God is the eternal “I AM”—holy in His being, glorious in His majesty, and perfectly good in all that He is and does.
God is not simply a greater version of us. He is the uncreated Creator, dependent on nothing outside Himself.
Everything about God begins with this reality: He simply is.
God Is Holy
The Hebrew word translated holy is qadosh. Holiness includes moral purity, but it means more than being separated from sin.
God is holy because He is uniquely and incomparably God.
His holiness includes the perfection of all that He is—His purity, righteousness, wisdom, power, knowledge, majesty, and truth.
There is no one like Him.
No Darkness in Him
Because God is holy, He is perfectly pure.
God does not struggle against evil desires as we do. Evil is contrary to His very nature.
God freely chooses, yet every choice He makes is perfectly consistent with His holy and good nature.
God Is Glorious
God’s glory is closely related to His holiness.
His holiness speaks of His incomparable perfection. His glory speaks of the infinite majesty, worth, beauty, and excellence that belong to Him.
God does not become glorious when creation sees or praises Him. Jesus spoke of:
Creation reveals God’s glory, but His glory belongs eternally to Him.
God Is Good in Himself
Human goodness is measured against what is right. God is different.
There is no moral standard above God that He must obey.
God Himself is the ultimate foundation of goodness.
This does not mean goodness is arbitrary. God’s nature does not change.
He freely chooses, and because His nature is perfectly good, His choices are always good.
Where Did Evil Come From?
God created what was good.
Evil is not an independent substance God created. It is the corruption or disorder of something good.
- A lie corrupts speech.
- Hatred corrupts love.
- Greed corrupts desire.
- Pride turns the creature away from God toward self.
Evil depends upon good things that have been distorted.
God Can Permit Evil for Good Purposes
The harder question is why a good God permits evil.
Scripture does not explain every individual tragedy, but it shows that God can permit genuine evil while accomplishing purposes that remain good.
The clearest example is the crucifixion of Christ. What sinful men did was evil, yet God used it to accomplish redemption.
Joseph expressed the same truth:
The evil did not become good. God’s purpose through it was good.
Trusting the Creator
We can ask difficult questions about suffering and injustice. Scripture itself contains honest lament.
But we must remember the difference between the Creator and the creature.
- We are finite.
- God is infinite.
- We see part of the story.
- God sees all of it.
We may not understand why God permits something, but we can know who He is.
- He is holy.
- He is glorious.
- He is good.
- He is wise.
- He is just.
- He does not change.
When our understanding reaches its limit, His character gives us reason to trust Him.
What We Have Learned
- God is the eternal, self-existent “I AM.”
- His holiness is His incomparable perfection and uniqueness as God.
- His moral purity is an essential part of His holiness.
- His glory is the infinite majesty, worth, and excellence that belong to Him.
- God Himself is the ultimate foundation of goodness.
- Evil is the corruption or disorder of what God created good.
- God can permit evil while accomplishing purposes that remain entirely good.
- We are called to trust His character even when we do not understand His providence.
What We Are Called to Do
- Worship God for who He is.
- Trust His goodness rather than our limited understanding.
- Call evil what God calls evil.
- Bring difficult questions to Him with humility.
- Remember that God is the Creator and we are His creatures.
- Rest in the character of the One who has revealed Himself as “I AM WHO I AM.”