Many thinkers, including theologians such as Paul Tillich, believe that human minds cannot comprehend the nature of a single Supreme Being like God. Paul Tillich wrote in one of his writings that God “is beyond human understanding”.
Common attributes attributed to God include being all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present – qualities which raise questions such as why such an entity could allow evil to exist in its midst.
Infinite
Human minds cannot comprehend the infinite power of God; thus we must trust him and His Word.
The Bible reminds us that human minds cannot fully comprehend a powerful, all-knowing, all-present deity like God; therefore it is necessary for us to read and study the Scripture daily so as to get an idea of who our infinite Lord really is.
Infinite Power Its According to biblical accounts of creation, God is all-powerful and omnipotent – meaning He can do anything, anywhere at any time – He’s also timeless as He transcends time itself, meaning only He is capable of creating such an amazing universe as we see it today.
Scripture also asserts that all things are possible through prayerful faith and divine help. Accordingly, we should never relinquish our belief in an all-powerful God and never abandon hope of realizing impossible goals.
Aristotle, Plato and Plotinus also saw God as infinite in power. They believed He created the universe using eternal forms or archetypes which make up different heavenly bodies and elements in nature.
They asserted that in order to bring about creation, all these factors are required. Therefore, there must be an initial cause that moves without external influence; and this was considered God. Furthermore, they believed he embodied all his perfections within himself such as love, wrath, wisdom, justice, holiness patience and jealousy – qualities which all existed together within him as pure act.
Islamic Neoplatonist al-Farabi maintained that universals exist within things and are grounded by particulars of those things. He believed that God creates our universe via emanations; these emanations start out with potential in matter before eventually materializing as material objects. Thought is also another emanation from Him which leads to human intellects being formed – thus creating knowledge within humanity.
Thomas Aquinas also asserted that God’s power was limitless. According to him, power stemmed from its essence – since God is infinite, then His power must also be infinite. Thomas wrote “Thus it follows that if the active power of an object or person is infinite in terms of essence and mode of operation, its potency must necessarily also be infinite.”
As with anything, the greater its essence and power are, the stronger is its effect on us. That is why the Catholic Church regards belief in an infinite God as one of its highest virtues, with Pope Benedict once saying: “the more we understand divine essence and its power, the more we will love it.” To embrace God’s mystery fully is essential for Christians if we wish to form meaningful relationships with an all-powerful, all-knowing and infinite God whose sacrifice for our sins was so immense as to take upon himself our punishment! Therefore we should always pray for increased faith and hope in an all-powerful and infinite God.
