Does God Have an Over-Arching Attribute?
In chapter 8 (p. 63) Culver discusses briefly how the divine attributes work together. He asks the question "Is one attribute more important to sound theology, that is, to a correct undertanding of God and His ways, then another?"
He then left that until later which he picks up in chapter 12 (p. 94) where he discusses the attributes of goodness. He seems to (although not dogmatically answering his question from chapter 8) argue that holiness is God's over-arching attribute. All other attributes seem to be filtered through His holiness (correct me if I am reading Culver wrong here).
I agree with this statement, but I wonder what everyone else thinks. First, does God have an over-arching attribute? If so, what is it and does it even matter?
He then left that until later which he picks up in chapter 12 (p. 94) where he discusses the attributes of goodness. He seems to (although not dogmatically answering his question from chapter 8) argue that holiness is God's over-arching attribute. All other attributes seem to be filtered through His holiness (correct me if I am reading Culver wrong here).
I agree with this statement, but I wonder what everyone else thinks. First, does God have an over-arching attribute? If so, what is it and does it even matter?
posted by Allen R. Mickle, Jr. | 11:20 PM
3 Comments:
I agree with the statement with the exception that I would add the sovereignty of God to that :^ ).
Bret Lovitz
Grace Fellowship
www.gracefellowshipmh.org
Bret,
So you would say that both sovereignty and holiness are over-arching attributes then? I think Culver is trying to make a clear distinction between the attributes of greatness and the attributes of goodness. Sovereignty is greatness, holiness is goodness. I think the issue specifically is over-arching attribute of goodness.
In the vision of Isaiah, the angels cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isa. 6:3)
This passage may seem to point at holiness as God's chief attribute, but it may just be one of the most important in relation to the situation at the time: "Woe is me, for I am undone! because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips" (V. 5a)
In the great declaration of God's glory to Moses (and repeated elsewhere in Scripture, e.g. Psa. 86:15), God says the following:
"The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation." (Exod. 34:6,7)
Here the emphasis is on his grace, or as the Westminster Synod encompassed it in the Shorter Catechism, His goodness. Again this emphasis may be contextual.
Which is the overarching attribute? I don't think you can make a conclusive case for any. If the Bible doesn't make this distinction, then neither should we.
Eternal life is to know God (and Christ), so we should want to know His totality and not focus on one attribute above all others.
Our God is great and worthy of praise. Let us sing his praise and meditate on His glory!
Psalm 95
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
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