The Glory of the Lord

To see and to know God—that, according to Jesus, is the goal of human life. That is what will make us happy. That is how our hearts will find rest. But how can we see a God who is invisible? And how can we know a God whose being is beyond our comprehension? In this session, we begin our study of God’s attributes with a discussion of our complete inability to comprehend him and why this matters. 

While it may sound off-putting, the truth that God doesn’t need us is actually wonderfully heartening. God’s self-sufficiency means He depends on nothing for His existence or happiness, enabling Him to love us in perfect freedom rather than from necessity.

God doesn’t change. His character doesn’t change. His purposes do not change. His will does not change. And in a world of constant change, when so much that once seemed solid and dependable is no longer so, this is enormously good news. For, to quote an Anglican prayer, “we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life” can find rest in the “eternal changelessness” of God.

“You are good and do good.” This verse from Psalm 119 identifies one of God’s central attributes: goodness. God is supremely good. He is the most desirable good, and the generous Giver who shares his goodness with others, even before creation itself.

We sing the almighty power of God. Among God’s attributes is his overwhelming power and might, for God’s voice can bring worlds into existence, make mountains tremble, and raise the dead. The power of God is a consuming fire, never safe but always good.

Does God really know what he’s doing? We believe that God is good and God is powerful, but can we really trust his purposes and his plans? In other words, is God wise? That is the question that we address in this session as we reflect on the wisdom of God. We’ll discuss what it means to call God wise and why this matters so much to our everyday lives.

When we witness wrongdoing, our hearts cry out for justice. Something must be done! Yet when it comes to ourselves, we desperately hope for mercy. How can both of these longings be fulfilled? We find both justice and mercy in the justice of God.

According to John Wooden, faithfulness is one of the most important character traits: to be a person that others “can bet the farm on and still be able to sleep at night.” God exemplifies faithfulness more than any other, and in this lesson, we discuss how we experience God’s faithfulness and how we can become ourselves a faithful people.

The attribute of holiness sets apart the God of Scripture from all the false gods of other religions. Holiness is everywhere in the Bible. “Holy, holy, holy,” cry the angels. Where God meets his people is holy ground. In this session, we explore what divine holiness is, how we experience it, and why it is good news.

God is love. Those three little words contain the most profound meaning. Of all the divine attributes, Scripture places the greatest emphasis on love. But what does it mean to say that God is love? How does God’s love compare to our own, and where do we see God’s love revealed? These questions we consider in this final session.