Character of God    Exodus 34:7

This post discusses the character of God.

‘Character of God’ covers some of the Bible’s teaching about what we can know about God. In the minds of many, “God is love” comprises their thinking—see 1 John 4:8; 16; and Ephesians 2:4-6, for Bible references. Yet, in speaking to Moses, God Himself clearly said that He also possesses a negative attribute, Exodus 34:6-7. “The LORD …proclaimed, “The LORD, … a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,”

So, these verses show that a merciful, gracious God angers slowly and abounds in love and faithfulness for thousands. However, God adds that He will not clear the guilty. (Other verses also describe this characteristic. For example, see Exodus 20:7, Not ‘clearing the guilty’; or Numbers 14:18, ‘not hold him guiltless’ or Jeremiah 30:11, ‘will by no means leave you unpunished.’)

Also, in Jesus’ prayer, He linked eternal life to God, John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God,” Thus, knowing about God becomes especially important for receiving heaven as a reward. So, we must add this punishment characteristic to our knowledge of God.

Finally, two important examples illustrate these characteristics of God.

Firstly, consider the Children of Israel. God loved them and liberated them from Egyptian slavery. But they repeatedly turned to worshipping idols. Finally, after hundreds of years and God restoring them again and again, God’s character allowed their enemies to enslave them as punishment.

A second example also illustrates God’s character and shows His love for all people, John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Thus, God loved so much that He gave His only Son for their salvation.

Salvation of penitent believers begins with baptism, Acts 2:38.

So, what did we learn?

1.God exhibits both loving and punishing characteristics.

2.Knowing about God affects eternal life in a positive manner for us.

3.God proved His love for all by giving His Son for humanities’ salvation.

For more on the Bible, click tdroberts.org or https://justchristian.com or https://podcastjustchristian.com

#John3:16 #loveOfGod #God’sPunishingCharactistic