The communicable or moral attributes of God are those which God shares with humanity. We, mankind, are given by our creator his moral attributes so that we can know him and also can meaningfully relate to him. According to Christian teaching, God has created man in his ‘image’ (Hebrew word ‘demuth’) and ‘likeness’ (Hebrew word ‘tselem’). God, being a spirit being, does not have any image. Therefore, man being created in his image and likeness has a special meaning. These mean that God created human beings with his ‘moral attributes’ or ‘communicable’ attributes.

Communicable or moral attributes of GodThe following could be clearly identified as some of the moral attributes of God: holiness, justice, love, mercy and grace. God in his eternal decree and wisdom endowed man with part of these attributes so that man is able to think of God, have fellowship or communicate with him and work as his vice-regent or the faithful steward of his creation. In man God’s moral attributes are to be reflected so that he can glorify God and enjoy him forever as well as live in peace and harmony with fellow beings and other creation.

Holiness of God is his most spectacularly transcendental attribute, which differentiates him from all things and any other beings in the created order. God is utterly ‘the Other’. The Bible depicts God as the One who is free from all and any impurity or defilement... He is absolutely pure in his being and in his thoughts, words and deeds. He is perfect in all his goodness. God’s ethical and moral perfection is in his holiness and impeccability. The heavenly angels sang of the “thrice-holiness” of God in the prophetic book of Isaiah (6:3): “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” Peter 1:15 repeats the recurring command of God to people in the Old Testament: “Be holy, for I am holy.” Prophet Habakkuk talked of God’s holiness thus: “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil.” The holiness of God serves as a reason for man’s calling for being holy: “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourself and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).

Justice is the attribute of God that refers to his righteousness. In Christianity righteousness (the Hebrew word ‘tsedek’) and the justice of God are the either sides of the same coin. God is the righteous judge. God’s justice and righteousness mean the same thing. God’s divine nature is that he cannot and does not do any wrong. “God is just in all his ways,” declares the Psalmist. He is righteous in his unchanging integrity and goodness. All his “commands are righteous” (Psalm 119:172). Prophet Micah reminds people who believe in God to live in righteousness and justice.

Love is the attribute of God that is supremely manifested in God’s giving his only begotten and sinless Son for the salvation of mankind from the bondage of sin. The word ‘love’ is primarily a verb. It is what it does. The Greek word ‘agapay’ means selfless and unconditional love. It is loving the unlovable-- unmerited love. God is the source of this love. St John taught about this love and exhorts us to love others as God loves us. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:16) and “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him” (sic 4:16). God provides us his supreme example of love. We do not deserve his love, but in his mercy and grace he loves us when we come to him in repentance (tauba) for our wrongdoings and injustice. He forgives our sins and embraces us and gives us his love so that we may love others. We believe in the ‘principle of blessed people blessing others’.

God’s attribute of ‘mercy’ means that God withholds his punishment for us for our sins if we come to him with a repentant heart. The word ‘grace’ of God is richer in meaning. Grace means that God not only withholds the punishment that we deserve for our wrongdoing but also that he grants us his blessings or favour, which we do not deserve anyway.

As believers in God, who has endowed us with his moral attributes, we are supposed to do our level best to put them into practice in all dealings with other people in our daily lives. Our ways and behaviour are modelled on what we believe about God. If we love and honour him, we are to obey his commandments. If that is true about us, his blessings are sure to be for us. To conclude, let this word of hope from God’s Word lead us in our life: “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third or fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Blessings of God for obedience to his Word are much more than his chastisement for disobedience.
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The writer is a Christian theology teacher and Church leader