One has to have an informed idea of WHO GOD IS, in order to infer the right things from WHAT HE HAS SAID. That is why it is important to study His attributes.
When we think of God, our brain immediately assigns Him a number of attributes (or characteristics). This is because, in order to think of a subject, you have to think something about that subject.
If one were to ask you to think of a “horse” right now, the picture your mind would produce would have hundreds of attributes already in place. The moment you imagine this horse, you’ve already ascribed attributes to its size, to its look, its nature, and so on.
In this same sense, when we think of God, our brain immediately ascribes Him attributes. The question is: are we ascribing the right ones?
When we think of God, do we think of Him as sovereign, as independent, unchanging, all-powerful, loving, just, merciful, and more? And if so, then another question would be: how do we know this? What is our basis for believing these things about God?
The only way that anyone can know anything about God is if He first reveals Himself to us.
In other words, the foundation for a right understanding of God is His own self-revelation, and not our best “guesses” as to what He may or may not be like.
When we think of God, our brain immediately assigns Him a number of attributes (or characteristics). This is because, in order to think of a subject, you have to think something about that subject.
If one were to ask you to think of a “horse” right now, the picture your mind would produce would have hundreds of attributes already in place. The moment you imagine this horse, you’ve already ascribed attributes to its size, to its look, its nature, and so on.
In this same sense, when we think of God, our brain immediately ascribes Him attributes. The question is: are we ascribing the right ones?
When we think of God, do we think of Him as sovereign, as independent, unchanging, all-powerful, loving, just, merciful, and more? And if so, then another question would be: how do we know this? What is our basis for believing these things about God?
The only way that anyone can know anything about God is if He first reveals Himself to us.
In other words, the foundation for a right understanding of God is His own self-revelation, and not our best “guesses” as to what He may or may not be like.
