To be sure there are attributes that the Almighty has in which we, as creatures, can not share. For instance, He is Perfect and we are not, He is Sovereign and we are not, He is Self-Existent and we are not, etc…. These are called Incommunicable attributes.  (Meaning that He does not share or communicate them with us). But there are also many other attributes that God has in which we can and should share.

For instance, He is Good and so should we be, He is Holy and so should we be, He is Gracious and so should we be, etc…. These are called Communicable attributes.  (Meaning that He does share or communicate them with us, at least to some degree). How do we go about applying the Sovereign One’s communicable attributes to our relationships with our family?

The answer is more simple than easy:

1. We must first know who He is if we are to imitate Him (Eph. 5:1).  Thus, we must study Him in His Word!  This is the purpose of Theology: To Glorify God by reflecting in our daily lives what we have come to know about Him.  Gaining information without seeking transformation is only a way to puff us up.  But on the other hand, seeking transformation without gaining information is a foolish pursuit.

2. Put into practice what you learn.  Be a doer of the Word (James 1:22-25)!  Sometimes this takes writing out specific action steps that you are committing to take.  Every time it takes humble prayer, asking and relying on the Holy Spirit to graciously grant you the strength to obey.  The Bible is full of simple commands.  But these simple commands need to be viewed as impossible without God’s work in our lives.

Thus, in order to apply God’s communicable attributes to our daily lives, we must know who He is (that is, what to do), and then imitate Him (do it). Specifically applying this to our family life is accomplished by purposefully seeking where, when, and how we can practically be good, kind, loving, merciful, patient, etc… in our familial relationships. We must always see the study of God (Theology) as a means to worshipping God in all of life, including imitating Him in our family life.