"Therefore, since we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone,
something shaped by art and man's devising..."
(Acts 17:29)
Understanding the attributes of God prepares the disciple for the establishment of a ready defense of one's convictions concerning Truth. Though there are many Divine attributes, I have listed four that serve as foundational to all others:we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone,
something shaped by art and man's devising..."
(Acts 17:29)
Thus we understand God through and by His Word
as the Divine Nature shapes us toward His purpose...
as the Divine Nature shapes us toward His purpose...
Sovereign Unity
There is One God Who is All, and His Triune Nature cannot be separated/divided.
John 17:21-22; Hebrews 1:1
Aseity
God is only dependent upon His own Being.
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6; John 1:1-3
Immutability
God does not and cannot change.
Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17-18
Infinity
God transcends time (eternal) and space (omnipresent).
Exodus 3:14; 2 Peter 3:8
John 17:21-22; Hebrews 1:1
Aseity
God is only dependent upon His own Being.
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6; John 1:1-3
Immutability
God does not and cannot change.
Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17-18
Infinity
God transcends time (eternal) and space (omnipresent).
Exodus 3:14; 2 Peter 3:8
Humanity will never attain complete understanding of God because of our being created by Him, which dictates an associative mystery concerning our comprehension of Him. Yet our being created "in His image," or "likeness," offers us opportunity to experience reflections of His character within ourselves. God's sovereign unity is reflected in our own multi-faceted nature (body, mind, spirit/soul) as well as our individual multi-roled nature (we are simultaneously a parent, child, sibling, friend, mentor, etc.). His aseity is reflected in our own self-sufficiency (Gen. 1:27-28). His immutability is reflected by our soul's immortality and our being subject to God's Justice. His infinity is reflected in our existence, as we have been created with an immortal soul; it simply is our duty to choose which context of infinite existence to inhabit.
Despite perceived complexity from the perspective of human reason, God is absolute Simplicity in that His Triune nature displays perfect Unity. Moreover, due to human reason being finite we must shift our paradigm of understanding in reference to God's infinity. Thus, rather than base our comprehension of the eternal on our present station in the temporal, the eternal should be our basis for understanding the temporal.
Despite perceived complexity from the perspective of human reason, God is absolute Simplicity in that His Triune nature displays perfect Unity. Moreover, due to human reason being finite we must shift our paradigm of understanding in reference to God's infinity. Thus, rather than base our comprehension of the eternal on our present station in the temporal, the eternal should be our basis for understanding the temporal.
2 comments:
Greetings Jon
I agree with practically all the attributes you've listed except for describing the ONE GOD as Triune!!
GOD describes Himself in Scripture as ONE! Over 11000 singular personal pronouns describe GOD as ONE Being, ONE Person.
GOD gave the Shema, Deut 6.4; to remind and confirm to believers, again & again, that He is indeed ONE; and ...
(Mark 12:32) ... Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Jesus the Messiah confirmed the fact that there is ONE GOD, and that there is none other but he:
Obviously, then, neither Jesus nor the scribe, thought of the ONE GOD as triune!
May I recommend the following video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you in understanding this very important attribute of GOD:
His Oneness!!
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
In response: The insight is appreciated, though I must illuminate the fact that I referenced God's nature as triune and specifically added that such cannot be separated or divided and thus diminish His "Oneness" (ref: Sovereign Unity). However, I must expound that Almighty God is indeed three Persons in One Nature, i.e. the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... each with distinct roles within the Godhead that in no way diminish said "oneness" (Genesis 1:26; Galatians 4:4-6).
An excellent revelation of all three Persons of God is witnessed at Jesus' baptism (Matt. 3:16-17), clearly exhibiting the unity of Purpose between the three Persons of the Godhead.
Perhaps a misunderstanding of my use of the word "triune" has occurred, to which I offer that my use of such refers to the "three Person in one Nature/Purpose" reality of Almighty God. Moreover, this does not violate the overall reality of ONE God, nor does it suggest a "multiple god" dilemma that many early philosophers accused Christians of adopting.
You may be interested in an article I posted on my weblog veritasunum.org entitled Theological Profundity and Complex Simplicity. Beginning in the eighth paragraph I detail a Divine circumstance that many have found enlightening. Thanks again for your insight: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
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