Catechism of
the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Faith
For Adults
Continuation of Section One – FAITH
God’s
Natural Attributes
The natural attributes of God are ascribed
to Him from mankind’s conception of the creation, with God being outside of
space and time as timeless, infinite and independent. The three natural attributes
of God are: Ever-presence, Eternity and Almightiness. These
attributes have been derived from the Creation and Scripture and which have
been exalted to perfection beyond man’s knowledge and comprehension. These
attributes witness that God is Absolute and Self-caused.
1.
THE EVER-PRESENCE OF GOD:
“If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed
in Sheol, thou art there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right
hand shall hold me”, Psalm 139:8-10.
God is a spiritual
Being without matter, not confined in space, in which the synthesis of matter
is understood. God is without space or time; therefore, His substance is
spiritual and without matter: “God is spirit, and
those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”, John 4:24. There
is no place in the universe where God is not present; his energy is witnessed
in every part of the universe, being simultaneously in all things.
2.
THE ETERNITY OF GOD:
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou
hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art
God . . . For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is
past, or as a watch in the night”, Psalm 90:2, 4.
The Eternity of God means that God is above
time and thereby Ever-present,
without end. Time is humanly understood as the moving of things which have a
beginning and an end and are changeable. Since God is above time, there is no
duration of time as far as God is concerned. Life beyond time and the creative
cause of time are the meaning of eternity, which is an attribute of God. This
timelessness and unchangeability of God in relation to his Eternity is denoted
in the Jewish word Yahweh, saying, “I AM WHO I AM”. Ex. 3:14. Therefore, God as
an unchangeable BEING, has no variation in His nature, as contrasted to man’s
growth and changeability.
3.
THE ALMIGHTINESS OF GOD:
“For with God nothing will be impossible”, Luke 1:37; Upholding the universe by his word of power”,
Hebrews 1:3.
The attribute of
ALMIGHTINESS (omnipotence) is the main
characteristic of God’s essence. The divine power can do “all things”, and God
will do whatever He wills; not what He can do, but what He wills to do. Because
of His essence, God’s divine power and will are correlated. The profound
distinction between God’s power and will is that God can do whatever He wills,
but He dose not do whatever He can do.
These natural
attributes of God – His Ever-presence,
Eternity and Almightiness – derive from the central characteristic of God’s Absoluteness. These physical attributes
are better understood by mankind when he relates them to the highest degree of
his logical and ethical capabilities.
Next
Month, November 22nd: GOD’S LOGICAL ATTRIBUTES