Characteristics of God
The Christian faith teaches that God created the world and everything in it. This information is found in the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, which states:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.
As well as creating the world and everything in it, the Christian faith teaches that God continues to be involved in the world. This is what is meant by God as sustainer. This is the idea that everything in the world is still completely dependent on God for its existence.
Omnipotence
The term omnipotence refers to the idea that God is all-powerful. There are many stories in the Bible which reveal the power of God. An example of God’s omnipotence is found in Genesis chapter 1 that describes the creation of the world. It states how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Genesis chapter 2 describes how God made a man from the dust in the ground and a woman from man’s rib. Many Christians who do not believe this story to be literally true will still accept that it shows God's power over the world.
Some Christians are known as literalists. This is because they believe the accounts from the Bible to be the truth, and stated exactly as they happened. Others, known as non-literalists, believe the accounts may be more mythicalBased on a myth/traditional story, that often involves supernatural concepts.. Despite how the accounts are interpreted, the belief is that they still portray the power or omnipotence of God.
Omnibenevolence
The term omnibenevolence refers to the idea that God is an all-loving being. The idea of an all-loving God can be found in many different parts of the Bible:
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Christian faith teaches that God loved humanity so much that he chose to send Jesus to Earth so that people could have eternal life.
Omniscience
The term omniscience refers to the idea that God is all-knowing. The idea of an all-knowing God is mentioned in the Bible:
God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.
The Christian faith teaches that this all-knowing power goes beyond what we can imagine as humans. God knows if someone loses a single hair, and knows people's thoughts before they speak them.
Omnipresence
The term omnipresence refers to the belief that God is everywhere. Some Christians believe that God is present everywhere in the world, at all times. The idea of an all-present God is mentioned in the Bible:
The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of earth.
Question
Match the following terms with the correct definition.
Terms
- Omnipotence
- Omnipresence
- Omnibenevolence
- Omniscience
Meanings
- all-loving
- all-knowing
- everywhere
- all-powerful
- Omnipotence - God is all-powerful
- Omnipresence - God is everywhere
- Omnibenevolence - God is all-loving
- Omniscience - God is all-knowing
Question
Describe Christian beliefs about the nature of God.
The Christian faith teaches that God has many different characteristics. The belief is that God is omnipotent. This means that God is all-powerful. Examples of this can be seen in the Bible, such as God creating the world. The Christian faith teaches that God is omnipresent - this means that God is everywhere all the time. The term omnibenevolence means all-loving, and the Christian faith teaches that God loves everyone unconditionally and that God is omniscient which means that he is all-knowing. The belief is that God knows everything and this is how he judges humans.
