"Be ye therefore followers [or imitators] of God" (Eph. 5:1).

"Worship God" (Rev. 22:9).

In order to be imitators of God it is necessary to know Him, what He is like, what are His attributes. Similarly, to worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship does not consist of mindless repetition of "Praise the Lord," "Thank you, Jesus," or similar phrases, but of heartfelt appreciation of who God is and what He has done for us. "They that worship God must worship Him . . . in truth" (John 4:24).

There are many ideas held by people as to the nature of God. Some say God is an impersonal force or influence. Others say He is synonymous with what we call conscience. Still others view God as all of nature itself; that is, God is everywhere and is everything. These are all false ideas; the truth can only be found in God’s Word where He gives us a revelation of Himself.

God is a person; that is, He is a rational being with intellect, emotion, and will. (We must be careful in our use of the word "person" to make sure that the theological definition_"any of the three modes of being [Father, Son, and Holy Ghost] in the Trinity"_rather than the common everyday definition_"a human being, especially as distinguished from a thing or lower animal"_is understood.) Let us consider some of the Scriptural evidences that God is a personal being, having intelligence, emotion, and will.

God thinks, chooses. "He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4).

God has a will. "According to the good pleasure of His will . . . according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:5,11).

God has a purpose, good pleasure. "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself" (Eph. 1:9).

God has power, authority. "That… He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth" (Eph. 1:10).

God imparts wisdom and knowledge. "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will" (Eph. 1:9). "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally" (James 1:5).

God loves, shows mercy. "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us . . ." (Eph. 2:4). "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16).

God has creative power. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:all things were created by Him" (Col. 1:16).

God speaks. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son" (Heb. 1:1,2).

Many of God’s characteristics and attributes are mentioned in Exodus 34:1-15. God (Jehovah) speaks (v. 1), writes (v. 1), stands (v. 5), proclaims (v. 5), is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, not clearing the guilty (vv. 6 & 7), and is jealous (v. 14).

Thus, in summary, God is a personal being who thinks, feels, acts.

God’s attributes can be divided generally into two categories. First, there are the divine attributes which are His alone, such as being eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient. But while these attributes belong to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) alone, we enjoy the many blessings that flow from God’s manifestation of these attributes; and as we receive these blessings and recognize the source of them, we worship God.

Second, there are the moral attributes which are not exclusively His but which He allows and encourages us to show forth as well. These moral attributes include holiness, goodness, longsuffering, love, and the like. God is perfect in His manifestation of these moral attributes and they are all in perfect balance and harmony with one another. Through new birth, the impartation of the new, Christ-like nature, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God’s redeemed children are privileged to manifest these moral attributes as well. He is our perfect example and absolute standard in every case, and we are exhorted to be "followers of God" (Eph. 5:1). We are also exhorted to manifest specific attributes and characteristics of God in our lives. For example:"Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16); "Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us" (Eph. 5:2); "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32); "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48); "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).

In subsequent issues, if the Lord tarry, we shall consider some of these attributes of God as revealed to us in His Word.