Life and Relationships

What Is God Like?

The Bible describes God as holy, loving, just, merciful, patient, faithful, wise, powerful, and truthful. His character is perfectly consistent. Scripture's clearest revelation of what God is like is found in Jesus Christ.

Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-27

Written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team. Read our editorial policy.

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Faith

Biblical explanation

When Moses asked God to reveal His glory, God proclaimed His character: “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (). This is one of the most important descriptions of God's character in Scripture. God is holy (), meaning He is completely pure and separated from sin. He is righteous and just (). He is merciful and gracious (). He is faithful (). Above all, Scripture says, “God is love” (). Jesus Christ provides the clearest human revelation of this character. Jesus said, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (). The actions of Christ therefore help us understand God's character. Jesus healed the sick, welcomed sinners, defended the vulnerable, taught truth, confronted hypocrisy, forgave His enemies, and gave His life for humanity (; ; ). God's character is revealed progressively throughout Scripture, but the Bible does not suggest that God changed from being an angry Old Testament God into a loving New Testament God. Both Testaments describe God's mercy and judgment.

In brief

When Moses asked God to reveal His glory, God proclaimed His character: “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” ().

Bible references

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Editorial note

This answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.