The Attributes of God
other? What is the specific meaning of each one of these names?
What is the meaning of the name Kurios (Lord)? Is the name Father ever used of God in the Old Testament? In what different senses is it used in the New Testament?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, I, pp.
28–34; Bavinck, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, II, pp. 124–137; Girdlestone, Old Testament Synonyms, pp. 32–73.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
God reveals Himself not only in His names, but even more particularly in His attributes, that is, in the perfections which are ascribed to the divine being in Scripture, or are visibly exercised by Him in the works of creation, providence and redemption. Of the various divisions applied to the attributes of God we follow the one that is most commonly used.
A. The Incommunicable Attributes. The incommunicable attributes are those divine perfections which have no analogies in the creature.
They emphasize the absolute distinctness of God, His transcendent greatness. The following attributes belong to this class:
1. THE INDEPENDENCE OR SELF-EXISTENCE OF GOD. When we
ascribe independence or self-existence to God we thereby assert that He exists by the necessity of His own being and therefore necessarily, and does not, like man, depend for his existence on anything outside of Himself. This means not only that He is independent in His being, but also that He is independent in all His virtues and actions, and causes all his creatures to depend on Him. This idea is contained in
the name Jehovah, finds expression in John 5:26, is indicated in passages which clearly imply that God is independent in His thought,
Rom. 11:33, 34, in His will, Dan. 4:35; Rom. 9:19; Eph. 1:5; Rev. 4:11, in His power, Ps. 115:3, and in His counsel Ps. 33:11, and is also implied in the declaration that He is independent of all things, and that all things exist only through Him Ps. 84:8ff.; Isa. 40:18ff.; Acts
17:25.
2. THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD. Scripture teaches not only the independence but also the unchangeableness of God. He is forever the same, and therefore devoid of all change in His being, His perfections, His purposes, and His promises. This is clearly taught in such passages as Ps. 102:27; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17. At the same time there are many passages which seem to ascribe change to God. He is represented as revealing and hiding Himself, as coming and going, as repenting and changing His intention, and soon, Ex. 32:10–15;
Jonah 3:10; Prov.
11:20; 12:22; Ps.
18:26, 27.
But the unchangeableness of God, as taught in Scripture, clearly does not imply that there is no movement in God. He is unchangeable in His inner being, His attributes, His purposes, His motives of action, and His promises. And when the Bible speaks of Him as repenting and changing His intention, this is evidently only a human way of speaking. In reality the change is not in God but in man and in man's relations to God.
3. THE INFINITY OF GOD. The infinity of God in general is that perfection of His nature by which everything that belongs to His being is without measure or quantity. It may be considered from various points of view: a. His Absolute Perfection. This is the infinity of God with respect to His divine being or essence, and as such qualifies all the
communicable attributes of God. God is infinite in His knowledge and wisdom, in His goodness and love, in His righteousness and holiness, and also in His sovereignty and power. All His perfections are free from limitation and defect. Scripture proof for it is found in Job 11:7–11; Ps. 145:3. b. His Eternity. God's infinity viewed in relation to time is called His eternity. Scripture usually represents it as endless duration, Ps. 90:2;
102:12; Eph. 3:21, but in doing this it uses popular language, and not the more specific language of philosophy. Strictly speaking, it denotes that God transcends time and possesses the whole of His life all at once. There is with Him only an eternal present, and no past or future. c. His Immensity. Viewed with reference to space, the infinity of God is called His immensity. In virtue of this perfection He transcends all space, and at the same time is present in every point of space with His whole being. He is not partly in our country and partly in other countries, but fills every part of space with His entire being. This is also called His omnipresence. God is immanent in all His creatures and in His entire creation, but is in no way bounded by it. This perfection of God is also clearly revealed in Scripture, 1 Kings 8:27;
Isa. 66:1; Ps. 139:7–10; Jer. 23:23, 24; Acts 7:48, 49; 17:27, 28.
4. THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD. By ascribing simplicity to God we assert that He is not composite, and is not susceptible of division in any sense of the word. It implies, among other things, that the three persons in the Godhead are not so many parts of which the divine essence is composed, that God's essence and attributes are not distinct, and that the attributes are not superadded to the essence of God. While the simplicity of God is not directly asserted by Scripture, it clearly follows from His self-existence and immutability. That
which is composed of different parts never can be self-existent, just because it is composed of previously existing parts; neither can it be unchangeable, because every part that is added effects a change.
B. The Communicable Attributes. The communicable attributes of God are those to which the attributes of man bear some analogy. It should be borne in mind, however, that what is found in man is only a finite and imperfect analogy of what is infinite and perfect in God.
In this connection it should be noted that the incommunicable attributes of God qualify His communicable attributes. God is independent and infinite and unchangeable in His knowledge and wisdom, and in His love and holiness.
1. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. The knowledge of God may be defined as that perfection by which He, in an entirely unique manner, knows Himself and all things possible and actual. This knowledge is inherent in God and is not obtained from without.
Moreover, it is always complete and stands out clearly in the consciousness of God. It is called omniscience, because it is allcomprehensive. God knows Himself and all that is contained in His plan. He knows all things as they actually come to pass, past, present, and future, and knows them in their real relations. He is fully acquainted with the hidden essence of things, to which the knowledge of man cannot penetrate. The actual as well as the possible is present to His mind. The omniscience of God is clearly taught in such passages of Scripture as 1 Kings 8:39; Ps. 139:1–16;
Isa. 46:10; Ezek. 11:5; Acts 15:18; John 21:17; Heb. 4:13.
2. THE WISDOM OF GOD. The wisdom of God may be called a particular aspect of His knowledge. It is the intelligence of God as manifested in the adaptation of means to ends. In virtue of it God chooses the best means for the attainment of the ends He has in
view. The final end to which He makes all secondary ends subservient is the glory of His name, Rom. 11:33 14:7, 8; Eph. 1:11,
12; Col. 1:16. The wisdom of God is seen in creation, Ps. 19:1–7; 104:1–34; in providence, Ps. 33:10, 11; Rom. 8:28, and in the work of redemption, 1 Cor. 2:7; Rom. 11:33; Eph. 3:10.
3. THE GOODNESS OF GOD. God is good in Himself; that is, He is perfectly holy; but this is not the goodness which comes into consideration here. It is God's goodness in action, which reveals itself in doing well unto others, that is now under contemplation. It may be defined as that perfection of God which prompts Him to deal bounteously and kindly with all His creatures. It is the affection which the Creator feels toward the sentient creatures as such. As manifested towards His rational creatures, it is sometimes called His love of benevolence or His common grace, to designate the fact that its bounties are undeserved. The Bible refers to it in many places, such as Ps. 36:6; 104:21; 145:8, 9, 16; Matt. 5:45; 6:26; Acts 14:17.
4. THE LOVE OF GOD. In the present day this is frequently regarded as the most central attribute in God, in the light of which all the other divine perfections should be interpreted. But there is no sufficient reason for regarding it as more central than any of the other virtues of God. We have in mind here particularly God's love of complacency, which is His delight in the contemplation of His own infinite perfections and of the creatures who reflect His moral image.
This love may be considered from various points of view as: a. The Grace of God. In the specific language of Scripture the grace of God is the unmerited love of God toward those who have forfeited it, and are by nature under a judgment of condemnation. It is the source of all the spiritual blessings that are bestowed upon unworthy sinners, Eph. 1:6, 7; 2:7–9; Tit. 2:11; 3:4–7.
b. The Mercy of God. Another aspect of the love of God is His mercy or tender compassion. It is the love of God toward those who are in misery or distress, irrespective of their desires. It contemplates man as one who is bearing the consequences of sin, and is therefore in a pitiable condition. It is exercised only in harmony with the strictest justice of God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Luke 1:54, 72,
78; Rom. 15:9; 9:16, 17; Eph. 2:4. c. The Longsuffering of God. When the love of God is considered as bearing with the froward and evil, it is called His longsuffering or forbearance. This contemplates the sinner as continuing in sin, notwithstanding repeated admonitions and warnings, and reveals itself especially in postponing the merited judgment, Rom. 2:4; 9:22;
1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:15.
5. THE HOLINESS OF GOD. The holiness of God is first of all that divine perfection by which He is absolutely distinct from all His creatures, and is exalted above them in infinite majesty. This is the meaning which it has in Ex. 15:11; 1 Sam. 2:2; Isa. 57:15; Hos. 11:9.
We have in mind here more particularly, however, the ethical holiness of God, which consists in His separation from moral evil, that is, from sin. While the fundamental idea in this holiness is that of separation, it also denotes something positive, namely, the moral excellence or ethical perfection of God. In its presence man feels himself burdened with a consciousness of sin. Job 34:10; Hab. 1:13;
Isa. 6:5. It may be defined as that perfection of God in virtue of which He eternally wills and maintains His own moral excellence, abhors sin, and demands purity in His moral creatures.
6. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. This attribute of God is closely related to the immediately preceding one. It is that perfection of God by which He maintains Himself over against every violation of His
holiness, and shows in every respect that He is the Holy One.
Different aspects of it should be distinguished. a. His Rectoral Justice. This is the rectitude which God manifests as the Ruler of both the good and the evil. In virtue of this He institutes a moral government in the world, and imposes a just law upon man, with promises of reward for the obedient and threats of punishment for the disobedient, Ps. 99:4; Isa. 33:22; Rom. 1:32. b. His Remunerative Justice. This manifests itself in the distribution of rewards to both men and angels, Deut. 7:9, 12, 13; Ps. 58:11; Mic.
7:20; Rom. 2:7; Heb. 11:26. It is really an expression of the divine love, dealing out its bounties, not on the basis of strict merit, but according to promise and agreement, Luke 17:10; 1 Cor. 4:7. c. His Retributive Justice. This relates to the infliction of penalties, and is an expression of the divine wrath. In a sinless world there would be no place for its exercise, but in a world full of sin it necessarily holds a very prominent place. while the Bible stresses the reward of the righteous more than the punishment of the wicked, even the latter stands out boldly in Scripture, Rom. 1:32; 2:9; 12:19;
2 Thess. 1:8.
7. THE VERACITY OF GOD. The veracity of God may be described as that perfection in virtue of which He is true in His inner being, in His revelation, and in His relation to His people. It implies that He is the true God as over against the idols, which are lies and vanity; that He knows things as they really are and also enables man to know the reality of things; and that He faithfully fulfils all His covenant promises. This last aspect of God's veracity is usually called His faithfulness. It is the ground of His people's confidence, the foundation of their hope, and the cause of their rejoicing, Num.
23:19; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:17; 10:23.
8. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. Under this general heading we consider God's sovereign will, or His sovereignty in planning and directing the affairs of the world and of His rational creatures; and God's sovereign power, His omnipotence, or the sovereignty of God in executing His will. a. The Sovereign Will of God. The will of God is represented in Scripture as the final cause of all things: of creation and preservation, Rev. 4:11, of government, Prov. 21:1; Dan. 4:35; Eph.
1:11, of the sufferings of Christ, Luke 22:42; Acts 2:23, of election and reprobation, Rom. 9:15, 16, of regeneration, Jas. 1:18, of sanctification, Phil. 2:13, of the sufferings of believers, 1 Pet. 3:17, of man's life and destiny, Acts 18:21; Rom. 15:32; Jas. 4:15, and even of the smallest things of life, Matt. 10:29.
1) The secret and the revealed will of God. Several distinctions are applied to the will of God, of which the most common is that between the secret and the revealed will of God. The former is the will of God's decree, which is largely hidden in God, while the latter is the will of His precept, which is revealed in the law and in the gospel.
This distinction is based on Deut. 29:29. The secret will of God is mentioned in Ps. 115:3; Dan. 4:17; Rom. 9:18, 19; 11:33, 34; Eph. 1:5,
9, 11; and His revealed will in Matt. 7:21; 12:50; John 4:34; 7:17; Rom. 12:2. The former pertains to all things which God wills either to effect or to permit, and which are therefore absolutely certain. The latter has reference to the duties which God prescribes to man, represents the way in which man can enjoy the divine blessing, and is frequently frustrated.
2) The freedom of God's will. There are certain things which God necessarily wills. He cannot but love Himself and take delight in the contemplation of His own perfections. And yet He is under no
compulsion even here, but acts according to the law of His inner being. No such necessity characterizes God's will with reference to His creatures. God chooses voluntarily what and whom He will create, and the times, places, and circumstances of their lives. He marks out the paths of all His rational creatures, determines their destiny, and uses them for His purposes. And while He endows them with freedom, yet His will controls their actions. The Bible speaks of the freedom of God's will in the most absolute terms, Job 11:10;
33:13; Ps. 115:3; Prov. 21:1; Isa. 10:15; Matt. 20:15 Rom. 9:15–18; Rev. 4:11.
3) The will of God in relation to sin. Serious problems arise in connection with the relation of God's will to sin. If God planned all things then He also planned the entrance of sin into the world. Does not this make Him the author of sin? It should be borne in mind, however, that God did not decide to effect sin Himself nor procure its commission efficaciously. He decreed to permit His rational creatures to sin, thereby rendering the entrance of sin into the world certain, without Himself becoming its author. This statement of the matter does not solve the problem altogether, but safeguards the idea of the moral purity of God. Another problem arises from the relation of the secret and the revealed will to each other. They are often said to be contradictory. His secret will comprises many things which He forbids in His revealed will, and excludes many things which He commands in His revealed will, Gen. 22; Ex. 4:21–23; 2 Kings 20:1–
7. God decreed that the Jews should crucify Jesus; yet in doing this they went contrary to the revealed will of God, Acts 2:23. It should be borne in mind, however, that in making the distinction under consideration we are using the word "will" in two different senses. By His secret will God has determined what He will do or what shall come to pass; in His revealed will, on the other hand, He reveals to us what we must do. Moreover, the situation is not such that,
according to His secret will He does, and, according to His revealed will, He does not take pleasure in sin. The fact that He decreed that sin should enter the world does not imply that He takes delight in it. b. The Sovereign Power or Omnipotence of God. The sovereignty of God also finds expression in the divine power or omnipotence, the power to execute His will. The omnipotence of God should not be understood to imply that God can do everything. The Bible teaches us that there are many things which God cannot do. He cannot lie, sin, change, nor deny Himself, Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; 2 Tim.
2:13; Heb. 6:18; Jas. 1:13, 17. The Scholastics were wrong when they taught that He could do all kinds of things which are inherently contradictory and could even annihilate Himself. It is more correct to say that, in virtue of His omnipotence, God can, through the mere exercise of His will, realize whatsoever He has decided to accomplish. And if He so desired, He could do more than He actually brings to pass, Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:27; Zech. 8:6; Matt. 3:9; 26:53.
The omnipotence of God finds expression in the name El-Shaddai, and is clearly mentioned in several passages of Scripture, Job 9:12;
Ps. 115:3; Jer. 32:17; Matt. 19:26; Luke 1:37; Rom. 1:20; Eph. 1:19.
Questions for Review:
How do we divide the attributes of God? Which belong to each one of these classes? What is the independence of God? His immutability?
How can we explain that the Bible apparently ascribes change to God? What is God's eternity and immensity? How can we prove the simplicity of God? What is the nature and extent of God's knowledge? How is His wisdom related to His knowledge? What is the goodness of God, and what other names are used for it? Should we speak of love as central in God? How do we distinguish God's grace, mercy, and Iongsuffering? What is the holiness of God? Under what different aspects can the righteousness of God be considered?