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Stephen Nutter
God's Simplicity Existence & Attributes of God Providence Reformed...
“ Summary, Part 5 (final) ” This leads us back to God’s incomprehensibility. The LBCF says that God’s “essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself” (1689 LBCF, 2:1). B. THE PRACTICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPLICATIONS OF GOD’S SIMPLICITY [41:19]. 1. GOD’S SIMPLICITY OFFERS THE COMFORT THAT WE CAN KNOW GOD AS HE REALLY IS [41:48]. This frees us from the bondage of searching for a concealed essence of God, distinct from His attributes, which would define who and what He really is. If we know what His word reveals about Him, then we can know Him. 2 TIMOTHY 1:12 – Paul didn’t know God exhaustively (and neither do the angels), but he did know Him, and that give him confidence in his execution. 2. GOD’S SIMPLICITY IMPLIES THAT THOSE WHO KNOW GOD WILL REFLECT WHAT HE REALLY IS [45:09]. John did not say that “God is love” or that “God is light” to encourage philosophical speculation about God’s essence or attributes. 1 JOHN 1:5 – for John, God’s simplicity was very practical. 1 JOHN 4:8, 16 – an unselfish disposition of giving and caring displays fellowship with the God who is love. A lifestyle marked by separation from the vices of the world displays fellowship with the God whose being excludes all worldly vice. The true Christian is a reflection of his God.
Ian Migala (7/7/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 4 ” First [29:07], in EXODUS 3:14, God says “I AM THAT I AM”, or “I AM WHAT I AM”. This reflects His self-existence and eternal being. He is no more or less than what the Bible reveals Him to be. Looking beyond it to some secret essence is to get lost in the abyss of utter mystery: there is no reference point there for us. Expressed in the third person, it would be “God is what He is.” Second [31:57], 1 JOHN 1:5 says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” It would be wrong to say that ‘light is God’, and it would be wrong to say that God is *only* light. His character is so pure that it excludes any and all moral impurity. In that same spirit, 1 JOHN 4:8, 16 says that “God is love”. As humans, we are characterized by incompletion, flaw, limitation, dependence, among other things. But God has no such limitations; He is incapable of them. 2. NEVERTHELESS, GOD’S ATTRIBUTES ARE DISTINCT ASPECTS OF HIS NATURE [35:50]. Some have carried the first aspect of God’s simplicity to an extreme. They reason that if each attribute is essential to His nature, then what we call ‘God’s attributes’ are really just different names for the same thing. God’s simplicity doesn’t mean that He lacks variety. He is unitary; He is all of everything that He is.
Ian Migala (7/7/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 3 ” A. THE SUBSTANCE OR MEANING OF GOD’S SIMPLICITY [25:46]. In his *Systematic Theology*, Charles Hodge warns us about two extreme views of this matter that we must avoid: “In attempting to explain the relation in which the attributes of God stand to His essence and to each other, there are two extremes to be avoided. First, we must not represent God as a composite being, composed of different elements; and secondly, we must not confound the attributes, making them all mean the same thing, which is equivalent to denying them altogether. The Realists of the middle ages tended to the former of those extremes, and the Nominalists to the other.” 1. GOD’S NATURE IS UNITARY: HIS ATTRIBUTES ARE WHAT HE IS [27:07]. Human nature is composed of two parts: one part material (body) and one part immaterial (soul). God’s nature, however, is not composite but unitary (one). God is not ‘part love’, He is love. But He is not only love: He is also holy, and the two are not the same. Removing an attribute leaves you with something that is not God. [Back to the Catechism’s answer: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.”]
Ian Migala (7/7/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 2 ” With the indefinite article (“God is a Spirit”), the Greek emphasizes His being. That “Spirit” is capitalized indicates that He is different from any other spirit. Second [15:01], the supremacy of God is a foundational aspect of His nature. Scripture teaches that our God is unique and peerless; one of a kind (PSALM 89:6, ISAIAH 40:25). Many spirits exist, but only one God. To assign spirit only to God is to risk rendering Him unknowable, but to neglect the uniqueness of God as Spirit is to risk agnosticism. Third [17:43], “God is love” (1 JOHN 4:16) implies His simplicity: a third fundamental property of His nature. This simplicity leads us to consider the interrelation of His characteristics. EXODUS 3:14: “I AM THAT I AM”. God’s unity is a harmony. The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 1, stresses this simplicity. Our own London Baptist Confession of Faith states it less emphatically: that God is without parts (1689 LBCF, 2:1). I. THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD [20:16]. EXODUS 3:14, 1 JOHN 1:5, 4:8, 16 combine to attest to the fact that we must know about God before we can live a life that reflects Him. If there is not a theological doctrine of simplicity, then we cannot do that.
Ian Migala (7/7/2014)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“ Summary, Part 1 ” [Pastor Nutter credits his former professor, Pastor Greg Nichols of Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the outline of this message, which can be found in Pastor Nichols’ book, *What does the Bible say about God?: The Biblical doctrine of God*.] This week, we move on to Part Three of the Existence and Attributes of God Series: THE SPIRITUAL, SUPREME, AND SIMPLE NATURE OF GOD. INTRODUCTION [starting at 3:00 of the audio]. This is the heart of this study. God’s nature is an all-encompassing term that embraces His being, His form, and His personality. God’s attributes are the essential traits that distinguish Him: what and who He is. When we examine this subject, we must proceed with caution and reverence. If we leave out any of God’s traits, we will fall into grave error and misrepresent our God (JAMES 3:1). First [7:08], Christ’s words in JOHN 4:24, “God is a spirit”, provide the most concise definition of God’s nature in all of Scripture. The usual ‘omnis’ (omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent) are often used without the noun they modify. The answer to Question 4 of the Shorter Catechism leads off with God’s quality: “He is a Spirit”. In the Greek, the absence of the indefinite article (“God is spirit”) emphasizes His quality of spirituality.
