19 March, 2020

FAQ—God’s simplicity


 

[Back to Question Bank]

 

 

 

Q. 1. “What is God’s ‘simplicity’?”

 

“We believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God ...” (Belgic Confession, 1)

 

“[God is] a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions.” (Westminster Confession 2:1)

 

God’s simplicity … signifies that God is not composed [of parts], that his essence and his virtues are identical, that he is his virtues, and that all his virtues are absolutely one in him. God is absolute goodness, perfection. There is none good but one, that is, God (Matt. 19:17). He is the God of truth; truth is his very essence (Jer. 10:10); he is the God of all grace (1 Pet. 5:10); he is the God of peace (Heb. 13:20). “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The Lord Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection, and the life,” implying the identity of the divine essence and nature with life itself (John 11:25). He is the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is the true light, “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). And God is love (1 John 4:8).

This implies that he is all his attributes, for they are all implied in the figure of light. God’s virtues cannot be separated. His being is righteousness, holiness, justice, power, might, love, grace, mercy, and so forth. Of the creature, who has a dependant existence, it may be said that it possesses certain virtues, though only as a reflection of the perfections of God. But God is pure perfection; he is goodness in his very essence; his very being is virtue. He is the one pure beam of revelation in his manifold perfections and beauties. Therefore, it follows that all God’s perfections are one in him.

There is no division or conflict in God. He is the one adorable and infinite fullness of glorious perfections and virtues. Even as God is love, light, life, righteousness, holiness, mercy, grace, justice, and truth, so it may be said that his righteousness is his love, his justice is his mercy, his holiness is his grace, and so forth. His righteousness is a loving righteousness; his mercy is a just mercy. Never may these attributes of God be separated or presented as if they were in conflict with one another and mutually exclusive. God is one, and his essence is infinite and simple perfection. Purest goodness is he. (Herman Hoeksema, “Reformed Dogmatics,” vol. 1, pp. 106-107)

 

We are complex because we are created and fallen beings with a maelstrom of emotions. God is simple because He is the perfect God of peace and harmony. God is never confused, agitated or disturbed within His own Being. Created reality external to Himself never throws the Almighty into turmoil—not even the many prayers God must answer … Because God is simple, all of His attributes are equal with His Being and with one another. Therefore, God’s mercy is never at odds with His justice. God is His mercy and God is His justice, and God’s mercy and justice are one in Him. God’s mercy, then, is an infinite, unchangeable, eternal, almighty, just and holy mercy! God only has one mercy, not two mercies. He does not have one common mercy which—although unfeigned, genuine and sincere—does not save, and another mercy which effectually saves His elect church. Moreover, because God is one and simple, His will is simple. This is because God is His will. God’s will is not “part” of God, as if we could ever separate God’s will from God Himself. God’s will is God’s willing, and God wills eternally and unchangeably and efficaciously. God never wills—decrees and therefore desires—things which never come to pass. God never wills contradictory things at the same time—such as to will to save all men and to will to save only some men. This is not the invention of Reformed scholastics but the teaching of Scripture [Ps. 115:3; Isa. 46:10; Dan. 4:35; etc.] … About God, James writes that He is “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (1:17). (Rev. Martyn McGeown, “British Reformed Journal,” no. 57)

 

###########################

 

Q. 2. “According to the doctrine of absolute divine simplicity, God’s attributes are His essence. Therefore, it is correct to say that His essence is love, is grace, is mercy, is holiness, etc. In light of this, how, therefore, could God fail to love even the reprobate? How can God hate one group and love another in light of absolute divine simplicity?”

 

His essence is also righteousness. In righteousness, He punishes and must punish the guilty. The problem is, how can He love the unjust? The solution is: in Jesus Christ the perfections of God are harmonized. Love and righteousness have kissed each other in Jesus (cf. Ps. 85:10). And this Jesus is the revelation of the particular love and grace of God. Or, God is love in and of Himself. His love for Himself manifests itself in hatred of all that opposes Him, outside of Jesus. (Prof. David J. Engelsma, 26/03/2018)

 

###########################

 

Q. 3. “According to the doctrine of divine simplicity, God is one, He is His attributes, all His attributes are one in Him and qualify each other. His love is His mercy, is His grace, is His goodness, is His omnipotence, eternity, immutability, etc. etc. ... God is justice. So God’s love is His justice, and His justice is His love ... God’s love is *universally* expressed in the satisfaction of His justice. For the elect, God loves them in that His justice is righteously satisfied in the judgment of Christ. For the reprobate, God loves them in that His justice is righteously satisfied in the judgment of them ... Thus, if God’s love is His justice, and God’s justice is toward the reprobate, God’s love is therefore toward the reprobate.”

 

The simplicity of God implies the oneness of the attributes of God.  It does not teach the contradiction of God in Himself.  His love and His justice are one in that His love realizes itself by the satisfaction of His justice.  His justice carries out the will of His love.  All the perfections of God are one in the cross of Jesus Christ.  To affirm a love for the reprobate as a perfection of God in His own being is necessarily to commit oneself to a death of Christ for all humans.

To affirm a love of God for all in the being of God Himself is to commit oneself to a love of God for all in the revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ, who reveals the being of God.  God is love in Himself, for Himself.  He is love in Himself for humans to whom He sovereignly wills to reveal this love, in harmony with the satisfying of His justice.  (Prof. David J. Engelsma, 02/12/2020)

 

###########################

 

Q. 4. “John Piper, as well as other neo-Calvinists, speak of the “complexity” of God. What are your thoughts on this?”

 

[When faced with the notion of the “complexity” of God … [the] Reformed man … is immediately reminded of what the creeds teach about the simplicity of God: “We believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God ...” (Belgic Confession 1). God is “a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions” (Westminster Confession 2:1). We are complex because we are created and fallen beings with a maelstrom of emotions. God is simple because He is the perfect God of peace and harmony. God is never confused, agitated or disturbed within His own Being. Created reality external to Himself never throws the Almighty into turmoil—not even the many prayers God must answer … Because God is simple, all of His attributes are equal with His Being and with one another. Therefore, God’s mercy is never at odds with His justice. God is His mercy and God is His justice, and God’s mercy and justice are one in Him. God’s mercy, then, is an infinite, unchangeable, eternal, almighty, just and holy mercy! God only has one mercy, not two mercies. He does not have one common mercy which—although unfeigned, genuine and sincere—does not save, and another mercy which effectually saves His elect church. Moreover, because God is one and simple, His will is simple. This is because God is His will. God’s will is not “part” of God, as if we could ever separate God’s will from God Himself. God’s will is God’s willing, and God wills eternally and unchangeably and efficaciously. God never wills—decrees and therefore desires—things which never come to pass. God never wills contradictory things at the same time—such as to will to save all men and to will to save only some men. This is not the invention of Reformed scholastics but the teaching of Scripture … (Ps. 115:3; Isa. 46:10; Dan. 4:35; etc.). About God, James writes that He is “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (1:17). (Rev. Martyn McGeown, “British Reformed Journal,” issue 57)

 

 

 

[Back to Question Bank]

 

 

 





No comments:

Post a Comment