Great Doctrines of the Bible—God the Father, God the Son/ Martyn Lloyd Jones

6. The Attributes of God’s Absolute Personality

We must understand what the Bible tells us about God so that our worship can be real. The attributes of God mean “some of the perfections of God” or, “some of the virtues of God” (59). Lloyd Jones classifies the attributes of God into two classifications: a). “the attributes of absolute personality which belong to God,” and b). “the moral attributes of God” (60). This chapter will focus on the first one.

a). The first great attribute is “the eternality of God, and with it the immutability of God”; this means, “God is without beginning and without ending. He is everlasting” (60). (See Psalms 90:2; James 1:17). However, somebody may want to ask a question: “Does not the Bible tell us that God repented of certain things?” (61). Jones’ answer is this: “God’s character never changes, but His dealings with people change” (61).

b). Next, God’s omnipresence. God is Spirit; He is everywhere. (See also Jeremiah 23:23-24; Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17:28).

c). The third attribute is the omniscience of God: “God knows all things, and His knowledge is always absolute knowledge. It is perfect knowledge, a complete knowledge of everything” (63). (See Psalm 147:4-5; Proverbs 15:3; Matthew 10:29; Psalm 139:2-4; Exodus 3:7; Luke 12:7; Hebrews 4:13). God “knows everything from eternity to eternity” (64).

d). Fourth, the omnipotence of God: “God is all-powerful,” and it is “the will of God being put into operation” (66). Jones wants us to remember this: God’s “will is never arbitrary. It is never exercised except in perfect harmony with all the other attributes of God’s great and glorious being. . . . It is the same God who is love and compassion and mercy” (67).

e). Fifth, the absolute blessedness of God: “It speaks about His utter, absolute perfection. God is the sum total of all excellency. There is nothing higher or greater or better than God” (68). (See 1 Tim. 1:11).

f). The last one is “the glory of God”: “this is the biblical way of describing His greatness, His splendor, His majesty” (68).