The incomprehensible God is so gracious
that He revealed Himself in ways finite beings can grasp a little understanding
of who He is. We cannot know Him if He did not make Himself known to us. The
right understanding about God gives us a right perspective in our lives as
believers because it shapes our worldview. Therefore, it is necessary for us to
attempt to understand who He is based on the revelations He made available
to us in the best way we can learn taking into consideration our
limitation.
The
knowledge about God is so vast that even the universe cannot contend it. In our
attempt to understand Him, we tried to systematize our inadequate knowledge of
Him by categorizing His attributes. It is so complex that even the known good
theologians are not unanimous in the way they classified God’s attributes. This
observation manifests two interpretations. It testifies to the incomprehensibility
of God and the limitation of the human mind. The most common classifications
are the incommunicable and communicable attributes. Knowing the different attributes
under these categories is indeed fascinating. The incommunicable attributes tell us of
His supremacy and sovereignty. There is nothing above and beyond Yahweh. There
are no idols of humans that are like Him. He is not bound by space and time. These
truths affect three important areas a believer's life. First, it
influences the believer's prayer life. We can be
confident that He hears us when we pray, anytime and anywhere. There is no need
for us to be in a particular place and conduct some rituals in order for us to
communicate with Him. He meets and provides for our needs. He listens and
answers our prayers in accordance to His will and purpose. Second, it reminds the believers that God knows everyone's thoughts-the contents of our hearts-and He sees everything
that we do. This constant awareness keeps His people away from sin. Third, it compels us to be humble before Him and to revere Him in the way He should be revered. Knowing
whom we serve and worship makes us serve and worship Him more. On the other
hand, His communicable attributes convey a message that He is relational. It does not mean that He needed a relationship, but the fact that He created us with
the need for a relationship–we can connect with Him as He relates with us in
His communicable attributes. The attributes He shared to humankind are tiny
windows of understanding Him-His character in relation to all His creation, most especially to man. The believers’
knowledge about His communicable attributes must bring confidence that Yahweh
is active in the whereabouts of His people. The truth about our relationship
with Him tells us that He does not only see us, but also, understands what we feel and
what we go through. He understands what it means when we are in love because He
is love. He wants us to be patient because He has been showing patience with His people. He desires compassion to be seen in us towards others because He has been
compassionate towards the church. He compels us to show kindness, goodness, and righteousness
because He is our God and we are humans, the bearers of His image.
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