No, You Cant’ Have That

God is a being that is beyond us and yet he reveals himself to us. He reveals himself through nature and also through his special revelation of Scripture. In his special revelation, some of what we learn about are his attributes. Some of those attributes we can share with him. Some of them we can’t. We start with the ones we can’t share. These are known as the “incommunicable attributes.”

Self-Existence of God

God is without beginning or end. “He has the ground of His existence in Himself (Systematic Theology, Berkhof – 58).” Often times this is thought of as God being wholly independent. He depends on nothing for existence, virtues, character, works, decrees, and so on. This also means that everything in creation is wholly dependent on him.

Immutability of God

Immutability means that “unchanging.” When we think about this in terms of God it points us to his perfection. God is doesn’t change, not just in being but also in purposes and promises. If God is perfect, then by definition he cannot change. Change is either for better or worse, God cannot become better. He is already the best.

Infinity of God

This means that God is free from any and all limitations. He is not confined by the space-time universe. How could he be? He is as much outside the space-time as the artist his painting. While we cannot fully comprehend the infinity of God it is helpful to think in terms of some aspects of infinity. He is absolutely perfect. This perfection is qualitative. In all that God is he is exhaustless. He is eternal. This is his infinity in relation to time. Finally, his immensity. This in relation to space. God transcends all spatial barriers and yet is intimately present at all time and in all places.

The Unity of God

This plays out in that there is a singular being, God. He is unique to all existence. He is the only true God. The unity of God excludes any polytheistic conception of God. This aspect of God’s nature is also in relation to his simplicity. He is simple in the sense that he is not composed of different parts. God is not a composite. God’s nature is simple, it is one. There is no division. God is love, justice, grace, mercy, righteous, light, life, without distinction or division. None trump the others. God is one.

Conclusion

This obviously a thumbnail sketch of these attributes. For more detailed discussions we encourage you to checkout Chapter 6 of Berkhof’s Systematic Theology.

But, we hope that seeing God in his incommunicable attributes will leave you in awe of his majesty and greatness. There is none worthy of our worship but him alone.

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