19. Credo Blogging: God, Part I.

This is the second in an ongoing series of posts which will explore my Credo. The first part can be found here:

Prolegomena or First Things.

The topic of God will be done in two parts. This part will focus on the nature and attributes of God whereas Part II will focus on the Trinity as well as some more controversial points regarding God's nature.

God.

Aquinas claims we cannot know what and how God is; we can only know how and what God is not.[1] Additionally, Aquinas says humanity cannot use words that describe the created order to define or describe the attributes of God—they simply do not apply. In describing an object, human words only serve to recreate—to make intellectual facsimiles of sensory experiences. Conversely, divine language brings into being something from nothing—it not only creates, but is the power of creation. Human language is only sufficient to describe creation; God is not creation, therefore human language can only describe what God is not. However, God interacts with the creative order. Therefore, we may not be able to describe adequately what or who God is, but we can certainly describe our experiences of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do.

The various aspects of God would seem contradictory if applied to created beings, but they are essential to the God’s nature. God is immanent and personal, transcendent and mysterious. In Genesis 1, the author represents God as eternal, transcendent, other, holy, impassable, creator and sustainer of creation, omnipotent, free, and the source of all that is good. God exists before creation and is apart from it. God speaks things into existence and sustains them through divine will. Nothing can logically limit God’s power other than the limits God has ordained. God is the both the sole mover and originator of both matter and movement.

In Genesis 2, God is intimate, immanent, personal, loving, and the source of all human well being and joy. God forms man by hand, and intimately breathes life into him. God is loving, and the full and perfect example of giving one’s self for the other. Though God does not need the created order, God has chosen to make us the full recipients of divine attention. God serves as a humble provider, caring for the man and his every need.

God is both omnipotent and free. God is all-powerful, but this is not to say that God causes all events. God does precisely when and in what way God intends, coerced by nothing external to God’s self. Nothing causes God; as was told to Moses, God simply is. God’s state of being is constant, immutable, and perfect in every conceivable way. The only limits to God’s power are those that are outside the bounds of logic and those that are self-imposed.

God is just and loving. God’s justice covers all regardless of a person’s biology, psychology, or their location in space and time. As Peter observes, God shows no partiality. Regarding God’s love, scripture affirms in 2 Peter 3.9 and 1 Timothy 2.3-4, that God desires all to repent and be saved. God loves each of us as equally as God judges us. God’s justice is complete; God’s love is infinite.

Next on Credo Blog: God, Part II.

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[1] Barron, Priority, 191.