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There are some
aspects of the nature of the Godhead that must forever be owned
exclusively by God Himself. This is due to the essential difference
between the Creator and the creature, the Infinite and the finite.
These we call the “incommunicable” attributes of God, such as His
eternality, His omniscience, and His omnipotence. But there are other
aspects of the nature of God that are “communicated” to us by
virtue of being made in the image of God. While most of these
attributes exist faintly in unregenerate man, they are weak,
defective, and corrupt because of sin. The regeneration of the Spirit
experienced by the redeemed restores their potential, though much of
that potential is not realized until we are glorified.
As the adopted
children of God, the believer is commanded to emulate these
characteristics of His heavenly Father:
- “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NASB)
- “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NASB)
- “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
- “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, . . . ” Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB)
- “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus . . .” Philippians 2:5 (NASB)
The
aspects of the character of God that we are to demonstrate in our own
lives, such as love, mercy, wisdom, gentleness, and so on, are
referred to as the communicable attributes
of God. Obviously God possesses
these qualities in sublime perfection. We possess them only in pale
imitation; nonetheless we do possess them and are able
to exercise them as a consequence of the new nature imparted by the
indwelling Holy Spirit.
Bear in mind
that these attributes are not parts or components of God’s
character. Were they such we could well imagine that they could be in
conflict at times. Some theologians mistakenly write of a tension
between God’s mercy and God’s justice. There is no such tension.
God’s attributes describe what God is in His very
nature, not just what God does in His actions. We say
that God possesses the attribute of love, for example, not because He
does loving things but because He Himself in all His ways is the very
definition of what love is. God possesses the attribute of justice
not simply because He enacts justice but because He is the definition
and standard of justice.
This is an
important distinction. All the acts of God are wholly
consistent with the character of God. Indeed, all of
God’s deeds necessarily arise out of His character. God cannot
choose to not be loving, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
Ultimately, though our finite minds might not know how to grasp this,
even God’s eternal judgment of sinners will be wholly consistent
with His love, just as His pardon of sinners is wholly consonant with
His justice.
This fact
distinguishes the living God from the god of the Muslims, Allah. The
god of Islam is wholly arbitrary—capricious—doing whatever he
wills to do. He can at one moment speak truth, according to their
religion, and at the next moment deceive. The god of Islam is pure
will—Islamic theology doesn’t really speak of what he is in his
nature, his essence.
Someone might
dispute this by, for example, quoting Surah 1:1 of the Quran, “In
the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.” The Quran is thick
with such statements. It certainly seems to make a claim about
the nature of Allah—but it isn’t. The Quran is describing there
what Allah decides to be at times (ie, gracious,
merciful). It is not making the claim that this is what Allah
is in his essence. This is, for instance, why the doctrine of
abrogation (a changing, even reversal, of Allah’s revealed will) is
no problem for the Muslim. Allah decides one point to command his
followers to be good to “the people of the book,” the Christians
and Jews, and at the next moment to slaughter them in the cruelest
ways imaginable. No problem. It’s simply Allah’s will.
Not so with the
true and living God of the Bible. There is no doctrine of abrogation
in Scripture. God enacts mercy because God is merciful, and He
always acts in complete alignment with His character. In fact,
His righteousness could be described as God’s perfect
consistency in acting according to His essential character.
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today, yes and forever.”
So as
we consider the communicable attributes of God, once again we are
venturing into the Holy of Holies by the invitation of God Himself,
safely hidden in Christ from His holy wrath, invited to see Him as He
really is. Our vision and understanding will be limited by our
creatureliness, but we will see Him truly as He has revealed Himself.
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