His attributes
In previous articles on this subject (ET Aug 2024 & Jan 2025), I have begun to explore this subject, and to think about the beauty of God in Him simply “being God”. I now go on to consider something of His beauty found in His character, what theologians call His attributes.
When I first became a Christian in the early 1970’s I was given a book; it was a book that changed my view of God entirely! It was “Gleanings in The Godhead” by A W Pink. Soon afterwards, I discovered “Knowing God” by Jim Packer. If you are familiar with these classic volumes, you will know that they both set out the wonders of the attributes of God. From short chapters of only a few pages, tumble glorious truths that stretch the mind and thrill the heart. We read about the mercy, the love, the grace of God; to list but a few. But what is a noticeable surprise, is the absence, in both great books, of a distinct chapter on the beauty of
God!
When preparing these articles, I was very surprised by this omission. Gradually I came to realise that the beauty of God is found not in a distinct attribute but in every attribute! It was quite a eureka discovery! “Beautiful” is an adjective describing every aspect and attribute of God in all three persons of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The “beauty” of God is truly adjectival – yes that is a word!
In some modern versions of the Old Testament, the “beauty” word is rendered as “glory” or “splendour”. (Psalm 96 is a good place to look, if you want to follow this thought further). Such renderings help us to understand more of what divine beauty is, and how “beautiful” is a describing word for all the attributes of God.
We can say, therefore that His mercy is beautiful, His love is beautiful and His grace is beautiful, indeed every attribute rightly carries this adjective! But whilst the beauty of God is found in every aspect of His character and in all of His attributes, it is in His completeness that the fulness of that beauty is seen.
As a railway enthusiast rueing the end of the steam age, I can look at a beautifully restored railway engine and find it a thing of great beauty, and to be admired. In the restoration workshop it was in bits and pieces – steel and brass components, pipes and cylinders strewn around. There is little obvious beauty until all those parts become one functioning whole; only then is there a glory to it. That is perhaps a poor illustration, but it serves to get us to think of what completeness does to individual parts, to cause beauty to be seen.
As we did in the previous article, we can think musically. The single solo sound of an individual instrument in an orchestra can be achingly beautiful, but the crescendo of a full orchestra can set the hairs trembling on the neck!
We can think in terms of the beauty of a colourful floral display. I recall a preacher once saying that, God’s beauty is the “bouquet of all His perfections”. Or, we can think of the beauty of the rainbow in the sky. Each colour alone has its own distinctive feature, but it is the combined glory of all its hues that causes us to gaze and wonder. The beauty of God is likewise found in His every attribute, but especially in the combination of all the hues of the rainbow of His completeness.
Before we conclude this part of our exploration of the beauty of God we need to recognise the peculiar place of the holiness of God among His other attributes. In Pink’s chapter on the Holiness of God he writes,
“It is supremely this which renders Him lovely to those who are delivered from sin’s domain”.
Pink quotes the Puritan writer Stephen Charnock:
“Power is God’s hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels, eternity His duration, but holiness His beauty”.
It is as if God’s holiness is the point of emphasis among the many aspects of His character. Beautiful is an adjective describing every attribute, but every attribute of a holy God! It is in the beauty of holiness that we are to worship Him (Psalm 96 v 9). As a relatively young man, Jonathan Edwards wrote,
“I have often had sweet complacency in God, in views of His glorious perfections and the excellency of Jesus Christ, God has appeared to me a glorious and lovely Being, and chiefly on account of His holiness”.
As modern 21 st century Christians, bombarded by information, noise and activity, we need to seek out times and places when we, like Edwards, can see such views! How it would change our estimation of our Saviour and our view of God in all His attributes.
Finally then, what will it be to see His indescribable beauty in a perfectly beautiful heaven, where everything is perfectly complete and every aspect of His character is on display? We tremble with childlike anticipation of such a great adventure to come!
Stuart Townend’s words come to mind:
I long to be where the praise is never-ending,
Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades;
Where countless worshippers will share one song,
And cries of ‘worthy’ will honour the Lamb!Beautiful Saviour, Wonderful Counsellor,
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history,
You’re the Way, the Truth, the Life.
Star of the Morning, glorious in holiness,
You’re the Risen One, heaven’s Champion
And You reign, You reign over all.Stuart Townend Copyright © 1998 Thankyou Music
This article was first published by the Evangelical Times.