The Incomprehensibility of God's Divine Attributes in Theology
The incomprehensibility of God's divine attributes is a foundational concept in theology, asserting that while God can be known, His nature and perfections cannot be fully grasped by finite human understanding [6, 9]. This idea is rooted in various biblical passages that describe God's wisdom, knowledge, and ways as unsearchable and beyond human comprehension [2, 3, 5].
Scripture frequently emphasizes the vastness of God's attributes. For instance, Romans 11:33 exclaims, "Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways!" [2]. Similarly, the wisdom of God is described as infinite, unsearchable, and beyond human comprehension in passages like Psalm 147:5 and Isaiah 40:28 [3]. Job 36:26 states, "God is great, and we know him not; neither can the number of his years be searched out" [7]. This highlights God's omnipotence, unsearchability, and eternality [7].
The concept of divine incomprehensibility does not mean God is entirely unknowable, but rather that human understanding of Him is always partial and limited. While God's "invisible things," such as His eternal power and divine nature, can be "clearly seen" and "understood" through His creation, as Romans 1:20 indicates, the full extent of these attributes remains beyond human grasp [11, 12]. For example, God's foreknowledge is an attribute whose "full import... we cannot comprehend" [1]. His knowledge is infinite, as demonstrated in passages like 1 Samuel 23:9-13 and Acts 15:18 [1].
The justice of God, though declared to be plenteous, incomparable, incorruptible, and impartial, is also part of His character that, while revealed, ultimately belongs to His incomprehensible nature [4]. Matthew Henry, commenting on Job 11:7, notes that God is an "incomprehensible Being, infinite and immense, whose nature and perfections our finite understandings cannot possibly form any adequate conceptions of" [6]. This perspective encourages humility and awe in the face of divine majesty [6, 8]. John Gill, in his commentary on Psalm 139:5, reflects on the "wonderful" nature of God's knowledge, acknowledging that while God's knowledge of all things is believable, "how he should know all this was past his conception" [10].
The incomprehensibility of God serves to impress upon humanity the vast difference between the Creator and creation, fostering reverence and discouraging presumptuous judgments of divine actions [6, 8].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Foreknowledge of God — Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2), one of those high attributes essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge is infinite (1 Sam. 23:9-13; Jer. 38:17-23; 42:9-22, Matt. 11:21, 23; Acts 15:18).”
- Romans “Romans 11:33 (LEB) — Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways!”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Wisdom of God, The — Is one of his attributes -- 1Sa 2:3; Job 9:4. Described as Perfect. -- Job 36:4; 37:16. Mighty. -- Job 36:5. Universal. -- Job 28:24; Da 2:22; Ac 15:18. Infinite. -- Ps 147:5; Ro 11:33. Unsearchable. -- Isa 40:28; Ro 11:33. Wonderful. -- Ps 139:6. Beyond human comprehension. -- Ps 139:6. Incomparable. -- Isa 44:7; Jer 10:7. Underived. -- Job 21:22; Isa 40:14. The gospel contains treasures of -- 1Co 2:7. Wisdom of saints is derived from -- Ezr 7:25. All human wisdom derived from -- Da 2:1. Saints ascribe to him -- Da 2:20. Exhibited in His works. ”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Justice of God, The — Is a part of his character -- De 32:4; Isa 45:21. Declared to be Plenteous. -- Job 37:23. Incomparable. -- Job 4:1. Incorruptible. -- De 10:17; 2Ch 19:7. Impartial. -- 2Ch 19:7; Jer 32:19. Unfailing. -- Zep 3:5. Undeviating. -- Job 8:3; 34:12. Without respect of persons. -- Ro 2:11; Col 3:25; 1Pe 1:17. The habitation of his throne. -- Ps 89:14. Not to be sinned against -- Jer 50:7. Denied by the ungodly -- Eze 33:17,20. Exhibited in Forgiving sins. -- 1Jo 1:9. Redemption. -- Ro 3:26. His government. -- Ps 9:4; Jer 9:24. His judgments. -- Ge 18:2”
- Ecclesiastes “Ecclesiastes 7:24 (LEB) — ⌞Whatever is—it is far beyond comprehension⌟. Who can discover it?”
- Job (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Job 11:7: Zophar here speaks very good things concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly: these two compared together, and duly considered, will have a powerful influence upon our submission to all the dispensations of the divine Providence. I. See here what God is, and let him be adored. 1. He is an incomprehensible Being, infinite and immense, whose nature and perfections our finite understandings cannot possibly form any adequate conceptions of, and whose counsels and actings we cannot therefore, without the greatest presumption, pas”
- Job (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Job 36:26: God is great - He is omnipotent. We know him not - He is unsearchable. Neither can the number of his years be searched out - He is eternal. These three propositions are an ample foundation for endless disquisition. As to paraphrase and comment, they need none in this place; they are too profound, comprehensive, and sublime.”
- Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 25:2: God's unsearchableness impresses us with awe (compare Isa 45:15; Rom 11:33). But kings, being finite, should confer with wise counsellors;”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 4.1: Argument. Since the infinite wisdom of God is displayed in the admirable structure of heaven and earth, it is absolutely impossible to unfold The History of the Creation of the World in terms equal to its dignity. For while the measure of our capacity is too contracted to comprehend things of such magnitude, our tongue is equally incapable of giving a full and substantial account of them. As he, however, deserves praise, who, with modesty and reverence, applies himself to the consideration of the works of God, although he attain le”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 139:5: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,.... Meaning either the knowledge of himself, such as God had of him, which was vastly superior to what he had of himself; and especially the knowledge of other persons and things, whether visible or invisible, in heaven, earth, or hell; things past, present, and to come; or else the manner in which God knew all this was amazing to him, and quite impenetrable by him; that he did know him, his thoughts, his words and actions, and so those of all others, was easy of belief; but how he should know all this was past his conception, ”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 1:19: That which may be known of God - Dr. Taylor paraphrases this and the following verse thus: "Although the Gentiles had no written revelation, yet what may be known of God is every where manifest among them, God having made a clear discovery of himself to them. For his being and perfections, invisible to our bodily eyes, have been, ever since the creation of the world, evidently to be seen, if attentively considered, in the visible beauty, order, and operations observable in the constitution and parts of the universe; especially his eternal power and universal dominio”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 1:20: For the invisible things of him,.... Not the angels, the invisible inhabitants of heaven: nor the unseen glories of another world; nor the decrees of God; nor the persons in the Godhead; but the perfections of God, or his "properties", as the Arabic version reads it; and which are explained by "his eternal power and Godhead": these, from the creation of the world are clearly seen; this is no new discovery, but what men have had, and might, by the light of nature, have enjoyed ever since the world was created; these being understood, in an intellectual way, by the ”