Last week we took a look at the names, actually the last two weeks we looked at the names of our Lord and Savior in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Thankfully we came to that name, the Lord Jesus. He shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people. Now this morning, we're going to consider chapter 7 of Don's book titled, The Basic Bible Doctrine, Basic Bible Doctrines, Teachings. And chapter 7 is about the attributes of God. Now there's a lot of scripture that we're going to be looking at today on some points that Don brings up. But to introduce us to that, allow me to read for you the first couple of paragraphs that he has in his book here. There is no possibility, writes Don, and he takes his thoughts from John 17 3. Listen to these words. And this is life eternal. that they, this is in John, the great prayer that Christ prayed to God the Father, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. How are we gonna know God? But through his attributes that he shines forth in his book. Don writes this, he says, there is no possibility of salvation, no possibility of eternal life, No possibility of true Christianity apart from knowing God in his true character. Now think about that for just a moment. I want to stop with Don for just a moment. Think about what he just said there. If we don't know the truth of God's character, we may fall for that Jesus that is waiting for somebody to do something for him to save him. Isn't that true? If we don't know the truth of who Christ is, we may think there's something that we can do to add to our salvation. So what Don says here, I'm going to say, Amen. Apart from knowing God in His true character, there's no eternal life. There's no possibility of true Christianity as He is revealed in Holy Scripture. Therefore, it is of the uttermost importance that we have as some knowledge and understanding of his divine character. It's important that we know the attributes of God's being, the perfections of his nature. A proper biblical knowledge of God's attributes is essential to saving faith. That person who claims to believe God but has no idea what his character is, is deluded with a false faith. Our Lord Jesus tells us very plainly, and this is life eternal. that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. A knowledge of God's character, writes Don, his attributes, lies at the very foundation of true faith. And the first point he wants to make here in this is knowledge essential to faith. He writes, it is impossible to trust and love God until we know who he is, until we know the character of his being. Indeed, it is impossible for us to know our need of such a Savior as Christ until we have some concept of the infinitely holy character of God. We may be terrified by the fear of wrath to come and the eternal judgment. We may be delighted by the hope of escaping the wrath of God in hell through Christ, but that is not salvation. Jesus Christ is not a fire escape from hell. He is the revelation of the way to the living God. Eternal life, true Christianity, true salvation is a knowledge of God as God. Faith in God as God and love for God as God. Yet our Lord tells us that God is spirit. Because God is spirit, he cannot be known by natural senses. This explains why we can say when we first had our ears opened up to the Lord Jesus, this is why we can say that's the greatest thing and that's the most common sense thing I've ever heard in my whole life. Because everything else that we had heard matched our senses of our flesh. The gospel does not. The gospel commits us to turn everything we have over to God, as God. Don goes on to say, he cannot be known by us only as he is pleased to reveal us in his word and works through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to John chapter one. Look with me at some familiar words there. John chapter one, verse one. We read these words. In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That's talking about our Bible. That's talking about this Word right here, the Word that God gave men to put pen down for all of His people to know throughout time. The same was in the beginning with God, the Word. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Now let's go over to verse 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, and He was before me. and of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in heaven of the Father. He hath declared Him." What are God's attributes, writes Don? The attributes of God? are the perfections of His nature, the characteristics of His being as God. God's attributes are those traits of character essential to His divinity. As we look at the attributes of God revealed in Scriptures, remember that if any one of these attributes did not belong to Him, He would not and could not be God. These are the things which are essential to knowing who he is. Theologians have many ways of classifying divine attributes. Some have classified them as communicable or incommunicable. Communicable attributes are those which are communicated in relation to rational creatures, angels and men. They would be Attributes of wisdom, attributes of power, righteousness, love, and mercy. Incommunicable attributes or attributes belonging to God alone, such as infinity, immutability, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Others have attempted to classify these say that infinity, eternality, and omnipotence are among God's natural attributes. They come to Him, they're just His. And that holiness, justice, and truth are His moral attributes. There are other ideas put forth by men to classify God's attributes, but the Bible never attempts to do so. Scriptures never attempt to do that. When trying to understand the character of our God, we must recognize that this is a subject so majestically sublime that it is simply inappropriate to attempt to analyze God and divide His nature into parts. Oh, I say amen again. How often have you heard me tell, I wish people would just take things, certain things of God as a mystery as they are. that our little puny brains can't understand, like God becoming flesh. Who can really understand that? Who can wrap their mind around that? Why are we trying to explain something that we can't wrap our mind around? We must look at these glorious attributes of our God with a reverent wonder of simplicity. You know, I like that. I like looking at my God as God, and that's about as simple as it can get. Yet it means everything, doesn't it? Don goes on, he says, I'll give a brief sketch of God's attributes with numerous scriptures, texts to illustrate them. up each text, he says, read it in its context and bask your soul in the contemplation of God's glorious being. Here are 13 of those attributes which are essential to God's being. And the list could be much longer, but some of God's attributes can be viewed together simply because they are immediately connected. For example, justice demands veracity. Omnipresence demands infinity. And the goodness demands love. So the first one we're gonna look at, and this may be an A, B, or C. We're just gonna go for the next 10 minutes and see what we can get through, because there's a lot of scriptures to refer to each statement. For instance, the first one, the first attribute of God is that He's self-existent. In other words, we were created. Everything we see is created. God just was God, period. He is who He is. And we looked at that a couple weeks back to remember as God is. Don writes this, he says, God Almighty is life in himself. Independent and underived, his being is inexhaustible. And he gives us several scriptures, so we want to begin with Psalm 36, verse 9. Turn over to the Psalms, and let's look at Psalm 36. God is life himself. In verse 36, we see one verse, verse nine, for with thee is the fountain of life. In thy light shall we see light. Let's look at another and go to the right to Isaiah 41. Go over to the right to Isaiah 41. Let's look at that one. We're speaking about God is life itself. He is life in Himself. Look at verse 41, verse 4. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning. I the Lord, the first and with the last, I am He. Another one, if you would, over at John chapter 5. Go to the right again. John chapter 5. And look with me at verse 26. John chapter 5, verse 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, and that's what John said there, God Almighty is life in himself. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given it to the Son to have life in himself. Another one, if you would, go to Acts. A couple of verses over there in chapter 17. Acts chapter 17. Our Lord is independent and underrived. His being is inexhaustible. Look at verse 24 through 25 of Acts chapter 17. God that hath made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, Neither is worship with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." Another one, if you would, turn over again to the right, Romans chapter 11. I like the way Don puts all these right in order, instead of going back and forth. Look at a couple of verses over there in chapter 11 with me of Romans. Romans 11, look at verse 35 and 36. Romans 11, verse 35-36, Or who have first given to him, speaking of God, and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever, Amen.