Allowing Scripture to Shape Our Understanding of God's Nature

Understanding God's Nature through Scripture

The biblical account emphasizes that humans are created in the image of God, yet the divine nature is not fully comprehensible through human likeness. As Acts 17:29 states, "we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man" ^[1]. This underscores the limitations of human understanding and the need for divine revelation.

Scripture serves as the primary means by which God reveals Himself to humanity. The Bible is considered the "Word of God" because its writers were guided by the Holy Spirit to express exactly what God intended ^[5]. This understanding is rooted in passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16, which affirms that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God" ^[5]. The concept of inspiration is crucial, as it ensures that Scripture is infallible and trustworthy.

The nature of God is revealed through Scripture, which provides a comprehensive understanding of God's character, purposes, and plans. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, "the Scriptures are not merely the 'record' of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form" ^[3]. This written revelation enables humans to grasp the divine nature, albeit imperfectly.

One key aspect of God's nature is holiness. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note on 1 Peter 1:16, "God is essentially holy: the creature is holy in so far as it is sanctified by God" ^[6]. This highlights the distinction between God's inherent holiness and the derivative holiness of created beings. The pursuit of holiness is thus a fundamental aspect of the Christian life, as believers are called to imitate God's character.

The relationship between God's nature and human understanding is complex. While humans have some knowledge of God through creation, this knowledge is limited and often distorted ^[7]. As Tyndale House comments on Romans 1:21, "all people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge" ^[7]. Scripture provides a more complete and accurate understanding of God's nature, enabling believers to develop a deeper, saving relationship with Him.

The transformative power of Scripture lies in its ability to renew human knowledge and understanding. According to Adam Clarke on Colossians 3:10, "Christianity reveals God himself, the author of nature; or, rather, God has revealed himself, in the Christian system with which he has blessed mankind" ^[8]. This revelation enables believers to put on the "new man" and be renewed in knowledge, reflecting God's character.

Ultimately, the biblical account presents a God who is both transcendent and immanent. While God's nature is beyond human comprehension, Scripture provides a means of understanding and relating to Him. As Matthew Henry notes on Psalms 119:73, "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me" ^[9], emphasizing God's role as creator and sustainer. This understanding of God's nature, mediated through Scripture, shapes the Christian's worldview and informs their relationship with God.

The concept of God's nature is inextricably linked with the doctrine of inspiration, which ensures that Scripture is a reliable and authoritative source of knowledge about God. As the "Word of God," Scripture provides a window into the divine nature, allowing believers to grasp the character and purposes of God. This understanding is essential for Christian doctrine and practice, as it underlies the believer's relationship with God and informs their understanding of the world ^{[2, 4]}.

Sources

Acts “Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. -- Acts 17:29”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Scriptures, The — Given by inspiration of God -- 2Ti 3:16. Given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- Ac 1:16; Heb 3:7; 2Pe 1:21. Christ sanctioned, by appealing to them -- Mt 4:4; Mr 12:10; Joh 7:42. Christ taught out of -- Lu 24:27. Are called the Word. -- Jas 1:21-23; 1Pe 2:2. Word of God. -- Lu 11:28; Heb 4:12. Word of Christ. -- Col 3:16. Word of truth. -- Jas 1:18. Holy Scriptures. -- Ro 1:2; 2Ti 3:15. Scripture of truth. -- Da 10:21. Book. -- Ps 40:7; Re 22:19. Book of the Lord. -- Isa 34:16. Book of the law. -- Ne 8:3; Ga 3:10. Law of the Lord. -- Ps 1:2; Isa”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation — An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF [532]GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate presevation and propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Rev”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Word of God — (Heb. 4:12, etc.). The Bible so called because the writers of its several books were God's organs in communicating his will to men. It is his "word," because he speaks to us in its sacred pages. Whatever the inspired writers here declare to be true and binding upon us, God declares to be true and binding. This word is infallible, because written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and therefore free from all error of fact or doctrine or precept. (See [670]INSPIRATION; [671]BIBLE.) All saving knowledge is obtained from the word of God. In the case of ”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Inspiration — That extraordinary or supernatural divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (R.V., "Every scripture inspired of God"), 2 Tim. 3:16. This is true of all the "sacred writings," not in the sense of their being works of genius or of supernatural insight, but as "theopneustic," i.e., "breathed into by God" in such a sense that the writers were supernaturally guided to express exactly what God intended them to express as a revelation of his mind and ”
1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:16: Scripture is the true source of all authority in questions of doctrine and practice. Be ye . . . for I am--It is I with whom ye have to do. Ye are mine. Therefore abstain from Gentile pollutions. We are too prone to have respect unto men [CALVIN]. As I am the fountain of holiness, being holy in My essence, be ye therefore zealous to be partakers of holiness, that ye may be as I also am [DIDYMUS]. God is essentially holy: the creature is holy in so far as it is sanctified by God. God, in giving the command, is willing to give also the power to obey i”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:21: 1:21 To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16; Gal 4:9; Phil 3:8, 10). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.”
Colossians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Colossians 3:10: And have put on the new man - See on Rom 12:1-2 (note). Is renewed in knowledge - Ignorance was the grand characteristic of the heathen state; Knowledge, of the Christian. The utmost to which heathenism could pretend was a certain knowledge of nature. How far this went, and how much it fell short of the truth, may be seen in the writings of Aristotle and Pliny. Christianity reveals God himself, the author of nature; or, rather, God has revealed himself, in the Christian system with which he has blessed mankind. Christianity teaches a man the true knowledge both ”
Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:73: Here, 1. David adores God as the God of nature and the author of his being: Thy hands have made me and fashioned me, Job 10:8. Every man is as truly the work of God's hands as the first man was, Psa 139:15, Psa 139:16. "Thy hands have not only made me, and given me a being, otherwise I should never have been, but fashioned me, and given me this being, this noble and excellent being, endued with these powers and faculties;" and we must own that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 2. He addresses himself to God as the God of grace, and begs he will be the autho”

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