God—His Attributes

Attributes refer to something more than virtues.
When we speak of God’s attributes,
we refer to all that belongs to God.
Of course, when the things that belong to God become our experience,
they become our virtues.
Therefore, with God there are attributes,
and with us there are virtues.
For instance, life is an attribute of God, not a virtue.
But when the life of God becomes our experience,
it produces virtues.
Hence, with respect to God we use the word “attributes,”
but in relation to ourselves we use the word “virtues.”

The divine life may be considered
as the first and the basic attribute of God.
Although the word “life” is used many times in the New Testament,
the phrase “the life of God” is found only once.
Ephesians 4:18 is the unique verse
that speaks of the life of God:
“Being darkened in their understanding,
estranged from the life of God
because of the ignorance which is in them,
because of the hardness of their heart.”
The life of God is eternal, uncreated.
Man did not receive this life at the time of creation.
After being created,
man with the created human life
was placed before the tree of life (Gen. 2:8-9)
to receive the uncreated divine life.
But man fell into the vanity of his mind
and became darkened in his understanding.
In such a fallen condition
man is not able to touch the life of God
until he repents (has his mind turned to God)
and believes in the Lord Jesus
to receive God’s eternal life (Acts 11:18; John 3:16).

Actually in the whole universe
only the life of God
can be counted as life.
First John 5:12 says,
“He who has the Son
has the life;
he who does not have the Son of God
does not have the life.”
This verse indicates
that unless we have the life of God
we do not have life.
In the sight of God
only His life is life.
Therefore, when the life of God is mentioned in the New Testament,
it is treated as if it is the unique life (John 1:4; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6).

The life of God is divine and eternal.
The word “divine”
means being of God,
having the nature of God.
The word “eternal”
means being uncreated,
without beginning or ending,
existing by itself,
and ever, unchangeably existing.
The life of God is uncreated,
without beginning or ending,
self-existing,
ever-existing,
and never changing.

The life of God, being divine and eternal,
is immortal and unchangeable;
it remains the same and continues living
even after passing through any kind of blow or destruction.
All other kinds of life in the universe
—angelic life, human life, animal life, and plant life—
are mortal and changeable.
Only the life of God is divine and eternal,
immortal and unchangeable.
No matter what kind of blow or destruction it undergoes,
it remains unchanged and stays forever the same.
Therefore, from the standpoint of eternity
only the life of God is life.
According to the divine and eternal nature of the life of God,
God’s life is the unique life.
Because the life of God is the unique life,
whenever the New Testament in the original Greek speaks of this life,
it uses the word zoe,
which refers to the highest life (John 1:4; 1 John 1:2; 5:12).

God’s intention in His creation of man
was that man would partake of the fruit of the tree of life
and thereby receive the eternal life of God.
But in the fall
Satan’s evil nature was injected into man.
As a result,
man had to be barred from the tree of life.
According to Genesis 3:24,
the Lord “drove out the man:
and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword
which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Thus, man was estranged from the life of God.
The cherubim, the flame, and the sword
signify God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness.
These three things kept sinful man from receiving God’s eternal life.
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross,
He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness.
Therefore, through the redemption of the Lord Jesus,
the way has been opened
for us to contact God as the tree of life once more.
This is the reason
Hebrews 10:19 says
that we have “boldness for entering the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus.”
The tree of life is in the Holy of Holies.
As believers in Christ,
we have been brought back to the tree of life,
and the divine life in the Holy of Holies
may now be our daily enjoyment.
The unbelievers, however, are still estranged from the life of God.

The divine love is the nature of God’s essence.
Thus, it is an essential attribute of God.
John 3:16 tells us
that “God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,”
and 1 John 4:9 says,
“In this
the love of God was manifested to us,
that God has sent His Son, the only begotten, into the world
that we might live through Him.”
As in 1 Timothy 1:15,
the “world” refers to fallen mankind,
whom God so loved
that, by making them alive
through His Son with His own life,
they might become His children.
In this
the love of God has been manifested.

First John 4:10 goes on to say,
“In this is love,
not that we have loved God,
but that He loved us,
and sent His Son a propitiation
concerning our sins.”
The word “this”
refers to the following fact:
not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son a propitiation
concerning our sins.
In this fact
is the higher and nobler love of God.
The divine love as God’s essential attribute
is mainly expressed in sending His Son
to redeem us and impart God’s life into us
that we may become His children.

Ephesians 2:4 says,
“God, being rich in mercy
because of His great love
with which He loved us.”
The object of love
should be in a lovable condition,
but the object of mercy
is always in a pitiful situation.
Hence, God’s mercy reaches further than His love.
God loves us
because we are the object of His selection.
But we became pitiful by our fall,
even dead in our offenses and sins;
therefore, we need God’s mercy.
Because of His great love,
God is rich in mercy
to save us from our wretched position to a condition
that is suitable for His love.
The nobler love of God as His essential attribute
needs His attribute of mercy
to reach us in the deep pit of our fallen life.

The divine light
is the nature of God’s expression.
Thus, it is an expressive attribute of God.
Revelation 21:23 says,
“The city has no need of the sun nor of the moon
that they should shine in it,
for the glory of God illumined it,
and its lamp is the Lamb.”
In the millennium
the light of the sun and the moon
will be intensified (Isa. 30:26).
But in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth
there will be no need of the sun nor of the moon.
The sun and the moon will be in the new heaven and new earth,
but they will not be needed in the New Jerusalem,
for God, the divine light, will shine much more brightly.

In the New Jerusalem
the Lamb as the lamp
will shine with God as the light
to illumine the city
with the glory of God, the expression of the divine light.
Because such a divine light will illumine the holy city,
it will have no need of any other light,
whether created by God or made by man.
There will be no need of natural light.
Although the sun and moon will be in the new heaven and new earth,
we shall not have any need for them,
because our dwelling place will be much brighter than either of them.
Man-made light will not be needed either.
God Himself will be the light in the holy city.

Revelation 21:23 also says
that the Lamb, Christ, is the lamp.
God is the light, and Christ is the lamp.
The light needs the light-bearer.
This indicates
that we should not separate Christ from God or God from Christ.
Actually, God and Christ are one light.
God is the content, and Christ is the light-bearer, the expression.
As the light is in the lamp
to be its content and to be expressed through the lamp,
so God the Father is in the Son
to be expressed through the Son.

Revelation 22:5 also refers to light as a divine attribute:
“Night shall be no more;
and they have no need of the light of a lamp and the light of the sun,
for the Lord God shall illumine them.”
Being illumined by the Lord God
will be one of the blessings to God’s redeemed in eternity.
We shall have no need of a lamp, the light made by man,
nor of the sun, the light created by God.
God Himself will shine upon us,
and we shall live under His illumination.
God Himself will be the light,
and Christ will be the lamp,
shining out God to enlighten the entire city.

In the New Jerusalem
the divine light will be both the inward light and the outward glory for expression.
This light will shine in and through the precious stone, as a jasper stone,
signifying the transformed believers (Rev. 21:11).
God as the light within the Lamb as the lamp
will shine through the city.
Within this city
there will be shining light.
Outside the city
the light will express God’s glory,
so that the entire city will bear the glory of God.
The glory of God
is God Himself shining out of the city
through the transparent wall of jasper (Rev. 21:18).

Today the divine light as God’s expressive attribute
is applied to us in our Christian life.
First John 1:5-7 tells us
that God is light,
and that if we fellowship with Him
we should walk in the divine light.
This indicates
that we can enjoy this expressive attribute of God
even in this age
before the New Jerusalem will come in the new heaven and the new earth.

The divine riches
are an aggregate of a particular attribute of God in many respects.
Romans 2:4 speaks of the riches
of God’s kindness, forbearance, and longsuffering.
Kindness, forbearance, and longsuffering
are God’s attributes mainly toward the sinners,
in which there are the divine riches.
The book of Ephesians speaks of
God’s riches in mercy (2:4), God’s surpassing riches of grace (1:7; 2:7), and God’s riches of glory (3:16).
Romans 9:23 also speaks of God’s riches of glory.
The divine riches in the divine attributes of mercy, grace, and glory
are mainly toward the believers.
The riches of God’s grace surpass every limit.
These are the riches of God Himself for our enjoyment today,
which will be publicly displayed, exhibited, to the whole universe for eternity.
The riches of God’s glory
are for God’s expression in the believers as God’s vessels,
being indwelt and fully occupied by Christ to express God (Eph. 3:16-19; Rom. 9:23).
Romans 11:33 speaks of
the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God.
The divine riches in all God’s attributes are deep,
with an untraceable depth
just as God’s wisdom and knowledge are untraceable.

Another attribute of God is fullness.
Colossians 1:19 says,
“For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.”
What is the fullness spoken of in this verse?
Many would answer
that it is the fullness of the Godhead.
Although this is correct,
here Paul does not modify the word “fullness” by a phrase
such as “of the Godhead” or “of God.”
He simply says
that all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ.
There is something known as the fullness,
and this fullness is pleased to dwell in Christ.
In Colossians 1:19
fullness denotes not the riches of what God is
but the expression of these riches.
All the expression of the rich being of God, both in creation and in the church,
dwells in Christ.
Therefore, fullness in Colossians 1:19
means expression.

If something has no fullness,
it cannot be expressed.
But if a thing has fullness,
it can be expressed.
For example,
if we have very little love,
our love cannot be expressed.
But if our love is full,
the fullness of our love
will be its expression.
In the same principle,
the fullness in Colossians 1:19
is the expression of all
that God is in His riches.

It is significant
that in Colossians 1:19
Paul speaks of the fullness as the fullness,
using no word to modify it.
This indicates
that he is speaking of the unique fullness.
To modify the fullness in any way
might imply
that it is not unique.
In order to preserve the uniqueness of the fullness,
Paul does not use a modifier.
Hence, the fullness here
is simply the fullness.

The fullness, the expression of God,
is a person.
Many of the personal pronouns in the verses following Colossians 1:19
refer to the fullness as a person.
Verses 19 and 20 say
that in Christ the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and “through Him to reconcile all things to Him.”
If the fullness were not a person,
how could it be pleased to dwell in Christ?
The fact that the fullness can be pleased
indicates that it is a person.
The fullness was pleased not only to dwell in Christ,
but through Him to reconcile all things to Him.
In verses 19 and 20
two infinitives
—to dwell and to reconcile—
are joined by a conjunction.
Hence, the fullness was pleased to dwell and to reconcile.
The phrase “through Him”
is used twice in verse 20,
both times referring to Christ
as the active instrument
through which reconciliation was processed.
But what is the antecedent of the pronoun “Him”
to whom all things are reconciled?
The antecedent is the fullness in verse 19.
This is the reason
that in his New Translation,
J. N. Darby uses the pronoun “itself” and “it” in verses 20 and 22
to refer to the fullness in verse 19.
However, the Greek pronouns
should not be regarded as neuter
but as masculine.
This means
that instead of saying “it,”
we should say “Him.”
Therefore, all things have been reconciled to the fullness.
In verses 21 and 22
we who were enemies
have been reconciled
by the fullness in the body of His flesh
through death
so that we may be presented holy and blameless and without reproach
before the fullness.
How meaningful is this understanding of the passage!
It is the fullness that dwells in Christ,
it is the fullness that reconciles us,
and it is to the fullness
that we shall be presented.
This fullness is God Himself expressed.
This fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ,
to reconcile us,
and to present us to Himself.

We have seen
that in Colossians 1:19
the fullness is the expression of God, even God Himself.
This fullness does not denote
the riches of what God is;
rather, it denotes
the expression of these riches,
the full expression of God in all His rich being.
The rich being of God
is expressed both in the old creation and in the new creation.
In Colossians 2:9
Paul goes on to say, “
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
Once again, the word fullness
refers not to the riches of God
but to the expression of God’s riches.
What dwells in Christ
is not only the riches of the Godhead
but the expression of the riches of what God is.
It is crucial for us to see
that the fullness of the Godhead
is the expression of the Godhead,
that is, the expression of what God is in His riches.
The Godhead is expressed
in both the old creation, the universe,
and in the new creation, the church.

In Colossians 1:19 and 2:9
we see two aspects of the fullness.
According to 1:19,
all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ.
According to 2:9,
all the fullness dwells in Christ bodily.
This implies the physical body
which Christ put on in His humanity.
It indicates
that all the fullness of the Godhead
dwells in Christ as the One
who has a human body.
Before His incarnation,
the fullness of the Godhead
dwelt in Him as the eternal Word,
but it did not dwell in Him bodily.
After He became incarnate,
the fullness of the Godhead
began to dwell in a bodily way,
and it dwells in His glorified body (Phil. 3:21) now and forever.
For eternity Christ is
the embodiment of the fullness of God,
the embodiment of the expression of all
that God is in His unlimited and untraceable riches.

In Ephesians 3:19
we have a further word concerning the fullness of God:
“And to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ,
that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.”
Some translations of this verse say,
“filled with all the fullness of God.”
According to this rendering,
the fullness of God is the element, the essence,
with which we are filled.
But this is a mistaken understanding of this verse.
Here Paul is saying
that we shall be filled
unto all the fullness of God,
that is, we shall be filled
to be the expression of God.
When we are strengthened into our inner man,
when Christ makes His home in our hearts,
and when we are rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:16-17),
we are filled unto all the fullness of God.
In our spirit
we are filled unto all the fullness of God
to become His expression.

Furthermore, Ephesians 3:19 does not say
that we are filled with the riches of God;
this verse says
that we are filled unto the fullness of God.
This means
that we are filled
to become the expression of God.
The expression of God today
is the church,
which is the Body, the fullness of Him
who fills all in all (Eph. 1:23).

When Christ makes His home in our hearts
and when we are strong
to apprehend with all the saints the dimensions of Christ
and to know by experience His knowledge-surpassing love,
we shall be filled
unto all the fullness of God.
All this fullness dwells in Christ.
Now, through His indwelling,
Christ imparts the fullness of God into our being.
When we are filled unto all the fullness of God,
we become the expression of God,
which is what the church should be.

The “fullness of God”
implies that the riches of what God is
become His expression.
When the riches are in God Himself,
they are His riches.
When the riches of God are expressed,
they become His fullness (John 1:16).

When we make a distinction between the riches and the fullness,
some may try to argue by quoting John 1:16: “
For of His fullness we all received,
and grace upon grace.”
Then they may say, “
John 1:16 declares
that of His fullness we have all received.
Isn’t this fullness the same as the riches?
How can you make a distinction between riches and fullness?”

When Christ was on earth with His disciples,
would you say
that the riches of God were there with Him,
or that the fullness of God was there with Him?
If the riches had been with Him but not the fullness,
something would have been lacking.
There would have been no completion, no fullness.
When the Lord Jesus came,
He no doubt brought all the riches of God with Him.
However, with Him
there were not only the riches of God,
but there was also the fullness of God.
This is the reason
John 1:16 says
that we all have received of His fullness.
The fullness is the completion of the riches.
In Greek the word for “fullness” means completion.
Hence, it is correct to render this Greek word as “completeness.”
The Greek word translated “of” in John 1:16
means “out from” or “out of.”
Thus, out of the fullness of Christ,
the completeness of all the riches of God,
we have all received.
When Christ came,
He did not come only partially filled with the riches of God.
On the contrary, He was filled with the unlimited riches of God to the brim.
Hence, the fullness, the completeness of what God is in His riches,
was present with Him.
This fullness, this completeness,
is the expression of God.
According to the New Testament,
the fullness of God
is the expression
through the completion of the riches of God.

According to John 1:16,
the fullness of God came with Christ,
who is the embodiment of God’s fullness.
With Christ, the expression was an individual matter.
This expression, therefore, needs to be enlarged, to be expanded,
from an individual matter to a corporate one.
The church is to be the fullness of God in a corporate way.
In the church
God is expressed not through an individual but corporately through the Body.
Therefore, the fullness of God
is embodied in the church.
The church as the embodiment of the fullness of God
is the expression of the Triune God.

In these verses in chapter three of Ephesians
concerning the economy of God resulting in the fullness of God,
we see the Triune God.
The Father (v. 14) answers and fulfills the apostle’s prayer through the Spirit (v. 16)
so that Christ the Son (v. 17) may make His home in our hearts.
As a result,
we are filled unto the fullness of the Triune God.
This is the dispensing of the Triune God into our being
to make us His corporate expression.

According to Ephesians 3,
the Triune God is not the object of doctrinal debate;
the Triune God is for the dispensing of Himself into the believers
so that they may be filled unto the fullness of God.
Paul prayed
that the Father would strengthen us through His Spirit
so that Christ might make His home in our hearts
and thereby fully occupy our inward being
with the result that we might be filled unto the expression of the Triune God.
How glorious and how marvelous!
This is God’s economy,
and this is also His New Testament revelation.
Thus the fullness of God as His attribute
is eventually nothing less than Christ with the church as His Body.

Holiness is one of the main attributes of our God.
Revelation 4:8 says,
“The four living creatures…have no rest day and night, saying,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God the Almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is coming.”
The mentioning of “holy” three times, as in Isaiah 6:3,
implies the thought of God being triune,
as the mentioning of God’s existence with three tenses does.
The emphasis here
is that the Triune God is holy and is triply holy,
referring to the quality of God’s nature—God’s being.
What God is, is holy.
To partake of God’s holiness (Heb. 12:10)
is to partake of the quality of His nature, of what He is.

First Peter 1:15 and 16 say,
“According to the Holy One
who called you,
you yourselves also become holy
in all your manner of life;
because it is written,
You shall be holy,
because I am holy.”
The Holy One is the Triune God
—the choosing Father, the redeeming Son, and the sanctifying Spirit.
The Father has regenerated His elect,
imparting His holy nature into them;
the Son has redeemed them with His blood
from the vain manner of life;
and the Spirit has sanctified them
according to the Father’s holy nature,
separating them from anything
that does not fit in with God’s nature
so that they, by the holy nature of the Father,
may become holy in all manner of life,
even as holy as God Himself is.

We become holy through the sanctification of the Spirit, based on regeneration,
which brings us the holy nature of God and issues in a holy life.
The Father has regenerated us to produce a holy family—a holy Father with holy children.
As holy children
we should walk in a holy manner of life.
Otherwise the Father will deal with our unholiness.
He begot us with His life inwardly
so that we might have His holy nature;
He disciplines us outwardly
so that we may partake of His holiness (Heb. 12:9-10).

These words “holy” and “holiness”
have been spoiled by today’s teachings.
In the Bible
the word holy should not be understood
according to the natural concept.
Some think that holiness is sinlessness.
According to this concept,
someone is holy if he does not sin.
This thought is absolutely mistaken.
Holiness is neither sinlessness nor perfection.
Holy not only means sanctified, separated unto God,
but also different, distinct, from everything that is common.
Only God is different, distinct, from all things in His nature.
Hence, He is holy;
holiness is the distinct quality of His nature,
as one of His attributes.

The way God makes us holy
is to impart Himself, the Holy One, into us
so that our whole being may be permeated and saturated with His holy nature.
For us, God’s chosen ones, to be holy
is to partake of His nature (2 Pet. 1:4)
and to have our whole being permeated with God Himself.
This is different from mere sinless perfection.
This makes our being holy,
like God Himself is in His nature.

To be holy
is to be separated unto God from everything other than God.
It also means
to be different, distinct, from all that is not God.
Thus, we become not common but different.
In the universe
God alone is holy.
He is different from everything
and is distinct.
Therefore, to be holy
means to be one with God in His distinction.
You may be sinless and perfect,
but if you are not one with God,
you are not holy.
When God gets into us,
we are holy.
When we get into God,
we are more holy.
And when we are mingled with God,
we are most holy.
We become holy by having God in us,
we become more holy by being in God,
and we become the holiest by being mingled, permeated, and saturated with God.
This will eventually issue in the New Jerusalem,
which is called the holy city (Rev. 21:2, 10),
a city that not only belongs to God and is for God,
but is filled with God, saturated with God, and one with God,
a holy entity sanctified with God.

Another attribute of God is righteousness.
God is righteous as well as holy.
Whereas holiness is related to God’s inward nature,
righteousness is related to God’s outward acts, ways, actions, and activities.
Everything God does
is righteous.

What is the righteousness of God?
The righteousness of God
is what God is in His action
with respect to justice and righteousness.
God is just and right.
Whatever God is in His justice and righteousness
constitutes His righteousness.

Revelation 15:3 says,
“Great and wonderful are Your works, Lord God the Almighty;
righteous and true are Your ways, O King of the nations.”
God’s works are His acts,
whereas God’s ways are His governing principles.
God’s ways are righteous in His principles.
If you know God’s ways,
you will not need to wait to see His works
in order to praise Him.
Although His works have not yet come,
you will know they will come
because you know the governing principles
by which God does things.
God’s ways are righteous
according to His principles.

In Romans 1:16b and 17a
Paul says
that the gospel “is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek.
For the righteousness of God is revealed in it.”
In John 3:16
God’s love is the source and motive of God’s salvation.
In Ephesians 2:5 and 8
God’s grace is the basic element of God’s salvation.
But here
God’s righteousness is the power of God’s salvation.
Legally speaking,
both love and grace can fluctuate,
but not righteousness.
This is true even the more with God’s righteousness.
Because God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel,
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

According to John 3:16,
salvation is out of God’s love,
and according to Ephesians 2:5 and 8,
salvation is by God’s grace.
But in Romans 1:17
Paul says
that salvation comes by the righteousness of God.
Neither love nor grace is related to the law.
No law forces us to love or to give grace.
Whether we love or not
we are still lawful,
and whether we extend grace or not
we are still legal.
In a sense,
God is not bound to love us.
Furthermore, He is not legally bound to show us grace.
Righteousness, on the contrary,
is very much related to the law.
Because Christ has fulfilled all the righteous requirements of God’s law,
God is bound to save us.
If you say,
“Lord Jesus, You are my Savior,”
you can turn to God and say,
“God, You must forgive me, whether You like it or not.
You are righteous if You forgive me,
but You are unrighteous if You do not forgive me.”
We can say this to God
because Christ has fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law,
and, as a result, God is bound by His righteousness to save us.
Righteousness, therefore, is a mighty bond
God cannot escape
—He must save us because He is righteous.

First John 1:9 says,
“If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and righteous
that He may forgive us our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God is faithful in His word (1 John 1:10)
and righteous in the blood of Jesus His Son (1 John 1:7).
His word is the word of the truth of His gospel (Eph. 1:13),
which tells us
that He will forgive us our sins because of Christ (Acts 10:43),
and the blood of Christ
has fulfilled His righteous requirements
that He may forgive us our sins (Matt. 26:28).
If we confess our sins,
He, according to His word and based on the redemption through the blood of Jesus,
forgives us,
because He must be
faithful in His word
and righteous in the blood of Jesus.
Otherwise, God would be unfaithful and unrighteous.

In Romans 3:21
Paul speaks a further word concerning the righteousness of God:
“But now without law
the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets.”
To say that the righteousness of God has been manifested without law
means that the righteousness of God is not based on our doing;
that is, it is not based on our keeping the law.
Although the righteousness of God has existed for ages,
it was not manifested to us
until we believed in the Lord Jesus and called on His name.
Then the righteousness of God
was revealed to us.
When God’s righteousness is revealed,
it is manifested.
It is manifested to us
when we believe in the Lord.

The manifestation of God’s righteousness
is mentioned twice in the book of Romans.
Romans 1:17 says
that the righteousness of God is revealed
out of faith to faith.
Then Romans 3:21 says
that the righteousness of God has been manifested without the law.
Now apart from the law,
the righteousness of God has been manifested
through faith of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22).

By forgiving us
God shows forth His righteousness.
He makes a declaration to the whole universe
that because He is righteous,
He must forgive us for our sins.
Because His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
was put to death by Him on the cross on our behalf,
God is legally obligated to forgive us.
Whether He is happy with us or not,
He must forgive us according to His righteousness.
God knows
that whenever a person points
to the resurrected and ascended Christ
as a “receipt” for sin,
God must forgive that one.
In this matter
the righteous God has no choice.

Whenever our conscience condemns us because of our failures,
we need to remember
to stand upon the foundation of God’s righteousness.
You may be fervent for the Lord today.
But in the future you may fail Him
and become very disappointed with yourself,
unable to believe that God could ever forgive you.
At such a time
you need to praise God for His righteousness.
Tell Him
that no matter how much you have failed,
Christ is still at His right hand
as the receipt for payment for all your debts (Heb. 1:3).
Our experience may fluctuate,
but God remains righteous forever.
Whenever we confess our sins,
claim the blood of Jesus,
and appeal to God’s righteousness,
God has no choice
except to forgive us.

Our experience of Christ
rests on the foundation of God’s righteousness.
The foundation is not our fervency or victory;
it is God’s righteousness, the unshakable foundation of God’s throne (Psa. 89:14).
God has shown forth His righteousness
by forgiving us of our sins.
In this way
God has proved
that He is righteous.
Now such righteousness of God
is our solid foundation.

We have seen
that both love and grace may change,
but righteousness is solid and steadfast.
God is free either to love us or not to love us;
however, He is bound by His righteousness.
Because Christ died to fulfill God’s righteous requirements,
God has put Himself into a position
where He is legally bound
to forgive everyone who believes in Christ.
God is bound by His own righteousness
to forgive us.
Therefore, the righteousness that is the foundation of God’s throne
is also the foundation of our salvation.
Can the foundation of God’s throne be shaken?
Certainly not.
Likewise, the foundation of our salvation
cannot be shaken.

If we consider ourselves,
we shall realize that we are not lovable or worthy of God’s grace.
We simply do not deserve anything from God.
But God is righteous.
He put Christ to death on our behalf,
and He has recognized the death of Christ
as the full payment of our debt.
Therefore, we can boldly say to God,
“If You do not deal with me according to Your righteousness,
Your throne will be shaken.
The important issue
is not whether or not I shall be saved or perish;
it is whether or not You will allow
the foundation of Your throne to be shaken.
God, I remind You of Your righteousness.
Christ has died for my sins,
and He is now at Your right hand as proof
that You have received His payment for all my debts.
According to Your righteousness,
You have no choice
except to forgive me.
You are legally bound
to forgive me of my sins.
O Father God,
I appreciate Your love and grace.
But now I stand before You
in Your righteousness.
Because You are righteous,
You must forgive me.”
Have you ever prayed to God in this way?
It pleases Him
when we pray like this.
This is a prayer
that knows God’s righteousness
and appeals to God according to His righteousness.
Our God is righteous,
and the gospel of Christ
is the power of God
because the righteousness of God
is revealed in it.
Such a divine righteousness
is a strong attribute of God.

Romans 11:33 speaks of God’s wisdom:
“O the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are His judgments, and untraceable His paths!”
At the very end of the book of Romans
Paul says,
“To the only wise God through Jesus Christ
be the glory forever and ever! Amen” (Rom. 16:27).
Wisdom is different from cleverness
and deeper than cleverness.
It is possible to be clever without being wise.
For example, a criminal may be very clever,
but he is altogether lacking in wisdom.
God is very wise,
and the universe reveals His wisdom.

It is important to see the difference between wisdom and knowledge.
Wisdom is both higher and deeper than knowledge.
Wisdom is seen in the initiation of something,
for example, in the formulation of a new invention,
and knowledge is seen in the practical application.
If you have only knowledge and lack wisdom,
you will not be able to initiate anything or invent anything.
God is the unique Initiator.
He has initiated many things,
not by His knowledge but by His wisdom.
When He comes in to apply what He has initiated,
He displays His knowledge.

Ephesians 3:10 speaks of the multifarious wisdom of God
being made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies through the church.
The Greek word translated “multifarious”
indicates that God’s wisdom has many sides, aspects, and directions.

Only through problems
can all the aspects of God’s wisdom be manifested.
This means
that, in a sense, God needs problems and troubles:
He even needs an adversary, Satan.
Without Satan, God’s wisdom cannot be fully manifested.
Satan has created many opportunities
for God’s wisdom to be manifested in a multifarious way.
The rebellion of Satan
is within the realm of troubles for God’s wisdom.
If it were not for Satan’s rebellion,
God’s wisdom could not be made known in a full way.
If you are a person full of wisdom,
the more troubles and difficulties you have,
the more wisdom you will express.
But if everything related to you is peaceful and without problems,
you will have no opportunity to express your wisdom.
You need problems in order to display your wisdom.
Likewise, God needs problems in order to display His wisdom.
Whatever the enemy of God does
gives God the opportunity to show forth His wisdom.

Another aspect of God’s wisdom
is revealed in 1 Corinthians 1:30,
where we are told
that of God we are in Christ Jesus,
“who became wisdom to us from God:
both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
For Christ to be our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
requires much wisdom on God’s part.
Many aspects of God’s wisdom
are manifested in His making Christ our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Our experience of Christ in these matters
is according to God’s manifold wisdom.

Furthermore, in His wisdom
God is able to make us the church.
Sometimes God may say,
“Look, Satan, I have taken the very people whom you have ruined
and I have made them into the church.
Do you have the wisdom to do such a thing?
You do not have this wisdom,
but I have it.”

In the sight of God
the most marvelous thing in the universe
is the church,
for through it
His multifarious wisdom is made known
to Satan and his angels.
The day is coming
when Satan and his angels
will be put to shame.
They will realize
that everything they have done
has given God the opportunity to manifest His wisdom.
In the same principle,
our failures, mistakes, defeats, and wrongdoings
have also given God opportunities to display His wisdom.
We are God’s chosen people,
and even through our failures
He manifests His multifarious wisdom.
Such a wisdom
is also a strong attribute of our God.

Ephesians 1:8 indicates
that there is a difference between wisdom and prudence.
In this verse,
Paul, speaking of the riches of God’s grace says,
“Which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and prudence.”
Wisdom is what is within God to plan and purpose a will concerning us;
prudence is the application of God’s wisdom.
First, God planned and purposed in His wisdom,
and then He applied what He had planned and purposed for us with prudence.
Wisdom was mainly for God’s plan in eternity,
and prudence is mainly for God’s execution of His plan in time.
What God planned in eternity in His wisdom
He is now executing in time in His prudence.

We may say
that prudence is a “stairway”
connecting cleverness, which is on a lower level,
to wisdom, which is on a higher level.
In order to go up to wisdom from cleverness,
we need prudence.
If a certain person chooses not to remain in his cleverness
but to advance to wisdom,
he must ascend up the stairway of prudence.
We may also say
that prudence is a proper cleverness.
Those who are prudent
will not do things in a foolish way.
This kind of prudence
is also a divine attribute in God’s move.

First Corinthians 1:9 says, 
“God is faithful, 
through whom you were called 
into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 
This word is a continuation of 1 Corinthians 1:8, 
strengthening the thought with the assurance of God’s faithfulness. 
In His faithfulness 
He will confirm the believers till the end, 
making them unreprovable 
in the day of the Lord’s return. 
In His faithfulness 
He has called us into the fellowship, the participation in His Son, 
and He will keep us in this participation and enjoyment in His fullness. 
His fullness is an assurance to us for this enjoyment.

First John 1:9 also reveals God’s faithfulness: 
“If we confess our sins, 
He is faithful and righteous 
that He may forgive us our sins 
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 
God is faithful in His word (1 John 1:10), 
the word of the truth of His gospel (Eph. 1:13), 
which tells us 
that He will forgive us our sins 
because of Christ (Acts 10:43). 
If we confess our sins, 
He, according to His word, forgives us, 
because He must be faithful in His word.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says, 
“No temptation has taken you 
except that which is common to man; 
but God is faithful, 
who will not let you be tempted 
beyond what you are able, 
but will with the temptation make also the way out, 
that you may be able to endure it.” 
On the one hand, 
we should take heed not to be tempted, lest we fall. 
On the other hand, 
God in His faithfulness 
will not allow any temptation to befall us 
beyond what we are able to endure, 
but will always make a way out for us. 
This is a word of promise and encouragement.

First Thessalonians 5:23 and 24 say, 
“And the God of peace Himself 
sanctify you wholly, 
and may your spirit and soul and body 
be preserved complete, without blame, 
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Faithful is He 
who calls you, 
who also will do it.” 
Here we see 
that the faithful God 
who has called us 
will also sanctify us wholly 
and preserve our entire being complete. 
This is Paul’s word of assurance to the believers 
concerning the faithfulness of God. 
Surely this divine faithfulness 
is a sweet attribute of God.

In addition to faithfulness, 
God has the attribute of truthfulness. 
In Romans 3:7 and 15:8 
the word “truth” actually denotes truthfulness. 
Although truthfulness is very close to faithfulness, 
there is a difference between these two attributes of God. 
Faithfulness must have a basis, 
and the basis of faithfulness is truthfulness. 
The truthfulness, genuineness, trustworthiness, of God 
is a divine attribute in God’s dealing with us.

In 2 Corinthians 1:12 
Paul speaks of the singleness, or simplicity, of God. 
Have you ever realized 
that God is simple? 
Simplicity is one of His attributes.

God is wise and almighty, 
but He is also single and very simple. 
When we talk to certain brothers, 
we find 
that they are extremely complicated. 
But our God is simple with us. 
Whenever we talk to Him, 
we find that He is not full of complications. 
When He says “white” or “black,” 
He means white or black, not gray.

No matter how God may feel about us at a particular time, 
He is always simple with us. 
Imagine what would happen to us 
if God were not simple 
and if He thought about us in a complicated way. 
Would you like God to consider your situation and examine you 
in a complicated way? 
None of us would be favored by God 
if He were to deal with us in this way. 
But because of God’s simplicity, His singleness, 
we have received unreserved blessing from Him all the time.

The source of confusion and division among Christians 
is the complications within the believers. 
If all Christians became simple, 
there would be no problems. 
The problems in a local church 
always come from complications. 
This was the situation among the Corinthians, 
to whom Paul wrote 
concerning his conducting himself in the simplicity of God. 
The simplicity of God 
is a divine attribute, 
an attribute of what God is in His faithfulness. 
To love and enjoy Christ in simplicity (2 Cor. 11:3) 
is to experience God in His attribute of simplicity.

In 2 Corinthians 1:12 
Paul speaks not only of the simplicity of God 
but also of the sincerity of God. 
Sincerity follows simplicity 
and comes out of simplicity. 
A sincere person is always simple. 
I do not trust those who are complicated, 
because they are too clever. 
However, I can trust those who are simple, 
for I know that, being simple, they are sincere. 
When we have simplicity, singleness, 
we shall also have sincerity. 
Because Paul conducted himself in the simplicity of God, 
he was truly sincere, 
living in the divine attribute of sincerity.

In Luke 18:18 
a “certain ruler” questioned the Lord Jesus, saying, 
“Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” 
Jesus said to him, 
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One—God” (v. 19). 
This verse reveals that God, and only God, is good. 
Goodness is another attribute of God.

What does the word “good” mean in regard to God? 
In Greek it is agathos, 
describing “that which, being good in its character or constitution, 
is beneficial in its effect” (Vine). 
Thus it denotes something 
being essentially, absolutely, and consummately beneficial. 
God, being good, is essentially, absolutely, and consummately beneficial to man. 
His goodness, in this sense, is a beautiful item of His attributes.

Romans 9:16 says, 
“So then, it is not of the one who wills, 
nor of the one who runs, 
but of God, the One who shows mercy.” 
Mercy is the most far reaching of God’s attributes. 
Mercy goes further than grace. 
God’s love does not reach as far as His grace, 
and His grace does not reach as far as His mercy. 
If I am in a good condition 
and my standing matches yours, 
and you give me a gift, 
that is grace. 
But if I am in a pitiful condition 
and my standing is far removed from yours, 
and you give me something, 
that is mercy. 
If I come to you as your dear friend, 
and you give me a gift, 
that is grace. 
However, if I am a poor, unclean beggar, 
unable to do anything for myself, 
and you give me a gift, 
that is mercy. 
This illustrates the fact 
that God’s mercy is more far reaching than His grace. 
Grace extends only to a situation 
that corresponds to it. 
But mercy goes much further, reaching into a situation 
that is poor and unworthy of grace. 
According to our natural condition, 
we were far removed from God, 
totally unworthy of His grace. 
We were eligible only to receive His mercy.

God’s mercy does not depend on man’s good condition. 
Rather, God’s mercy is shown in man’s pitiful condition. 
It reaches beyond His grace.

It is God’s mercy 
that has reached us. 
None of us was in a condition 
that corresponded to His grace. 
We were so poor and pitiful 
that there was the need 
for God’s mercy to extend to our fallen condition. 
God’s mercy has brought us into His grace. 
How we need to realize this and worship God for His mercy! 
Even now, after being saved 
and having shared in the riches of God’s life, 
we still, in some ways, are in a condition 
that needs God’s mercy to reach us. 
This is the reason 
Hebrews 4:16 says 
that first we need to obtain mercy, 
and then we can find grace for timely help. 
Oh, how much we need God’s mercy! 
We should treasure His mercy 
as much as we appreciate His grace. 
It is always God’s mercy 
that qualifies us to participate in His grace.

Our concept is 
that the one who wills will gain 
what he wills to obtain 
and that the one who runs will gain 
what he runs after. 
If this were the case, 
then God’s selection 
would be according to our effort and labor. 
But it is not so. 
On the contrary, 
God’s selection is of God 
who shows mercy. 
We do not need to will or to run, 
for God has mercy on us. 
If we know God’s mercy, 
we shall not put our trust in our effort. 
Neither shall we be disappointed by our failures. 
The hope for our wretched condition is in God’s mercy.

Romans 11:32 says, 
“For God has shut up all in disobedience 
that He might show mercy to all.” 
Man’s disobedience affords God’s mercy an opportunity, 
and God’s mercy brings man salvation. 
How marvelous is God’s mercy!

God’s mercy and His grace 
are both the expression of His love. 
When we are in a pitiful condition, 
His mercy reaches us and brings us into a state 
where He is able to favor us with His grace. 
Luke 15:20-24 says 
that when the father saw the prodigal son returning, 
he had compassion on him. 
This is the deeper mercy, 
an expression of the father’s affectionate love. 
Then the father clothed his son with the best robe 
and fed him with the fatted calf. 
This is grace, 
which also manifests the father’s love. 
God’s mercy reaches further than His grace, 
bridging the gap between us and God’s grace.

Often, because of our pitiful condition, 
we need to receive mercy 
before we can find grace. 
We come to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16) like beggars, 
in somewhat the same condition as was the prodigal son 
when he came to his father. 
A beggar, like the prodigal, needs mercy. 
When we come to the throne of grace, 
we may have the sense 
that we are pitiful 
and say, 
“Father, I am not worthy of anything.” 
But the Father may say, 
“You are unworthy, 
but I am merciful. 
My mercy reaches you 
and qualifies you 
to receive my favor. 
My mercy brings Me to you 
that I may clothe you 
with the best robe.” 
God’s mercy is always available to us.

If we would serve God in His New Testament economy, 
we need to know 
that it is wholly a matter of God’s sovereign mercy. 
Through many years of experience 
I have become strongly and deeply convinced 
that everything that happens to us 
is of God’s mercy. 
All is a matter of God’s mercy. 
The more we see this, 
the more we shall spontaneously bear 
our responsibility 
before the Lord. 
However, even the bearing of responsibility 
is of God’s mercy. 
Why is it 
that some believers are willing to bear their responsibility 
and that others are not? 
The answer lies in God’s mercy. 
In Romans 9:15 
Paul quotes the Lord’s words, 
“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” 
Because of God’s mercy 
we responded to the gospel 
when others did not respond, 
we received a word about Christ as life 
when others refused to receive it, 
and we took the way of the Lord’s recovery 
when others drew back from taking this way.

Regarding His recovery, 
God has mercy on whom He will have mercy. 
We are not in the Lord’s recovery 
because we are more intelligent than others 
or because we seek the Lord more than others do. 
Our being here 
is altogether due to the mercy of God. 
If you consider 
how the Lord brought you into the church life in the Lord’s recovery, 
you will worship Him for His mercy. 
Concerning the gospel, the ministry of life, and the church life, 
God has had mercy on us. 
How we must praise Him 
for His sovereign mercy, 
and worship Him 
for His mercy!

Ephesians 2:4 says, 
“God, being rich in mercy 
because of His great love 
with which He loved us.” 
Here we see that God is rich in mercy 
because of His great love toward us. 
The object of love 
should be in a lovable condition, 
but the object of mercy 
is always in a pitiful situation. 
God’s mercy reaches us for His love. 
God loves us 
because we are the object of His selection. 
But we became pitiful by our fall, 
even dead in our offenses and sins. 
Therefore, we need God’s mercy to reach us. 
Because of His great love, 
God is rich in mercy 
to save us from our wretched position 
to a condition that is suitable for His love. 
This most far-reaching attribute of God 
should cause our heart 
to react to His love.

Romans 9:15 mentions 
both God’s mercy and His compassion: 
“He says to Moses, 
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, 
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 
Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, 
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of compassions and God of all encouragement.” 
What is the difference between mercy and compassion? 
It is somewhat difficult to differentiate them. 
Although compassion is close to mercy, 
compassion is deeper, finer, and richer than mercy. 
Mercy is somewhat outward, but compassion is inward. 
Furthermore, compassion is more long lasting than mercy. 
Therefore, compassion is both deeper and longer lasting than mercy.

The Greek word for mercy, eleos, 
refers to the kind of response 
that is motivated by the wretched condition of the poor party. 
Mercy refers more to the action or manifestation 
in response to wretchedness. 
The Greek word for compassion in Romans 9:15 and 2 Corinthians 1:3 
is oiktirmos. 
The basic root of this word 
refers to the inward organs of man 
which were believed 
to be the center of tender affections in man. 
Hence, this Greek word for compassion 
refers to the inward feeling 
that originates in the heart of the affectionate party. 
This feeling is not mild 
but deeply affectionate. 
Compassion, therefore, refers to the inward feeling 
that resides in the one 
who looks upon wretchedness. 
It is the deepest of words 
showing the inward affection of God for man in his pitiful condition.

With these definitions in view, 
we may consider Romans 9:15 again for a full contrast, 
translating the verse in this way: 
“I will display My kind act of mercy 
to whom I will display My kind act of mercy, 
and I will have the deepest feeling of compassion 
upon whom I will have the deepest feeling of compassion.” 
The former refers to God’s outward doing 
motivated by our wretched state; 
the latter refers to His inward affection 
originating in His loving essence. 
We all should appreciate 
such a sweeter affectionate attribute of God.

Ephesians 2:7 says, 
“That He might display in the ages which are coming 
the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” 
In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul testifies, 
“But by the grace of God 
I am what I am; 
and His grace unto me 
was not in vain, 
but I labored more abundantly than all of them, 
yet not I, 
but the grace of God with me.” 
The grace of God 
is a matter of tremendous significance. 
It is important 
for us to find out 
the genuine and proper meaning of the grace of God in the New Testament. 
If we would understand 
what the grace of God is 
as revealed in the New Testament, 
we need a clear view of the New Testament as a whole.

When I was young, 
I was taught 
that grace means 
that we do nothing 
and that God does everything for us. 
According to this teaching, 
anything we do is work, not grace, 
but whatever God does for us 
is grace. 
However, according to the New Testament, 
grace is actually 
what God is to us 
for our enjoyment (John 1:16-17; 2 Cor. 12:9). 
Grace is actually God in Christ 
dispensed into our being 
for our enjoyment 
in our experience. 
Grace is mainly not the work 
God does for us; 
grace is the Triune God Himself 
dispensed into our being 
and experienced as our enjoyment. 
In brief, 
grace is the Triune God 
experienced and enjoyed by us. 
The New Testament reveals 
that grace is nothing less than God in Christ 
dispensed into our being for our enjoyment.

John 1:17 says 
that grace came through Jesus Christ. 
This indicates 
that grace is somewhat like a person. 
The personification of grace 
is God Himself. 
Paul realized this when he said, 
“Not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). 
For Paul, 
grace was a living person. 
In Paul 
this person became the very grace 
by which he labored. 
Therefore, grace is God Himself; 
it is 
what God is to us for our enjoyment. 
When God is enjoyed by us, 
that is grace. 
Grace is the very God in His Son Jesus Christ 
to be our portion 
so that we may enjoy 
all He is.

We need to emphasize the fact 
that grace is God as our enjoyment. 
When God becomes our portion 
for us to enjoy, 
that is grace. 
Do not consider grace as something less than God. 
Grace is nothing less than the Triune God 
enjoyed by us in a practical way as our portion. 
Concerning this definition of grace, 
the first stanza of Hymns 497 says:

Grace in its highest definition 
is God in the Son 
to be enjoyed by us; 
It is not only something done or giv’n, 
But God Himself, our portion glorious.

Grace is God not in doctrine, 
but in our experience, 
for grace is God in Christ 
with all He is 
for our enjoyment. 
This includes 
life, strength, comfort, rest, light, righteousness, 
holiness, power, and the other divine attributes. 
When we enjoy God 
and participate in Him, 
that is grace.

We have pointed out 
that in Ephesians 2:7 
Paul indicates 
that God will “display in the ages 
which are coming 
the surpassing riches of His grace 
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” 
To display the riches of God’s grace 
is to exhibit them 
to the whole universe. 
The riches of God’s grace 
surpass every limit, 
for they are the riches of God Himself 
for our enjoyment. 
The riches of God’s grace 
will be publicly displayed for eternity.

In Ephesians 2:8 
Paul goes on to say 
that we are saved by grace. 
In Ephesians 
grace denotes God 
dispensed into us. 
Therefore, to be saved by grace 
means to be saved by God 
dispensed into us in Christ. 
Most Christians, however, regard grace 
as a thing, not as a person. 
To them, grace is merely a gift 
freely given. 
According to this concept of grace, 
we were sinners 
who did not deserve God’s salvation, 
but God saved us freely 
by giving us His unmerited favor. 
This, however, is a superficial understanding 
of what it means 
to be saved by grace. 
Ephesians reveals 
that saving grace 
is God Himself in Christ 
wrought into our being. 
Hence, to be saved by grace 
actually means to be saved 
by the dispensing of the Triune God into us.

According to Ephesians, 
salvation is 
the transmission of God into us as grace. 
It was not a simple matter 
for God to be transmitted into us as grace. 
It was necessary for Him to be processed 
through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. 
By being processed in this way, 
He is now able to transmit Himself into us. 
When the processed God is transmitted into us, 
He becomes saving grace 
to us in our experience. 
This grace is 
not only amazing grace; 
it is abounding grace. 
Grace is the processed God 
transmitted into our being.

If you read Ephesians 1 and 2 with much prayer, 
you will see 
that God processed and transmitted into our being 
is the saving grace and the abounding grace. 
We have been saved 
by the transmission of this processed God. 
In His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, 
God has saved us by His grace. 
In the ages to come
—in the millennium and eternity—
God will display this grace publicly 
to the whole universe.

In 1 Corinthians 15:10 
Paul speaks three times concerning grace. 
Twice he speaks of the grace of God, 
and once, of “His grace.” 
In this verse 
grace is the Triune God 
becoming life and everything to us. 
It was by this grace 
that Saul of Tarsus, the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15-16), 
became the foremost apostle, 
laboring more abundantly than all the apostles.

First Peter 4:10 
speaks of the varied grace of God: 
“Each one according as he has received a gift, 
ministering it among yourselves 
as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” 
The varied grace of God 
is the rich supply of life, 
which is the Triune God 
ministered to us in many aspects. 
As good stewards, 
by the gift 
we have received 
we should minister to the church and to the saints 
such grace, not mere doctrine.

In 1 Peter 5:10 
we have a word 
concerning “the God of all grace.” 
In this verse 
“all grace” refers 
to the riches of the bountiful supply of the divine life in many aspects 
ministered to us in the many steps of the divine operation in God’s economy. 
The term “the God of all grace” 
is unique; 
it is found in the New Testament 
only in 1 Peter 5:10. 
Peter does not say merely 
that God is the God of grace; 
he says that God is the God of all grace. 
As believers, 
we should be encouraged by the fact 
that our God is the God of all grace. 
This divine grace 
is an outstanding attribute of our God 
who has favored us with it in Christ.

Another attribute of God is peace. 
The New Testament speaks about both the peace of God and the God of peace. 
Concerning the God of peace, 
Romans 16:20 says, 
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” 
Concerning the peace of God, 
Philippians 4:7 says, 
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” 
The peace of God 
is actually God as peace, 
infused into us 
through our fellowship with Him by prayer, 
as the counterpoise of troubles and the antidote to anxiety (John 16:33). 
The God of peace 
mounts guards over our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus. 
He patrols before our hearts and thoughts in Christ.

The peace of God and the God of peace 
are one. 
When God is with us, 
peace is with us also. 
The genuine peace 
we enjoy 
is God Himself. 
The way to enjoy the God of peace 
is by praying 
to have fellowship with Him.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul says, 
“And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly.” 
Here we see 
that the God of peace is the Sanctifier. 
His sanctification 
brings in peace. 
When we are wholly sanctified by Him from within, 
we enjoy His peace in every way.

In our experience 
peace is a condition 
that results from grace, 
that issues from the enjoyment of God our Father. 
When we enjoy God as grace, 
we are in a condition 
that is full of rest and satisfaction. 
This is peace. 
Grace is a substance, 
whereas peace is a condition. 
The substance of grace 
is God Himself, 
and the condition of peace 
is that which issues out of our enjoyment of God as grace. 
We all can testify of the peace we have 
when we enjoy God as grace. 
We have the divine substance as our enjoyment, 
and we have the heavenly condition. 
This is the peace which we enjoy.

The fact that peace is the issue of grace 
is indicated by the way 
Paul greets the saints 
in Ephesians 1:2 and in other Epistles: 
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 
This peace results from the enjoyment of God as grace 
which is also an attribute of the God whom we enjoy in Christ.

Romans 15:13 says, 
“The God of hope 
fill you with all joy and peace,” 
indicating that joy is one of God’s attributes. 
God is the God of enjoyment. 
In our experience, 
if we enjoy God as grace, 
we shall have peace, 
and if we have peace, 
we shall have joy.

Romans 15:13 speaks twice of hope 
which is also one of God’s attributes. 
“The God of hope 
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 
that you may abound in hope 
in the power of the Holy Spirit.” 
God is the God of hope. 
When He fills us with joy and peace, 
we abound in hope. 
Those who are without joy and peace 
cannot have hope. 
But if we enjoy God as grace and thereby have peace and joy, 
we shall be full of hope.

In Romans 15:5 
God is called the God of encouragement. 
Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, 
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of compassions and God of all encouragement.” 
Encouragement, as an attribute of God, 
is slightly different from comfort and consolation. 
The Greek word rendered encouragement in 2 Corinthians 1:3 
has the sense of cheered. 
Encouragement is related to hope. 
If we have hope, 
we shall have encouragement.

Paul experienced God 
as the God of all encouragement. 
In 2 Corinthians 1:4 
he testifies 
that the God of encouragement “encourages us in all our affliction, 
that we may be able to encourage those 
who are in every affliction 
through the encouragement 
with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.” 
First we need to experience the encouragement of God. 
Then we shall be able to encourage others 
with the encouragement we have experienced of God. 
Hence, we are encouraged 
so that we may be able to encourage others. 
This requires experience.

The New Testament reveals the divine attribute of kindness. 
Romans 2:4 says, 
“Do you despise the riches 
of His kindness and forbearance and longsuffering, 
not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” 
Romans 11:22, 
speaking of the kindness of God and His severity, 
emphasizes the attribute of God’s kindness. 
Furthermore, Ephesians 2:7 declares, 
“That He might display in the ages which are coming 
the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness 
toward us in Christ Jesus.” 
Kindness is a benevolent goodness 
which issues out of mercy and love. 
It is in such kindness 
that the grace of God is given to us. 
Titus 3:4-5 says, 
“When the kindness and love to man of our Savior God appeared,
…He saved us.” 
It is the kindness and love of our Savior God 
that has saved us 
and made us different from others.

Regarding the way God deals with sinners, 
Romans 2:4 refers to His excellent attribute of forbearance. 
God forbears with fallen man for a purpose. 
His purpose in showing forbearance 
is to accomplish His economy. 
If God did not show forbearance to man, 
there would be no way 
for God to fulfill His purpose 
of accomplishing His economy.

The Bible reveals 
that in His economy 
God has exercised great forbearance. 
Immediately after the fall of man, 
God began to show forbearance 
in His dealings with man. 
If you read Genesis 3 from the viewpoint of forbearance, 
you will see 
how forbearing God was with fallen man. 
God exercised His understanding, 
fully realizing man’s situation and need. 
God also exercised His wisdom 
to deal with fallen man.

For the accomplishment of His eternal purpose, 
for the carrying out of His economy, 
God has always exercised forbearance. 
With His forbearance, 
it is full of 
understanding, wisdom, patience, consideration, 
sympathy, mercy, kindness, love, and grace. 
Even the rich supply of life 
is included in God’s forbearance. 
God never commands us to do anything 
without considering our need and granting us His supply. 
God’s forbearance always includes 
His adequate supply 
to meet our need.

God dealt with different people in different ways. 
He dealt with Adam in one way, 
with Abel in another way, 
and with Cain in yet another way. 
In this we see God’s forbearance.

In the Scriptures 
there are different dispensations, different ways, 
God deals with man. 
These dispensations are actually related to forbearance. 
For God to deal with people in a particular way during a certain age 
is for Him to show forbearance.

God makes known His forbearance 
by dealing with us in a way 
that is reasonable, suitable, and considerate. 
God never disciplines anyone 
without proper consideration. 
He often waits a long period of time 
before chastising someone. 
God certainly is forbearing in dealing with us.

Romans 2:4 also speaks of God’s longsuffering. 
This also is a divine attribute. 
Longsuffering is something more than patience. 
It means to suffer long. 
“Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint 
in the face of provocation 
which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; 
it is the opposite of anger, 
and it is associated with mercy” (Hogg and Vine).

In Romans 15:5 
God is called the God of endurance. 
How shall we differentiate longsuffering and endurance? 
Longsuffering is patience toward the troubling persons, 
whereas endurance is patience toward the afflicting things. 
Toward us who give Him trouble, God has His longsuffering; 
toward the troubles we make, He has endurance. 
Both longsuffering and endurance 
are His attributes, 
which we, as His children should participate in 
toward people and environment.

Second Corinthians 11:2 says, 
“For I am jealous over you 
with a jealousy of God; 
for I betrothed you to one Husband, 
to present a pure virgin to Christ.” 
Jealousy is usually regarded as a negative thing, 
but it is one of God’s attributes. 
The most jealous one in the universe 
is God. 
He is jealous 
whenever we love anything or anyone in place of Him. 
He wants us to love Him uniquely, singly, wholly.

The jealousy of God 
is like the jealousy of a husband over his wife. 
No husband could tolerate his wife’s loving another man besides him. 
Likewise, God is jealous over us. 
Jealousy, therefore, is one of His attributes.

Knowing that our God is jealous, 
we should let His jealousy be ours 
that we would care only for Him, love Him, 
and allow no one and nothing to replace Him in our hearts. 
Furthermore, our love for Him should be pure, 
our mind should be single, 
and our entire being should be focused on Him. 
As the jealous One, 
He cannot tolerate anyone 
who does not love Him solely and wholly.

Romans 11:22 
shows that another attribute of God is severity: 
“Behold then the kindness and severity of God; 
on those who fell, severity; 
but on you the kindness of God, if you continue in His kindness; 
otherwise you also will be cut off.” 
God has both kindness and severity. 
Although He is kind, He is also very severe. 
Both kindness and severity are divine attributes.

Impartiality is an attribute of God. 
Concerning this, Peter says in Acts 10:34, 
“I surely perceive 
that God is not a respecter of persons.” 
In Romans 2:11 Paul says, 
“There is no respect of persons with God.” 
Furthermore, in Ephesians 6:9 Paul says, 
“The masters, do the same things toward them, giving up threatening, 
knowing that both their Master and yours is in the heavens, 
and there is no respect of persons with Him.” 
These verses also indicate 
that God is impartial.

First Timothy 6:16 declares 
that God “alone has immortality.” 
Literally, the Greek word for “immortality” 
is athanasia, 
which means deathlessness, 
denoting freedom from death. 
Only God possesses immortality in Himself; 
immortality is an essential element of His being.

Another of God’s attributes is immutability. 
For God to be immutable 
means that He is not changeable or variable. 
Regarding this attribute, 
James 1:17 says, 
“All good giving and every perfect gift 
is from above, 
coming down from the Father of the lights, 
with whom is no variableness or shadow cast by turning.” 
The Greek word rendered “variableness” 
may also be translated “variation.” 
The Father is the Creator, the source, of the lights, of the heavenly luminaries. 
With Him there is no shadow cast by turning, 
as there is with the heavenly orbs in the moon turning its dark side to us, 
or in the sun being eclipsed by the moon, 
for He is not variable, not changeable. 
Because God is unchangeable, immutable, 
Hebrews 6:17 speaks of “the unchangeableness of His counsel.”

Another marvelous attribute of God is glory. 
Acts 7:2 says, 
“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham.” 
Acts 7:55 says, 
“Looking intently into heaven, 
he [Stephen] saw the glory of God.” 
Glory is the expression of God, 
God expressed in splendor. 
God’s glory was a great attraction to Abraham, 
separating him from the world unto God. 
God’s glory was also a great encouragement and strength, 
enabling Abraham to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4).

Second Peter 1:3 says 
that God has called us to, or by, His own glory. 
Furthermore, 1 Peter 5:10 says 
that God has called us into His eternal glory. 
According to 2 Timothy 2:10, 
God’s salvation is with eternal glory. 
This indicates that eternal glory 
is the ultimate goal of God’s salvation (Rom. 8:21). 
God’s salvation leads us into His glory (Heb. 2:10).

In the Gospel of John 
we read that the Word, who was God, became flesh 
and tabernacled among us, 
and that we beheld His glory (John 1:1, 14). 
John 1:18 goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God; 
the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 
He has declared Him.” 
There is glory in the declaration of God. 
When we see God, 
we see glory.

Romans 3:23 says, 
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” 
Man was made by God in His image 
in order that man may express Him for His glory. 
But man sinned. 
Now instead of expressing God, 
man expresses sin and his sinful self. 
Therefore, man is short of God’s glory. 
Nevertheless, we have been ordained for God’s glory 
and called to it (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Thes. 2:12). 
As believers, we are being transformed into this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) 
and shall be brought into it (Heb. 2:10). 
Eventually we shall be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 30) 
to bear the glory of God 
for God’s expression in the New Jerusalem.

Romans 9:23 says, 
“What if He should make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, 
which He had before prepared unto glory.” 
God created us as His vessels 
to contain Him and express Him. 
God makes known the riches of His glory upon us, His vessels, 
which He has prepared unto glory. 
We were predestinated by His sovereignty 
to be His containers, vessels of honor, 
to express what He is in glory. 
This will be fully revealed in the New Jerusalem.

An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem 
is that it has the glory of God (Rev. 21:11), His expression. 
The entire city of New Jerusalem 
will bear the glory of God, 
which is God Himself 
shining out through the city. 
Actually, the glory of God 
will be the content of the New Jerusalem, 
for this city will be completely filled with His glory. 
This indicates 
that the city is a vessel 
to contain God and express Him. 
The glory of God 
is actually God Himself being manifested. 
The fact that the New Jerusalem is full of God’s glory 
means that God is manifested in this city. 
The church life today 
should also have God’s glory, 
manifesting and expressing Him 
in this marvelous divine attribute.

Revelation 4:9 says 
that the living creatures “give glory and honor and thanks to Him 
who sits upon the throne, 
to Him who lives forever and ever.” 
Revelation 5:13 says, 
“And every creature 
which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, 
and all things in them, 
I heard saying: 
To Him who sits upon the throne 
and to the Lamb, 
be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” 
These verses from Revelation 
indicate that honor is another attribute of God. 
Whereas glory—God Himself expressed—
refers to a condition, 
honor refers to a high position, 
in particular to the dignity 
that is related to such a position.

Another attribute of God is majesty. 
Jude 25 says, 
“To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
be glory, majesty, might, and authority 
before all time, and now, and unto all eternity. Amen.” 
Here majesty denotes greatness in honor. 
The fact that God has the attribute of majesty 
indicates that He is the greatest One with His dignity. 
We may also say 
that majesty is the totality of glory and honor. 
Because God has glory and honor, 
He also has majesty.

God not only has glory, honor, and majesty; 
He also has sovereignty. 
Sovereignty is also one of God’s attributes. 
He is sovereign. 
Sovereignty indicates 
God’s unlimited authority and power. 
God’s position is also unlimited. 
We are not able to say 
how high is God’s position. 
Likewise, we cannot measure God’s glory and majesty. 
As the sovereign One, 
there is no limit to His authority, power, and position.

Although the words “sovereign” or “sovereignty” are not used in Romans 9:20 and 21, 
these verses certainly refer to God’s sovereignty: 
“But, O man, who are you that replies against God? 
Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, 
Why did you make me thus? 
Or has not the potter authority over the clay, 
out of the same lump 
to make one vessel to honor 
and another to dishonor?” 
We all need to realize who we are. 
We are God’s creatures, and He is our Creator. 
As His creatures, 
we should not resist His purpose (v. 19) 
or answer back to Him, the Creator. 
This is the reason 
Paul asks, 
“Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, 
Why did you make me thus?” 
Paul then goes on to indicate 
that as the Potter God has authority over the clay, 
out of the same lump 
to make one vessel to honor 
and another to dishonor. 
God is the Potter, and we are the clay. 
As the Potter, God is sovereign. 
He has authority over the clay. 
If He wills, 
He can make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. 
This does not depend on our choice
—it depends on God’s sovereignty.

These verses from Romans 9 
indicate that God has sovereignly created us 
to be His vessels, His containers, 
according to His predestination. 
Second Timothy 2:20 and 21 convey the same thought, 
saying that we are vessels unto honor. 
However, being vessels unto honor 
is not the result of our choice; 
it originates with God’s sovereignty. 
It is of God’s sovereignty 
that He makes His glory known 
by creating vessels of mercy to contain Himself. 
This is a deep word. 
God’s sovereignty is the basis of His selection. 
His selection depends on His sovereignty.

In Romans 9:22 Paul continues, 
“What if God, 
willing to show forth His wrath 
and to make His power known, 
endured with much longsuffering 
vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?” 
What should we say about this? 
We have nothing to say. 
God is the Potter, 
and He has the authority. 
Human beings are simply clay.

In Romans 9:23 and 24 Paul goes on to say, 
“And what if He should make known 
the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, 
which He had before prepared unto glory, 
even us, whom He has also called, 
not only from among the Jews, but also from among the nations?” 
This depends on God’s sovereignty. 
God has the authority to make the ones 
He has selected and called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles, 
vessels of mercy to contain Him 
in order that His glory might be manifested. 
According to His sovereign authority, 
He has prepared us unto this glory. 
We were predestinated by His sovereignty 
to be His containers. 
This is the climax of our usefulness to God. 
This is the goal of God’s selection 
according to His sovereignty.

Jude 25 indicates 
that God has authority as one of His attributes. 
Authority is power in ruling. 
Regarding the divine attribute of authority, 
the Lord Jesus says in Luke 12:5, 
“I will show you whom you should fear: 
fear Him who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. 
Yes, I tell you, fear this One.” 
God alone has the authority 
to cast one into Gehenna.

A policeman in uniform 
illustrates the difference between power and authority. 
Although the policeman may not have much strength, 
he has the authority to direct traffic. 
A boxer, on the contrary, may have much more strength than a policeman, 
but he does not have any authority. 
Authority is greater than power. 
God, of course, has both authority and power.

First Corinthians 1:24 speaks of God’s power, 
which is a crucial item of the divine attributes. 
“To those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, 
Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom.” 
Christ crucified is God’s power. 
This power of God 
destroys Satan, judges the world, deals with sin, 
crucifies the fallen man, the flesh, the natural life, and the old creation, 
and annuls the ordinances. 
It is the power of crucifixion, the power of the wonderful death of Christ. 
This power not only deals with the negative things, 
but also carries out God’s plan. 
Whereas the divine wisdom is for God’s planning and purposing, 
the divine power is for carrying out what is planned and purposed by God.

Ephesians 1:19 says, 
“The surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, 
according to the operation of the might of His strength.” 
God’s power toward us 
is surpassingly great. 
It is according to the operation of the might of His strength. 
It is the power 
which God wrought in Christ (Eph. 1:20a). 
God’s power toward us 
is the same power 
which God wrought in Christ. 
First it has raised Christ from among the dead. 
This power has overcome death and Hades 
where the dead are held. 
Because of this power, 
death and Hades could not hold Christ (Acts 2:24).

Second, God’s great power 
which God wrought in Christ 
has seated Him at God’s right hand 
in the heavenlies far above all (Eph. 1:20b-21). 
God’s right hand, 
where Christ has been seated by the surpassingly great power of God, 
is the most honorable place, the place of supreme authority.

Third, God’s great power 
which God wrought in Christ 
has subjected all things 
under Christ’s feet (Eph. 1:22a). 
To seat Christ far above all 
is one thing; 
to subject all things under His feet 
is another. 
The former is Christ’s transcendency; 
the latter is the subjection of all things to Him.

Fourth, God’s great power 
which God wrought in Christ 
gave Christ to be Head over all things 
to the church (Eph. l:22b). 
The headship of Christ over all things 
is a gift from God to Him. 
It was by God’s great power 
that Christ received the headship in the universe.

In these verses 
God’s great power 
which God wrought in Christ, 
is revealed in four aspects: 
resurrection power, transcending power, subjecting power, and heading-up power. 
This fourfold power 
is to the church. 
The phrase “to the church” in verse 22 
implies a transmission. 
Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained 
is now being transmitted to the church, His Body.

Actually, God’s great power 
which He wrought in Christ 
is the Triune God, 
who has passed through 
incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, 
and who has been installed in us as the all-inclusive power. 
The Apostle Paul prayed 
that we may have a spirit of wisdom and revelation 
to know the surpassing greatness of this divine power. 
Surely we need to pray the same prayer!

Ephesians 1:19 speaks of the might of God’s strength, 
and Revelation 5:12 also refers to it. 
God has the attribute of strength as well as power. 
Inherently God has strength. 
According to M. R. Vincent, 
the Greek word ischuos for strength in Ephesians 1:19 and Revelation 5:12 
denotes indwelling strength. 
It is intrinsic, not outward.

Finally, God has the attribute of might. 
Ephesians 1:19 speaks of “the might of His strength.” 
Revelation 1:6 declares, 
“To Him be the glory and the might forever and ever.” 
In Revelation 5:13 
all the creatures say, 
“To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, 
be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” 
Jude 25 ascribes might to God, 
and 1 Timothy 6:16 says 
that to Him 
should be “honor and eternal might.” 
The Greek word for “might” (kratos) 
denotes manifested power. 
Strength is greater than might, 
power is greater than strength, 
authority is greater than power, 
and sovereignty is greater than authority. 
Our God has might, strength, power, authority, and sovereignty. 
All these are His attributes.

In these messages 
we have seen the many aspects of what God is in His person. 
We have also considered God’s attributes. 
This God is now dispensing Himself into us. 
This means 
that God with all that He is and with all that He has 
is being dispensed into us. 
The more we are under God’s dispensing, 
the more the divine attributes are infused into our being. 
While God is dispensing Himself into us, 
He is dispensing all that He is and has.

Let us quickly review the divine attributes: 
life, love, light, riches, fullness, holiness, righteousness, wisdom, prudence, faithfulness, truthfulness, simplicity, sincerity, goodness, mercy, compassion, grace, peace, joy, hope, encouragement, kindness, forbearance, longsuffering, endurance, jealousy, severity, impartiality, immortality, immutability, glory, honor, majesty, sovereignty, authority, power, strength, and might. 
How wonderful 
that these attributes are being dispensed into us! 
As we remain under God’s dispensing day by day, 
His attributes will be dispensed and infused into us. 
After God’s attributes have been dispensed and infused into us, 
they will all become our virtues.

 

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