God tells us what he is like
The Bible does not begin with a neat checklist of God’s qualities. It shows God creating, speaking, rescuing, judging, forgiving and keeping his promises. One of Scripture’s clearest moments comes when God reveals his own character to Moses after Israel’s sin with the golden calf. He describes himself as merciful and gracious, patient, rich in goodness and truth, forgiving, and also committed to justice (Exodus 34:6-7).
That matters because God’s love is never careless, and his justice is never cold. He does not overlook evil, yet he welcomes those who turn to him. When we ask what God is like, this self-revelation gives us a steady starting point.
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Eternal, unchanging and spirit
God is not a creature inside the universe. Before mountains, earth and the world existed, God was God, and the psalmist speaks of him as everlasting (Psalm 90:2). He is spirit, not confined to a physical body or a particular building, which is why Jesus taught that true worship is offered in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
Scripture also says that with God there is no shifting change, unlike the changing lights in the sky (James 1:17). This does not mean God is distant or unresponsive. He truly hears prayer, grieves over sin and delights in mercy. It means his character is dependable. His goodness will not fade with the seasons.
Holy, loving and just
God’s holiness means he is utterly pure and set apart from all evil. In John’s vision, heavenly beings continually honour God’s holiness (Revelation 4:8). His holiness helps us see why sin is serious. It damages people, rejects God’s good rule and cannot simply be brushed aside.
Yet holiness is not the opposite of love. Scripture says plainly that God is love (1 John 4:8), and it shows that love in the sending of his Son for sinners (Romans 5:8). At the cross, God’s justice and mercy meet. He takes evil seriously while opening a real way for forgiveness and new life.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Wise, powerful and near
God knows the end from the beginning and carries out his purpose (Isaiah 46:9-10). His wisdom is greater than ours, even when life leaves us with unanswered questions. Jeremiah looked at the heavens and earth and recognised that nothing was too hard for the Lord (Jeremiah 32:17). God’s power is not merely strength for its own sake. He uses it to create, sustain, save and finally set things right.
He is also present everywhere. David says there is no place, whether the heights of heaven or the depths of the sea, beyond God’s presence and care (Psalm 139:7-10). That can be comforting when you feel alone. God is not limited by distance, a difficult season or the places where you feel least seen.
See God most clearly in Jesus
The attributes of God are not abstract ideas to memorise. They invite trust and worship. Jesus said that seeing him is seeing the Father (John 14:9). In Jesus, God’s compassion touched hurting people, his holiness confronted hypocrisy, his power overcame death, and his grace welcomed outsiders.
No single passage exhausts who God is. Read the Gospels slowly, and notice what Jesus says and does. As you do, ask not only, “Which attribute is this?” but also, “What does this show me about the God I can trust today?”
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?