Here are some more of the 24 attributes of God found in the Bible. We are going to be looking at attributes number 11 through 15 in order to understand His character better.

#11. The Goodness of God

The eleventh attribute of God is known as the Goodness of God. Our belief in the goodness of God is based on Bible passages like this one from Psalm 106:1 (ESV) in the Old Testament: “give thanks to the LORD for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

We also see this in James 1:17 (ESV) from the New Testament: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

When I think about the meaning of these verses, I agree with Wayne Grudem’s definition of this attribute: “The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. What thoughts come to mind when you try to reconcile God’s goodness with God’s love?

#11a. The Mercy of God

The mercy of God is a portion of His goodness. Our belief in God’s mercy is based on passages in the Old Testament like Psalm 103:8 (ESV) which says “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

The New Testament also offers a lot of passages that support this idea as well, bur for our purposes here we will share 2 Corinthians 1:3 (ESV) which says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” as a representative of them all.

As for our understanding of these verses, we want to offer the following definition from Wayne Grudem’s theology books: “God’s mercy means God’s goodness towards those in misery and distress.”

What that means is that God has a particular attitude towards all of the people living in this world who have fallen on hard times in their lives, He wants to see them relieved of their misery and distress.

Discussion Question:

#1. What kind of thoughts comes to mind when you try to reconcile God’s mercy with God’s love?

#11b. The Grace of God

The grace of God is also a portion of His goodness. In the Bible there is an expectation that people who have allowed the corruption in human nature to completely mess up their lives and the lives of others can avoid being punished for what they have done.

This is why in Psalm 119:132 (ESV) the Bible says “Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love Your name.” We also find this kind of thought in the New Testament as well.

In 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV) we are told this: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

When we read passages like these, we respond the same way that Wayne Grudem does by believing that “God’s grace means God’s goodness towards those who deserve only punishment.”

Discussion Question:

#1. How can you reconcile God’s grace with God’s love?

#11c. God’s Patience

The patience of God is a portion of His goodness. In the Bible we find passages like Exodus 34:6 (ESV) which says God is “slow to anger” in the Old Testament writings.

Then in the New Testament we find the Apostle Paul asking the following questions in Romans 2:4 (ESV): “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Our response to these kinds of passages in the Bible should be similar to the following definition of God’s patience from Wayne Grudem’s theology books: “God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding punishment towards those who sin over a period of time.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. How can you reconcile God’s patience with God’s love?

#12. The Holiness of God

The twelfth attribute of God is holiness. In the Old Testament the people of Israel were told “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” in Leviticus 19:2 (ESV), and then in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 10 (ESV) the Bible says “that we may share in his holiness” in the New Testament.

The significance of God’s holiness is explained in the following definition from Wayne Grudem’s theology books: “God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.”

If we are going to receive the benefits of God’s love, we must be concerned with the pursuit of holiness in our day to day lives.

Discussion Question:

#1. How can you reconcile what the Bible says about God’s holiness with God’s love?

#13. The Peace of God

The thirteenth attribute of God is His peace. In the Old Testament, the Bible says “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless His people with peace!” in Psalm 29:11 (ESV). Then in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV) tells us that “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

In response to this, we agree with what Wayne Grudem wrote in one of his theology books: “God’s peace means that in God’s being and in his actions he is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet he is continually active in innumerable well ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. What thoughts come to mind when you try to reconcile God’s peace with God’s love?

#14. The Righteousness of God

The fourteenth attribute of God is His righteousness. In the Old Testament, Psalm 19:8 (ESV) says “the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.”

Then in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul’s letter to Rome talks about the relationship God has with the Gospel and says this: “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26 ESV)

Our response to these kind of passages should look like the definition Wayne Grudem wrote about this in his theology books, which says “God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. What kind of thoughts come to mind when you try to reconcile God’s peace with God’s love?

#15. The Jealousy of God

In the Old Testament, God told the people of Israel in Exodus 20:5 (ESV) that “I the LORD your God am a jealous God. Later on at a different point in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah made another comment that we need to be aware of. In Isaiah 48:11 (ESV) we are told God said “My glory I will not give to another.”

In Wayne Grudem’s theology books, the concept of God’s jealousy is defined for us this way: “God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor.” The basic idea here is that God deserves a lot of respect that no one else is entitled to receive.

Discussion Questions:

#1. What thoughts come to mind when you try to reconcile God’s jealousy with God’s love?