The Personality of God

 
"How can God have a personality?"

According to the Bible, God is an intelligent, sentient, living being.  (A sentient being has intelligence, is aware of its own existence, and aware that there is a 'big picture'.  For instance, cats, dogs, and horses have intelligence but probably are not sentient.)
 

"What is the personality of the God of Christianity?"

GENTLE

Matthew 11:28-30 [28] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

2 Corinthians 10:1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away!

LOVING

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life.

Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

KIND

Genesis 24:26-27a [26] Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, [27] saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master."

Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.

COMPASSIONATE

Deuteronomy 30:1-3 [1] When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, [2] and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, [3] then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

Deuteronomy 32:36  The LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.

Judges 2: 18  Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

2 Kings 13:23  But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.

FAITHFUL

Psalms 100:4-5 [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  [5] For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Genesis 24:26-27a [26] Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, [27] saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master."

Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.

TRUE

As used in this sense, true means the same as loyal, faithful, and trustworthy.

LOYAL

Loyal means the same as true, faithful, and trustworthy.

TRUSTWORTHY

Trustworthy means the same as true, loyal, and faithful.

FORGIVING

Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Colossians 3:13b Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

MEEK

2 Corinthians 10:1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away!

HUMBLE

Matthew 11:28-30 [28] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

MERCIFUL

Deuteronomy 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

2 Samuel 24:14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."

HOLY

Leviticus 11:44-45  [44] I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. [45] I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

"Holy" means pure, undefiled.

HATES SIN

2 Chronicles 19:10 In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities--whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances--you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.

This is one of the things many people do not understand about God—He hates sin.  This is one of the reasons why Jesus' sacrifice is so great. It's not just a matter of Him being willing to die for someone else or being willing to undergo great humiliation or great physical suffering—He did something He intensely hates: He took the sins of the entire world on Himself to save people who had sinned against Him and rejected Him.

PERFECT

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

John 8:46a Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

GOOD

Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

UNCHANGING

Malachi 3:6a I the Lord do not change.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

JUST

2 Chronicles 19:7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.

Job 34:17b Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

FAIR

As used in this sense, fair includes just, good, and impartial.

IMPARTIAL

2 Chronicles 19:7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.

Job 34:17b-19 [17b] Will you condemn the just and mighty One? [18] Is he not the One who says to kings, `You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'You are wicked,' [19] who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

Malachi 2:9 So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.

JEALOUS

Exodus 20:4-6 [4] "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [5] You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Exodus 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

"Isn't jealousy a sin?"

God has the right to do many things man doesn't have the right to do.  God doesn't want to share His glory with fake gods.

"Isn't Exodus 34:14 saying there are other gods?"

No.  When the Bible talks about other "gods" it means false gods or anything a person puts ahead of God in priority, such as money.  Christians often talk about "Have you made money your god?", i.e., is making money or keeping money more important to you than serving God?  In English translations "God" (capitalized) always refers to the God of the Bible, whereas "god" (lowercase) always refers to false gods or things man puts ahead of God.

ANGER

Zechariah 1:14-15 [14] Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: `I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, [15] but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.'

Ezra 5:12 But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

It is important to understand that the God of the Bible isn't some bully who just gets ticked off for no reason.  The difference between God's anger and the type of man's anger that is sinful is that God's anger is righteous anger. In other words, a just, holy, fair, righteous, impartial being should get angry at a particular situation because it is unfair; it is evil.

WRATH

Deuteronomy 29:26-28 [26] They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. [27] Therefore the LORD's anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. [28] In furious anger and in great wrath the LORD uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.

1 Samuel 28:18-19 [18] Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. [19] The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.

2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you."

2 Chronicles 19:10 In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances—you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.