(1) God is holy; (2) God is loving; (3) God is just; (4) God is all-powerful.
Let's do some arithmetic here. Suppose those four are the only attributes of God, how will you divide God's nature (100%) by them?
a) 60% for Power, 30% for Love, 5% for each of the other two? (coz God is so powerful!)
b) 70% for Love and 10% for each of the rest? (coz "God is Love")
c) 25% percent each? (They must be equal)
d) Other: __________________ .
What's the correct answer? The illustration below gives a hint.
Highlight this to see the answer: none of the above! Yes, not even the letter "d".
Here's the explanation: God is simple. When we say that "God is simple", WE DON'T MEAN that God, His being, or His ways can be fully or easily comprehended. In fact, the Bible says the opposite (Job. 11:7; Rom. 11:33-36). What WE MEAN by "God is simple" is that God is not made up of parts (not composite). His attributes are not parts of His being/nature that make up the whole Him [see the left image]. Rather, each of His attributes is identical to His being/nature [see right image]. So, mathematically, God is 100% in each of His attributes (love, justice, holiness, power, etc.) so we shouldn't divide Him. His attributes are not a divisor, and God is not a dividend. This implies that God does not only have love. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8,16). God does not only have holiness. God is holiness ("God is light", 1 Jn. 1:5). And so on and so forth.
We should note however that the doctrine of the Simplicity of God (or Divine Simplicity) does not eliminate the differences in the attributes. Love is still not synonymous with holiness, and also with the rest.
So what does this have to do with the youth anyway? And why did I start with a characteristic of God that is not usually counted in discussing the attributes of God?
It's because Christians, even the youth, nowadays have the tendency to exalt one of God's attributes over another. So often you can hear them talk about God's love to the point of tolerating sins. God's holiness, righteousness, and wrath are being overlooked (Yes, we should be patient but we should also deal with our sins, not ignore them!). We love to emphasize that God is gracious and is our friend and Father. But we tend to forget that God is the King of Heaven and earth or that God is "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Given Divine Simplicity, we shouldn't dare do this. We shouldn't think that God is more loving than He is just and sin-punishing. He is BOTH perfectly loving and perfectly just and sin-punishing. We should love each of His wondrous attributes because each attribute is, in a sense, Him! And as a consequence of doing so, we will increase in our knowledge of God, in godliness, and in joy.
Next time, we shall discuss the holiness of God. And, remember: he's perfect in that attribute, and also in the others. So treat each not as a part of God but as God's very nature viewed uniquely. ;)
2 comments:
What Bible verses show the simplicity of God? I am having trouble finding anything other than assertions and philosophical reasons why this is so; what Bible verses tell us this?
Hello, Patrick. Sorry for the late response.
Explicit statements such as "God IS love", "God IS light" and "God IS a consuming fire" show the simplicity of God. Those verses show that God does not find it hard to equate his essence with each attribute [what "is" implies] rather than divide it with them. Hence, unlike us, God is not having any internal conflicts. His mercy does not contradict His justice. His holiness does not contradict His love. In a way that we don't understand, his attributes are all perfectly embodied by and harmonious in God.
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