What is the nature of God according to scripture?

God’s Eternal Self-Existence

Scripture presents God as existing eternally and independently, without beginning or end. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) declares God’s pre-existence before the world came into being. This eternal existence is further underscored by passages that affirm God’s unique claim: “Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God” (Psalm 90:2). He is uncreated and self-sustaining, needing nothing outside of Himself to exist.

Ancient biblical manuscripts, such as those discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, preserve texts like the Psalms and verify that these descriptions of God’s eternality have been transmitted with remarkable consistency. Such evidence reinforces that Scripture depicts a God unbound by time or dependency.

The Triune Nature of God

Through Scripture, God is revealed as one in essence yet existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though the term “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, passages highlight God’s oneness and threeness: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Jesus’ unity with the Father is not a mere symbolic identification but an essential oneness: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). The Holy Spirit, equally God, is described as Counselor and Helper, possessing divine attributes (John 14:16–17). Early Christian writings, as preserved in numerous manuscript traditions, attest to this triune understanding from the earliest centuries of the church, underscoring that each person of the Godhead is fully God.

Holiness and Righteousness

God is consistently described as holy, set apart from all creation, and entirely without sin. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth” (Isaiah 6:3). This holiness implies both moral perfection and complete separateness from all that is profane.

From God’s holiness flows His righteousness: He always acts in uprightness and justice. This aspect of God’s nature undergirds scriptural law and the moral commands given to humanity (Deuteronomy 32:4). Archaeological discoveries confirming the authenticity of ancient Israelite worship practices further illustrate how seriously the people of Israel regarded the holiness of God, dedicating entire procedures and rituals to honor Him in purity.

Love and Mercy

Alongside holiness, Scripture proclaims God as the embodiment of love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8) covers the breadth of His nature in relation to humanity. The sacrificial death of Christ is the clearest demonstration of this love (Romans 5:8). From the earliest New Testament fragments (such as Papyrus 52 referencing certain loving and redemptive aspects of Jesus’ ministry), there is textual support for a God whose nature includes abundant compassion and mercy.

God’s mercy emerges through His willingness to forgive, restore, and reconcile. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion” (Psalm 103:8). Through the resurrection of Christ—historically attested by numerous lines of evidence and reliable ancient accounts—His mercy is offered freely to all who believe, displaying His power to conquer death and grant eternal life.

Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence

Scripture presents God as all-powerful (Revelation 19:6). He speaks creation into existence (Genesis 1) and upholds it continuously (Hebrews 1:3). Scientific findings that highlight the finely tuned nature of the universe resonate with this concept of an omnipotent designer who shapes matter and life with purposeful intent.

He is also omniscient, knowing all things (Psalm 139:2–4). His knowledge extends beyond human limitation: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5).

In addition, God’s omnipresence is affirmed: “Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). There is no place in creation that is hidden from Him. These qualities work together to reveal a God who is the ultimate source of all existence, knowledge, and sustaining power.

Creator and Designer

The biblical declaration “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6) presents God as the direct Creator of the world. Observations in biology, geology, and cosmology often point to complex system designs that many interpret as signs of intelligence behind life’s origin. These features align with a view that God created the universe with purpose and order.

Evidence of rapid fossil burial, polystrate fossils (tree trunks spanning multiple sedimentary layers), and the complexity in soft tissues found in certain dinosaur remains can be presented in favor of a more recent creation model. Such findings are frequently cited to support an interpretation of the global Flood narrative (Genesis 6–9) and the genealogical timeline from Adam onward, indicating a shorter chronology than often proposed by mainstream science.

Personal and Relational

Scripture portrays God as deeply personal. He walks with humanity in the garden (Genesis 3:8), reveals Himself to prophets (Exodus 3:4), and ultimately comes in the person of Jesus Christ to dwell among us (John 1:14). This personal nature is not distant or merely philosophical; rather, God seeks relationship: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Historical records, including the Gospels and numerous extra-biblical writings, confirm that Jesus taught people to address God intimately, calling Him “Father.” This indicates a relational aspect of God’s nature, both transcendent and imminent—above creation yet engaging with it.

Faithful and Unchanging

God’s immutability—His unchanging nature—is another crucial aspect of scriptural teaching. “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6) clarifies that God’s character, purposes, and promises remain constant. This provides believers with security: the same God who acted in history continues to act with the same faithfulness today.

Textual analyses across thousands of Bible manuscripts (including critical editions of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament) have consistently shown these key doctrinal statements about God’s nature have been preserved. Such reliability in transmission bolsters confidence in the unchanging character Scripture ascribes to God.

Sovereign Over History

The testimony of Scripture, supported by external historical and archaeological confirmations, shows God’s sovereign hand at work throughout time. Events like the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6) have corresponding evidence of collapsed fortifications around ancient Jericho’s site, aligning with biblical chronology. This reinforces the view that God intervenes in history according to His will.

As the one who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), God’s sovereignty ensures that historical events, prophecies, and redemptive acts unfold under His oversight. Such sovereignty reveals a divine plan culminating in the resurrection of Christ, an event attested by multiple eyewitness testimonies, early creedal statements (1 Corinthians 15:3–8), and the transforming power of that message in the earliest Christian communities.

The Ultimate Revelation and Purpose

Scripture teaches that God’s ultimate revelation of Himself is in Christ: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Through His incarnation, death, and resurrection, God’s nature is displayed in perfect love, justice, and power over death.

The purpose of revealing this nature is not merely to showcase divine attributes but to bring humanity into right relationship with God. This is why Scripture calls individuals to respond: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Conclusion

According to Scripture, God is the eternally self-existing, holy, loving, omnipotent, omniscient, omni­present Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—revealing Himself as personal and relational, unchanging in His character yet sovereignly guiding the course of history. The archaeological, manuscript, and historical support for key biblical events and the reliability of transmitted texts uphold this depiction of God’s nature as consistent and rooted in verifiable evidence.

Ultimately, these biblical affirmations present a God who can be known, who interacts with creation, and who has decisively acted in Christ to provide salvation. This is the portrait of God’s nature that Scripture offers, inviting each person to recognize Him as both transcendent Lord of all and personal Savior able to transform hearts and lives.