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When we look at who God is, we should always think holistically. The parts (characteristics or attributes) are important. Whenever we optimize a part, we sub optimize the whole.

Only what God has chosen to reveal of Himself can be known. One of God’s attributes or qualities is “light,” meaning that He is self-revealing in information of Himself (Isaiah 60:19; James 1:17). The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected (Hebrews 4:1). Creation, the Bible, and the Word made flesh (Jesus Christ) will help us to know what God is like.[1]

My simple way of seeing is that “God is God”. Each of the individual characteristics are not anyway reflective the whole. Never. Ever. Period.

The unity of God may be defined as follows: God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times. This attribute of God has also been called God’s simplicity, using simple in the less common sense of “not complex” or “not composed of parts.” But since the word simple today has the more common sense of “easy to understand” and “unintelligent or foolish,” it is more helpful now to speak of God’s “unity” rather than his “simplicity.”[2]

A core issue is one of are there some characteristics that are more important than others. Truth of God’s characteristics stands unchallenged. God is both light and love. It is always “yes / and” and not “either / or”.

Can it be that part of God is light and part of God is love or that God is partly light and partly love. Nor should we think that God is more light than love or more love than light

Yahweh [The Lord] passed before him and proclaimed, “Yahweh [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, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8[3]

So, is God just a collection of various characteristics (attributes)? The reality is that they are God himself. God is God. All the characteristics are characteristic of all of God. This is the God is God approach.

In this approach, each characteristic qualifies every other characteristic.

It is also important to understand that God is not one thing at one time and another at another point in time? God is God always. He is always consistent, and God is always right in how He acts. God is in charge. Always and forever.

It is God himself in his whole being who is supremely important, and it is God himself in his whole being whom we are to seek to know and to love.[4]

God is God. When you bundle all the attributes of God in one unified whole, you have God. God is not just one or two things. God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. He is one of a kind, unique and without comparison. Even describing him with mere words truly falls short of capturing who he is – our words simply cannot do justice to describe our holy God.

God is infinite, never changes, has no needs, all powerful, all-knowing, always everywhere, full of perfect, unchanging wisdom, faithful, good, just, wrathful, merciful, gracious, loving, holy, glorious, infinitely beautiful and great and more. God is God.

[1] What are the attributes of God? | GotQuestions.org

[2] Grudem, W. (2020). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Second Edition, p. 211). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ex 34:6–8). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[4] Grudem, W. (2020). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Second Edition, p. 214). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

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