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BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. W. Robert Cook, Th.D

Great art Thou O Lord and greatly to be praised;
great is Thy power and Thy wisdom infinite.
And Thee would man praise;
man, but a particle of Thy creation;
man that bears about him his mortality, the witness of his sin,
the witness that Thou resistest the proud:
yet would man praise thee: he but a particle of Thy creation.
Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise;
for Thou madest us for Thyself,
and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.

Aurelius Augustine (354-430)

What is God like? How this question is answered will be determinative of one's theology. If we are to understand who God is and how he acts priority must be given to an understanding of the perfections (attributes) of God. One sublime answer given to this question is found in David's beautiful song of praise as recorded in Psalm 145.

I will exalt You, my God the King;
    I will praise Your Name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise You
    and extol Your Name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
    His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend Your works to another;
    They will tell of Your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
    and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works,
    and I will proclaim Your great deeds.
They will celebrate Your abundant Goodness
    and Joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
(vv. 1-7, NIV)

This worshipful statement is permeated with the two great truths which we highlighted in our statement regarding Christian theism early in chapter nine—God is both immanent and transcendent, or as Erickson puts it, he is both near and distant. ^[1]  The Scriptures strongly affirm both immanence (Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:27-28) and transcendence (Ps. 113:5-6; Isa. 55:8-9; 57:15) and the view we take on these truths "… has definite practical implications! The life style of the Christian will (or should) be affected by what one believes on these matters. And the way in which one's ministry is conducted will also be affected by what he conceives of as the nature of God's involvement with the created order” (ibid. p. 302). He continues with an important reminder that "immanence and transcendence should not be regarded as attributes of God.” Rather, he says, they"... should be regarded as indications of how God, in all of his attributes, relates to his world." ^[2]

The doctrine of divine immanence is easily misconstrued and abused. Erroneous understandings of immanence range from the classical liberal view which identified God with progress and social advance in the realm of the natural to the "death of God" theology which for all practical purposes identifies God with all humanity.

In reaction to the extreme immanentalism of liberalism, Barth originally took a position which viewed God as the "wholly Other." He was so removed from man that communication between the two was virtually impossible. ^[3] Such an emphasis upon transcendence is understandable in light of the liberal error but it becomes an error in itself when stated in its extreme form.

God must be seen as both separate from, and above his creation while at the same time intimately related to it. "'Am, I only a God nearby,' declares the LORD, 'and not a God far away?’... 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?'" (Jer. 23:23-24). As Paul declares he is "one God... who is over all (transcendent) and through all and in all" (immanent) (Eph. 4:6).

In a helpful summary Erickson lists the implications of a biblical view of immanence:

God is not limited to working directly to accomplish his purposes…. God may use persons and organizations that are not avowedly Christian…. We should have an appreciation for all that God has created…. We can learn something about God from his creation…. God's immanence means that there are points at which the gospel can make contact with the unbeliever. ^[4]

He later lists six ways that transcendence has implications for the believer.

There is something higher than man…. God can never be completely captured in human concepts…. Our salvation is not our achievement…. There will always be a difference between God and man…. Reverence is appropriate in our relationship with God…. We will look for genuinely transcendent working by God. ^[5]

This transcendent/immanent God is not to be known only as he makes himself known. He has not chosen to do this by way of a statement of definition in the Scriptures but rather by the manifestation of certain personal qualities or characteristics. These are most commonly referred to as the “attributes of God."

I.       Definition of "Attribute"

An attribute is an essential or property which is intrinsic to its subject. It is that by which it may be distinguished or identified. The term is not intended to imply that something has been added to the divine being. They "are not our conceptions projected upon him. They are objective characteristics of his nature." ^[6] Because of what he feels is the inadequacy of the word “attribute,” Berkhof, and I think rightly, prefers the term "perfections” (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9). Attributes then, are "the perfections which are predicated of the Divine Being in Scripture, or are visibly exercised by Him in His works of creation, providence and redemption.” ^[7]

II.      The Relation Between the Essence and Attributes of God

The history of Christian thought has seen extended and sometimes abstruse debate over the question of what is meant by "substance" or "essence" as used of God, especially in relation to the attributes. Is it something other than the person of God out of which the attributes arise or is it, as Athanasius declared in the fourth century, simply another way of speaking of God? ^[8] Henry is correct when he declares,

What we mean by the essence or nature of God is a living personal unity of properties and activities. Divine essence and attributes are integral to each other. God is not a substance essentially distinguished from his psychic properties or attributes. Such a notion would reduce divine essence to a barren concept, a postulation devoid of content and meaning. God's being is not the bearer of divine attributes; rather God's essence and attributes are identical. ^[9]

"Every attribute is most certainly identical with God’s being, nevertheless the attributes are to be distinguished from each other." ^[10 Also while we must not separate, we must distinguish between essence and attributes. God cannot be reduced to one or more of his attributes. On the other hand, they are not separate from his essence, and are indeed a manifestation of it.  The essence of all God is revealed only through and apart from them the essence is unknown and unknowable.

III.      Classification of the Attributes

There is disagreement among theologians regarding the proper method of classification of the attributes.  None of the suggestions are totally satisfactory, for some objection may be raised against all.  And since it is divine qualities of being that are under discussion, they ultimately defy classification.

Where a system of classification is employed, usually two categories are advanced.  Some of these systems are as follows: personal (true of God and his creatures) and constitutional (true of God only); absolute (related to his being) and relative (related to his creation); natural (related to his being) and moral (related to his will); communicable (those for which analogy may be found in human beings) and incommunicable (those for which no analogy may be found among human beings).

Whatever scheme is followed the first set of attributes must always be viewed as being qualified by the second. For example, while love in God is analogous to love in man, it is not to be considered as it is in man, but as immutable and infinite. This principle is illustrated in Donald Bloesch's development of the attributes in Essentials of Evangelical Theology. Instead of discussing love and holiness he chooses to speak of "holy love." "'There is both a kindness and severity in God (Rom. 11:22)," he says, "and neither must be emphasized to the detriment of the other. God's steadfast love endures forever (P5. 136:1; 138:8), but it endures as a consuming fire." ^[11] Furthermore, the opposite is to be noted, namely, even the communicable attributes are only experienced by man to a degree.

Related to the issue of classification is the question of priority. Is one attribute preeminent over the others? Many suggestions have been made. The liberal tends to give priority to love until divine holiness and righteousness are almost meaningless. Bloesch organizes his presentations around sovereignty. ^[12] A. H. Strong  ^[13] opts for holiness and this has been set forward recently, again, by William F. Kerr. ^[14] Surely, as over against the modernist, Kerr is rightly motivated in his expression, but is any such exalting of one attribute over another justified?

My suspicions ere that both schemes are fraught with danger and set for failure. Love is the attribute of self-communication and when overdrawn tends to magnify immanence at the expense of transcendence. The "love-is-all” advocate tends to sentimentalize life because at best his view of God is pantheized and at worst is pantheistic. On the other hand, holiness is the attribute of separation and distinctiveness. When it is overemphasized, transcendence tends to eclipse immanence. The “holiness-is-all" advocate tends to view life apathetically because his view of God sees him as aloof to the mundane, which is an incipient form of deism.

It would appear, then, that it is folly to try to epitomize God in either of these attributes, or in any other, for that matter. No more can the infinite God be summarized in one of his perfections than he can be comprehended in a simple definition. Biblically oriented wisdom would seem to dictate that we preserve the tension created by the juxtaposition of these admittedly basic perfections. ^[15]

As Henry notes, “Each attribute is rightly definable and defined only in relation to every other attribute, since each one reflects the simplicity of God." ^[16]

IV.     The Incommunicable Attributes, (God as the Absolute Being)

A.      Aseity

God is self-existent. The source of his existence and life is wholly within himself and is not dependent upon anything external to himself. He exists by the necessity of his own being, that  is, his existence is grounded in his nature (John 5:26; Psalm 36:9; 94:8 ff.; Isa. 40;18 ff.; Jer. 2:13; Exod. 3:14-15; Rom. 11:33; Dan. 4:35; Rom. 9:19; Eph. 1:5). “His essential life does not correspond merely to his personal relations to the cosmos and to human beings." Rather, he “… perpetually wills and purposes his own being; this being depends upon nothing external to himself yet is not internally necessitated as if he exists forever whether he wills to do so or not.” ^[17]

Erickson states the same truth but prefers to state it differently: "Sometimes the life of God is described as self-caused. It is preferable to refer to him as the uncaused one. His very nature is to exist. It is not necessary for him to will his own existence. ^[18]

As the one whose life is not derived he alone is the source of life for he in the ultimate sense. In him I have no finite secondary life but that which is original as well as ultimate. It is the source of steadfast (loyal) love toward his own (Ps. 36:7); a source of tender care and safety (36:7), a source of boundless and delightful sustenance (36:8).

B.      Immutability

God is not subject to change. He is invariable. This relates "to his essence, not to his manifestation. Consequently, the incarnation and Jesus’ growth from babyhood to manhood do not contravene his immutability, as set forth in Hebrews 13:8, since they in no way alter the divine nature in the theanthropic person (Num. 23:19; Psalm 33:11, 102:27; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; James 1:17).

The God of scripture does not change either for better or for worse for he possesses all perfections from eternity. Malachi 3 emphasizes the unchangeableness of God’s counsel (cf. Prov. 19:21; Heb. 6:17); James 1:17 the unchangeableness of his righteousness; Hebrews 4:13 the immutability of his knowledge (cf. 1 Tim. 1:17…; Acts 15:18); Ephesians 1:11 the immutability of his purpose (cf. Isa. 46:10)." ^[19]

This great truth does face us with an apparent dilemma, however, as we read portions of scripture that describe God as having parts and passions as a human being has. Of particular concern are passages which speak of God repenting (that is, changing his mind). The kind of language to which we refer is called anthropomorphism or anthropopathism.

There are two sets of biblical data pertinent to this issue. One group of references categorically denies that God repents as human beings do (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Mal. 3:6). A second group describe him as repenting of something (Gen. 6:6-7; Exod. 32:14; Jer. 18:10; Jonah 3:10). How are these passages to be reconciled? Does the second group mean that God does indeed change? As Henry states, "The theological issue must... be faced whether such a variation of course or stay of execution is truly compatible with God's unchanging purpose and reconcilable with the steadfastness of his divine intention." ^[20]

Various solutions have been offered. Calvin suggests that the repentance passages "reflect how he seems to us and not as he is in himself." ^[21] Louis Berkhof states, "In reality the change is not in God, but in man and in man's relations to God." ^[22]

Henry, attempting to avoid the evasiveness of Berkhof's answers writes, "Even divine 'repentance' can be viewed as the temporal fulfillment of a possibility eternally present to God and foreknown and foreordained by him." ^[23] Erickson offers three suggestions to help us explain such passages.

1. Some of them are to be understood as anthropomorphisms and anthropopathisms. They are simply descriptions of God's actions and feelings in human terms, and from a human perspective…

2. What may seem to be changes of mind may actually be new stages in the working out of God's plan….

3. Some apparent changes of mind are changes of orientation resulting from men's move into a different relationship with God ^[24]

In all likelihood, we should view passages such as these as ways of acknowledging God’s personhood rather than as indications of his finitude or humanness. When it is written, “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind" (1 Sam. 15: 29) the very comparison in the statement shows that this is an ontological and thus normative statement.

The same one who recorded this states only a few lines later that “The LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel" (v. 35). Surely he was not contradicting himself. He is rather affirming that God is personal rather than an impersonal force.  He is compassionate in his relations to his own and does not rejoice in the disobedience of his people anymore than he does in the death of the wicked. This, then, is an affirmation in anthropopathic language of one of God's eternal perfections.

Because he does not change, when he pledges his word he binds himself thereby to keep it. Regardless of my waywardness (Mal. 3:7 ff) God does not change. When I return to where he has always been the abundance of his goodness is still there and available. If he was ever reliable he always will be (Num. 23:19a); if he ever committed himself to me he will never change his commitment (23:19b); if he ever gave me a promise he will certainly fulfill it (23:19c and d).

C.      Infinity

God is free from all limitations other than self limitation. This implies that he is in no way limited by the universe or confined to it. That is, he is transcendent as well as immanent. It does not involve his identity with the sum total of existence, nor does it prevent the coexistence of derived and finite things to which he bears relation. It does mean that whatever limitations of the divine nature result from the existence of finite things or beings, they are self-imposed on God's part. "When applied to the God of the Bible infinity means that the attributes comprising the divine character are unlimited by external restriction and are limited only by God's own nature that is constituted of these very attributes." ^[25]

The infinity of God is intensive rather than extensive. God is not boundless extension, for he has no body and thus no extension. One part of him is not here and another part there in the universe. Rather he is infinite energy of spiritual life and his reserve is infinite. Therefore, there is a transcendent element in him which no self-revelation can exhaust (Jer. 32:27; Psalm 40:5; 89:2; 145:5). There is no way to inventory the limitless supply of God's bounty. He is incomparable. There is no other like him in any way, let alone in the extent and wonder of his deeds and thoughts for me.

The infinity of God bears three relationships.

1.       Perfection

This refers to the relationship of infinity to God's being. It is to be understood in a qualitative sense, that is, it qualifies all of the communicable attributes such as power, holiness, love, truth, righteousness, and knowledge. By definition it means that God is perfect, complete, finished; that in him there is nothing lacking, no defect. He is all that he ought to be (Job 11:7-10; 37:16; Deut. 32:4; Psalm 18:30; 19:1; Matt. 5:48; Rom. 12:2; James 1:17).

H. Crosby Englizian reminds us that when we state that God is perfect, among other things we are acknowledging him to be "a universal, absolute and eternal king who has created and controls and possesses all things, yet needing nothing which he has created." He continues by pointing out that, "Since God is perfect, it is impossible for any man to impose obligation upon him. Neither piety nor service obligates God.” ^[26]

In affirming the perfection of God we are acknowledging that he is the complete God. Not only is there no essential quality missing in his being, but also every quality without defect. Further his works and ways are flawless. This is evidenced in his creative handiwork where we see evidence of his perfect knowledge (Job 37:16) and in his creative handiwork where we see evidence of his perfect law (Ps. 29:7). One of the desires of our complete Father God is that we be complete children (Matt. 5:48). To this end we must give ourselves to proving his complete (and completing) will (Rom. 12:2). Then we can confess with the Psalmist that he has made our way perfect (Ps. 18:30-32).

2.       Eternity

This refers to the relationship of infinity to time. It describes the fact that God transcends all temporal limits and differs from time essentially. The Bible teaches that God’s nature is without beginning or end (Ps. 90:2; 102:27); free from all succession of time and thus transcending all temporal limitations (2 Pet. 3:8; Isa. 57:15); and that he contains within himself the cause of time (Heb. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:17).

“There is a successive order to the acts of God and there is a logical order to his decisions, yet there is no temporal order to his willing…. He has from all eternity determined what he is now doing.  Thus his actions are not in any sense reactions to developments.” ^[27]

That God is eternal is expressly stated in such passages as Genesis 21:33, Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; 102:11-12; Isaiah 57:15; and Romans 1:20. This introduces a serious question. Does such a view of God's eternality remove him for all practical purposes from his world? Can he be eternal and still be interested in and concerned for us? The consistent testimony of Scripture is, yes, he both transcends and is involved in time.  Henry supports this premise when he writes,

God's timeless eternity as Christians affirm it does not rule out all that properly characterizes the biblical representations of creation and preservation, revelation and redemption, incarnation and atonement. Judeo-Christian religion is irreducibly a religion of historical revelation and redemption; it locates God's supreme disclosure in the Word became flesh in the history of the world (emphasis mine). … No view of God can be biblical if it deprives human history and personal life of its high importance. ^[28]

The logic of this truth is underscored by E. L. Mascall as he points out that

A God in whom, in his timelessness, the whole spatio-temporal fabric of the world is eternally present is not less but more concerned with the world and its affairs than would be a God who was entangled in it. For the latter kind of deity would be limited in his experience at each moment to the particular stage in its development that the world reached at that moment. While the former, in his extra-temporal and extra-spatial vision and activity, embraces in one timeless act every one of his creatures whatever its time and place may be. ^[29]

God predates and postdates all that is created including those things which seem most permanent to me. His framework of essence and existence are not determined by the finite and the temporal. "He does not grow or develop. There are no variations in his nature at different points within his existence." ^[30]

His sphere of operation is eternity rather than time. Therefore none of the limitations of time touch him. The deterioration usually associated with the passing of time and the uncertainty arising from the elusive future in no way qualify his being. Thus his capacity to revive the spirit of the contrite and humble is not related to an acquired skill or to psychological manipulation but to his intrinsic nature (Isa. 57:17).

For him (this eternal God) to be my home, and the foundation and guardian of that home, is to be assured of the permanence of the dwelling, the unfailing strength of the foundation upon which it is built, and the certain safety I can enjoy therein since he personally is surety against every enemy.

Note on the problem of the relationship between time and eternity:

a. Time may be defined as a relationship of things in a finite and changing world. Thus measurement is the essence of time. Without change you could not measure and there could be no change until God created a world of changing things. God is thus the author of time, i.e., time is a created thing. (Also, God will be the fulfiller or consummator of time.)

b. The eternity of God is something, then, in contrast to time for it is uncreated. It is not simply time without end or existence without interruption. God is not in time, though time is in God. God fills time. Strictly speaking time is meaningful to a world of objects existing in succession. Consequently, time affects no limit upon God. He is not related to time essentially but only existentially. Nonetheless, in the person of Jesus Christ, God stepped into time without surrendering His eternality.

c. Our life is divided into past, present, and future, but there is no such division in God’s life. He is the "I am.” to him past, present, and future are "one eternal now." This does not mean that time has no objective reality to God. He recognizes the distinctions between past, present, and future, but he sees the past and future as vividly as he does the present. ^[31]

3.       Immensity—Omnipresence

These terms refer to the relationship of infinity to space. Regarding God's nature this means that he is without extension; that he is not subject to spatial limitations; that he is the cause or author of space; and that he is not in space, though space is in him and he fills space with his whole being.

Immensity is related to omnipresence as follows: Immensity emphasizes God’s transcendence by which he transcends space and is not subject to its limitations. Omnipresence emphasizes god’s immanence by which he fills every part of space with his entire being.

The combination of these truths combats two basic errors in relationship to theism. Pantheism, which denies God’s transcendence and says that the being of God is the substance of all things, is overruled by these attributes. It says that God is not free, whereas these attributes demonstrate that he is. Deism, which denies God's immanence and states that he is present in the universe in His power but not in his essence or being, is also overruled by these attributes.

The combination of these truths further teaches that God is omnipresent both in power and essence.  God’s essence is present at the same moment in all things.  He is present immanently in the world by the free act of his own will, and this is qualified by his transcendence. This does not mean that he is equally present and present in the same sense in all his creatures. For example, he does not dwell on earth as he does in heaven, in animals as in man, in the wicked as in the righteous. The Bible teaches the immensity and omnipresence of God in such Scriptures as Psalm 139:7-12; 1 Kings 8:27, 30: Isaiah 57:15: Jeremiah 43:23-24: Acts 17:27-28; Ephesians 4:6.

There is no place on earth or throughout the universe where I am beyond his care or where he cannot hear my call. There is no environment or circumstance, hostile or friendly, which will insulate me against his presence or cut me off from his provision. By the same token, there is no place to which I may take myself where I need not give answer to him. He is at once a God close by, to meet my needs, and far off, to meet someone else's (see Jer. 23:23; Ps. 139:7-12).

D.       Unity—Simplicity

These attributes set forth the oneness of God from two standpoints. Unity states that God is numerically and uniquely one. This teaches that there is but one divine being, and excludes all other gods. John 5:44 states that he is the only God. Deuteronomy 6:4 teaches that God is one in number. This does not mean that there are no other beings who have been or are called gods (1 Cor. 8:4-5). It does mean that there is only one divine being who is God. Neither does this exclude the idea of plurality of persons in the one God (John 10:30) because together the members of the godhead share one essence. Simplicity means that God is qualitatively one. This means there is no possibility of division in God. He is uncompounded, incomplex, indivisible, in contrast, for example, to man.

This implies… that the persons of the Godhead are not so many parts of which the divine essence is composed, but God's essence and perfections are not distinct, and that the attributes ere not super-added to His essence. ^[32]

Henry affirms the same truth when he says of God that “he is not a collection of perfections, but rather a living center of activity pervasively characterized by all his distinctive perfections." ^[33]

There are several practical values of these attributes. They reject the ideas of polytheism, dualism, and tritheism, since the idea of two or more gods is self-contradictory. They would limit each other and thus destroy this godhood. They show that man is responsible to only one God, and thus man is shut up to one God and his gospel for his salvation (Rom. 3:19-20). They harmonize with the doctrine of the Trinity. There are three persons in one personal being. In God there are personal self-distinctions within the divine essence, which is generically and numerically one.

The Bible testifies to the unity of God in such passages as Deuteronomy 6:4; 4:39; Isaiah 44:6; 45:5; Mark 12:29; 1 Corinthians 8:4; and James 2:19. Since Yahweh alone is God in all the universe (cf. Deut.6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4) he alone has exclusive claim to my worship and allegiance. I am thus released from all the demands, real or supposed, which any other so-called god, including the god of this age may attempt to impose upon me.

V.      The Communicable Attributes (God As Personal Spirit)

A.       Introduction: Spirituality

John 4:24 declares, “God is spirit (note spirit). This describes an essential quality of his being.

It should be noted that pneuma (spirit) is anarthrous, emphasizing the nature or quality of “spirit" rather than the personal identity of “a spirit." This is not a statement to the effect that God is of that genre of beings known as spirits. It is not a reference, therefore, to the Holy Spirit…. This is an affirmation that God is transcendent, pure person (in contrast to one who is a compound of matter and spirit or that which is only matter and therefore finite). He is unlimited by space and time and must be understood in spiritual terms. ^[34]

See also 1 Timothy 1:17 and 6:15-16. This means that God is a substantial being all his own. He is distinct from the world, immaterial, invisible and without extension. He has none of the properties belonging to matter, is not dependent upon matter, and cannot be discerned with the bodily senses. Both the Old and New Testaments affirm the invisibility of God. No image or human representation of God appeared in the ‘holy of holies' since Yahweh provided his own presence." ^[35] Passages which ascribe bodily, parts to him are anthropomorphic and figurative.

1.       Life

Because God is a spiritual being he possesses life in himself. This does not merely refer to force, activity, or energy apart from a subject. It is not merely response to external conditions; rather he possesses personal energy, that is he has in his own being the source of being, both for himself and others (John 5:26). The fact that the God in reality is a living God is set forth in both positive end negative ways in Scripture. On the one hand he speaks of himself as the “I am" (Exod. 3:14), the eternally existing one. On the other, he is often contrasted with the gods of the heathen who are without life (see e.g., Ps. 115:2-7; Isa. 40:18-20, 44; Jer. 10:10-11).

2.       Personality

Furthermore, as a spiritual being God is a self-conscious (that is, able to objectify himself) and self-determining (able to manifest inner spontaneity or will) being.  He possesses to an infinite degree intellect, sensibility and will. This great truth about our God is set forth in at least two ways in Scripture. First of all, he is one who has a name (Exod. 3:14-15; see discussion in chapter 9).  “Nor is this name used merely to refer to God or to describe him,” as Erickson notes.  “It is also used to address him” (see e.g., en. 4:26; 12:8; Ps. 20:7, 9) and “is to be spoken and treated respectfully (Exod. 20:7).” ^[36]

Secondly, the way God relates to his creation demonstrates his personality. The personality of God has profound practical implications when adequately grasped by the believer in particular and mankind in general. That God is a personal being and that we are made in his image and are therefore likewise personal beings bears directly on how we value ourselves and other human beings. "Only the biblical revelation of God the personal creator and redeemer of man for life in the new society over which the risen Christ eternally reigns, can effectively counter the factors that put in question the objective value of personality." ^[37] Current thinking on abortion and developing attitudes on euthanasia would not be possible if this truth were firmly grasped.

If personality is no longer the unique feature of human existence, humans can with impunity be treated as economic chattel, sex objects, experimental guinea pigs, and much else, for no divine imperative or human necessity exists for treating him [sic] as something qualitatively different. Then respect for personality is lost, the basic values essential to the human family are also readily dissolved. ^[38]

It is, therefore, not an overstatement to say that "in view of its implications for man and the world the question whether God is personal being is therefore of fundamental importance.” ^[39]

Another practical lesson that must be learned from the truth that God is a personal being relates to a balanced doctrine of prayer. The Scriptures teach us that prayer is the normal family response of child to father (Rom. 8:15). It is an act of worship for in engaging wherein we acknowledge both our dependence upon him and his greatness in and of himself and as he provides for our needs. We are encouraged, in the atmosphere of joy and thanksgiving that comes from recognizing who he is, to present our requests to him (Phil. 4:4-6).

While recognizing these facts we must at the same time remember that God is not to be viewed as "Aladdin's lamp" which when rubbed brings forth a genie to provide our every want. Two factors must always take precedence over our expression of needs and wants: who God is—the personal God of creation, providence and redemption; and what God wants—his will for his creatures.

God is to be treated as a being not an object or a force. He is not something to be used or manipulated. While our thinking and practice may at times betray such a view, it is not consistent with the biblical picture. The idea that God is simply something to be used or something that solves our problems and meets our needs is not religion. Such attempts to harness him belong rather to the realm of magic or technology.

God is an end in himself, not a means to an end. He is of value to us for what he is in himself, not merely for what he does. ^[40]

Too often we confuse God the giver of every good and perfect gift with God who owes me every personal desire. Erickson has captured this misconception well with the following analysis.

Instead of regarding God as our Lord, whose glory is the supreme value and whose will is to be done, we regard him as our servant. He is expected to meet all our perceived needs and to answer to our standards of what is right and wrong. We need to learn from Samuel, whose response when the Lord called him was "Speak, Lord, your servant hears." He did not see this as an opportunity to pour out his concerns to the Lord, saying, "Listen, Lord, your servant speaks." When we adopt the latter stance, we in effect make ourselves God. We presume to know what is right and what is best. In so doing we take upon ourselves a great responsibility to guide our own lives. But it is God who knows what is best in the long run. He is the almighty and loving Lord. He has created us, not we him, and we exist for his glory, not he for ours. ^[41]

B.      Intellectual Attributes

It is well to be reminded, as we begin consideration of the intellectual attributes, that meaningful thought about anything, including God himself, is only possible because of the existence of ultimate truth in God.

The laws of logic are the "architecture" or organization of the divine mind. They are the systematic arrangement of God’s mind or the way God thinks. The laws of logic, therefore, have an ultimate ontological reality…. Those who argue that God is illogical and then presume to say something ontologically significant about him indulge in religious babbling….

God is rational and the source of all rationality. And because he is the originator and sustainer of truth, all truth is one and self consistent. God is the God of intelligible order, not of irrationality, self-contradiction or paradox. Scripture speaks of him as Logos or Wisdom, not the Irrational or the Paradoxical….

The biblical emphasis on a rational Creator, whose image man bears by creation, elevates the role of reason and the laws of logic to timeless significance, since it grounds intelligibility not in this world but in the supernatural. ^[42]

1.       Knowledge (omniscience)

God is a consciously knowing being, and this knowledge is perfect and absolute in kind and inclusiveness. God knows everything and everyone, actual and possible, from all eternity (1 Chron. 28:9; Isa. 40:13-14; 27-28; Heb. 4:13; 1 John 3:20). He knows the acts which free moral agents will perform and might have performed. He knows us completely--our needs, what we are and what we can be. Thus God cannot learn anything new. His knowledge will not fail. It has no limitations.

It also has moral implications. God's unitary nature implies not merely knowledge by a perfect mind, but also his ethical probing of human rebellion. As the Psalmist acknowledges: 'There is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord thou knowest it altogether' (Ps. 139:4). ^[43]

God's omniscience teaches me that he has very particular personal interest in the lives of his children. This knowledge does not merely include a catalog of things which to me are history but also includes my unexpressed inner thoughts and desires as well as my frustrated and unfulfilled past aspirations. It includes the seemingly insignificant as well as the genuinely momentous incidents. Because he is omniscient my confidence in him is increased, for even though I know he knows my past with its sin and my heart and its depraved condition, I also know that, despite that knowledge he has of me, my position in Christ is unassailable and his forgiveness is inexhaustible.

Furthermore, this truth teaches me more about biblical prayer. It delivers me from praying like the heathen do (Matt. 6:7-8). I do not need to use prayer as a means of keeping God informed of my needs, for he already knows them. Rather, it is the evidence of my complete dependence upon him to meet them. Also, his omniscience gives me boldness in prayer for it teaches me that he not only knows my need but also knows the answer to my questions, the solution to my problems, the provision for my inadequacies.

2.       Wisdom (omnisapience)

Wisdom looks at the practical rather than the theoretical side of intellect. "He sees all things in their proper perspective; thus he does not give anything a higher or lower value than what it ought to have." ^[44] It is the application of God's knowledge to the attainment of His ends in ways which will glorify him the most (Rom. 11:33; Prove 8; Ps. 19:1-7; 33:10-11, 1 Cor. 1:30).

Since God is all-wise I am confident that the full knowledge he has of me will be used appropriately. His wisdom guarantees that his great knowledge will not be utilized to exercise or evidence mere raw power. The power he so possesses is rather a disciplined and restrained power since wisdom directs this power providing knowledge to benevolent ends. For example, he wisely allows those experiences into my life that will best conform me to the image of his Son and thus most perfectly glorify himself.

3.       Veracity

Any discussion of God's veracity must begin with a foundational reminder that the God of Scripture is the only God of reality. He alone is genuine; all others are false and only pretenders.  As Paul reminds the Corinthian believers, “We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods (whether in heaven or on earth as indeed there are many ‘gods' and many 'lords'), yet for us there is but one God...." (1 Cor. 8:4-6). As he underscored the vanity of the gods of the nations (Jer. 10:2-5, 8-9) Jeremiah reminds Israel that. Yahweh is the true ('emeth) God.

Our Lord affirms the same truth in his high-priestly prayer (John 17:3) as he speaks of "the only true (alethinos, genuine) God, which idea John echoes in 1 John 3:20.” God is real, he is not fabricated or constructed or imitation, as are all other claimants to deity. In a world in which so much is artificial, our God is real. He is what he appears to be." ^[45]

Under the general heading, the veracity of God, fall concepts of truth, truthfulness, and faithfulness in God.

Truth in God is the surety that what he has disclosed is according to the nature of things (that is, there is no deviation from actuality) and that his disclosures may be depended upon with absolute certainty. He is truth. In a metaphysical sense this means that the idea of God is perfectly realized in him (Ps. 96:5; 97:7). In an ethical sense this means that he reveals himself as he really is so that his revelation is absolutely reliable (Num. 23:19; Rom. 3:4; Heb. 6:18). In a logical sense this means he knows things as they really are and has so constituted msn's mind as to be able to know the reality of things. Thus the truth of God is the foundation of all knowledge.

Because he is truth, God is in a genre apart from all other so-called gods. Wherein they are, according to the psalmist (96:5), things of nothing, he is the God of reality and thus the only provider of reality in human experience.

Truthfulness, which is related to the ethical sense of truth above, emphasizes the fact that God is perfectly reliable in his revelation. He not only does not, but cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). Since the truth of God cannot be questioned neither can his Word. It is the final and supreme setting forth of God's truth (Rom. 3:4; Ps. 12:6). Because he is truth his massage to us in Scripture has absolute reliability. His declarations are trustworthy (John 17:17).

Faithfulness refers to the fact that God fulfills all his promises. This becomes the basis for our confidence and hope and delivers from the despair of our unfaithfulness and failure (Lev. 3:22-23; Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:9; 2 Tim. 2:13).

Because God is truth and true to his word, his promises to me cannot fail (2 7im. 2:13). Just as with Israel of old (Deut. 7:9) so with me today his pledge to me is not based on anything external to himself. He is faithful to himself. He cannot betray his own love and promises.

C.      Moral Attributes

This group of attributes includes the goodness, the holiness, and the righteousness of God.

1.       Goodness

God is the source of all in the universe that is good. This goodness may be manifested in a variety of ways including benevolence, love, grace, mercy, and longsuffering. It is well to remember that these several aspects of God's goodness are never exercised at the expense of another of his perfections. Benevolence is that aspect of God's goodness which embraces all God's creatures in general and secures their welfare. (For example, the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.) It is that which prompts God to deal bountifully and kindly with all His creatures (Ps. 145:9, 15-16; Matt. 5:45; 6:25-33; 10:29-31; Acts 14:17).

God's benevolence leads him to extend certain provisions, concerns, and courtesies to all his creatures, whether they be animal or human, morel or immoral, spiritual or unspiritual. There are aspects of his goodness and grace which are enjoyed by his creation simply because it is the result of his handiwork and because he takes personal interest in that which he has originated. This teaches me that if I would be a son of the Father who is in heaven, i.e., if I would in any way mirror his godly character, I, too, must be indiscriminate in showing the common courtesies and provision of life to my fellows whether they are of the household of faith or not (cf. Luke 6:35).

a)       Love

Love is that by which God is eternally moved to self communication. It is deliberate, intelligent, and with passion.  Love is the prime motive, together with holiness, in all of God’s actions.  It is to be especially noticed that the scriptures teach that he is love as well as being loving. That is, love is a perfection of God as well as an activity of God.  The latter grows out of the former (1 John 4:8, 16). It is when his goodness is directed toward his rational creatures in a personal way that it assumes the character of love.

This love may be distinguished according to the objects on whom it terminates. For example, he loves the sinner because he is God's image-bearer (imago Dei), while he loves his children with a special love since we are uniquely his in Christ (see Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:1) and he intents to see us conformed to the image of his Son (imago Christi; Rom. 8:29). The incarnation and the cross are the supreme evidences and proof of God's love (1 John 4:9-10). Most New Testament passages refer to the cross when alluding to God's love and view his love as an act (e.g., Gal. 2:20, "who loved me"). Revelation 1:5 on the other hand, using the Greek present tense, speaks of his ongoing love.

One of the reasons I can know God and believe in him is that he is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Because he is love by nature, external circumstances do not affect the way or the ones he loves. Hence, despite my sin, he loved me before I responded in love to him (1 John 4:19). The supreme evidence of his love and motivation for mine, then, is his prior love for me as set forth in his lending of his Son to provide satisfaction for my sins and the gift of life which is life indeed (1 John 4:9-11).

b)      Grace

Grace is the translation of the Old Testament Hebrew term chen which refers to God's unique favor shown to his people in light of their covenant relationship with him (e.g., Exod.34:6). In the New Testament the word is charis, that favor which issues from a genuine love tempered by justice and holiness yet all the while undeserved (see e.g., Rom. 5:8; Eph. 2:8; 1 Cor. 15:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:14). Also, there is some similarity between grace and omnipotence in that grace effects moral ends that are otherwise impossible of realization. The difference is that omnipotence is an unrestricted attribute of sovereignty related to will, while grace is a specific aspect of goodness relating in its exercise to God's moral creatures."  ^[46

By definition, grace in God refers to God's unmerited love in action toward those who have forfeited it and deserve the very opposite, being under a sentence of condemnation. It is that intrinsic quality of God's character by which he is constituted freely and spontaneously favorable in his disposition and actions." ^[47] Because of this grace in God we have grace from God. It must be borne in mind that God acts in grace, that is: is gracious, because he is first of all a God of grace. Because of the kind of God he is he acts the way he does.

His grace is free, not in the sense that it cost nothing, but that it is not prompted by anything outside himself. It is spontaneous. It is not capricious for it is governed by his wisdom and will. It is not with gain on the part of the giver in mind nor is it hindered by sin. It is not conditioned upon works and it excludes merit.

Grace toward us is made possible through the cross for it works on the basis that the just demands of God's holiness have been met. Thus while it does not arise because of our need it meets our need. It is the basis of our salvation and every spiritual blessing. ^[48]

There is yet one more dimension of this truth that must be considered. As I have written elsewhere,

…grace is not fully nor properly perceived if it is seen only as being in God or from God. It must also be viewed in its effects as received-by and its evidences as manifested through the believer. To put it another way, there is not only God's grace but also the Christian grace (which takes the form of graciousness and gratefulness). Surely there is a line of continuity to be established between the two but it is important to keep them distinct.

This facet of truth is reinforced in Scripture by every passage which teaches us regarding our proper duty to glorify God. He is glorified in every display of his ineffable character. The believer is privileged to give evidence of his great God both in what he is (John 17:10) and in what he does (1 Corinthians 10:31). One of the perfections of God to be thus demonstrated is grace (Cook, op. cit., p. 81).

c)       Mercy

Mercy (sometimes translated “lovingkindness”) refers to God’s goodness as exercised on behalf of the need of his creatures. It contemplates men in his misery and distress irrespective of his just dessert. It sees man as he bears the consequences of sin, is in a pitiable condition and needs God's help (2 Cor. 1:3; Ps. 86:5; Luke 1:50).

As the "Father of mercies" (2 Cor. 1:3) God is the fountainhead of all compassion. He is sensitive to my affliction and provides that measure of comfort needed in each situation (2 Cor. 1:4). Having identified with us in our humanity, God, in the person of his Son is able to come running to our cry for help in time of need (Heb. 2:18; 4:16).

d)       Longsuffering

Finally, longsuffering refers to God's goodness in bearing with evil in spite of ongoing disobedience (Exod. 34:6-7; Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:15). As Stanley Ellisen points out, “…God's longsuffering relates primarily to his wrath (that is, the delay of his wrath), rather than to his love. It is simply an interposition of divine restraint, a delay of his wrath to accomplish other purposes." ^[49]

It is instructive to note God's several purposes in longsuffering. Ellisen states, "Negatively, it should be noted that its purpose is not to compromise with sin as allowing some kind of an ‘indulgence'... God does not overlook sin but looks beyond it. ^[50] Referring to Romans 9:22-23, “What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? And… that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy…." Ellisen goes on to say, "with the interposition of God's longsuffering, God seeks to salvage and conform to his own image the vessels that receive his mercy. A second purpose, and perhaps the primary one, is the greater glory of God that is to result through the introduction of his longsuffering toward us. As we read in Romans 9:22, the Lord endured with the vessels of wrath that he might make known the riches of his glory." ^[51] Romans 12:17, “not repay anyone evil for evil," illustrates the other purpose of God's longsuffering, namely, that it "… might be implanted in us, the vessels of mercy."  ^[52

God's longsuffering is extended toward both believing (2 Pet. 3:9, 15) and unbelieving alike (1 Pet. 3:20). When I as his child I am persistent in disobedience he is slow to move in judgment, rather desiring my repentance through discipline than my punishment as a rebellious child (2 Pet. 3:9: cf. Heb. 12:4-11). When I am not diligent in holiness, his longsuffering provides for my deliverance (daily experience of salvation, 2 Pet. 3:14-15).

As a concluding observation, when we grasp this full picture of God’s goodness it provides some insight into the problem of God and evil.  From a philosophical standpoint evil implies imperfection or privation of some good quality, characteristic, or attribute.  Good implies just the opposite.  As the one who is absolutely good by nature and perfect in all his ways, God therefore, can neither do nor be evil.

Augustine affirms this when he says,

The highest good, than which there is no higher, is God, and consequently He is unchangeable good, hence truly eternal and truly immortal.  All other good things are only from Him, not of Him….No good things…can exist except from God; but since every nature…is good it follows that no nature can exist save from the most high God….

When…it is inquired, whence is evil, it must first be inquired, what is evil, which is nothing else than corruption, either of the measure, or the form, or the order, that belong to nature.  Nature therefore which has been corrupted, is called evil for assuredly when incorrupt it is good…. ^[53]

2.       Holiness

The concept of holiness is derived from Hebrew and Greek terms which mean “to separate” and hence refers to separatedness. It is not therefore primarily a moral concept although it does involve such. Its basic idea is that of God's relationship to a person or a thing.

The concept of God's "separatedness" may be viewed from two standpoints. First, there is what may be called essential or transcendental holiness (Berkhof calls it "majesty holiness"). This refers to the fact that God is separate from and absolutely transcendent over all else (Exod. 15:11; 1 Sam. 2:2, Ps. 22:3; Isa. 6:3; 57:15). Secondly, there is ethical holiness.  This is not to be dissociated from the above but rather to be viewed as an outgrowth of it (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; Job 34:10; Hab. 1:13; 1 Pet. 1:14-16).  This refers to moral purity.

God is separate from moral evil (sin) from a negative viewpoint and is ethically perfect from a positive standpoint. Thus it may be said that God is free from all impurity of intent as well as action.  This relates to us in that he deals with his own in holiness (1 Pet. 1:14-16). Hence he has given us of his Spirit to accomplish holiness in us.

God’s ethical holiness 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.” ^[54]

It was stated earlier that all of the perfections of God are interrelated qualifying one another. It is no different with holiness. "Every action of God is grounded in his holiness. It is basic both to his goodness and grace as well as his justice and wrath." ^[55]

It is doubtful that even the most sensitive and committed child of God even begins to fathom the significance of what is represented by the holiness of God. As the writers of Scripture indicate, it is unthinkable that he should even be compared to any other--god or man. At most, he may be contrasted with all others.

His majesty raises him into a realm apart and should evoke in me a most reverential awe and profound worship. Just as he is different from and greater than all other so-called gods, so are his ways and thoughts beyond all others (Isa. 55:8-9). As there is no wickedness in his way, but rather absolute purity, so he expects my ways to be pure and apart from wickedness. What wonder that this God who transcends all else and who is absolutely pure should call me into company with himself who am so mundane and impure. There is no greater motivation to holy behavior than this.

3.       Righteousness

This attribute is closely related to the attribute of holiness. The basic idea involved is that of conformity to a standard, that is, strict adherence to the law. As it relates to God the standard is the law of his own nature. Thus, righteousness is descriptive of that which conforms to the norm which is the character of God himself.  This, then is an intrinsic quality in God (Ezra 9:15; John 17:25) as set forth by Jeremiah when he says, “This is the name by which he will be called: Yahweh or righteousness” (23:6).

Corollary to the fact that God is righteous is the fact that he does that which is right. Abraham appeals to this truth when he says to Yahweh, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18: 25); and, God himself says of himself, “I am Yahweh who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in those I delight" (Jer. 9:24). "Because God righteous, measuring up to the standard of his law, we can trust him. He is honest in his dealings.” ^[56]

When righteousness refers to or describes a resultant relation to men it is called justice. This term refers to the essent1al character of the divine government, that is, its righteous dispensation, and also involves God's ri9ht to rule (2 Chron. 19:7; Acts 17:31). As he executes law among his creatures it involves either reward (remunerative justice) or punishment (retributive justice)  ^[57](Ps. 58:11; 2 Thess. 1:6-8) (although Thiessen associates reward with goodness rather than justice).   As Erickson notes, “The justice of God means that he is fair in the administration of his law.  He does not show favoritism or partiality.” ^[58]

This immediately faces us with a dilemma, however, because of the apparent frequency of instances where justice does not prevail. Why do the wicked often prosper when the righteous often do not? Why are the ungodly often healthy and long-lived when the godly are not? Long ago the Psalmist struggled with this as he said, "For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (PS., 3:3). After extensive agony over the issue he finally went into God’s presence where it all came into perspective. “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (vv. 16-17). He recognized that the present prosperity of the wicked is meaningless when seen in light of their final end (vv. 18-20, 27).  “The justice of God must not be evaluated on a short-term basis. Within this life it will often be incomplete or imperfect.  Earthly life is not all there is, if however, there is a life beyond, and in the scope of all eternity, God's justice will be complete." ^[59]

God is righteous (John 17:25) and therefore all of his dealings and relationships are performed according to righteousness. The standards of his perfect nature are never altered or sacrificed for the sake of expediency or due to whim. This means that the guilty will not be cleared, on the one hand, and that the justified will not be condemned, on the other, he will maintain his standards. This is great encouragement to me for it assures me that God has not provided a salvation for me with any question about its justice. It will stand the tests of time and eternity. His exercise of love, grace, and mercy on my behalf is according to righteousness and thus unflawed (cf. Rom. 3:24-26).

D.       Attributes of Sovereignty

To declare that God is sovereign is to acknowledge that he is the absolute and highest ruler in the universe.

1.       The sovereign will of God

That his will is sovereign is seen in such passages as Romans 9:18; Ephesians 1:11, Job 11:10; 33:13; 1 Corinthians 12:11; and Revelation 4:11. Will is that by which God puts into effect all he has designed. It is the faculty of self-determination. His will is free. It is independent of everything outside himself. That is, he is restricted in his will by his own character alone. With this will he endows man with freedom and yet controls his actions.  His will is not capricious, for though his motives are hidden to men they are present in himself.

The will of God is the final cause of all things. This includes, for example, creation and preservation (Ps. 135-6); government (Prov. 21:1); election and reprobation (Rom. 9:15-16); the death of Christ (Acts 2:23); regeneration (James 1:18); man's life (James 4:15), and apparently small things (Matt. 10:29). In this connection it should be noted that God does not will all things in the sense, manner, or degree. For purposes of understanding the following distinctions are often made (although this is not to suggest that God has more than one will). There is a preceptive and a decretive aspect to his will (sometimes these are referred to as permissive and directive, respectively).

a)      The Preceptive Will of God

The preceptive will of God (what we should do) offers precepts which man may receive or reject. This relates to God's desired rule of life for his moral creature and the resultant duties. This may, with God's permission, be resisted but no rejection of his command is approved by him.

b)      The Decretive Will of God

The decretive will of God (what says he will do) concerns his purposes and relates to the futurition of events. Either directly or indirectly God originates and executes whatsoever comes to pass.  These two aspects of his will are never in conflict with on another.

There is clear biblical authority for a distinction in categorizing God’s will.  Deuteronomy 29:29 speaks of the secret (hidden or undisclosed) will of God and the revealed will of God.  The secret will of God is seen in such passages as Psalm 115:3 and Romans 9:18-20, while the revealed will of God is seen in John 7:17 and Romans 12:2.

Gordon R. Lewis gives a somewhat different but nonetheless helpful analysis of the same truth. He speaks of the decretive will of God as "unconditional purpose with pleasure, never broken," of the preceptive will as "conditional purpose with pleasure, sometimes broken"; and of the permissive will as "conditional purpose with displeasure, allowing evil, sin.” ^[60]

Among the many staggering implications of the fact that God "works all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11) are these two: I owe my existence (Rev. 4:11) and my new life in Christ (James 1:18; cf. John 1:12-13) entirely to him. This should help me keep myself and all I do in proper perspective, for God's will should dominate all of my days (James 4:15).

2.       The sovereign power of God (omnipotence)

God is all powerful, the almighty (pantokrator) (Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 19:6). This has reference to the fact of the infinite power of God employed in the realization of all he wills. This power, however, does not extend to that which he does not will nor to anything which is contrary to his divine nature. Contrary to the popular notion that "God can do anything" Stephen Charnock sets forth four categories of things that God cannot do. He speaks of

a) "some things [that] are impossible in their own nature” such as contradictions, i.e., something cannot be false and true at the same time and God cannot make them so.

b) “Some things are impossible to the nature and being of God” such as dying.

c) “Some things are impossible to the glorious perfections of God” so that he cannot lie, act in an unholy way or be unloving.

d) “Some things are impossible to be done, because of God’s ordination,” i.e., he cannot undo what he himself has decreed. ^[61]

Henry writes of the same thing when he says, "God's will or nature implies certain limitations on his actions and normatively defines the very conception of omnipotence in terms of his own omnipotence… Any conception of omnipotence that requires God to contradict himself reflects a conjectural and ridiculous notion of absolute power." ^[62] It sets forth the fact that God is the absolute and highest causality (Job 42:2 A.S.V.; Ps. 135:6; Deut. 32:39; 1 Chron. 29:12; Ps. 62:11; Isa. 45:5-7; Jer. 32:27; Matt. 19:26).

Evidence of the power of God is found in several different realms. It is, first of all, seen in his calling into being that which did not exist (Gen. 1:1-31; Rom. 4:17). It is also found in his power over nature as for example, in the nature Psalms (see e.g., Ps. 33, 66, 104) and in the nature miracles (e.g., walking on water, Matt. 14:22-33; stilling the storm, Matt. 8:23-27; changing water to wine, John 2:1-11). It is evident in his providential control of history (Job 12:23-25; Dan. 4:17; Acts 17:26; Rom. 13:1). The most notable evidence of God's power, however, is in the transformation of human nature and personality (Matt. 19:26: 2 Cor. 5:17: Eph. 2:10. ^[63]

While God's power is complete and transcendent we must not fall into the error of viewing it as blind, indiscriminate or arbitrary. It is not to be seen as simply absolute and limitless raw energy. Quoting approvingly from Barth, Henry states,

God's might and right, as Barth observes, are always related, so that divine power is "in itself and from the beginning legitimate power, the power of the holiness, righteousness and wisdom which is grounded in itself, in the love and freedom of the divine person.” ^[64]  “The power of God is therefore a highly specific moral conception.” ^[65]

Today omnipotence has been transmuted by humanism into what Henry calls "human omnicompetance." ^[66] This godless religion, both in its pragmatic and formal manifestations ^[67] has supplanted God with man and his self-sufficient accomplishments. In a work fittingly titled The Arrogance of Humanism, in which he gives extensive critique of humanism, David Erhrenfeld refers to its "irrational faith in our own limitless power" and of its "supreme faith in human reason." (p. 5). ^[68]

As he concludes his discussion on the sovereignty of God Donald Bloesch reminds us of the "… wide gulf between the God of biblical faith and the God of modern culture-religion…. He is the 'man upstairs' who is approached as an indulgent father, not as a Sovereign king." ^[69]

But there is another error of sovereignty, too, which characterizes much evangelical thinking, both popular and formal. It is the idea that “God only offers man salvation but does not effect salvation. Salvation is made dependent on man's own free will rather than divine election… God, it is thought, desires our worship, but little recognition is given to his kingship over all areas of life including politics and economics." ^[70] Unwittingly, such anthropocentric thinking has dethroned God and left him with limited power subject to man's will.

As the absolute ruler of the universe God may not only will whatever he chooses to effect his purposes but he also has limitless and ultimate power to bring his will to pass. Since he can do all things that he purposes to do (Job 42:2), to the degree that I seek for and affirm his will I, too, can do all things “through him and his strength (Phil. 4:13) for it is in his authority to give strength to all (1 Chron. 29:10-13).

My energy resources are limited to begin with and are soon depleted. My ability to do anything, whether morally or physically, even at its apex, is insignificant. When I give, no matter what, I have less afterward than beforehand. Not so—in any case, with God! His resources of power are infinite. His ability to accomplish any moral or physical end he chooses is limitless. He can create a universe or save a sinner with no more than his word. And when he has exercised his power in either realm, he has no less than when he began.

E.      Concluding Observations

Some include glory as one of the perfections of God ^[71] but I am convinced that this is a misunderstanding of the term. “The glory of God signifies his splendor, majesty and radiance particularly al these mike an impression upon the world of the creature.” ^[72] But it is more than this. Rather thin one among many, it is comprehensive I of all the perfections in manifestation. Everett F. Harrison has shown that the biblical sense of the glory of God is the revelation of the attributes. ^[73] When one or more of God's perfections is displayed in a given situation or person's life, God is glorified for thereby a window is opened into his matchless character. The supreme manifestation of glory was in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 12:23-28; 17:1-26).

All too often popular Christian piety, perhaps not consciously, tends to subordinate the glory of God to the happiness of the individual Christian. My idea, my interpretation, my church, my success, or my pleasure takes precedence over that which will demonstrate God's love, grace, righteousness, truth, etc. We must get to the place where our confession of faith is also a demonstration of faith. The Doxology must be more than a musical liturgical expression; it must be a way of life. The answer to question one of the Shorter Westminster Catechism, “The chief end of man is to glorify God…” must become the driving motive of every Christian, theologian or otherwise. With Calvin our watchword must be Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone)!

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