Episode 100 – The Complementary Attributes of God Part 2

Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, verse 6, New International Version

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Joshua, Chapter 1, verse 5, New International Version

********

VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today on Anchored by Truth we’re continuing our new series that we’re calling “The Complementary Attributes of God.” With me in the studio is RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books. We wanted to do this series to help us start thinking a little more deeply about the magnificent God we serve. RD, why did you decide to call this series “The Complementary Attributes of God?”

RD: The goal for Anchored by Truth is to focus on ways to help listeners increase their confidence that the Bible truly is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. This position is increasingly challenged not only in the world today, but, sadly, also within the church. And also sadly, while there are a great many faithful Christians who still do adhere to the belief that the Bible is the inspired word of God, when asked why they believe that they have a hard time articulating the basis for their belief. So, our central purpose at Anchored by Truth is to focus on the logic and evidence that demonstrates that the Bible is God’s word. But, of course, a focus on the word of God isn’t nearly as meaningful if we don’t understand who God is. So, toward that end we wanted to take a few episodes of Anchored by Truth and just focus on God. This series is a sort-of extended meditation on God’s excellence and magnificence. The way we’re going to do that is by thinking more deeply about God’s attributes. We’ve called this series “The Complementary Attributes of God” because we want to discuss the fact that all of God’s attributes show different aspects of God’s character but those attributes harmonize perfectly. When you look at a jewel it’s possible to focus on each facet individually. But you don’t see the real fire and brilliance of a jewel until you step back and see the complete effect the facets produce. God has many attributes. Each is beautiful in its own way. But considering how God’s attributes complement each other perfectly shows how astoundingly perfect God is.

VK: So, let’s remind everyone of the vocabulary lesson we went through in our first episode of the series. Two words that are pronounced the same but are spelled differently are called heterographs. The words “complimentary” - that is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y and “complementary” which is spelled the same except that it’s “P-L-E” rather than “P-L-I” - are heterographs. Their pronunciation is the same but they have different meanings. Complimentary, with an “I,” can mean to give something away for free as in getting a complimentary box of doughnuts.

RD: I’d like that.

VK: I’m sure you would. Or, complimentary with an “I” can also mean to express admiration or praise for someone. If you say “you have a wonderful smile,” you’re giving someone a compliment – compliment with an “I.” But complementary, with an “E,” means to combine two or more things together in such a way as to emphasize the qualities of each of those things or that the two things complete one another. A tennis ball and tennis racket are considered complementary goods. Together they complete the purpose for which they were designed. It’s not that you couldn’t throw a tennis ball or hit something with a tennis racket even if they’re not together. But doing that wouldn’t be their highest and best use. Used together a tennis ball and a tennis racket fulfill the purpose for which they were designed. The title of this series is “The Complementary Attributes of God” - complementary with an “E” because all of God’s attributes work together in perfect harmony.

RD: Well, that meditation was a great introduction to the first set of attributes of God that we want to discuss today: transcendence and immanence. But before we get into that part of our discussion let’s take a few minutes and do a brief review of part of what we discussed on our last episode of Anchored by Truth. Last time we saw that all of God’s attributes arise from a God who is both infinite and perfect in His nature. Then, as that infinite and perfect God begins to act within His creation we see the manifestation of those attributes. But as we noted sometimes you hear people say that this or that attribute of God is infinite. For instance sometimes you might hear someone say that God is infinitely merciful. But that really isn’t true at least insofar as how God’s mercy affects mankind.

VK: What you’re concerned about is that if someone says that God is infinitely merciful they might get the idea that an infinitely merciful God would never pronounce judgment on anyone or consign anyone to hell. And that is a very dangerous conclusion for someone to form. God’s essence is certainly infinite as is His power and knowledge. But when it comes to applying His attributes to His creation God does limit the application. God’s offer of mercy to those who refuse to place their trust in Him ends when they die or when He decides to come again. So, people need to understand that while God is infinite, His mercy, patience, and forbearance are not. The reason we want to be careful about making this distinction is to help people from forming the wrong conclusions.

RD: Exactly. God is a God of both justice and mercy. If God were only a God of justice, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit God would have expelled Adam and Eve from Eden and that would have been the end of the story. Adam and Eve and all their descendants would have been lost forever. But God’s mercy complements His justice. Thankfully, Adam and Eve’s rebellion wasn’t the end of the story. Because God is omniscient He knows everything. This means God knew how to prepare a plan to save a people for Himself. So, out of mercy God began implementation of his plan of redemption at the same time He pronounced the initial consequences for Adam and Eve’s rebellion. The events that are contained in chapter 3 of Genesis are a very clear presentation of how God’s attributes are perfectly integrated. We’re back to the observation that it has been said that all heresies begin with a misunderstanding of the nature of God. We want people to understand that God is not only a merciful God but also a just God. God’s justice acts in a complementary fashion with His mercy. Trying to separate or elevate on attribute over another can produce a distorted vision of how God interacts with His creation and creatures, especially us.

VK: We want listeners to know that we’re well aware that there are a great many differing concepts about God that exist around the world and even in this country. But it is important to emphasize that varying concepts about God don’t affect God, as He is, at all. God is who He is. He even said that Moses when Moses asked who he should say was sending him to free the Israelites from Pharaoh. God said, “tell them I am sent you. I am that I am.” God doesn’t change so how we think about Him doesn’t affect His character or nature in the slightest. That’s good news and bad news. Because God doesn’t change we count on His promises to us just as much as the first people He gave them to thousands of years ago. But also, because God doesn’t change, when He prescribed the transcendent moral principles in the 10 commandments almost 4,000 years ago, those haven’t changed either. The point is it’s important to know God as He is. We must not be swayed by prevailing popular trends or opinions, especially if those opinions are inconsistent with what we learn about God from the Bible. So, where do you want to start for today?

RD: As I mentioned earlier, I’d like to consider God’s complementary attributes of transcendence and immanence.

VK: When we say that God is transcendent we mean that God literally transcends His creation. Some religions or philosophies like pantheism see God as a part of creation. In pantheism “all is god and god is all.” But that is quite different from how Christians view the relationship between God and the created order. Christians know that God did create everything that exists but God’s essence is not a part of the created order. God’s relationship to His creation is very similar to a painter’s relationship with their painting. The painter painted the picture but is not a part of the picture. And, frankly, the painter has power over the picture. They could change the picture at any time or make an entirely new painting if they wanted to.

RD: Right. So, God’s attribute of transcendence means that God “transcends” His creation. He is separate and apart from His creation and He still has complete power over His creation. Now sometimes when people hear this description about God and creation they sort of form the impression that God no longer has much, if anything to do with the created order. Many Deists see God as a kind of disinterested observer of the created order. They might believe that God created everything, but they take the attitude that once God set everything in motion He now just stands back and watches from afar. This view is that God is like the person who owns an ant farm. The ant farm owner watches the ants through the glass but does not interfere with their activity.

VK: I think you’re dating yourself. Today it’s more likely someone would have a digital ant farm – less mess and no danger of the glass breaking.

RD: I probably am dating myself. Fortunately, the ant farm analogy does not represent how God relates to His creation.

VK: That’s where the attribute of God’s immanence comes in. A simple definition of immanence would be that God is present within His creation. There used to be a famous seminary school professor who would ask his students whether God was transcendent or immanent. This naturally would generate a great deal of discussion until the professor settled the discussion by telling the students God was both.

RD: Exactly. God is both transcendent and immanent. God created everything that exists. But God is not subject to or limited by His creation. But God is not a distant or disinterested landlord. God had a purpose for creating the universe and everything that is in it and He is superintending all the events of creation to achieve His intended purposes. And in his immanence God is omnipresent as we heard in our devotion. God is equally present in all parts of the created order.

VK: Yes. But here is where some head scratching comes in. It’s hard for us to understand how God can possess both qualities. It’s easy for people to understand the painter analogy. The painter can do anything they want with the painting from the outside. But there is no way a human painter can ever put themselves into the painting and start interacting with the characters or setting they have painted – at least not outside a science fiction or fantasy novel.

RD: They key word you just used is “human” painter. That’s why we have to ensure that we never lose sight of the fact that God is infinitely powerful. God is not like us. In Isaiah 55, verses 8 and 9 God declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

VK: And in Luke 18:27 God said that what is impossible with man is possible with God. Wow. I never saw that verse in that light. So, the point you’re making is that we have to be careful not to try to limit God by assuming that God is just a sort of super kind of human being. God is far more than that. God is a being with an entirely different character and set of attributes. When God made man He communicated some of His attributes to man, but by no means all. And even the attributes we received we always possess in a finite fashion and not an infinite fashion.

RD: Right. Now I’m sure there are some listeners who might ask why all this is so important. What’s the point of thinking so carefully about the fact that God is both transcendent and immanent?

VK: Ok. So, what is the point?

RD: Well, one point – and perhaps the biggest point – is that it is God’s transcendence and immanence that make salvation possible. If God were not both transcendent and immanent we could not be saved.

VK: I think you need to amplify on that a bit.

RD: God’s attribute of justice means that He must punish wrongdoing. As we mentioned earlier, when Adam and Eve ate fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden they permitted evil, rebellion, to enter the human race. Their act of rebellion affected not just themselves, but also all of their descendants. This includes everyone who has ever lived. But because God is also a merciful God, God began a plan of redemption immediately after Adam and Eve fell. But the only way God could save man from the consequences of man’s rebellion was to pay the sin debt that man owed. In order to effectuate that plan God had to be able enter into the created order and take on a human nature. The Bible says that there is one mediator between God and man: Christ Jesus.

VK: 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verses 5 and 6 say, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” A mediator is one who represents two parties. Often the parties are estranged from one another. That was the case with God and man after Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s command. As the second person of the Trinity it’s obvious that Jesus could represent God in the transaction of reconciliation. But in order to represent the human side of the transaction Jesus had to enter into creation and take on a human nature. In a very profound way the incarnation is the most dramatic expression of God’s immanence.

RD: Exactly. Let’s think about this for just a second. In order to be able to represent both sides Jesus had to be both man and God. Jesus’ divine nature has, of course, always been in existence. But in order to represent man Jesus had to enter into creation at a particular place and time. Now think carefully. Jesus could enter into creation because he possesses the attribute of immanence. But a lot of the people for whom Jesus sacrificed Himself would enter the created order after Jesus lived and died – namely everyone alive today. So, how can we say that Jesus’ death not only saved all who had come before he lived but all who would trust him after he returned to heaven? We can say that because, as we have noted, Jesus is not only immanent but also transcendent. In a very real way Jesus’ death on the cross transcends all of space and time. That’s why it’s so important that we delve a little more deeply into all of these attributes of God. It is the complementary nature of these attributes that make our salvation possible.

VK: I think that’s a great note. God is not only a God of promise but also a God of peril. He’s a God of mercy and deliverance to those who trust in His son, but He is a God of justice to those who don’t. That’s the rugged truth that we have to accept and proclaim. And that is, of course, why we wanted to launch this series on The Complementary Attributes of God. We have to be faithful to what the Bible tells us about God. And that’s also why we labor so hard on Anchored by Truth to help people build a solid foundation about the fact that the Bible is demonstrably the word of God. If the Bible weren’t the word of God, it might be a sort of interesting book of history and philosophy but you could safely ignore the parts about commandments, judgment, eternity, and hell. But if the Bible is the word of God, and we certainly believe that it is, then anyone who ignores those aspects of the Bible are in the same kind of danger Adam and Eve put themselves in when they ignored God’s commandment about the tree in Eden.

RD: Yes. As we work our way through God’s attributes we continue to see this same dynamic at work. It is absolutely true to say that God loves people. God is a God of love. But God’s love is not divorced from his holiness or justice. So, to properly understand God’s attribute of being loving we must keep God’s entire character in mind. And if God were not both transcendent and immanent it would be hard to see how he would have been able to arrange the transaction that allowed God’s love to be expressed as mercy to those people who return His love. This points out that the deeper our understanding of God’s character the better able we are to worship Him, as the Bible says, “in spirit and in truth.”

VK: Well, in our next episode of Anchored by Truth we’re going to continue to explore some more of God’s attributes and see not only how they complement each other, but also how they enable us to truly see what a great God we worship. This sounds like a great time to go to the Lord in prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer for first responders who so often risk their own health and safety to provide for the welfare of others. Let’s remember always to pray regularly for our nation and communities. The Bible assures us that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” and that God hears and responds to the sincere prayers of His faithful children.

---- PRAYER FOR FIRST RESPONDERS (RD)

VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.”

If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”

(Bible Quotes from the New International Version)

Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, verse 6, New International Version

Joshua, Chapter 1, verse 5, New International Version