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There are some radical misconceptions on the character of God that we need to address. They are commonly brought up by those who don't believe, but we Christians tend to fall into the same trap and end up at a loss to explain. While this may not provide answers for unbelievers, I'm hoping that addressing believers with this we can get past a few difficult hurdles.

There are many attributes of God that we know by the term "is". We know, for instance, that "God is good" or that "God is love." We know that "God is omniscient" and "God is omnipotent." Unfortunately, we have assigned the human concept of attributes to God, and this is a mistake. Let me explain.

When we say "That guy is a loving husband," we mean that he conforms to the external concept of love. That is, love exists outside of each of us, and we strive to attain to that standard. It is the same with other characteristics, like "good" and "just". However, when we look at God, this isn't an accurate representation. Scripture, for instance, says that "God is love." The structure of the sentence should be a clue to the difference. It doesn't say that "God is loving." It says that God is love itself. What that means is that God Himself defines love. That is, whatever God does is love. God does not conform to an external "love". He doesn't attain to an outside standard of love. He is love. What is love? Whatever God does.

This is true in many areas. God is good. That is, whatever God does, by definition is good. Whether we understand or agree with it, God only does that which is good. There is no external standard of good with which to compare God's actions. All that He does defines "good". What is good? Whatever God does. God doesn't strive to attain to an external rule of justice. What is justice? Whatever God does.

Continued...

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