The Attributes of God

Transcendent God[1]

Too many Christians today have become dangerously nonchalant in their approach to God. The modern trend is to view God more as our buddy than as our transcendent, holy, and majestic God. Nowhere in Scripture is God addressed as “dear God,” He is called Holy Father, but never “dear God.”

Read Hebrews 12:28-29. Think about how recognizing God as a “consuming fire” should affect the way we approach Him.

The Bible is clear that the first and foremost way we need to “see” the Lord is as Isaiah did, “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1, KJV). When Jehoshaphat knelt before God to ask for help in his people’s crisis, his opening words were, “O Lord. . .are you not the God who is in heaven?” (2 Chronicles 20:6). In Jesus’ model prayer, He addressed God the Father in the exact same way. He said, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name” (Matthew 6:9, KJV).

It must be human nature to want to reduce God to someone more like us, someone we can better wrap our minds around. Perhaps that is why God reminds us several times in Scripture, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, NASB).

David wrote, “For [God] looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth” (Psalm 102:19, NKJV). We must never forget that God is still way up there looking way down on us below.

Our worship should honor His high and holy position. Jerry Bridges writes, “It is impossible to be devoted to God if one’s heart is not filled with the fear of God. It is this profound sense of veneration and honor, reverence and awe that draws forth from our hearts the worship and adoration that characterizes true devotion to God. The reverent, godly Christian sees God first in His transcendent glory, majesty, and holiness before he sees Him in His love, mercy, and grace.[2]

Jehoshaphat began his prayer with the children of Judah by acknowledging three specific characteristics of God. These attributes are among what some call God’s “transcendent” perfections because only God can possess them. They are a part of His nature that will forever be unattainable by humans.

Transcendent Attributes

The first transcendent attribute Jehoshaphat reminded God and the people of Judah of was His sovereignty.

That is a big word that basically means God is ultimately in charge. Read 2 Chronicles 20:5-6. Notice how Jehoshaphat expressed his belief in God’s sovereignty.

Why was Jehoshaphat so quick to recognize the Lord’s position over the nations? The obvious reason is the peace of mind it brought the people of Judah to remember that God was able to overcome the armies coming against them. As Jehoshaphat’s words of hope echoed across the Temple grounds where the Israelites had gathered, surely some remembered the stories recorded in the Book of the Law. God had proven His sovereignty again and again.

Some of those standing there were old enough to remember a great battle against the Cushites led by Jehoshaphat’s father Asa, about 40 years earlier. Hearing Jehoshaphat pray must have seemed a little like déjà vu to them. Like his son, Asa had “called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty…we rely on you.’”

The frightened Israelites were probably encouraged when they remembered that battle in which “the Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.” (See 2 Chronicles 14:11-12).

Please read Psalm 33:6-11. How do you feel, knowing that God might thwart your plans? Does this frustrate you or frighten you? Or, does it bring you comfort?

Pushing against God’s plan is like trying to push waves back into the ocean.

The second transcendent attribute that Jehoshaphat ascribes to God is omnipotence.

In his prayer Jehoshaphat said, “Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6b). Omnipotence has been described as “the will of God being put into operation.”[3] Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT) says, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”

As powerful as God is, how much power He makes available to us is somehow based on how much we realize we need it. It’s as though God was just waiting for the children of Judah to give up all human attempts to solve their problem. Jehoshaphat epitomized their desperate situation in 2 Chronicles 20:12 when he said to God, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

The third transcendent attribute of God is His immutability.

When Jehoshaphat called God the “God of our fathers,” he was saying, “God, you’re the same God our forefathers worshipped.” Immutability means that God does not change. He is always the same. The people of Judah had every reason to believe God would keep a promise He made to Abraham over 1,000 years earlier.

Once again, we glimpse an aspect of God’s perfection that we humans will never obtain. We change every day. Knowing us, we would either be too busy, too lazy, or too forgetful to keep a promise made long ago. While there are certain qualities of God we can never possess, we can find comfort and motivation just knowing our God is infinitely more than we will ever need.

My Daily Praise

The Bible teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, KJV). What about God causes you to fear and revere Him? Write statements of praise and thanksgiving to God for those particular characteristics of the Lord that stand out to you right now.

My Daily Surrender

Let me ask you this question. Is the God you have been worshipping too small? Do you acknowledge only those attributes of His that you can comprehend? Is your obedience to Him often based on your own understanding and approval? Could it be that your reverence and awe of Him have been reduced to mere ritual and obligation? Write your honest response below.

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[1] This material comes from DeWayne Moore’s book, Pure Praise (Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2009), 41-44.

[2] Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1983), 26-27.

[3] D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003), 77-78.