God has revealed what He is like through nature and His inspired Word, the Bible. Understanding what God is like is essential for having a personal relationship with Him.
Throughout history, cultures have proposed a wide range of ideas regarding what God is like. Many tribal religions have worshiped an array of gods (polytheism). Others have taught that God is a part of everything in the universe (pantheism). Still others have suggested that God cannot be known by humanity (agnosticism), such as the Greeks who worshiped an unknown God (Acts 17:23). While many have attempted to explain God, it is best to let God speak for Himself (1 Corinthians 2:11). God has given us clues about Him in the way He designed nature (Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1). God has revealed Himself through the writings He personally inspired: the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God desires to be known (Psalm 46:10). God’s word reveals some of His most notable attributes including His love, mercy, patience and kindness, in addition to His righteousness, holiness, justice, and wrath. Assuredly, our God is an awesome God, and words are insufficient to explain Him fully. “ Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! ” (Romans 11:33)
History has shown that human beings want to shape a god according to their own preferences. However, the very first verse of the Bible makes it clear that a single creator God exists: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). That creation is the most public way in which God speaks to us (Psalm 19:1). God made humans in His own image and likeness and desires a personal relationship with each of us (Genesis 1:26-27). God actively sustains and rules over the world He created (Psalm 135:5-7, Colossians 1:15-17). God is who He says He is, and He has explained Himself sufficiently in the Bible. As we read through the Bible, we see that humanity sinned and rebelled against God (Romans 3:23). The good news is that God loves you and because of His love, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth on a rescue mission to save you from your sin (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10). “ For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life ” (John 3:16 NLT). Those who believe in Jesus for everlasting life are born again to a new life and become children of God (John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus calls believers to follow Him as His disciples, denying themselves and living lives of service to Him for the remainder of our time on earth (1 Peter 4:1-2, Luke 9:23, Romans 12:1-2). As we live in fellowship with God and walk in the light through the Holy Spirit, we will truly discover what God is like and begin to take on His character as the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16, Ephesians 5:8, 1 John 1:7).