with the eyes of unbelief often see only a god who is but a mere reflection of their own prejudice and anger.
Bibliography
Block: “Israel–Ancient Kingdom of Late Invention”
Copan: chs. 1–2
Hays, Richard B. "Reading the Bible with eyes of faith: The practice of theological exegesis." Journal of Theological Interpretation (2007): 5-21.
Moberly, R. W. L. "Jonah, God’s Objectionable Mercy, and the Way of Wisdom’." Reading Texts, Seeking Wisdom: Scripture and Theology (2004): 154-68.
Seibert: ch. 1