Essentials lesson 4: God's Incommunicable Attributes

What are the attributes of God?
They are the infinite perfections of His divine Being which reveal to us how and what God is.

How are God's attributes generally distinguished?
They are distinguished as communicable and incommunicable attributes.

What is meant by that distinction?
Since we are created in the image of God, some attributes are reflected in us. These are called communicable attributes.

Which are God's incommunicable attributes?
His oneness, simplicity, independency, infinity, and immutability.

What is meant by God's oneness?
That there is only one divine essence and that there is no God besides Him. Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 18:31.

What is meant by God's simplicity?
That God is indivisible and not composed and that His attributes are one in Him.

What is meant by God's independency?
That He is self-sufficient and is dependent upon no other for His existence. Isaiah 40:13-14; John 5:26.

What is meant by God's infinity?
That God is a God of endless perfection, and that He is eternal and everywhere present. Psalm 90:2; Jeremiah 23:23-24; I Timothy 1:17.

What is meant by God's immutability?
That God never changes in His own being and in all His works and ways. Malachi 3:6.

Why does God reveal His incommunicable attributes to us?
That we may know that He is highly exalted above all and that He alone ought to be praised.


Lesson 4 God's Incommunicable Attributes What are the attributes of God? They are the infinite perfections of His divine Being which reveal to us how and what God is. How are God's attributes generally distinguished? They are distinguished as communicable and incommunicable attributes. What is meant by that distinction? Since we are created in the image of God, some attributes are reflected in us. These are called communicable attributes. Which are God's incommunicable attributes? His oneness, simplicity, independency, infinity, and immutability. What is meant by God's oneness? That there is only one divine essence and that there is no God besides Him. Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 18:31. What is meant by God's simplicity? That God is indivisible and not composed and that His attributes are one in Him. What is meant by God's independency? That He is self-sufficient and is dependent upon no other for His existence. Isaiah 40:13-14; John 5:26. What is meant by God's infinity? That God is a God of endless perfection, and that He is eternal and everywhere present. Psalm 90:2; Jeremiah 23:23-24; I Timothy 1:17. What is meant by God's immutability? That God never changes in His own being and in all His works and ways. Malachi 3:6. Why does God reveal His incommunicable attributes to us? That we may know that He is highly exalted above all and that He alone ought to be praised. EXTRA WORK: Which incommunicable attributes of God are mentioned in Article 1 of the Belgic Confession? What attributes of God are mentioned in the following texts: Acts 17:24; I John 5:4-8; I Corinthians 8:6; James 1:17; Psalm 90:4; Psalm 139:7-10; I Kings 8:27; Job 11:7-9. In Genesis 6:6 we read that God repents. How do you explain this in the light of God's immutability? What does Deuteronomy 6:5-6 say is our calling because God is one?			Go to Lesson 4 > Discussion
			Bible reading for the lesson Q/A 1-4 Divine Attributes Isaiah 40 Q/A 5 5,6 Oneness and Simplicity Deuteronomy 6:4 Q/A 7-10 Independency, infinity Isaiah 44 Revelation 5 Q/A 9 Immutability Malachi 3:6


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