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Understanding God's Nature and Attributes Through Scripture Study

The nature and attributes of God are foundational to biblical understanding, with Scripture consistently presenting God as the supreme Divine Being [1]. The Bible does not argue for God's existence but takes it as a given [1]. Understanding God involves both intellectual apprehension and a relational, saving knowledge [10].

The Hebrew Bible uses several terms for God. 'El, meaning "to be strong," is one such term. 'Eloah, and its more common plural form 'Elohim, are also used [1]. Another significant name is Jehovah, often rendered as "LORD" in English translations [1]. These names themselves hint at aspects of God's nature, such as strength and sovereignty.

Scripture reveals God through various means. The natural world provides some understanding of God, though this knowledge alone is insufficient for righteous living [10]. As Matthew Henry notes, God is the "God of nature," the source of all natural faculties like sight and hearing, which are to be used for Him [16]. The psalmist declares, "Thy testimonies are wonderful," referring to the Scriptures that testify of God's mind and will, detailing creation, providence, and miracles [12]. The Bible itself is described as "given by inspiration of God" and is called the "Word of God" or "Holy Scriptures" [2]. Through these inspired texts, individuals can gain "the knowledge of God" [3, 5, 6].

Key attributes of God highlighted in Scripture include His spirituality, unity, and wisdom. Jesus states, "God is a spirit," emphasizing that worship must be "in spirit and truth" [14]. This spiritual nature applies to all persons of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit [14]. God is also one in nature and essence, even with the three persons of the Godhead. This unity means that God's will, promises, and methods of grace are consistent, justifying both Jew and Gentile in the same manner [15]. The depth of God's wisdom and knowledge is profound, with His judgments and ways being "unsearchable" and "past finding out" [8].

The pursuit of understanding God is a lifelong endeavor. Job asks, "how can man be just with God?" [7], and later, "Canst thou by searching find out God?" [11]. While God's full nature cannot be exhaustively comprehended by human search, aspects of His being can be known through creation and, more fully, through His revealed Word [10, 11]. This knowledge is not merely intellectual; it involves a "godly fear" that is described as wisdom and a hatred of evil [4]. This fear of God is motivated by His holiness, greatness, goodness, and forgiveness [4]. David, for example, acknowledged that God had taught him "from my youth" about the corruption of human nature, the need for grace, and the doctrines of justification and worship [13]. The apostle John indicates that knowing God is a mark of those who are "of God" and listen to the spirit of truth [9].

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
  2. 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”
  3. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Deuel — the knowledge of God”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Fear, Godly — God is the object of -- Isa 8:13. God is the author of -- Jer 32:39,40. Searching the Scriptures gives the understanding of -- Pr 2:3-5. Described as Hatred of evil. -- Pr 8:13. Wisdom. -- Job 28:28; Ps 111:10. A treasure to saints. -- Pr 15:16; Isa 33:6. A fountain of life. -- Pr 14:27. Sanctifying. -- Ps 19:9. Filial and reverential. -- Heb 12:9,28. Commanded -- De 13:4; Ps 22:23; Ec 12:13; 1Pe 2:17. Motives to The holiness of God. -- Re 15:4. The greatness of God. -- De 10:12,17. The goodness of God. -- 1Sa 12:24. The forgiveness of God. -- Ps 130:4.”
  5. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Eldaah — knowledge of God”
  6. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jediael — the science, or knowledge, of God”
  7. Job “Job 9:2 (LITV) — Truly I know it is so; but how can man be just with God?”
  8. Romans “Romans 11:33 (Tyndale) — O the depnes of the aboundaunt wysdome and knowledge of God: how vnserchable are his iudgementes and his wayes past findyng out.”
  9. 1 John “We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. -- 1 John 4:6”
  10. 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.”
  11. Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 11:7: Canst thou by searching find out God?.... God is not to be found out by human search; that there is a God may be found out by inquiring into the book of nature, by considering the creatures that are made, who all proclaim some first cause or maker of them, who is God; but then it cannot be found out what God is, his nature, being, and perfections: an Heathen philosopher (i), being asked by a certain king what God was, required a day to give in his answer; when that was up he desired a second, and still went on asking more; and being demanded the reason of his dilatorines”
  12. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 119:125: PE.--The Seventeenth Part. PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful,.... The Scriptures, which testify of God, his mind and will, are wonderful both with respect to the author of them, the things contained in them, and the use and advantage of them. They give an account of the wonderful works of creation; of their author and matter; of the manner, order, and time of their being wrought: they relate many wonderful events of Providence, both in a way of mercy and judgment; they declare several surprising miracles, wrought by Moses and others, and exhibit many marvellous t”
  13. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 71:17: O God, thou hast taught me from my youth,.... The corruption of human nature; the weakness and impotence of it, to everything that is spiritually good; and the need of continual strength and grace from Christ, to go to him for righteousness and strength, life and salvation, and to walk by faith on him; the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ, and the insufficiency of his own; the will, ways, and worship of God; and all the duties of religion, prayer, praise, &c. and whoever were the instruments, or whatever were the means, of teaching David these”
  14. John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 4:24: God is a spirit,.... Or "the Spirit is God"; a divine person, possessed of all divine perfections, as appears from his names, works, and worship ascribed unto him; See Gill on Joh 4:23; though the Arabic and Persic versions, and others, read as we do, "God is a spirit"; that is, God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: for taking the words in this light, not one of the persons is to be understood exclusive of the other; for this description, or definition, agrees with each of them, and they are all the object of worship, and to be worshipped in a true and spiritual manner. God”
  15. Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:26: Seeing it is one God,.... God is one in nature and essence, though there are three persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; whence it appears, that he that is the God of the Jews, is also the God of the Gentiles, or there would be more gods than one; and that these are justified in one and the same manner, or God must be divided; for God, as he is one in nature, so he is one in will, in his promises, and in the methods of his grace: which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. The objects of justification are "the circ”
  16. Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:12: Note, 1. God is the God of nature, and all the powers and faculties of nature are derived from him and depend upon him, and therefore are to be employed for him. It was he that formed the eye and planted the ear (Psa 94:9), and the structure of both is admirable; and it is he that preserves to us the use of both; to his providence we owe it that our eyes are seeing eyes and our ears hearing ears. Hearing and seeing are the learning senses, and must particularly own God's goodness in them. 2. God is the God of grace. It is he that gives the ear that hears God's ”
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