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Divine Simplicity

Posted on Nov 14, 2024

Introduction to Divine Simplicity

Divine simplicity is the doctrine that God is not composed of parts, if that was the case then that would indicate incompleteness and a imperfection (God must be absolutely simple to be absolutely perfect).

Unlike humans, whose attributes are separate and finite, God’s attributes such as wisdom, love and power are not parts of Him but are fully and entirely unified within His essence. God is not a collection of qualities but exists in complete unity. Each attribute is not something God merely posesses – He is His wisdom, love and power in a way that reflects His indivisible, unchangeable, and perfect nature.

This doctrine teaches that God is a single, undivided act of existence. He is not made up of components or properties but exists as a perfectly unified, complete being without internal divisions. This unity means that God is not subject to change or complexity and exists as a single, all-encopassing essence, without potential for alteration.

Biblical Foundation for Divine Simplicity

Exodus 3:14

 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM (YHWH). This is what you are to say to
 the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
  • Points to His self-sufficiency and eternal existence
  • Implies that God’s being is complete within itself
  • Indicates no distinction between God’s essence and (pure) existence

Malachi 3:6

 For I am the Lord, I do not change;
 Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
  • Reflects God’s immutability
  • God does not change, indicating a unity without parts or division.

1 John 4:8

 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
  • God’s essence is pure love itself, rather than a mere posession of it
  • He does not gain or lose qualities as created beings do but is consistently and wholly complete in every way

Deuteronomy 6:4

 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one
  • Affirms God’s absolute unity
  • Points to God’s indivisible nature

John 4:24

 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
  • Implies God’s non-composite spiritual nature
  • Suggests no material parts
  • Indicates God’s pure actuality
  • No potentiality or composition

Church Fathers on Simplicity

Augustine (354-430):

  • Declared that relation distinctions within the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) do not imply any division or composition in God’s essence
  • 3 Persons coexist within a single, idivisible divine essence

Basil of Caesarea (330-379):

  • Distinguished between God’s essence and energies
  • Maintained God’s essence is absolutely simple
  • Emphasized God’s incomprehensibility
  • Argued for simplicity while acknowledging divine activity

Hilary of Poitiers (310-367):

  • Stressed God’s absolute unity
  • Emphasized simplicity as key to understanding divine nature
  • Connected simplicity to divine perfection
  • Highlighted limits of human comprehension

Gregory of Nyssa (335-395):

  • Argued for God’s indivisibility
  • Connected simplicity to divine infinity
  • Emphasized God’s transcendence
  • Linked simplicity to divine unity

Divine Simplicity and the Doctrine of the Trinity

While divine simplicity might initially seem to conflict with the idea of the Trinity, Augustine and others clarified that the distinctions within the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) do not imply division. The Persons are relational distinctions within the single, undivided divine essence, maintaining simplicity while allowing for relational differentiation. Thus divine simplicy remains by affirming that these 3 Persons coexist within a single, indivisible divine essence.