Who God Is: Meditations on the Character of Our God

by Ben Witherington III

Do you know the character of our God--do you know who God is?

What does it mean to say that God is love, light, life, and spirit? In Who God Is, world-renowned New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores the nature and character of the God of the Bible by focusing specifically on the nouns used to describe who God is. This rich exploration has its foundation in a deep reading of the biblical text. Reflecting on these descriptions of God gives us a fresh understanding of the beauty and uniqueness of the character of our God.

Genres: Theology, Christianity

96 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2020

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Who God Is: Meditations on the Character of God” perfectly illustrates why the recent renaissance of books on classical Christian theism is so important. Not in a good way. It pains me to be so harsh, since I have nothing whatever against Dr. Witherington personally, and I am sure he is a godly and faithful scholar and a perfectly pleasant brother in Christ, but I’m afraid I cannot commend this book to any reader longing to delve into the deep, mysterious, glorious character of the Triune God of Scripture. Frankly, they won’t find it here. Though only 102 short pages, it somehow manages to paint a vivid picture of a domesticated God who would sooner elicit my sympathy than my worship.

Witherington is explicit that this introduction to theology proper is taking a different approach than typical studies: he centers not on divine adjectives that describe what God is like, but the nouns. This seems to be a confusion of categories, however, since even the "nouns" in Scripture do not grant the reader access to God's divine essence any more than the "adjectives" that describe him--all "God talk" is analogical. This oversight sets Witherington on a misguided trajectory that compels him to place "nouns" above "adjectives." So for example, Witherington's conception of God's "love" (which looks suspiciously like an anthropocentric conception of love projected back up onto God) becomes a controlling category for a description like "sovereign" or an action like "election:" "God knows all possibilities as well as all actualities, and in many cases, he is the actor who turns the possible into the actual, but this is not so in the case of his foreknowing sin or evil" (pg. 26). In his attempts to protect God from blasphemous charges of maliciousness, he reduces God to a mere observer: "Sometimes human beings get hurt by natural occurrences. This does not mean that God willed for those people to die" (pg. 99). Such a description may succeed at keeping readers from blaming God for a pandemic's death rate, but it certainly doesn't inspire the reader to call out to him for help in the midst of one. What could he do?

This theme of God as "actor within" human history comes up again, when Witherington attempts to retain a sufficient doctrine of sovereignty in light of his extreme limitations on election: "Actually, I strongly affirm that God is omnipotent, but the question is: How does God exercise his power and sovereignty? In my view, God is the dominant actor in the universe, and in some things, he is the only actor" (pg. 29). The problem here is not Witherington's conception of God as an actor within history, but rather his overall conception of God as *mere* actor within history. Omnipotent, to be sure. But he is still simply one of many actors--in some cases the only actor, and in all cases, the most powerful actor--but is still merely an actor. Not author. Not director. Which means the foundational distinction Witherington misses is a meaningful Creator-creature distinction.

Divine sovereignty is not the only thing Witherington jettison's in "Who God Is," he also explicitly and self-consciously bids farewell to immutability when he assures the reader that Scriptural descriptions of God's unchangeableness "does not refer to God being 'immutable' in the Greek philosophical sense of that term. Obviously, the incarnation, where God's Son takes on a human nature, shows that God can incorporate change into the divine being, but this does not change God's character" (pg. 49). For the vast majority of Church history, the great tradition has, apparently, missed what Dr. Witherington considers "obvious." The 5th century Chalcedonian Creed, for example, which articulates Christ's two natures, is in large part purposed to keep Christians from saying that "God incorporates change into the divine being."

Perhaps none of these issues, however, are quite so unnerving as this articulation of the Trinity (one of the only explicit articulations in this whole book on God): "There is nothing in [the Shema] that rules out that the one God could not express himself in three personal representations" (pg. 90). Far be it for this lowly reviewer to accuse Dr. Witherington of Sabellianism; instead, I'll simply say that this articulation of unity ("himself") and diversity ("three personal *representations*") is at the very least not saying nearly enough. It is no stretch to say a Sabellian would have no objections to such an articulation, which demands caution.

*I received this copy free from Lexham press and was asked to leave an honest review (something I hope those good people in Washington meant, and pray they don’t come to regret after reading this).*

[Nyameye Otoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, short, easy to read, and thought provoking book which, as it says on the tin - is (and I'll certainly be coming back to it) a collection of connected "meditations" on the Character of God. There is however some potential negatives which I think may take away from this text for some readers (see below).

Witherington, in this short and readable book, surveys the character of God through the main nouns (as opposed to adjectives, verbs or other modifiers) in an attempt to emphasize an understanding of who God IS. In - my own words, not Witherington's - the aim of this is to help us think about who God IS, in character, rather than what or how God DOES out of said character. I think this is masterfully done, inspiring and correcting thought about what we know about God's character, without getting lost in philosophical tangents, but also without losing the merit of philosophical discussions around simplicity or the Creator-Creature distinctions important to our understanding of God: " [...] it doesn't have to do with us becoming omniscient or all-powerful.¹ Creatures remain creature's, and the Creator stands alone as the only God in the universe. Worship is where we all voluntary realign ourselves under our Sovereign and love and praise him with all that we are and all that we have [...] " (p.96).

Now for the possible negative: Witherington is unashamedly "non-Reformed" (this is in no way a bad thing on its own, and not even a fan of the term, given what I'm about to say, but now isn't the time for semantics) - and it shows. Witherington is Wesleyan-Arminian, and while it seems clear that his convictions are based in his understanding of God (and clearly articulated), I feel it can be a bit overbearing in this book. Throughout the chapters focusing on the various nouns (Love, Light, Life, Spirit, One), there is interspersed pushbacks on topics he doesn't agree with, which is all well and good, but I can't help but think it pulls me out of an otherwise perfectly fine meditation on God's character exposed in Scripture. Not a huge issue for me so still gets 5/5 but I think it could take away or irritate some. So consider yourself warned!

This critisicm though, could simply be me reading too much polemic into it where there isn't, and indeed there are some incredible insights in these bitesize sections (concerning Imaging and Mormonism on p.96, for example). In addition, he does clearly state " [...] I am rather talking about God's moral character " (p. 2, footnote 1), and again "This study has not tried to be comprehensive, simply corrective" (p. 102).

Unless I missed something though, surprisingly, I think this came through a lot stronger than in his recent "Biblical Theology: The Convergence of Canon" (possible review pending? 🤔), which outside of it's two specific chapters, was remarkably "non-partisan" or leading, and you would think it would show up stronger in the the more comprehensive document but, oh well.

To finish and reiterate: Insightful and characterfully written, Biblically sound and defensible (imo), and most importantly, paints a brilliant picture of Who God Is. Loses some points to some for the reasons mentioned above, although would heartily recommend!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of unknowns during this summer season. There are many questions about the nature of God. In Who God Is, Ben Witherington III shares five essential meditations on the character of our God.

Fundamental Characteristics

Witherington III is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is an accomplished author and speaker. With this book, he focuses specifically on the nouns in the Bible used to describe who God is.

In just over 100 pages, Witherington III explains the following: God is Love, God is Light, God is Life, God is Spirit, and God is One/Unique. Notice that these are not adjectives. It is different to say that God is loving versus God is Love. These characteristics of God are fundamental to our Christian faith.

Scriptural Support

With each chapter, Witherington III uses Scripture to support his points. He writes in a logical and understanding way. For instance, when talking about how God is Love, he asks: were we predestined to love? He also distinguishes how election is not salvation. And he doesn’t shy away from questioning God’s sovereignty.

There are many aspects of God’s character that Witherington III has helped me see more clearly. In Ch 2: God is Light, I saw how light and love go together, specifically how light is connected to God’s righteousness.

Unchanging Character

In Ch 4: God is Spirit, Witherington III skillfully takes us through John 4 - a passage that is dear to me as a worship leader. Amongst other insights, he says that worship “in spirit” refers to genuine, wholehearted giving of oneself to God. He highlights God’s constant character, and how he quenches our thirst and conquers death so that we can truly live.

Although there are unknowns in the months ahead, we have our anchor in the unchanging character of God. And with Christ as our captain, we are sure to reach our heavenly home.

I received a media copy of Who God Is and this is my honest review.

[Christopher Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Full of Theological Nuggets

This book is a great short read covering several meditations Witherington has about God. Even though the topics are broad and the chapters are short you will find some really intresting insights from Witherington here.

This would be a great short study for people who wanted to do a deep dive in theological topics but don’t want to commit to a 300-400 page book (which is typically what you find in theological introductions. While this book is short it is not all elementary. Witherington will ease you in but many of the meditations get into the weeds of the topic. I appricate this approach. Its a lot of concepts but the brevity makes it palatable for a broader audience.

I found the section “Election is not Salvation” particularly interesting. He writes, “election has to do with the historical purposes of God, rather than with the notion of personal salvation. This ought to be evident when one considers that: (1) many chosen or elect Israelites committed apostasy and did not end up either saved or entering the promised land, and (2) Christ, the truly elect or chosen one of God, never needed to be saved…”

I thought this point was hilarious and conviencing. If we reduce election down to salvation we have a problem with Jesus! I also really liked his refelction on God as Spirit and how he talked about what is essential and not for God.

Overall this book is a great theological reflection piece if nothing else, but I think it could be a great book to read with others and reflect.

[Tim Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably would give it 3,5.

It is a short book and written at an introduction level. I enjoyed most of it.

Some things I wish had been done differently. Sometimes, it felt the book touched on controversial things unnecessarily, and because of the brevity of the book, it didn't resolve the issue or just straw manned the other position. Even where I agreed, which was most of the time, it felt hurries at times.
Also, at times, the author ignored what I felt were the toughest objections to some of the statements he made.
Also, not all of the chapters were as strong as the others.

Overall, it was a good and enjoyable read. It could've been either longer and more in-depth or just stayed away from touchy or difficult subjects (like how to translate the shema).

Even though I think it could've been done better, it is actually a book I'd point people towards if they haven't read much or thought deeply about the nature of God from a Christian perspective.
It works well as a devotional text or a group discussion book, I think.

I benefited from the clear parts as awesome reminders of how amazing God is and how deeply he loves us.
Also, it pointed out some really insightful things in the Bible, especially in 1 John.

[Logan Carrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Who God Is" by Ben Witherington III is a very concise and rich red on the character and nature of our God. I don't know that I've read a theology book that made the focus on the nouns used in Scripture for God rather than the adjectives. His reasoning for this is that "Too often we emphasize the adjectives without fully taking in the implications of the nouns" (2). So, he looks at nouns use for God such as love, light, life and one. I thought his thoughts and arguments were well articulated and provided a good base for someone to then go and learn about the different adjectives used in Scripture to describe God.
It was a refreshing and thoughtful read, as well as pretty practical. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good foundational level read on the character of God.
*Also, I was given the book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review.*

[Rocky Woolery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book that deals with who God is. Based upon who God is we can see why God does what He does. It also shows why we are called to respond to God in the ways we are.

Above all, it comes down to God is unique and above us, that allows Him to call us to give Him ultimate worship. Worship that comes from a relationship where we know who God is as much by experience as by written revelation, though the latter is important to keep experience in check, since our enemy pretends to be what he is not.

[Luke Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It is very brief but it has some really good insights. It is highly recommended as it is a great introductory text on God. It was refreshing to read a book about God that did not push forth Calvinistic doctrines. If for nothing else that is the reason to read this book. Very educational and an easy read. You need to buy this book and read it.

[Dr. Jeffrey Kran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea the nouns used of God are foundational. I also enjoyed that since God is love Human response is always part of God's pre, at, Post salvation. Witherington stated something in different terms. Forced love is rape and is not a divine rapist. However, in at least are he takes this too far. I good read, thought provoking, easy to read, and with some excellent theological points

[Mical Bovee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok read

God-exalting and nothing bad, but I expected more depth. Arguments are not well structured, built out or referenced. But I suppose it’s in the title “Meditations”; meaning this seems mainly like his thoughts put to paper.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sometimes, maybe often, have a difficult time tracking with Ben Witherington. But I find enough value in it to make it worth plowing through. This wasn't an entirely easy read for me, but I found plenty worthwhile herein.