The Nature of God

At Christmas time it seems appropriate to ponder on the nature of God. Who is God? What does he look like? What are his attributes? Why is it important to know what he is like?

Why do we care? Why is it important to know the nature of God?

John 17:3 says, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” So if we want Eternal Life, we need to know God. We need to know who he is, what he’s like, and what attributes he has. The attributes are especially important when we read Matthew 5:48 (or 3 Nephi 12:48). It says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” So we have a commandment to be perfect. And the example we are to follow is that set by Heavenly Father. How can we follow that example when we don’t know what it is? We can’t be saved in ignorance. The Lord says people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge about him. ( Hosea 4:6).

Also, when we know who God is, we better understand our relationship to him. Genesis 1:26 says, “…let us make man in our own image, after our likeness…” So we know we look like God. We are theomorphic beings. Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” When Joseph Smith had his vision he saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ and saw that they were two distinct personages and they had glorified bodies similar to our own (Joseph Smith History 1:17). God is our creator and also our Father. 1Timothy 1:2 says, “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Why does it matter that God is the father of our spirits? Look at Matthew 7: 11 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” I remember one person saying how different it felt as he changed from praying to an unfathomable universal God to praying to his Heavenly Father. Suddenly God seemed to him more real, more personal, more caring. Indeed the Scriptures say he is a God who cares for each person. Even a sparrow doesn't fall without God being aware (Matthew 10:29).

So God is caring about everyone. What are some of his other attributes?

He’s the same yesterday, today, forever—unchanging (Psalms 102:27)

He is giving and unselfish (healing the sick and such)

He sacrifices himself for the good of others (the Atonement)

He does not lift himself up above others (John 13:14)

He is humble, teachable and obedient to the will of the Father (John 8:28)

He is loving (John 15:10, 1 John 5:2)

He is merciful (Deut 5:10)

He invites all to come unto him, to know him, and to be saved by him (2 Nephi 26:33, Moroni 10:32)

God is intelligence; he has all knowledge (1Sam 2:3, Psalms 147:5, Matt 16:30, 2Nephi 2:9)

God is just and tells the truth (Deut 32:4, John 5:30, Ether3:12)

God tells us who he is (Isaiah 11:9, Alma 9:12)

He tells us what he wants of us (Amos 3:7, Heb 8:10, 2 Nephi 9:25, D&C 1)

He is all powerful (Jer 32:17, Luke 1:37, 1Nephi 7:12)

He is the source of all good things: love, peace, hope, patience, faith, kindness, generosity, gratitude, comfort, happiness and so on. “…. all good things which are good cometh of God… That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” (Moroni 7:12-13)

So what does knowing the nature of God mean to us?

1. It sets the example of how we should live and what we should strive to become. We want to make these attributes of love and kindness and caring and sacrifice and knowledge become our own. When people around us say—go here, go there. This is good, no this is what you should do—we have a firm guidance and direction. We have a sure course to follow.

2. When we know God is our loving Father and wants only good for us, we can trust him. We can have faith that as we pray and ask, God will grant that which is good for us. When we are going through hard times, we can have faith that God is there with us. Alma 7:11-12 says he took all the pains and infirmities, and weaknesses of each one of us on Him so that he would know how to help us in our times of trials. Because we trust in his love and care we can know that “all these things [trials] will be for thy good and give thee experience.” (D&C 122:7) He is all powerful. When he says he will fight our battles for us—he can and he will.

3. Because God has all knowledge, we know He knows what is best for us. God has given us commandments as a guide to happiness. He knows as we do these things we will be happy. Wickedness never was happiness. You can’t do wrong and feel right. So because God loves us, he shows us the way to find happiness, peace, and joy. Because he is a God of Truth, we can trust what he says.

Because I know these things, I have peace. I trust the Lord that his commandments will bring happiness. They have in my life. I have found his strength and help in overcoming adversity. I have felt him lift my burdens. I have found his inspiration and knowledge as I’ve tried to follow him and learn new things. I’ve felt his love and blessings as I’ve tried to gain his attributes of being kind and loving and patient and doing good to all people. I know he has lifted me beyond my own abilities many times. I know he has protected me and preserved me—especially here in Kenya as we’ve traveled these roads. As I have come to know the nature of God I have been blessed, blessed, blessed. And I am grateful.