Why Is God’s Character Important?

by Steve Ham, AiG-U.S.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

In God We Trust takes a deeper look at living a truly God-focused life. You’ll learn not only to defend your faith according to the authority of God’s Word, but also to live it out in every part of life.

Today’s big question: why is God’s character important?

When Moses was told by God to go to Pharaoh and ask him to release the people of Israel from bondage, he went to deliver a message that he knew would not be well received. Moses anticipated the logical question that the Egyptians would ask of him, so he asked it of God: “who shall I say has sent me?” Whether it’s a big claim, request, or even command, the strength is found only in its source of origin. Moses was told to go to Pharaoh and tell him that this command came from the “I Am.” This very statement of who God is was to point to God’s limitless and flawless character. The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God, the I Am was sending His message to Pharaoh through His mouthpiece, Moses.

Claims of Scripture are similar to this. In today’s verse from 2 Peter, we read one of the big claims of the Bible. This is that none of it came from human will or interpretation but from the very inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is God.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, we read that the Bible was actually “breathed out” (the Greek word theopneustos, often translated “inspired”) from God. This means that anyone reading the Bible is truly reading the Word of God. The reliability, credibility, and authority of this Word is ultimately dependent upon the character of its source. If we were to read this book and find inconsistency in the character of God, how then could we take the Bible’s claims of ultimate and pure truth as being credible? If there were “flaws” in God’s power (which there are not), how could we ultimately accept His authority?

Moses had none of his own authority to command Pharaoh, but the authority of the command to “let my people go” came from the sovereign Author of all things. Pharaoh doubted God’s kingship, but he experienced the consistency of God’s character through plagues, losing his own son, and in the drowning of his army. We too must not simply read that God has a flawless character but see this consistency in the pages of His Word.

Today’s big idea: the Bible’s claims are as strong as the God who makes them.

What to pray: ask God to show His awesome character to you through the pages of the Bible that you might submit to the authority of His Word.