Why does God have attributes like human beings?

This was a question asked on social media.

My Answer:

When the Bible describes God using human‑like traits, it is not because God is patterned after us. Scripture teaches the opposite: we are patterned after Him. In Genesis 1:26‑27, God declares that humanity is made in His image. This means qualities such as love, reason, will, justice, and moral awareness exist in us because they exist perfectly in God. What we experience in limited form reflects what God possesses in fullness. So, when Scripture speaks of God loving, speaking, seeing, or acting, these are not human traits projected onto God—they are divine traits expressed in human language.

Because God is infinite and we are finite, the Bible often uses anthropomorphic language—human‑like expressions—to help us understand His actions. Phrases such as God “stretching out His hand” (Exodus 3:20) or God “remembering” (Genesis 8:1) are not literal descriptions of God’s nature. They are accommodations, ways of communicating divine truth in terms we can grasp. Scripture itself clarifies that God is not a man (Numbers 23:19) and that He does not possess human limitations or weaknesses. God is spirit, not flesh, and His nature is unlike ours in essence (John 4:24).

The only time God truly took on human attributes was in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. John 1:14 teaches that “the Word became flesh,” and Philippians 2:6‑8 explains that Christ took on human form to reveal God perfectly. This is not God becoming human‑like in His eternal nature, but God the Son entering humanity for the purpose of redemption. Jesus shows us God in human terms because He became human, not because God is inherently human.

In short, God does not have human attributes because He resembles us. We have certain attributes because we resemble Him. Scripture uses human‑like descriptions to help us understand Him, while also affirming that God is not bound by human form or limitation. The Bible’s language is a bridge, not a boundary, allowing finite people to understand an infinite God.

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