The Nature of God

The Nature of God

Characteristics of God

  • Omniscience: God is believed to have complete knowledge, he knows everything that is past, present, and future.
  • Omnipotence: This refers to the all-powerfulness of God. He is believed to have infinite power and control over the universe.
  • Omnibenevolence: This poses that God is all-good and perfectly loving. His actions and intentions are all for the good of His creation.
  • Omnipresence: God is everywhere at the same time. His presence encompasses every part of the universe.
  • Eternality: God exists outside of time. He has no beginning and no end, he is unchangeable.
  • Transcendence: God is beyond the physical world and the understanding of human beings. He is above and independent from His creation.
  • Immanence: Despite being transcendent, God is not distant. He is intimately involved with His creation.
  • God is Personal: He desires a personal relationship with humans, and He responds to prayers.

Different Views on the Nature of God

  • Classical Theism: Holds onto traditional attributes of God e.g., omniscience, omnipotence, etc. God interacts with the world but is not changed by it.
  • Process Theology: God is not entirely immutable (unchangeable), but changes with the interactions with His creation.
  • Open Theism: God doesn’t have complete foreknowledge of free choices; He knows all possible outcomes but not exactly which path we will choose.
  • Deism: God created the universe but does not intervene or interact with it. God is akin to a watchmaker setting the world in motion.

Considering the Coherence of God’s Nature

  • Problem of Evil vs Omnibenevolence and Omnipotence: If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there evil and suffering in the world?
  • Omniscience and Human Free Will: If God knows everything, including the future, does that negate human free will?
  • Immutable and Responsive: Can God be unchangeable and yet respond to prayers/change over time?
  • Transcendence vs Immanence: How can God be beyond and above his creation and yet intimately involved with it at the same time?