Austin Bible Church
A person is defined as having two essential elements - self-consciousness and self-determination. To have self-consciousness, one must first be aware of their own existence. Once that is understood, then one can demonstrate self-determination by making decisions in relationship to that awareness. All members of the human race are persons because they all possess these two essential elements to a limited degree.
God is a person because He possesses the same essential elements of personality – the same self-consciousness and self-determination, but to an infinite and perfect degree. His divine personality is perfect, absolute, and eternal.
When God was talking to Moses in Exodus 3:14, He indicated His self-consciousness. God illustrates His self-determination through His will and divine plan for mankind. God’s plan for mankind reflects all of His perfect and absolute attributes. God is above all because He created all that exists apart from Himself. Eph. 1:9; Eph. 1:11.
"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"" (Exodus 3:14, NASB)
"He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him" (Ephesians 1:9, NASB)
"also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will," (Ephesians 1:11, NASB)
Relating Human Personality Attributes to God’s Attributes
Adam was created with a body, soul and human spirit, but no old sin nature. The rest of us are born with an old sin nature, but no human spirit. We all have invisible attributes in our soul. From these invisible attributes in the soul come our personality with self-consciousness, mentality, volition, emotion, etc. Personality is the manifestation of how things function in the soul.
God’s personality is related to His other perfect attributes. God has always been aware of His unique and infinite attributes. He knows Himself to be beyond any comparison with any of His creation. God is the cause of all existence outside of Himself. Gen. 1:1.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1, NASB)
He has always known He is infinite and without boundary or limitation. God exists eternally, not sustained by Himself or any other source. He has always known that those perfect attributes are unique and belong to His life and to His person. Therefore, to an absolute degree, God is the ultimate in personality.
Knowledge is always a part of the personality of anyone. Because God has always known all the knowable, His knowledge is absolute and is a part of His personality. This omniscience supports His perfect confidence and faithfulness in His grace plan for mankind.
The sovereignty of God is related to His personality just as with people where the decisions you make establish your personality. God’s decisions made in eternity past as part of the Divine Decrees establish His personality. All of God's decisions were made in eternity past, therefore His personality is immutable. Isaiah 44:6; 1 Tim. 1:17.
""Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me." (Isaiah 44:6, NASB)
"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17, NASB)
Self-consciousness and volition are important aspects of your personality. Self-consciousness and volition are a part of man’s personality because man’s soul was created in God's own image. God recognizes Himself as a person. God has always been conscious of Himself. As such He functions with perfect integrity and perfect rationality. Personality should have integrity and rationality. Rationality means you think and integrity means you apply what you think. Therefore, God is infinite personality. Isaiah 45:5-6.
""I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other," (Isaiah 45:5-6, NASB)