Whenever I begin to think about writing on God’s attributes, I get overwhelmed. I mean, really overwhelmed. One obvious problem is simply trying to compile a list of His attributes! Every scholar who has attempted such a study has their own list, and they do not all agree either on the number of attributes, or what they should be called.
Another issue I wrestle with is simply trying to put into words what a particular attribute really means—not only for who and what God is, but also what that particular attribute means for you and me in our everyday lives.
I’m also constantly thinking about a statement Dan DeHaan made in his book, The God You Can Know. He warns, “The Bible calls idolatry any form of thinking about God wrongfully.”[1] I surely don’t want to get it wrong!
But as hard as I might try, as much as I might read what the different scholars say, as much time as I might spend in my own Bible and in prayer, there are things that I just won’t “get.” I can never forget that He is God, and I am not! Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever,…” Some things about Himself He has not yet revealed to us. But we can take heart in the knowledge that God wants us to know Him! He longs for us to seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
So, I will begin by saying right up front that the articles in this series will represent only a portion of God’s attributes, and each one will be at best an introduction, an amuse bouche, if you will, intended to whet your own appetite to learn more. God has graciously given us His written word, the Bible, and that should be our greatest source for learning about Him—with consistent reading, meditation, and prayer.
One other point before we begin. As I have begun to study for this series, I’ve observed that rather than being entirely separate, God’s attributes are intertwined in some amazing ways. Some (for example: love, grace, holiness) seem to permeate many others in such a way that they cannot be separated out. I think of an old illustration Dr. Wayne Barber used. He talked about making biscuits: adding the flour, salt, baking powder, lard, buttermilk, and mixing it all together—then trying to pick out the salt! Doesn’t work, does it!
So, think of the attributes kind of like a Venn diagram, typically seen as a series of overlapping circles. Each of the circles (attributes) has some portion that is unique only to itself; other portions may overlap one or more other circles (attributes), indicating areas of commonality. Taken together, they attempt to describe a God who is immeasurably more than we can imagine.
The apostle Paul says it this way:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
“His love has no limit, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men….”[2] With those words, poet Annie Johnson Flint gives us just a glimpse of what God’s infinitude means.
Essentially, according to the Oxford Dictionary, infinitude is “the state or quality of being infinite or having no limits.”
Let me begin by acknowledging that there is no way I can possibly do justice to the topic of God’s infinitude. Far greater minds than mine have tried and acknowledged their failure. For example, A. W. Tozer says,
“Of all that can be thought or said about God, His Infinitude is the most difficult to grasp... Infinitude, of course, means limitlessness, and it is obviously impossible for a limited mind to grasp the Unlimited.”[3]
No wonder Paul said, “Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33).
I would dare say the idea of infinitude makes us a bit uncomfortable, because it describes a God that is far, far beyond our ability to grasp. We would all rather imagine God to be something a bit more like us. The problem is that if He were more like us—with any type of limitation at all—He would cease to be God.
The quest to grasp God’s infinitude has been going on for a very long time. In fact, here are quotes from three early theologians:
Novatian – “Here, and in all our meditations upon the qualities and content of God... All our thoughts about Him will be less than He, and our loftiest utterances will be trivialities in comparison with Him.”[4]
Anselm describes God as “something-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought.”[5]
Augustine – “The truest beginning of piety is to think as highly of God as possible...”[6]
Matthew Barrett explains: “Each great-making attribute is essential... Infinitude is the very makeup of a perfect being.”[7]
We can get a glimpse of God’s infinitude by looking at three very familiar attributes: omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
Let me just throw one other infinite quality of God into the mix, one that should be precious to all of us. A. W. Tozer expresses it this way:
“The Christian witness through the centuries has been that ‘God so loved the world….’ It remains for us to see that love in the light of God’s infinitude... His love is something He is, and because He is infinite that love can enfold the whole created world in itself and have room for ten thousand times ten thousand worlds beside.”[8]