The attributes of the true
God, the Father

La Biblia enseña sobre una sola verdadera Iglesia y cuyo nombre es “Iglesia De Cristo,” que es profetizada, y cree que solamente el Padre es el Dios verdadero

By KENNETH A. OUANO

THERE ARE PEOPLE today who are losing faith in God. And there are those whose faith in God is becoming more and more based on myths, legends, and personal opinions. That is one of the things that distinguish the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) from other so-called “Christian” churches: when it comes to knowing God, the true Church adheres strictly to His revealed truths in the Holy Scriptures or the Bible.

Thus, members of the Church Of Christ faithfully believe that there is one God, the Almighty Father in heaven (John 17:3,1). He is the creator of all things, and man is among His creation (Ps. 100:3).

His power

The one true God spoke of Himself saying, “I am God Almighty” (Gen. 35:11 New King James Version). He introduced Himself as having sovereignty or supreme power, declaring His omnipotence. True Christians believe that there is only one God (I Cor. 8:6) and nothing and no one exceeds His power:

“For the scripture says, ‘God put all things under his feet.’ It is clear, of course, that the words ‘all things’ do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ’s rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.” (I Cor. 15:27–28 Good News Bible)

True Christians, acknowledging the Father as the one true God (II Cor. 1:3), also believe that He is above all, through all, and in us all (Eph. 4:6). They uphold the belief of God’s ancient servants that the eyes of the Lord God are keeping watch in every place (Prov. 15:3) and that He is high above all nations and His glory is above the heavens (Ps. 113:4). Thus, omnipresence is also one of the attributes of the one true God. The Bible states the God Himself declared this to man:

“‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the LORD, ‘And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD.” (Jer. 23:23–24 NKJV)

God’s power is immensely great and eternal. That His power can be clearly seen through the things that He created proves His unquestionable existence:

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20 NKJV)

Since the time man realized the complexity of even the tiniest organism and marveled at the vastness of space, there are those who may have doubted how one God could have created them all. The Bible gives light on this:

“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself’.” (Isa. 44:24 NKJV)

The one true God created by Himself all the things in the universe, thus, He did not have any help from anyone. He alone created the skies and the heavens (Ps. 19:1–4) and His mighty hand created and gave life to every living being, including mankind (Job 12:7–10). Such is the greatness of God’s power.

His wisdom

The one true God is an all-knowing God—He knows all things (I John 3:20). How much does God know? He Himself declared that He knows everything in the past, the present, and the future:

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isa. 42:9 NKJV)

No person can hide his thoughts and feelings from God. There is nothing that God cannot know even if it is hidden:

“‘Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD.” (Jer. 23:24 NKJV)

Omniscience is another unique attribute of the one true God. He knows everything, even the things that are in the hearts of all people (I Kings 8:39). All this knowledge and wisdom are known to God, not because someone taught Him (Isa. 40:13–14). The truth is, God Himself established wisdom since the beginning (Prov. 8:1, 12, 22–23). Therefore, if one worships a “god” that is not all-knowing, then he is worshiping a false god.

His existence

According to the Lord Jesus Christ, God is spirit (John 4:24). Unlike a human being, a spirit has neither flesh nor bones (Luke 24:39), has no image or form, and is invisible (I Tim. 1:17). God’s state of being is further understood knowing that He Himself declared that He is not man (Hos. 11:9). Unlike man, God is perfect (Matt. 5:48) and unchanging (Mal. 3:6). The ancient Israelites knew this and even the early Christians understood that God has no variation, not even a shadow of change or turning (James 1:17). Hence, if people worship idols or images of men, women, animals, or the like, what they are worshiping are false gods.

Ancient cultures believed in deities that lived and died in their epic stories. Those people worshiped them as gods. However, we can distinguish that not one of them is the true God because the one true God does not die. He is immortal and eternal (I Tim. 1:17) as He has no beginning and no end:

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Ps. 90:2 NKJV)

God is all-knowing and nothing is hidden from Him. He is perfect and unchanging, and He is almighty, but He is also just, merciful, and full of lovingkindness (Jer. 32:18, Num. 14:18). People should know who the true God is and what His attributes are.

However, knowing Him is not enough. It is man’s duty to worship and serve Him, as written in Psalm 95:6–7, thus:

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. … ” (NKJV)