Are any of God's attributes above all the others?

what does the bible say?

Without the authority of the Bible, any attempt to explain the attributes of God would open ourselves up to opinion, conjecture, and supposition, which are often incorrect, especially when it comes to trying to understand God. The attributes of God, as revealed in the Bible, are crucial to understanding the truth about God, who He is, what He does, and what He is like. Some believe that God's primary attribute, and the one that permeates all His other attributes, is His transcendent holiness. His holiness is what separates Him from all moral defilement. However, since God is an infinite Being, no human can fully answer this God-sized question about the greatest attribute, but through God’s Word, we can understand much about who God is and what He is like.

from the old testament

The creation speaks of God's attributes, and there is no language or speech where its voice is not heard: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1–3).Every attribute God has is perfect, making them of equal importance and combining in a grand culmination within the One perfect and infinite God (Isaiah 6:3).In order to understand God's qualities such as His justice or His love for us, we must first have a foundation that understands and therefore affirms His holiness, omnipotence, and sovereignty (Psalm 103:19; 115:3; see also Romans 9:18).The Old Testament reveals God’s love (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 136:1).Isaiah 6:3 and Leviticus 11:44 emphasize God’s holiness.God is also faithful and merciful. Lamentations 3:22–23 tells us that: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."Psalm 89:1 also speaks of His steadfast love and faithfulness: "I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations."God is sovereign over all as seen in Psalm 103:19, and His will prevails on heaven and on earth (Daniel 4:35).God’s omniscience and omnipresence can be seen in Psalm 139:1–4 and Proverbs 15:3.In light of all God’s attributes, we join the psalmist who rejoices in God’s goodness: "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8).Nahum 1:7 also speaks of the Lord’s goodness: "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him."

from the new testament

The most commonly found attribute referred to in the New Testament is God’s love: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Other key verses about God’s love include Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:8, and 1 John 4:16.God is as a consuming fire, and His holy wrath against sin is to be feared (Hebrews 10:27, 31; 12:29). However, because of His great love for us, as seen in the verses above, His wrath is tempered. At the same time, one day His wrath will be poured out on sin and evil (2 Peter 3:9; see Revelation).First Peter 1:15–16 reveals God’s holiness: "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..."The New Testament confirms God’s faithfulness as an attribute (1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3).God’s sovereignty over all things is seen in Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 1:11.His omniscience is seen in the way He knows all creatures (Hebrews 4:13) and how He knows even our hearts (1 John 3:20).God’s goodness and kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

implications for today

Because God is perfect, every attribute He has is also perfect and could be counted with equal importance to any other attribute. His attributes cannot be ranked as if some were more critical to who He is than are others. However, the way our human minds begin to understand His attributes and how they pertain to our understanding of Him and us in light of that is important. Humanly speaking, the way we understand God's attributes comes in a certain order. The fact that God is perfect means that every facet of His being must also be perfect. God's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, for instance, would not be possible on their own because in order to have one, you must have the others. This is what leads us to fearing Him, recognizing Him for who He is, as totally different from us and the One who is above all things. God’s holiness, though, is also seen in light of His other attributes: His mercy, kindness, goodness, and love to those who do not deserve it. All of who God is calls us to recognize Him and our need for Him. This God gave Himself to die in our place so we could have relationship with Him and not be condemned for our sin. Through God’s Word, we can understand much about who God is. May we all wholeheartedly continue to seek after Him (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7–11).