Lesson 2: Describing God - Attributes, Divine Aseity, and Divine Simplicity

Foundations of Describing God and Key Scripture

  • Core Question of the Lesson:

    • What is God like, and how should that change the way one lives?

  • Learning Objectives:

    • Knowledge:

    • Explain what God's attributes are.

    • Distinguish between communicable and incommunicable attributes.

    • Understanding:

    • Describe how God's attributes reveal His perfect character.

    • Application:

    • Respond to God's character through worship.

    • Trust God more deeply.

    • Reflect God's character in daily life.

  • Key Biblical References:

    • Deuteronomy 6:4

    • Matthew 28:19

    • 2 Corinthians 13:14

    • Exodus 34:6–7

    • Psalm 145

    • 1 John 4:8

    • Revelation 4

  • Biblical Foundation of Divine Revelation (Hebrews 1:1–2):

    • In the past, God spoke to the ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways.

    • In these last days, God has spoken by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

  • Describing the Creator:

    • After understanding how God speaks, the central inquiry becomes what He is like.

    • The Bible describes God's character because He desires to be known.

    • Crucial Truth: God does not merely have love or holiness; He is love. Everything He does perfectly reflects His character.

The Character of God: Incommunicable vs. Communicable Attributes

  • Incommunicable Attributes (God Alone):

    • Self-Existent: Depends on nothing for His existence ("I AM").

    • Eternal (∞\infty): Has no beginning and no end.

    • Omnipotent: All-powerful.

    • Omniscient: Knows everything.

    • Omnipresent: Present everywhere simultaneously.

  • Communicable Attributes (Shared with Humanity):

    • Love: Humans are created and called to love (1 John 4:8).

    • Holiness: Humans are called to be set apart.

    • Justice: Humans are called to fairness.

    • Mercy & Faithfulness: Humans reflect these qualities imperfectly, but genuinely.

Divine Aseity

  • Etymology and Core Definition:

    • Origin: Derived from the Latin phrase a se, which literally translates as "from Himself" or "on Himself."

    • Core Premise: Divine Aseity denotes the absolute independence and self-existence of God. He possesses the ground of His existence entirely within Himself.

  • The Biblical Anchor:

    • YHWH Declaration: "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14).

    • Implication: God does not require anything outside of Himself to describe, define, or sustain His existence. He simply is.

  • Ontological Contrast: Composite Beings vs. The A Se Being:

    • Composite Beings (Humanity):

    • Consist of parts (biology).

    • Brought into being within space and time.

    • Remain entirely dependent on external causes and physical materials to survive.

    • The A Se Being (God):

    • Uncaused and indivisible.

    • Has always existed, even prior to the creation of space, time, and the universe.

    • Possesses an entirely internal ground of existence.

  • The Three Pillars of Aseity:

    1. Self-Existence: Never brought into being; the ground of His existence is entirely internal.

    2. Independence: Requires no external space or material. If God required space to exist, that space would logically be greater than God.

    3. Self-Sufficiency: Perfectly complete within Himself. He created the cosmos out of sovereign will, not out of loneliness or need.

Mechanics of Creation and the Economy of Grace

  • The Origin of All (Propositions 1, 2, & 7):

    • Ownership by Right of Source: Because God is the uncaused source of all existence, the earth and everything in it belong exclusively to Him.

    • The Giver of Good: Every good thing humans enjoy is an unmerited gift from Him (James 1:17).

    • Essential Nature: He owes His existence to no one and can never cease to exist.

  • The Illusion of Need (Propositions 3 & 6):

    • Creation Without Deficiency: God does not need the worship of angels or humans. He is not served by human hands as though He lacked anything (Acts 17:24–25).

    • Commands for Our Benefit: Divine commands to serve Him are never meant to fulfill a deficiency in His nature, but exist solely for humanity's ultimate benefit.

  • The Economy of Grace vs. Debt:

    • The Flawed Model: Humanity gives to God, putting God in human debt, which obligates God to repay.

    • The Reality (Economy of Grace):

    • Returning His Own: Humans cannot give God anything that He has not first provided.

    • Zero Obligation: God is never in debt to His creatures. Even at their absolute best, humans remain unworthy servants (Luke 17:10).

Philosophical Boundaries and Practical Implications of Aseity

  • Locating Absolute Truth: Platonism vs. Divine Conceptualism:

    • Platonism (The Flawed Model):

    • Concept: Abstract truths and mathematics (such as π\pi or Σ\Sigma) exist eternally and independently of God.

    • Threat to Aseity: Creates a rival eternal entity alongside God. If truth exists independently of Him, it directly challenges His status as the sole a se being.

    • Divine Conceptualism (The Accurate Model):

    • Concept: Mathematical objects and absolute truths are permanent solely because they exist as part of the mind and knowledge of God.

    • Defense of Aseity: God remains the singular, uncreated reality. All truth is an extension of His nature, rather than a separate entity.

  • Critique of Success Theology:

    • The Transactional Fallacy: Treating God as a transactional partner who is obligated to repay offerings, faith, or good deeds represents a fundamental misunderstanding of His absolute independence.

    • Theologically Rude: Because God is entirely a se, He requires nothing from human beings. Attempting to place the Creator of the cosmos in human debt is factually incorrect and theologically rude. God cannot be manipulated by human input.

  • Humility in Ministry:

    • Ego Death: Understanding Aseity permanently destroys human ego in ministry. God does not need human service to accomplish His sovereign will; He is infinitely capable and self-sufficient without human effort.

    • The Transformation: Because God lacks nothing, human participation in His plan is never a favor done for Him. Rather, the invitation to participate is a profound, unmerited grace and an honor. Service is performed not to sustain God, but to share in His infinite joy.

Divine Simplicity

  • Absolute Unity and First Principles:

    • The First-Rank Axiom: The Doctrine of Divine Simplicity asserts that God, in His essence, is one and does not consist of parts.

    • The Necessary Starting Point: Divine Simplicity is the prerequisite for all discussions regarding the nature of God, serving as the essential starting point to prevent slipping into polytheism or tritheism prior to discussing the Trinity.

  • The Ontology Matrix (Creation vs. Creator):

    • Structural Reality: Created beings are composite (complex assemblies), whereas the Creator is Simple (pure unity).

    • Spatial Reality: Created beings are bound by matter and space, whereas the Creator is Omnipresent Spirit.

    • Attribute Relationship: Created beings possess qualities, whereas the Creator is His qualities.

    • Divisibility: Created beings can lose parts and change form, whereas the Creator is entirely indivisible and cannot be distributed into fractions.

  • The Three Fundamental Propositions of Divine Simplicity:

    1. No Physical Body: God is Spirit and is not bound by space and matter, enabling Him to be truly omnipresent. If God possessed a physical body, He would require space to exist, making that space logically greater than God Himself.

    2. No Parts: God possesses absolute indivisibility; His essence cannot be parsed or divided. He maintains complete wholeness, and His identity and power cannot be distributed into fractions.

    3. Essence = Attributes: There is no distinction between God's nature (who He is) and His attributes (what He is like). His essence and His qualities are one and the same ("Has" vs. "Is" Paradigm: humans have wisdom, but God is His attributes).

The Unity of Divine Attributes and Theological Safeguards

  • The Unity of Divine Attributes:

    • Distinct but Inseparable: Conceptual distinctions between attributes like Justice, Mercy, Holiness, and Love can never be severed in reality. God does not "switch" modes.

    • Practical Implication: God's love is always a just love, and His justice is always a loving justice. When God acts, He acts out of His whole, unified being.

  • The Danger of "One-Dimensional" Theology:

    • The Error: Focusing exclusively on a single attribute—such as God's love—while ignoring His justice or wrath yields a distorted, highly incomplete view of the divine.

    • Structural Reality: Due to Divine Simplicity, isolating attributes shatters the truth of who God actually is.

  • Safeguarding the Trinity and Defending Against Tritheism:

    • The 13\frac{1}{3} Fallacy: Because God's essence cannot be divided, the Father, Son, and Spirit are not fractions or 33%33\% parts of God. Instead, the Father is Fully God, the Son is Fully God, and the Spirit is Fully God.

    • Tritheism / Polytheism Safeguard: Divine Simplicity acts as an impenetrable defense against errors that attempt to physicalize or fracture the Creator. Absolute unity blocks the idea of three separate gods, while physical form necessitates parts that logically fracture God.

    • The Supreme Being: Divine Simplicity ensures the worship of a God perfectly unified in His holiness, love, justice, and power—the absolute, indivisible, and unchanging foundation of all reality.

Discussion Questions and Group Activities

  • Discussion Prompts:

    • Self-Sufficiency and Creation: God is complete within Himself and did not create humans because He was lonely or needed to be served. In a world where people often feel the need to be "liked" or "needed" to feel important, how does it change one's view of God to know He doesn't need anything from us? If He doesn't need us, why did He choose to create us anyway?

    • Generosity and Gratitude: Imagine a parent giving a child money specifically to buy them a birthday present. Since God is the owner of everything and gives every good thing we have, how does this change one's perspective on "serving" Him or being generous to others? How does it make service feel less like a "favor" done for God and more like a way to show gratitude?

    • The Absolute Anchor: Consider things that change rapidly for young people (such as trends, social media popularity, or friendships). How does the idea of God as an "absolute and permanent anchor"—someone who has always existed and never changes—provide a sense of security that the world cannot give?

  • Group Activity: Attribute Identification by Scripture Passage:

    • Task: Read the assigned Bible passage and list the attributes of God revealed within it.

    • Group 1: Isaiah 40

    • Group 2: Acts 17

    • Group 3: Psalm 103

    • Group 4: Psalm 145