ARE GOD S ATTRIBUTES INCOMPATIBLE? A Response to Incompatible Divine Attributes

ARE GOD S ATTRIBUTES INCOMPATIBLE? A Response to Incompatible Divine Attributes

GEISLER S LIST OF ATTRIBUTES Aseity Immutability Eternal Impassability Infinite Immaterial Omnipotence Omnipresence Omniscience Omnibenevolent Simple Goodness

GRUDEM S LIST OF ATTRIBUTES Incommunicable Attributes Aseity Omnipresence Eternal Infinite Timeless Unity/Simple Impassible: Rejects Communicable Attributes Immaterial Wisdom Truthfulness Omnipresence Omniscience Omnibenevolent Goodness

DRANGE (ATHEIST) LIST OF ATTRIBUTES Perfect Immutable Transcendent Nonphysical Omniscient Omnipresent Personal Free All-Loving All-Just All-Merciful Creator

That God is unchangeable in his nature. Norman Geisler

God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to different situations. Wayne Grudem

DIFFERENCES IN IMPASSIBILITY I [, Grudem,] have not affirmed God s impassibility in this book God certainly does feel emotions. Wayne Grudem

DIFFERENCES IN IMPASSIBILITY [Impassability] does not mean that God has no feelings, but simply that His feelings are not the results of actions imposed on Him by others. Norman Geisler

I am not claiming here that there is any one person who has ascribed all of these properties to God. I would say, though, that each of the properties has been ascribed to God by someone or other. Theodore Drange

God is personal, all-powerful, eternal, spirit, present everywhere within his creation, and unchanging in his perfection Millard J. Erickson

ERICKSON S LIST OF ATTRIBUTES Personal All-Powerful Eternal Spirit Present everywhere within his creation. Unchanging in his Perfection.

We cannot transcend the God we worship; we can rise no higher than what we believe to be the highest. Our concept of God will have a marked effect on our practical lives. Norman Geisler

THE PROBLEM How are we supposed to think rightly about God? How do we identify bad definitions of God s attributes? How do we differentiate between competing view points?

OBJECTIVES A. Determine what incompatible attribute arguments are. B. Determine what God is. C. The relationship between God s attributes and his essence. D. Motivate you to a deeper study of the divine attributes.

ATHEIST ARGUMENT IMMUTABILITY - VS- OMNISCIENCE 1. If God exists, then he is immutable. 2. If God exists, then he is omniscient. 3. An immutable being cannot know different things at different times 4. To be omniscient, a being would need to know propositions about the past and future.

ATHEIST ARGUMENT IMMUTABILITY - VS- OMNISCIENCE 5. But what is past and what is future keep changing. 6. Thus, in order to know propositions about the past and future, a being would need to know different things at different times (from 5). 7. It follows that, to be omniscient, a being would need to know different things at different times (from 4 and 6) 8. Hence it is impossible for an immutable being to be omniscient 9. Therefore it is impossible for God to exist

WHAT IS AN ESSENCE?

WHAT IS BEETHOVEN? Humaness Dogness

No one has ever seen God John 1:18 1 John 4:12

GOD S ESSENCE

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

Pure Act Potency God s Causal Power ACT Potency ACT Man s Knowing Power

Fire s Causal Power Fire Log Log on Fire Man s Knowing Power

DRANGE S DEDUCTION

DRANGE S DEDUCTION God-X has Attribute A and B > Attribute A and B defined > definitions are contrary, therefore God-X doesn t exist. (repeat ad infinitum).

AQUINAS INDUCTION

AQUINAS INDUCTION Experience of Change > Act and Potency as principles of things > Potency cannot actualize itself > God must be Pure actuality > Whatever God is, necessarily gives him his attributes.

DRANGE S ARGUMENTS FAIL

ATHEIST ARGUMENT IMMUTABILITY - VS- OMNISCIENCE 1. He defined the attributes arbitrarily. 2. He never defined what makes God, God. 3. Given simplicity, Dranges argument is not a contradiction.

CONCLUSION

QUESTIONS?

RESOURCES

RESOURCES: NATURAL THEOLOGY & METAPHYSICS RED = ADVANCED An Introduction Philosophy of Religion, by Brian Davies The Last Superstition, by Edward Feser Aquinas (A Beginner s Guide), by Edward Feser (Specifically, Chapter 3) God Without Parts: Divine Simplicity and the Metaphysics of God s Absoluteness, by James E. Dolezal (Specifically Chapter 5) Scholastic Metaphysics, by Edward Feser Philosophy of Being, by George Klubertanz An Elementary Christian Metaphysics, by Joseph Owens

RESOURCES: SYSTEMATICS Systematic Theology: In One Volume, by Norman Geisler Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem Christian Theology, Vol 2. by Millard J. Erickson (Specifically, Chapter 3) The Summa Theologica, by Thomas Aquinas