When we are asked the question, “What is that person like?”, we tend to list characteristics we know about the person. They might be funny, smart, kind, or even bossy. We often stick to what we know and what we’ve heard from others. These descriptions are our perceptions of people, and perception is the ability to recognize or understand something through our senses.
Now, when we’re asked the question, “What is God like?”, we often take the same mental path as we do when describing people—relying on our perception of Him. But the thing about perception is that it can be skewed by personal experience, emotion, or even a lack of sensory understanding.
An attribute of God, however, is something true about Him. Fully acknowledging that it's impossible for us to comprehend who God is through our humanness, I say this humbly: We know very little about God, and what we do know is only a fraction of what we perceive. God is complete in all ways—in ways we cannot comprehend.
So where do we begin in seeking to understand Him? One helpful place is to explore His attributes as revealed in Scripture.
An Overview of God's Attributes
When we talk about the attributes—or characteristics—of God, they are often grouped into two categories: incommunicable and communicable attributes.
- Incommunicable attributes are qualities that belong to God alone and are not shared with His creation. These include traits like His independence, unchangeableness (immutability), and infinitude.
- Communicable attributes, on the other hand, are those that God shares with His creatures in a limited and analogous way. Examples include His love, holiness, and wisdom.
It’s important to understand that these attributes are not separate parts of God. Rather, He is fully and perfectly all that He reveals Himself to be. His love is holy, His holiness is eternal, and His eternality is wise. God's attributes are unified and inseparable from His divine nature.
Five Incommunicable Attributes of God
- Infinite
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
—Colossians 1:17
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
—Psalm 147:5
God is self-existing, without origin. When we think of things here on Earth, there’s always a beginning. It’s like the old joke: “Did the chicken or the egg come first?” But with God, there is no beginning—and no end. He is self-existent, meaning He exists completely on His own.
This can be one of the hardest things for us to understand because we are finite beings. We are born, we live, we die. God has none of those limitations.
A.W. Tozer writes:
“To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of humility, more than most of us possess. So we save face by thinking God down to our level—or at least down to where we can manage Him.”
- Immutable
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
—Malachi 3:6
God is never changing and incapable of change. He has been the same from the beginning of time and will continue unchanged into eternity. His character, His attributes, and His promises never change.
This is incredibly encouraging for believers. Even in our moments of doubt and fear, we have the assurance that God remains who He says He is. Unlike humans, who change and often disappoint us, God is constant.
This also gives us assurance in our salvation. Since He has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ, we can rest in the peace that this promise is unchanging.
- Omnipotent
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
—Psalm 33:6
God is all-powerful. To say God holds all power is an understatement—He is all power. Psalm 33 tells us that by His voice alone, the heavens were made.
“Omni” is a prefix meaning “all” or “unlimited,” and “potent” means “power.” God has the power and ability to accomplish whatever He wills, effortlessly. It's important to note that God cannot do anything contradictory to His nature. As Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) says:
“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”
- Omniscient
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
—Isaiah 46:9–10
God is all-knowing. He knows everything—every person, thought, act, and emotion.
We can take great comfort in knowing that God is aware of even the smallest details of our lives. As Matthew 10:29–30 reminds us, not even a sparrow falls without His knowledge, and He knows every hair on our heads. He sees what we go through and understands it. Even more, Jesus has experienced every human emotion firsthand.
This truth can be especially comforting when Satan tries to isolate us with feelings of loneliness. We are never truly alone—God sees, knows, and cares.
- Omnipresent
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
—Psalm 139:7–10
God is always everywhere—fully present at all times, in all places.
This attribute is closely connected to His infinitude. Remember: God is all of these attributes at the same time. He is present in both time and space without limitation.
Psalm 139 powerfully declares that we can never escape His presence. For those struggling with loneliness or feeling that God is distant, this truth is a deep comfort. God is near—closer than our very thoughts. Tozer writes: “The awareness that we are never truly alone quiets the storms within us and brings peace to our souls.”
These five attributes offer just a glimpse into the nature of our Heavenly Father. I encourage you to dig deeper—read His Word and discover more of who He is. Reflect on the attributes He shares with us, too—His love, mercy, justice, and grace.
Happy digging!
Resources for further study on the attributes of God:
- The Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
- None Like Him – Jen Wilkin
Cover photo by Brooke Balentine on Unsplash
© Copyright 2024. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New international Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
