God Is

There are some radical misconceptions on the character of God that we need to address. They are commonly brought up by those who don’t believe, but we Christians tend to fall into the same trap and end up at a loss to explain. While this may not provide answers for unbelievers, I’m hoping that addressing believers with this we can get past a few difficult hurdles.

There are many attributes of God that we know by the term “is”. We know, for instance, that “God is good” or that “God is love.” We know that “God is omniscient” and “God is omnipotent.” Unfortunately, we have assigned the human concept of attributes to God, and this is a mistake. Let me explain.

When we say “That guy is a loving husband,” we mean that he conforms to the external concept of love. That is, love exists outside of each of us, and we strive to attain to that standard. It is the same with other characteristics, like “good” and “just”. However, when we look at God, this isn’t an accurate representation. Scripture, for instance, says that “God is love.” The structure of the sentence should be a clue to the difference. It doesn’t say that “God is loving.” It says that God is love itself. What that means is that God Himself defines love. That is, whatever God does is love. God does not conform to an external “love”. He doesn’t attain to an outside standard of love. He is love. What is love? Whatever God does.

This is true in many areas. God is good. That is, whatever God does, by definition is good. Whether we understand or agree with it, God only does that which is good. There is no external standard of good with which to compare God’s actions. All that He does defines “good”. What is good? Whatever God does. God doesn’t strive to attain to an external rule of justice. What is justice? Whatever God does.

The question of “omnipotence” has been raised. What does that mean? It means that God possesses all power. It doesn’t mean that God can do anything at all. God cannot be illogical. (I don't mean "We can figure Him out." I mean He cannot contradict Himself.) God cannot sin or learn. God cannot make a rock too big for Him to pick up. He cannot do that which cannot be done. What it means is that God defines all power that exists. All power that exists comes from God. There is no power outside of God’s power. The same is true of “omniscience”. God knows everything. There is no knowledge outside of what God knows. All that we know comes from God’s storehouse of knowledge. To Him, there are no surprises. He is the possessor of all knowledge. He defines knowledge.

The difficulty occurs when we forget this. The accusation, for instance, is “how is it good when God did . . .?” The question is faulty. The simple fact is that because God did it, it was good. The problem, then, is in our perception, not in God’s actions.

Allow me a simple, human example. A good parent takes his child to the doctor for inoculations. The child doesn’t understand. All the kid knows is that it hurts. Did it make his life better? Not that he can tell. Was it “good”? Not that he can tell. But the parent knows that it was immensely good. It is the same with God. We cry and complain. In the case of David’s adultery, for instance, Scripture says, “The Lord struck the child.” (2 Sam. 12:15) “How is that ‘good’?”, we complain. “How is that ‘just’?” We are, however, applying an external sense of “good” and “just” to God, who, we forget, defines the terms. David understood this. When the child died, he told his servants, “Now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Sam. 12:23) David understood that the child was in a better place, and he didn’t consider God unfair or unkind.

For our own benefit, we need to learn this truth. God is love. God is good. God is just. Whatever He does is, by definition, loving, good, and just. If we can settle that, many issues are settled.