Simplified Discipleship
Creator
“God, who through the Word creates all things and keeps them in existence” (DV 3)
This quote doesn’t just affirm that God is the creator, but also that He keeps all of existence in existence. In other words if God wasn’t thinking of the universe it would cease to exist. You are kept in existence every moment in time, because God is thinking of you. “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Lk 12:7)
Infinite
God is “infinitely above everything that we can understand or say” (CCC 206)
God is Infinite which means He cannot be contained in any way. He cannot be contained in time or space which means He must be above time and space therefore He is transcendent.
God has no limits
He has always existed and always will
He is not limited by space (Omnipresent)
He knows everything (Omniscient)
He is all powerful (Omnipotent)
Omnipotent: “In the creation of the world and of man, God gave the first and universal witness to his almighty love and his wisdom” (CCC 315)
Another word for Omnipotent is ‘almighty’ which means He is ‘all powerful’.
Omnipresent means ‘all present’ or ‘present everywhere’. God who is transcendent is not removed from creation, but keeps creation in existence and therefore is mindful of every part of creation. God is thus present everywhere since He is aware of everywhere.
Omniscient: God “knows everything” (1 Jn 3:20 see CCC 209)
Omniscient means ‘all knowing’.
God has already thought of every possible thought, good or bad, since He is infinite, meaning He has already had every thought. There is nothing new to God. God knows where every electron is in the whole universe and every instant of time for all time and space. God knows every possible choice you could ever possibly make and what would happen if you made different choices, and not just for you but for all of humanity for all times and all the possibilities, which is nothing compared to God’s knowledge.
Truth
“God is Truth itself” (CCC 215)
The quote says it all. All truth comes from God and God himself is true and thus truth itself.
Good: “God is infinitely good and all his works are good.” (CCC 385)
God is goodness itself. Everything God created is good because God is good. God never intended evil to happen, but since He created free will, He allowed it to happen. God is so good He can bring good from evil but evil always remains evil.
Mystery: “God is mystery” (CCC 206)
Because God is infinite, we can never fully understand God, so God will always be a mystery.
We can sum up these quotes with these two:
“All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of creatures - their truth, their goodness, their beauty all reflect the infinite perfection of God. Consequently we can name God by taking his creatures' perfections as our starting point, "for from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator".” (CCC 41)
Many have sought to work out if there is an ultimate reality and what it is like. ….. Therefore it is possible “God, the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty from created reality by the light of human reason” (DV 6).
The attributes of God we have explored are based on natural theology. But God himself has revealed other attributes which are based on what He has done and said. What He has done and said is called revelation.