God's Attributes: Part One
Now, let us consider more about God, namely, His attributes. So, before we begin, what is an attribute? We could define attribute as a quality or characteristic inherent in the nature of a thing. So, given this definition, let's delve into some of God's own attributes, building on what we have seen thus far in this blog.
First, as has been expounded upon in earlier posts, God is pure Being itself. He is existence by His very nature. As Saints Thomas and Augustine declared, all being is good. Evil, they argued, is the lack of goodness that should be present in a being. Take any example of an evil thing. A toothache is called an evil because it is the lack of the good (your tooth) that should be there. When a serial-killer murders someone, we call that a grave evil because humans are made to live and stay living. It is part of our very nature to seek to preserve our lives. Thus, the act of murder goes against the goodness of life; it is an action that falls short and is lacking in the proper actions which ought to be done towards other people.
So, we can see that all being is good because evil is the lack of what should be present in a being. Evil is not said to have a substance; it is a deprivation of goodness and thus being. In fact, Aquinas said that there really is no real distinction between goodness and being. The only way in which we distinguish them is logically, meaning, a distinction which resides only in the way the human intellect approaches the realities, not in the realities themselves. To clarify, the human intellect first knows that a being is real and actual before it recognizes that it is a good being.
To apply these principles to the main topic of our discussion, we see that God is goodness itself. Because evil is the lack of being and thus goodness and because God is pure Being, we can logically say that God is pure goodness and also that in Him there is absolutely no evil or lack of goodness and being. Also, because God is the First Efficient Cause of everything and thus is the Necessary Being who give being to other efficient, contingent things, He is said to be the perfect and totally good Being. There is no being prior to Him from which He receives any perfection of being or goodness. If this were the case, we would have it that God, the First Cause, really wouldn't be the First Cause at all and we would have to go on looking for the real one. This is absurd, of course.
We know that God Himself is pure goodness, not as something He has or obtained but rather, as in regards to something that He is, something that's part of His inherent nature. At this point, we must take a look at the Divine Simplicity of God before we explore any more of His attributes. God's Divine Simplicity has often been a very difficult thing to understand but I believe that it really doesn't have to be that way. First, God's Simplicity refers to the fact that He is not composed or made up of parts like other beings are. Also, there is no potentiality in Him because He is pure act and enables by His very nature all of His actions whereas every contingent being must be acted upon and is not self-moving. Aquinas words it this way, saying that God is said to be simple and not composed of parts "[B]ecause every composite is posterior (meaning 'coming after') to its component parts, and is dependent on them; but God is the first being..." In summation of this line of thought, we see that God must be a pure, undivided, simple Being who is not made up of parts because then He would have to have been acted upon in order for the various parts and characteristics He has to gain actuality.
So, to sum up what we have found out thus far, God is Being itself and thus is Goodness itself, having all perfections in Him and no evil or lack. Also, God is One, meaning, not composed of various, interacting parts or qualities. In regards to His Divine Attributes, we do not say that He has them like we have the virtues of prudence, wisdom, or justice. Rather, God's attributes are one and the same with His very nature, who He is. In short, God is perfection, God is His attributes.
Now, let us consider some of God's perfections. In creatures such as ourselves, we see various perfections and goods such as being, life, and knowledge. These things have to be conferred on us creatures by other efficient, working causes. As we have seen in previous posts, it is impossible to have an endless regress of efficient causes all causing change in one another. God, being the First, Efficient, and self-existent Cause, is the source from which all perfections (or actualities) and goodness comes from. Because all perfections are identified with and inseparable from His nature and because He is self-existent, not depending on anything else for His existence, God is the one who is the dispenser of all perfection onto other beings. Aquinas writes in the Summa, "In this way all created things, so far as they are beings, are like God as the first and universal principle of all being." In other words, because God is Being itself and thus is good, all beings are said to be good insofar as they have actual being and existence. In summation, every good comes from God Himself. The thing created by God is said to have received its goodness. God is said to be goodness, also, the one who imparts the goodness to contingent beings.
To conclude this post, we have been building upon the basic reality that God is pure, complete Being itself. Because of this fact, He is all-good and there is no evil in Him. Also, we noted, God is a Simple Being, meaning, He is not composed of separate parts. Indeed, He is not another material being like you or I. He is pure spirit. In future posts, we will dive into more of God's attributes, explaining them from the truths that have been expounded upon here.
First, as has been expounded upon in earlier posts, God is pure Being itself. He is existence by His very nature. As Saints Thomas and Augustine declared, all being is good. Evil, they argued, is the lack of goodness that should be present in a being. Take any example of an evil thing. A toothache is called an evil because it is the lack of the good (your tooth) that should be there. When a serial-killer murders someone, we call that a grave evil because humans are made to live and stay living. It is part of our very nature to seek to preserve our lives. Thus, the act of murder goes against the goodness of life; it is an action that falls short and is lacking in the proper actions which ought to be done towards other people.
So, we can see that all being is good because evil is the lack of what should be present in a being. Evil is not said to have a substance; it is a deprivation of goodness and thus being. In fact, Aquinas said that there really is no real distinction between goodness and being. The only way in which we distinguish them is logically, meaning, a distinction which resides only in the way the human intellect approaches the realities, not in the realities themselves. To clarify, the human intellect first knows that a being is real and actual before it recognizes that it is a good being.
To apply these principles to the main topic of our discussion, we see that God is goodness itself. Because evil is the lack of being and thus goodness and because God is pure Being, we can logically say that God is pure goodness and also that in Him there is absolutely no evil or lack of goodness and being. Also, because God is the First Efficient Cause of everything and thus is the Necessary Being who give being to other efficient, contingent things, He is said to be the perfect and totally good Being. There is no being prior to Him from which He receives any perfection of being or goodness. If this were the case, we would have it that God, the First Cause, really wouldn't be the First Cause at all and we would have to go on looking for the real one. This is absurd, of course.
We know that God Himself is pure goodness, not as something He has or obtained but rather, as in regards to something that He is, something that's part of His inherent nature. At this point, we must take a look at the Divine Simplicity of God before we explore any more of His attributes. God's Divine Simplicity has often been a very difficult thing to understand but I believe that it really doesn't have to be that way. First, God's Simplicity refers to the fact that He is not composed or made up of parts like other beings are. Also, there is no potentiality in Him because He is pure act and enables by His very nature all of His actions whereas every contingent being must be acted upon and is not self-moving. Aquinas words it this way, saying that God is said to be simple and not composed of parts "[B]ecause every composite is posterior (meaning 'coming after') to its component parts, and is dependent on them; but God is the first being..." In summation of this line of thought, we see that God must be a pure, undivided, simple Being who is not made up of parts because then He would have to have been acted upon in order for the various parts and characteristics He has to gain actuality.
So, to sum up what we have found out thus far, God is Being itself and thus is Goodness itself, having all perfections in Him and no evil or lack. Also, God is One, meaning, not composed of various, interacting parts or qualities. In regards to His Divine Attributes, we do not say that He has them like we have the virtues of prudence, wisdom, or justice. Rather, God's attributes are one and the same with His very nature, who He is. In short, God is perfection, God is His attributes.
Now, let us consider some of God's perfections. In creatures such as ourselves, we see various perfections and goods such as being, life, and knowledge. These things have to be conferred on us creatures by other efficient, working causes. As we have seen in previous posts, it is impossible to have an endless regress of efficient causes all causing change in one another. God, being the First, Efficient, and self-existent Cause, is the source from which all perfections (or actualities) and goodness comes from. Because all perfections are identified with and inseparable from His nature and because He is self-existent, not depending on anything else for His existence, God is the one who is the dispenser of all perfection onto other beings. Aquinas writes in the Summa, "In this way all created things, so far as they are beings, are like God as the first and universal principle of all being." In other words, because God is Being itself and thus is good, all beings are said to be good insofar as they have actual being and existence. In summation, every good comes from God Himself. The thing created by God is said to have received its goodness. God is said to be goodness, also, the one who imparts the goodness to contingent beings.
To conclude this post, we have been building upon the basic reality that God is pure, complete Being itself. Because of this fact, He is all-good and there is no evil in Him. Also, we noted, God is a Simple Being, meaning, He is not composed of separate parts. Indeed, He is not another material being like you or I. He is pure spirit. In future posts, we will dive into more of God's attributes, explaining them from the truths that have been expounded upon here.
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