Understanding who God actually is might be the most important question you’ll ever explore. Your view of God’s character shapes everything: how you pray, what you expect from life, how you handle pain and suffering, and whether faith feels like freedom or obligation. Many people carry distorted images of God formed by painful experiences, toxic teaching, or cultural assumptions that have nothing to do with Scripture’s revelation of His nature.
Some imagine God as a cosmic policeman waiting to punish mistakes. Others see Him as a distant deity who wound up the universe and stepped back. Still others project their earthly father’s failures onto their heavenly Father, assuming God is angry, absent, or apathetic. These misconceptions create spiritual damage that’s hard to undo, making people either terrified of God or indifferent to Him when Scripture reveals something radically different.
The Bible systematically reveals God’s character through His names, actions, and self-descriptions. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture paints a consistent picture of a God who is simultaneously powerful and tender, just and merciful, transcendent and near. These verses don’t answer every theological question, but they provide clear markers about who God is and how He relates to His creation.
Bible Verses About God’s Character
1. Exodus 34:6-7 – The Lord, the Lord, the Compassionate God
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
New International Version (NIV)
2. 1 John 4:8 – Whoever Does Not Love Does Not Know God
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Psalm 145:8-9 – The Lord Is Gracious and Compassionate
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Psalm 86:15 – But You, Lord, Are a Compassionate God
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Deuteronomy 32:4 – He Is the Rock
The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Isaiah 6:3 – And They Were Calling to One Another
And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. James 1:17 – Every Good and Perfect Gift
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Psalm 103:8 – The Lord Is Merciful and Gracious
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Isaiah 40:28 – Do You Not Know? Have You Not Heard?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
The Message (MSG)
10. Malachi 3:6 – I the Lord Do Not Change
For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ Is the Same
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Psalm 89:14 – Righteousness and Justice
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; faithful love and truth go before You.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Numbers 23:19 – God Is Not Human
God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says he will do, he does. What he promises, he makes come true.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Psalm 147:5 – Great Is Our Lord and Mighty in Power
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; there is no limit to his understanding.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. Isaiah 55:8-9 – For My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts
The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Revelation 15:4 – Who Will Not Fear You, Lord?
Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy, and all nations will come and worship you, because your righteous judgments have been revealed.
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Psalm 139:7-8 – Where Can I Go from Your Spirit?
Where can I go from Your Ruach? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, look, You are there!
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Psalm 90:2 – Before the Mountains Were Born
Before the mountains were born and you brought forth the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. 1 Timothy 6:15-16 – God, the Blessed and Only Ruler
which in its own times he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see.
World English Bible (WEB)
20. Psalm 100:5 – For the Lord Is Good
For Jehovah is good; his lovingkindness endureth for ever, And his faithfulness unto all generations.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. Isaiah 45:5 – I Am the Lord, and There Is No Other
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Psalm 33:4-5 – For the Word of the Lord Is Right
For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s mercy.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Deuteronomy 7:9 – Know Therefore That the Lord Your God
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy to them that love him, and keep his commandments unto a thousand generations.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. Psalm 62:11-12 – Once God Has Spoken
God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God: also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Psalm 36:5 – Your Mercy, O Jehovah
O Jehovah, in the heavens is Thy kindness, Thy faithfulness is unto the clouds.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. 1 Chronicles 29:11 – Yours, Lord, Is the Greatness
Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the splendour, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is thine: thine, O Jehovah, is the kingdom, and thou art exalted as Head above all.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Psalm 119:68 – You Are Good, and What You Do Is Good
Thou art good and doest good; teach me Thy statutes.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Psalm 99:9 – Exalt the Lord Our God
Enhaunse ye oure Lord God, and worschipe ye the stool of hise feet; for it is hooli.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. Nehemiah 9:17 – But You Are a God Ready to Pardon
And they refused to obey, neither were mindfull of thy wonders that thou diddest among them, but hardened their neckes and had appointed a captaine to returne to their bondage by their rebellion.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. Psalm 18:30 – As for God, His Way Is Perfect
Gods waye is vndefyled, the worde of the Lorde also is tried in the fyre: he is the defender of all them that put their trust in hym.
The Living Bible (TLB)
31. Psalm 116:5 – The Lord Is Gracious and Righteous
How kind and how gracious is our God! How good he is to all!
The Passion Translation (TPT)
32. Jeremiah 32:17 – Ah, Sovereign Lord
Lord, the Eternal, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great strength and outstretched arm. Nothing is impossible for You.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
33. Psalm 9:10 – Those Who Know Your Name Trust in You
Lord, those who know you will trust you. You do not leave those who look to you for help.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
34. Lamentations 3:22-23 – Because of the Lord’s Great Love
The Lord shows us his love every day. His mercies are new every morning. Lord, your loyalty is great.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
35. Romans 11:33 – Oh, the Depth of the Riches
God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways.
God’s Word Translation (GWT)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Who God Is
Exodus 34 provides one of Scripture’s clearest self-revelations where God declares His own character to Moses: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Notice what God chose to emphasize. He didn’t lead with His power or holiness, though both are true. He introduced Himself through relational attributes that address human fears about divine disposition. This matters because many people struggle more with believing God is good than believing He exists.
God’s character also includes attributes that tension with each other from our limited perspective. He’s perfectly just yet abundantly merciful. He’s transcendent beyond our comprehension yet intimately near. He’s sovereign over everything yet gives humans genuine freedom. These tensions aren’t contradictions but reflections that God’s nature exceeds categories that make sense to finite minds. We can know Him truly without knowing Him exhaustively.
The consistency of God’s character throughout Scripture provides stability in an unstable world. While circumstances shift and feelings fluctuate, God remains “the same yesterday and today and forever.” His faithfulness doesn’t waver based on our performance. His love doesn’t increase when we’re good or decrease when we fail. Understanding this unchanging nature transforms how we relate to Him, shifting from fearful appeasement to confident trust in One whose character is thoroughly reliable.
Say This Prayer
Father, I need to know who You really are rather than who I’ve assumed You to be based on painful experiences or wrong teaching. My view of Your character has been distorted by people who misrepresented You, circumstances that made me question Your goodness, and my own projections of human limitations onto Your nature.
Show me through Scripture who You truly are. Help me see Your compassion, not just Your power. Your mercy, not just Your justice. Your nearness, not just Your transcendence. Heal the places where I’ve believed lies about Your character that make me afraid of You or distant from You.
When circumstances make me question whether You’re actually good, anchor me to the truth of who You’ve revealed Yourself to be. Help me trust Your character even when I don’t understand Your actions. Teach me to know You not just intellectually but experientially, encountering Your faithfulness through relationship rather than just reading about it.
Transform my image of You from whatever distortions I’ve carried into an accurate understanding of Your true nature. Let knowing Your character correctly change how I pray, trust, obey, and rest in You.
In Jesus’ revealing name, Amen.