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The God Who Is
Grace
God is a God of grace. In Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 4, we read, "But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:4-9).
In Titus chapter 3, note verse 4: "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
Goodness
Lastly, consider the lovingkindness of God. The word "lovingkindness" is an Old English word that means "goodness." For God to be kind to us would be a great thing; but consider how great a thing it is for God to "grace" us with "lovingkindness." It is inexpressible and incomprehensible.
In Psalm 103, beginning at verse 1, we read, "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies" (verses 1-4). The Lord is nigh to all who call upon His name; and those who seek Him early shall find Him.
God is great, and God is good. Therefore, "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth" (Psalm 11:5).
Conclusion
There are many other attributes of God. A finite man cannot exhaust a study of the infinite. These, however, are among the common attributes. But what might be said about the faithfulness of God? Jeremiah declared, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22,23).
David testified, "Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds" (Psalm 36:5); and Paul said, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13).
"In I Corinthians chapter l, in verse 9, Paul declared, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." And, again he wrote, "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself" (II Timothy 2:13). Note here that there are some things God cannot do: "He cannot deny himself," i.e. He cannot deny His nature. Therefore, in Titus chapter 1, we read, "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began..." (verses 1,2).
Peter exhorted, "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (I Peter 4:19).
John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
And the psalmist said, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night" (Psalm 92:1,2).
God is faithful.
A Distinction
There is also a distinction to be made between the attributes of God. For instance, justice ranks higher than mercy because God must be just; but He has said, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharoah, `Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.' Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Romans 9:15-18).
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