By Brian R. Kenyon

The biblical Godhead is an often misunderstood and denied truth. In order to deal with the arguments attempting to deny the Godhead, the truth about the triune God must first be understood. In Part one of this series, we proved the biblical Godhead, distinguished between God’s “essence” and “attributes,” and examined five qualities of God’s essence. In this article, we will study the attributes of the Godhead.

Non-Moral Attributes of the Godhead

Remember, mere humans cannot be like God in these non-moral attributes. Although Jesus was human, he was no mere human. Jesus was both 100% God and 100% man. Proof of this is seen in the fact that Jesus still possessed these non-moral attributes. For example, though His human nature limited him physically, He was still omnipresent through His omniscience. Again, only God (divine nature) can be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, and only the being that is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent can be God!

First, God is omnipotent (all-powerful) (Gen. 17:1; Rev. 11:17). God is able to do whatever He wills, as long as it can be logically possible (Gen. 18:14; Job 42:2; Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Mt. 19:26; Eph. 1:11). God’s power is known by creation (Gen. 1:1-31; Jn. 1:3; Acts 14:15; Heb. 11:3; Rev. 4:11), by true accounts of miracles revealed in Scripture (Jn. 20:30-31), by His sustaining of the world (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3), by His answering of prayer (1 Jn. 5:14-15), by His providence (Rom. 8:28; Mt. 6:33), and by His plan of salvation (Rom. 1:16-17; Heb. 7:25). God cannot exercise His power in violation of His own will and/or nature. God cannot tolerate iniquity (Hab. 1:13). God cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13). God cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). God cannot commit sin or solicit people to sin (Jas. 1:13). God cannot do absurd or self-contradictory things such as make a rock so big that He cannot move it. God does not always exercise His full power (Mt. 26:53).

Second, God is omniscient (all-knowing) (Ps. 147:5). There is nothing that God cannot know. Nothing is hidden from God (Job 26:6; Jer. 23:23-25; Heb. 4:13), and because of this knowledge, God cannot be deceived (Gal. 6:7 cf. Num. 32:23). He may not always act upon His knowledge (Acts 17:30). God knows good and evil (Pr. 15:3); He knows the thoughts of our hearts (Pr. 15:11; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 2:23); He knows in darkness and in light (Dan. 2:22); He knows the past and the future (Isa. 46:10); and He knows even the hairs of our head (Mt. 10:30).

God’s foreknowledge is not Calvinistic election. Calvinistic election is a false human doctrine that refers to “God’s eternal and immutable decree to choose from depraved men…those whom He will save” (Tenney, 242). If God unconditionally elects certain people to salvation and certain others to damnation, then how could He be just? If this were true, then why preach the gospel? Why be moral? Why study the Bible? Such a doctrine contradicts the God revealed in Scripture (Mt. 11:28-30; Acts 10:34-35; Heb. 2:9; 5:9; Rev. 22:17).

God’s foreknowledge is not causative. It does not override human free will. For example, Christ knew that Judas would betray Him (Jn. 13:21-27), but Christ certainly did not make Judas betray Him—Judas fell by his own transgression and went to his own place (Acts 1:25). God knew that humanity would sin, but that does not mean He makes us sin. Because of God’s foreknowledge, He provided for our redemption before He created us (Eph. 1:3-12).

Third, God is omnipresent (present in all places) (Ps. 139:7-12; Acts 17:27). The biblical presence of God is shown in various aspects: with all people, good or bad (Lk. 12:2; Heb. 4:13; Pr. 15:3); with His people in intimate fellowship (Mt. 28:20; Ps. 140:13; 1 Jn. 1:3; Jn. 14:23), in true service (Mt. 28:20; Ps. 100:2), and in true worship (Ps. 100:2; 1 Cor. 10:16); after death (Ps. 23:4; 139:7-12); and in the fact that all shall stand before Him on Judgment Day (Mt. 25:31-34; 2 Cor. 5:10), after which the redeemed will be in His eternal presence (1 Thes. 4:16-17), and the lost will be eternally excluded from His presence (2 Thes. 1:7-9). Omnipresence does not necessarily mean that God is everywhere in the same sense or with reference to the same purpose or goal. God is represented as “coming down” (Gen. 11:5), as “coming from” one place to another (Hab. 3:3), as “coming in” some things (Ex. 19:9), and as “abiding” with individuals (Jn. 14:23). This may be accommodative language (anthropomorphic) or it may be that God actually is more in one place than another.

Fourth, God is unchangeable, or immutable (Mal. 3:6). There is no variation in the nature of God (Jas. 1:17; Heb. 13:8). God is not like a man (Num. 23:19). Any change in God’s nature would invalidate the rest of His nature. God is unchangeable in His power (Rom. 4:20-21), in His plans and purposes (Isa. 46:10; Rom. 11:29), in His promises (1 Kgs. 8:56; 2 Cor. 1:20), in His justice (Gen. 18:25), and in His love and mercy (Ps. 103:17; 118:1-4, 29).

What about passages where God “repents” or changes his mind? “Repent” (KJV) often means to regret, or make sorry (cf. Gen. 6:6). Whenever God “changes His mind,” it is evident that He has done so based upon His omniscience in unfolding His plan of salvation throughout the ages based upon repentance. God has revealed this aspect of His will in His“conditional prophecies” (cf. Deut. 28) (Gilmore, 10). These prophecies were given in order that people might see the consequences of their sins. When people keep the covenant, God blesses them, but when people break the covenant, God withholds some blessings. There are also covenant (dispensational) changes that must be considered. Such things as animal sacrifices, dietary laws, and circumcision only applied to a particular covenant, or dispensation. These changes do not equate to an essential change in God’s nature. Part of God’s immutability is that He changes within the prescribed and unchangeable conditions that He has revealed. God “repents,” when people repent (Jonah 3:4-10). God’s “methodology” changes only on the basis of his unchangeable principles (1 Cor. 13:8-10; Eph. 4:11-13).

God’s immutability is a source of comfort to those who love and serve Him. God always hears and answers the prayers of His children (Jn. 14:13-14; 1 Jn. 3:21-22; 5:14-15). God can and will do everything that He has promised (Rom. 4:21). God is faithful, dependable, reliable, and trustworthy (Deut. 7:9; 1 Kgs. 8:56; 1 Cor. 10:13; Heb. 10:23). This attribute is also a warning to those who do not love and serve Him (cf. Gal. 6:7-8).

To Be Continued