Stephen Charnock defines God’s patience as a part of the divine goodness and mercy; yet it differs from both. God being the greatest goodness has the greatest “mildness”.
The Patience of God
The Lovingkindness of God
The sterner, more awe-inspiring aspects of the divine character are counterbalanced by the gentler, more winsome ones. It is to our irreparable loss if we only dwell on God’s sovereignty and majesty, or His holiness and justice; we need to meditate frequently, though not exclusively, on His love, goodness, grace and mercy.
The Love of God
It is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men. Self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it. Free as He is, He has let His heart be bound to us forever.
The Grace of God
In God, mercy and grace are one; but as they reach us they are seen as two — related but not identical. As mercy is God’s goodness confronting human misery and guilt, so grace is His goodness directed toward human debt and demerit.
The Mercy of God
God’s mercy is eternal — it never began to be and it will never cease to be. It is infinite — it will never be more and it will definitely never be less. Nothing that has occurred or will occur in heaven or earth or hell can ever change the tender mercies of our God. Forever His mercy stands, a boundless, overwhelming immensity of divine pity and compassion.
The Goodness of God
There is such an absolute perfection in God’s nature and being that nothing is wanting to it or defective in it. He cannot be less than good than He is. Nothing can be added to it to make it better. He is eternally, immutably, and perfectly good.
The Faithfulness of God
Faithfulness is one of the glorious perfections of God’s being. For God to be unfaithful would be to act contrary to His nature. He never fails, never falters, never forgets. He always does what He has said. He always fulfills what He has promised.
The Truthfulness of God
When the Lord speaks, He always speaks the truth. His words are the final standard and definition of truth, for they are based on His perfect knowledge and they accurately reflect that perfect knowledge.
The Wisdom of God
God is able to devise the most perfect ends, and He is able to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. He sees the end from the beginning. He sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all. He doesn’t guess. He is able to work towards predestined goals with flawless precision.
The Foreknowledge of God
What is meant by “foreknowledge”? I’m quite certain that if you are to be asked, you can immediately respond, “to know beforehand” — and you are correct. That’s exactly how dictionaries define it. However, to define it as an attribute of God, we must not solely rely on dictionary meanings. For it is not just a matter of its basic definition and etymology; what matters more is the way it is used in the Holy Scriptures.
The Supremacy of God
There is an infinite distance that separates the mightiest creation from the Almighty Creator. The Lord is the Most High, God of heaven and earth. Unrivaled in majesty, unlimited in power, unaffected by anything outside Himself. He is absolutely independent — subject to none, influenced by none.
The Omnipotence of God
We cannot have a correct conception of God unless we think of Him as Almighty and all-powerful. Someone who cannot do everything he wills and pleases cannot be God.
The God I Know 