THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD God s Incomprehensibility and Knowability We are speaking of God. Is it any wonder that you do not comprehend? - Augustine (AD 354-430) If we could understand God, he would not be God, for it is a part of the nature of God that he should be infinitely greater than any created mind. - C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) God is Incomprehensible Simply stated, God cannot be completely understood. We can know God through His selfrevelation, but we can never fully comprehend Him. John Owen stated: We may speak much of God; talk of Him, His ways, His works, His counsels, all day long; but the truth is, we know very little of Him. Our thoughts, our meditations, our expressions of Him are low, many of them unworthy of His glory and none of them reaching His perfections. Biblical Truth about God s Incomprehensibility Job 11:7-8 7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? Job 26:14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand? 1 Timothy 6:15-16 15 Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. 1. God s duration is beyond our comprehension Job 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. 2. God s greatness is beyond our comprehension Psalms 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Unsearchable refers to something that cannot be discovered by examination, investigation, or calculation. 3. God s wisdom and knowledge are beyond our comprehension Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 4. God s love is beyond our comprehension
Ephesians 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. 5. God s anger is beyond our comprehension Psalms 90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 6. God s peace is beyond our comprehension Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 7. God s actions are beyond our comprehension Job 5:8-9 8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: 9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: Job 37:5 God thundereth marvelously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. 8. God s thoughts and ways are beyond our comprehension Isaiah 55:8-9 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Reasons Why God Is Incomprehensible 1. God is infinite and man is finite God is infinite and uncreated. His deity or God-ness separates Him from all creatures. He alone knows Himself, so we cannot fully understand Him because of our humanness. This Creator/creature, infinite/finite gap will always exist, as stated in the ESV Study Bible: In heaven, God s incomprehensibility will no doubt be lessened when the effects of sin no longer ravage minds and when he will most likely share some of his secrets. However, God will always be infinite and humans will always be finite, so he will always be beyond human ability to know exhaustively. 2. God s attributes exist in perfect unity This is far beyond the realm of human existence. God s love, wrath, grace, justice, holiness, and patience continue to exist and function in a perfectly seamless and complex way. 3. The effects of sin on the hearts and minds of men Sin has not destroyed our ability to comprehend God, but it has greatly diminished it. The tendency of fallen humans is to ignore, distort, pervert, and confuse the truth about God. Sin has created a barrier that blocks both our relationship with God and our understanding of Him. John Snyder writes: Any person who wishes to know God must drag his dirty mind, selfish heart, and rebellious will into the light a terrifying experience for any sinner. The
fear of being exposed for what they really are, deep inside, is another reason why people refuse to know God. (Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically). Psalms 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. John 3:19-20 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. Romans 1:20-21 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 4. God has chosen not to reveal some things about Himself Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Biblical Truth about Knowing God 1. Knowing God is our highest privilege Jeremiah 9:23-24 23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 2. Our faith in God is based on our knowledge of God Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 3. Eternal life is knowing the one true God and His Son Jesus John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 4. Knowing God is a blessing of participating in the New Covenant Jeremiah 31:33-34 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall
all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Even though we can understand God through Christ in the New Covenant, our comprehension is not perfect. Paul states that in the New Covenant the veil over our eyes has been removed and we now see God in the person of His Son Jesus as a man sees something in an ancient mirror. This is a true reflection, but not a complete one, and this glorious knowledge of God gradually transforms our character (2 Cor. 3:18). 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 5. Knowing God should be the primary goal of life Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. God is knowable. Although He can never be known perfectly, He can be known truly, personally, and sufficiently. We should heed these words from the ESV Study Bible: God s knowability should lead to eager, diligent, devoted study of God s Word so that we can understand him as he has revealed himself and avoid any false view of God that will dishonor him. We should never grow apathetic in seeking to know God because we are in fact able and equipped to know him and to please him with our lives. Resources for Further Study Boice, James Montgomery. Foundations of the Christian Faith. Charnock, Stephen. The Existence and Attributes of God. Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. ESV Study Bible. Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. MacArthur, John and Richard Mayhue, eds. Biblical Doctrine. MacArthur, John, ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. Packer, J. I. Knowing God. Pink, A. W. Gleanings in the Godhead. Snyder, John. Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. Snyder, John. Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. Sproul, R. C., Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible. Strauss, Lehman. The Godhead. Torrey, R. A. What the Bible Teaches. Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. Washer, Paul. Knowing the Living God.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD God s Incomprehensibility and Knowability We are speaking of God. Is it any wonder that you do not comprehend? - Augustine (AD 354-430) If we could understand God, he would not be God, for it is a part of the nature of God that he should be infinitely greater than any created mind. - C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) God is Incomprehensible Simply stated, God cannot be completely understood. We can know God through His self-revelation, but we can never fully comprehend Him. John Owen stated: We may speak much of God; talk of Him, His ways, His works, His counsels, all day long; but the truth is, we know very little of Him. Our thoughts, our meditations, our expressions of Him are low, many of them unworthy of His glory and none of them reaching His perfections. Biblical Truth about God s Incomprehensibility Job 11:7-8 7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? Job 26:14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand? 1 Timothy 6:15-16 15 Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. 1. God s is beyond our comprehension Job 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. 2. God s is beyond our comprehension Psalms 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Unsearchable refers to something that cannot be discovered by examination, investigation, or calculation. 3. God s are beyond our comprehension Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 4. God s is beyond our comprehension Ephesians 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. 5. God s is beyond our comprehension
Psalms 90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 6. God s is beyond our comprehension Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 7. God s are beyond our comprehension Job 5:8-9 8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: 9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: Job 37:5 God thundereth marvelously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. 8. God s are beyond our comprehension Isaiah 55:8-9 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Reasons Why God Is Incomprehensible 1. God is infinite and God is infinite and uncreated. His deity or God-ness separates Him from all creatures. He alone knows Himself, so we cannot fully understand Him because of our humanness. This Creator/creature, infinite/finite gap will always exist, as stated in the ESV Study Bible: In heaven, God s incomprehensibility will no doubt be lessened when the effects of sin no longer ravage minds and when he will most likely share some of his secrets. However, God will always be infinite and humans will always be finite, so he will always be beyond human ability to know exhaustively. 2. God s attributes exist This is far beyond the realm of human existence. God s love, wrath, grace, justice, holiness, and patience continue to exist and function in a perfectly seamless and complex way. 3. The on the hearts and minds of men John Snyder writes: Any person who wishes to know God must drag his dirty mind, selfish heart, and rebellious will into the light a terrifying experience for any sinner. The fear of being exposed for what they really are, deep inside, is another reason why people refuse to know God. (Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically). Psalms 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. John 3:19-20 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. Romans 1:20-21 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 4. God has some things about Himself
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Biblical Truth about Knowing God 1. Knowing God is Jeremiah 9:23-24 23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 2. Our faith in God is based on Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 3. Eternal life is and His Son Jesus John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 4. Knowing God is a blessing of participating in Jeremiah 31:33-34 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Paul states that in the New Covenant the veil over our eyes has been removed and we now see God in the person of His Son Jesus as a man sees something in an ancient mirror. This is a true reflection, but not a complete one, and this glorious knowledge of God gradually transforms our character. 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 5. Knowing God should be Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. God is knowable. Although He can never be known perfectly, He can be known truly, personally, and sufficiently. We should heed these words from the ESV Study Bible: God s knowability should lead to eager, diligent, devoted study of God s Word so that we can understand him as he has revealed himself and avoid any false view of God that will dishonor him. We should never grow apathetic in seeking to know God because we are in fact able and equipped to know him and to please him with our lives.
Resources for Further Study Boice, James Montgomery. Foundations of the Christian Faith. Charnock, Stephen. The Existence and Attributes of God. Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. ESV Study Bible. Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. MacArthur, John and Richard Mayhue, eds. Biblical Doctrine. MacArthur, John, ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. Packer, J. I. Knowing God. Pink, A. W. Gleanings in the Godhead. Snyder, John. Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. Snyder, John. Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. Sproul, R. C., Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible. Strauss, Lehman. The Godhead. Torrey, R. A. What the Bible Teaches. Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. Washer, Paul. Knowing the Living God.