Does God have a personality?

**myinnuendo999** · September-5th-2010, 12:57 PM

I don't want to mess up any threads that are first in line, but I just wanted to share what my son asked me last nite.

He asked me," Does God have a personality"? And I said yes, His law and his character which is holy, righteous and just reflect who He is-his personality and that when you look at Jesus then you see who God really is. Getting to know Jesus is finding out God's personality. Then I remembered what Jesus said that "he who has seen me has seen the Father". So when you read about Jesus in the Bible you are getting to know God.

I know it's probably not the best answer, but if anyone else knows how to explain God's character then please let me know cause I got to thinking about how interesting a question that is in our lives as Christians. How is God's personality supposed to be lived out in my life so that my son and others around me can see God's personality or character.

**mikhen7** · September-5th-2010, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by myinnuendo999

I don't want to mess up any threads that are first in line, but I just wanted to share what my son asked me last nite.

He asked me," Does God have a personality"? And I said yes, His law and his character which is holy, righteous and just reflect who He is-his personality and that when you look at Jesus then you see who God really is. Getting to know Jesus is finding out God's personality. Then I remembered what Jesus said that "he who has seen me has seen the Father". So when you read about Jesus in the Bible you are getting to know God.

I know it's probably not the best answer, but if anyone else knows how to explain God's character then please let me know cause I got to thinking about how interesting a question that is in our lives as Christians. How is God's personality supposed to be lived out in my life so that my son and others around me can see God's personality or character.

That is a great question from your son.

One of the ways we exhibit the personality of Christ is by emanating His presence in our lives. I am sure you weare perfume of some sort and its essenceis beautiful. The Apostle Paul said the following:

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (New King James Version)
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

As He works in us and through us the fruit of the Spirit also become apparent in our lives:

Galatians 5:22-23:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

There are so many more and I am sure others will add to this. But in short, we exhibit His personality in the way we live as Christ lives through us!

God Bless

**mattfivefour** · September-5th-2010, 03:37 PM

Sis, your answer was right on the money! There was nothing short in what you told him. It was a wonderful response.

Bro, what you write is absolutely correct. But I caution those who read this thread that they themselves can NOT produce this emanation of His presence in our lives. Many try, but they are counterfeiting. They are trying to produce it by the work of the flesh. This presence of Christ can only emanate from our lives as the Holy Spirit produces it in us. And He can only produce it in us as we surrender more and more to His will.

You know it is an interesting thing that in Joshua5 God tells Joshua to circumcise every man, every youth, and every man child in Israel BEFORE they celebrate the Passover. (Joshua 5:5 tells us that none had been circumcised since the people left Egypt). I heard Jimmy Swaggart say that he told God once "Lord, that is wrong. The Cross (the true Passover) comes first, everything else flows from that." But God told him, "No. Circumcision had to precede the Passover because circumcision speaks of surrender and a person must surrender before they can truly come to the Cross." How true that is!

Jesus can never be Savior, unless He is also Lord. If you neither recognize nor want Him as the latter, He can not be the former. Did Jesus Himself not say "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me"? (Matthew 16:24) Let him DENY himself (surrender) and take up his cross (double surrender) and THEN follow me. If we do not first surrender, we cannot follow Him. By surrendering we are doing three things: 1) agreeing with God; 2) giving up all right to ourselves; 3) ceasing from our own efforts to be right with God and trusting completely in HIS provision.

The biggest problem in the Christian world today is churches filled with people who believe they are saved because they have made an intellectual acceptance of Jesus as Savior yet have never made a heart acceptance of Him as Lord. That was the story of my life since I asked Jesus into my heart in August 1973—until five years ago when I finally GAVE Him my heart. I praise Him that He did not reject me but continued to work in my life until I finally surrendered. A surrender, I might add, that is—as it must be—a daily commitment.

**myinnuendo999** · September-5th-2010, 09:33 PM

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (New King James Version)
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

that's a wonderful verse mikhen7 and that verse helps me to understand that my son and other people can see God's personality-such as His love in our lives when we walk as Jesus walked and let God's love flow through our lives as we empty ourselves to be used by Him as vessels

The biggest problem in the Christian world today is churches filled with people who believe they are saved because they have made an intellectual acceptance of Jesus as Savior yet have never made a heart acceptance of Him as Lord.

That's my fear also mattfivefour also

**Meg** · September-5th-2010, 10:50 PM

Children believe what you do above and beyond what you say, so what you permit your child(ren) to see and hear you doing is huge. If the kids see their parents close themselves in the den (or wherever) to pray, it seems to me that they will be more likely to take Christianity seriously throughout their lives, although nothing is foolproof. But sincerity during the week is very important.

I was raised Catholic, but my Mom only prayed in church, and even then it was the rote prayers such as Hail Mary etc. No one ever read a Bible at home either; I asked for one when I was 12 or so, and Mom had to go find it. There were books of all kinds all around the house, but the Bible was hidden away somewhere. Meanwhile, Mom smoked cigarettes, both parents drank, and my sister threw drinking parties in high school. I didn't like liquor much so I got into drugs, and no amount of parental effort to differentiate between the legitimacy of drinking vs the illegitimacy of drugs was making the desired impression... My siblings kids are even worse, not a single niece or nephew even goes to the Catholic church, and they all drink as well to the best of my knowledge. They say kids live what they learn, and how you deal with pressure and challenges is one of the strongest lessons kids do learn.

**Robert** · September-5th-2010, 11:14 PM

Yes, God ABSOLUTELY has a personality!!

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. " (Hebrews 1:1-4, NASB, emphasis mine)

If you want to see God, look at Jesus; if you want to hear God, listen to Jesus. And if you want to know if God has a personality, read how Jesus talked, laughed, cried, sang, ate, and lived in scripture. Here is an example:

"And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them." (Mark 10:13-16, NASB, emphasis mine)

A bland, emotionless God would NOT have done this: You can practically see Jesus picking up each of the little children, and laying his hands on them to bless them. The smile on his face and even the hint of wetness in his eyes as he blessed each one, one by one, not to mention the look in his eyes and and irritation in his voice when the disciples sought to shoo away these precious ones that Jesus knew their angels always beheld the Father's face in heaven.