Who is God? Part 3C: Relational Attributes

Today we continue in a series entitled ‘Who is God?’  So far we have covered:
·      Part 1: The Importance and Meaning of Knowing God
·      Part 2: God’s Revelation
·      Part 3: The Attributes of God
o   Part 3a: Incommunicable
o   Part 3b: Communicable

Today, we will wrap up the attributes of God by discussing his relational attributes.

"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."
(John 1:16, NASB)

(The following is adapted from Reid Monaghan, founding pastor of Jacob’s Well (North Brunswick, NJ), from the Gospel Class curriculum.)

Relational: Those attributes which are expressed in God’s relationship to sinners (people!).

(The following is adapted from Reid Monaghan, founding pastor of Jacob’s Well (North Brunswick, NJ), from the Gospel Class curriculum.)
·      Mercy – God’s mercy is an expression of His kindness to people who are hopeless under the curse of sin and death. (Psalm 103:8; Romans 9:15; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Hebrews 4:16; James 5:11)
·      Grace – Grace is God’s positive and unmerited favor towards undeserving and guilty sinners who deserve judgment and wrath. It is an expression of His love towards those who are undeserving. (Exodus 34:6; Ephesians 1:1-23, Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 2:11-15)
·      Wrath – God’s wrath is his stored up opposition and displeasure towards sin and sinners. It is His utter abhorrence of evil and an expression of his holiness and justice. (Deuteronomy 9:7-8; John 3:36; Romans 1:18, Romans 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10)
·      Jealousy – God’s jealousy is His holy desire that his people worship and give their hearts only to him.  It is His desire for their good that he wants them to worship and find satisfaction with Him. God’s jealousy is not an irrational human jealously but rather His knowledge that He is what is best and most satisfying to His creatures. God’s jealousy is an expression of His wisdom and love for His people. (Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 5:9)

Next, we’ll begin wrapping up by discussing the ways in which God reveals Himself in the Trinity.

In His Grip,

Mark
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