Psalm 62:11-12a

One thing God has spoken,
Two things have I heard:
That You, O God, are strong,
And that You, O God, are loving.

I am constantly faced with the question: is God a righteous judge of wrath or is He a loving, merciful king. As finite beings we cannot fully comprehend how Jesus can be both. It is the question itself that is flawed, however. David here addresses the issue using the idea of both/and rather than either/or. God is entirely holy, or set apart. He is entirely one with Himself – there is no contention within Him. I am soon to be a father to my first child, my first son. I imagine that punishing him will sometimes be hard because I love him so much, but I know that I have to teach him that actions have consequences. Jesus does the same thing except that there is no question in His heart if He is being a good parent. There is oneness in God. The way we describe His attributes is exactly that – the way we describe His attributes. Truly, God is not merely loving, God is love. God is not merely strong, God is strength. All of His attributes flow out of each other and are in fact one attribute that is probably best described as holy. Holy is the most used adjective of God in the Bible – it is His favorite way to describe Himself. Holiness is God’s set apartedness, it is what makes Him unique beyond our comprehension. When we try to explain Him we are conflicted – but Jesus’ character is not. One thing God has spoken, two things have we heard.