ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

 

I heard of a seminar titled:  "Seven Attributes of the Godly Man".  It may very well be a good seminar, yet the title made me think:  "I wish there was a seminar on "Seven Attributes of God".

 

"Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.   Jeremiah 9: 23-24 (emphasis added).

 

Does this Scripture praise understanding and knowing the Godly man, or does this Scripture praise understanding and knowing God?

 

Psalm 40:10 states:  "I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart;  I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation;  I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation." (emphasis added).

 

Much more important than improving our righteousness is learning about the righteousness of God.  Much more important than trying to be more faithful is learning about the faithfulness of God.  Do we want to learn more about ourselves or God?  Do we want to learn more about what we should do or more about what God has done for us???

 

Too often, we look down into our own hearts and try to improve ourselves, rather than look up to God and observe and meditate upon what He has done.

 

     "Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done,
      And Thy thoughts toward us;
      There is none to compare with Thee;
      If I would declare and speak of them,
      They would be too numerous to count."  Psalm 40:5.
    
Many of us would paraphrase Psalm 40:1-2 to be: "I just did it;  And God was proud of me.  I climbed out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And I made myself secure."     However, Psalm 40:1-2 states:  "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay;
And He set my feet upon the rock making my footsteps firm."  (Emphasis added.)
                                         
We should point to God's righteousness and God's faithfulness.  We should point to God's salvation and God's lovingkindness.  We should point to God's truth.  Speak about God.  Write about God.  Do not hide God's righteousness, God's faithfulness, God's salvation, God's lovingkindness, and God's truth from the great congregation.  Find two other "Attributes of God". 

 

Here is one.  Jeremiah 9:24 tells us of God’s justice.  God delights in His justice. Do we also delight in God’s justice?  We certainly delight in God’s lovingkindness or mercy.  We delight when God saves some and shows His lovingkindness or mercy.  But, do we delight when God punishes and shows His justice???

 

We should rejoice in God’s Total Perfect Triumph.  God will be praised and glorified by His salvation which demonstrates His lovingkindness.    God will ALSO be praised and glorified by His punishment which demonstrates His justice. 

 

Luke 9:38-43 tells us of Jesus' miracle of healing the boy who was possessed by an unclean spirit which the disciples could not cast out.  What was the impact of Jesus' miracle?  "And they were all amazed at the greatness of God."  Luke 9:43a.

 

Jesus' miracle drew out amazement and faith in the people.  The people became aware of the great things God had done for them.  Shouldn't our preaching and teaching also have that goal of teaching people what great things God has done for them???

 

Paul writes:   "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God".  1 Corinthians 2:4-5.

 

Just as Jesus' miracle in Luke 9:38-43 and Paul's preaching in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 resulted in faith in the power of God, our preaching and teaching should have as its goal to build faith in the power of God. 

 

Calvinism focuses on God and His attributes and His works and makes people amazed at the greatness of God and the great things God has done for them (and can do for them).

 

In conclusion, compare the following Five Points of Arminianism with the Five Points of Calvinism.  What humbles man more?  What exalts God more?  What focuses more on man?  What focuses more on God?:

1.  "Free Will" (Arminianism) or "Total Depravity" (Calvinism)?  Arminianism focuses more on man's free will.  Arminianism believes man is only wounded, not dead in sin, and that man is able to contribute to his salvation and is free to do so or not do so.  The focus is on man. Calvinism humbles man by pointing out that man is dead in sin and unable and unwilling to contribute anything to his salvation.  The focus must be on God, because man can't contribute anything to his salvation.

2.  "Conditional Election" (Arminianism) or "Unconditional Election" (Calvinism)?  Arminianism believes that man supplies the condition (whether it be works or faith) which motivates God to elect him.  Calvinism believes that God's election is based only on His purpose and His choice, not on any condition supplied by man.

3.  "Universal Election" (Arminianism) , or "Limited Atonement" (Calvinism).  Because Arminianism believes that Christ died for everyone, man has to contribute something else that lifts him out of that universal pool and makes him worthy of salvation.  Calvinism believes that Christ's blood, although shed for only the Elect, effectively purchases and redeems those for whom it is shed and earns all other benefits necessary for salvation.  For Calvinism, there truly is "Power in the Blood".   For Arminianism, many (maybe most) for whom Christ shed His blood, die in their sin and go to hell.  Not much power there.

 

Very truly yours,
Bill Hornbeck