Qualities of The Divine

• Omnipotent


  Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God
• Christians believe that God has various qualities or attributes. They believe that God is perfect and that these qualities are proof of God's perfection.
• Some of God's qualities are not possible for humans to achieve but others are, and provide examples that Christians should aspire to.
• Luke 1:37: '"Nothing is impossible with God."'
• God's omnipotence


  • Power and authority to do good
  • Not just physical power and strength
• Benevolent


  All-loving, all-good; a quality of God
• Justice

  Bringing about what is right and fair, according to the law, or making up for a wrong that has been committed
• Christians believe that because God loves humans, God wants what is best for them. They believe that God created humans because he is all loving and desired to bestow his love upon creatures.
• John 3:16: '"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 Bible contains a definition of love that suggests qualities that Christians should aspire to.
• Many Christians recognise the importance attached to this description of love by choosing to have it read at their wedding ceremony.
• With unlimited power and authority, together with total love, God is believed to be the perfect giver of justice.
• As the ultimate source of justice, God will never support injustice, ill-treatment, prejudice or oppression. Therefore Christians should do all they can to prevent these wrongs wherever they encounter them.
• Many people question why a loving God would allow people to suffer, rather than prevent the evil actions of others from happening


  Christians believe that a just God treats all people fairly and is incapable of making a wrong judgement. Therefore, Christians are sure that they can trust God even when things appear to be going wrong.
• Is God Male?


  The three Abrahamic Faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) all traditionally refer to God as male. Most of the ways God is described use the male gender, for example Father, Bridegroom, Son etc. However, these terms are only culturally and historically relevant. They do not reflect any specific beliefs that God is male.
• Anthropomorphism


  Giving God human characteristics
• To say God is male is an Anthropomorphism
• We should be careful to realise when we are using anthropomorphic language about God and to know it is not literal
• It is correct to think of God as Spirit, neither male nor female, but with characteristics we associate with both men and women
• In Islam, God transcends human understanding, and to give him human qualities diminishes him
• Some feminist theologians argue that having such male dominated language in Christianity can lead to prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping
• Christianity is not necessarily sexist, but it is patriarchal, dominated by the views and opinions of men, sometimes making Christianity worse for women
• Christianity teaches that God created the world and everything in it
• Christianity teaches that God continues to be involved in the world as the sustainer
• Christians believe that there is only one God
• The three distinct persons of the Trinity

  • God the Father
  • God the Son
  • God the Holy Spirit
• Characteristics of God


  • Omnipotence - God is all-powerful
  • Omniscience - God is all-knowing, of past, present and future
  • Omnibenevolence - God is all-good/all-loving
  • Omnipresence - God is present everywhere
• Omnipotence


  The idea that God is all-powerful
• There are many stories in the Bible which reveal the power of God
• Literalists


  Christians who believe the accounts from the Bible to be the truth, and stated exactly as they happened
• Non-literalists or liberal Christians


  Christians who believe the accounts may be more mythical
• Omnibenevolence


  The idea that God is an all-loving being
• 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 idea that God is all-knowing
• Christianity teaches that God's all-knowing power goes beyond what we can imagine as humans
• Omnipresence


  The belief that God is everywhere
• Christianity teaches that God is present everywhere in the world, at all times
• God pardons people who are sorry for doing wrong, as shown in the Parable of the Prodigal Son
• Forgiveness is a core belief in Christianity, and Christians are expected to forgive others, regardless of what they have done
• Different denominations of Christians have different ideas about God's forgiving nature