What comes to mind when you read the word- theology? Some might think of a classroom, a lecture, or a sermon. Maybe the Bible comes to mind or a church. So what is theology? At its core, theology is the study of God. Theology has many subcategories like Ecclesiology, the study of the church, or Bibliology, the study of the Bible. Theology proper is the study of God Himself. It seeks to answer the questions- who is God? And what is He like? In this series, our goal is to answer both questions by looking at the attributes of God revealed in Scripture.

 

What is an attribute? An attribute is a defining characteristic. Attributes are more than just facts about a person. I, Christian Brown, am six-foot, four inches tall. I grew up in Sheds, New York. I enjoy playing basketball. These are facts about me, but these are not attributes. Attributes are deeper than this. An attribute is an essential quality to who you are. It’s what makes you who you are. So when we talk about the attributes of God, we’re not just studying cold facts about God. We’re studying His very nature. We’re learning about what makes Him who He is. Therefore, these attributes should cause us to worship God in awe and reverence.

 

Scripture reveals many distinct attributes of God. Each characteristic is an essential quality of His being. This means that every single attribute is indispensable from His character. He wouldn’t be God if He wasn’t all of these things. He never ceases to be any of these. They are essential to who He is. For instance, if God is not love, then He is not God. If God is not good, then He is not God. If God is not holy, then you guessed it, He’s not God. God is love, good, and holy because He is God. If this feels redundant, then you’re starting to understand it.

 

Love, goodness, and holiness find their origin in God. He’s the One who defines these virtues. How do we know what love is? We look at God. How do we know what goodness and holiness are? We look at God. He is the perfection of these qualities. Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:1 to be imitators of God. How are we possibly supposed to imitate the Sovereign Creator? It starts with understanding His attributes. The next verse says, “walk in love, as Christ loved us.”

 

This is why we study God’s attributes. If we want to grow in our relationship with God, then we need to know who God is. We need to understand what He does, what He desires, and how He thinks. So, over the new few weeks, we will examine these attributes and seek to make applications for our lives. Because your view of God determines your view of life. What you believe about God will determine how you live. This study is designed to broaden, challenge, and encourage your view of God, so that your life will be changed for good.