The nature of God has been a subject of debate among Christians for centuries. Individuals, religious institutions, and scholars hold varying views and opinions on who God is and what attributes define His being. In this academic blog post, we’ll explore the different views on the nature of God as viewed through key Christian perspectives. We’ll delve into these perspectives from scriptural and biblically referenced teachings, often quoting popular Christian resources on the topic.
Classical Theism
Classical Theism is a view held by many Christian scholars and theologians. Classical theists believe that God is outside time, immutable, and completely transcendent. He is beyond human comprehension, and all things come into being as a result of His will. In other words, classical theists posit that God is unchanging and that He created the world from nothing. Moreover, he is a personal God with the capacity to act, think and feel emotions.
This position believes in the “omni” traits of God; these include omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. By being omnipotent, God is seen not to have limitations and can do and accomplish anything. As the omniscient nature of God suggests, God is believed to know everything, past, present, and future. Classical Theism assumes He is omnipresent, and thus in all things at all times.
Classical theists draw much of their support from the Bible. Examples of God’s omnipotence, for instance, can be seen in passages such as “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17). Another excellent example is displayed in Job 42:2 where Job says, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted.” These passages indicate that classical theism is consistent with the biblical idea of God.
Open Theism
Open Theism is a belief held by some Christian thinkers that offers an opposing view to classical theism. It argues that God is not entirely outside time but is instead involved in the world and responsive to man’s actions. That is, humans’ free will impacts the decisions and choices God makes. This view implies that God does not know everything or that some aspects of things that happen in the world are not entirely predetermined.
Open theists believe that God is interactive and relational with human beings, which provides some validity to their viewpoint. But who God is, his omniscience, and omnipotence are under serious questions from a biblical perspective. The biblical message on God’s omniscience has been a hot topic for traditional and open theists. Traditional theology asserts that God knows the future, while open theism claims he does not. Open theology considers that God does not have access to the future, as per Isaiah 46:9-10, Psalm147:5, Job 37: 16.
Process Theology
Process Theology is a belief system that views God as a temporal being who changes over time in response to the world around Him. This standpoint is informed by the philosophical notion of process, which asserts that everything, including God, is in a state of flux. Therefore, God’s state of being is subject to change based on the actions of the world around Him.
Process Theology believes God is love and has non-coercive qualities. That is, He does not cause evil or suffering. This view infers that God is in solidarity with those who are suffering. Miracles and the belief in a supernatural aspect of God’s being are minimized. This different perspective creates conflicting ideologies with traditional Christian beliefs.
The biblical view put forth by classical theology clearly differs from the perspective of process theology. As an example, Isaiah 46:9-11 presents God as declaring the end from the beginning and as one who “will accomplish all my purpose” (v.10b). While open theism proposes that God does not know the future, classical theism and biblical teachings declare otherwise.
Conclusion
Christians have different views on the nature of God. This diversity of opinions is not a new phenomenon. The classical theology, open theology, and process theology perspectives all have some sound biblical references that support their claims. However, evaluating these perspectives and their suitability to meet individual spiritual needs requires that we fashion all viewpoints in light of the Bible and the Christian faith’s central theme. The concept of God being loving, merciful, the creator, omnipotent, omniscient, and having a plan for humanity are all integral views of who God is. Therefore, to define God’s nature, we must place emphasis on these characteristics that are fundamental to our Christian faith.
Bibliography
- Boyd, Gregory A. “The Open-Theism View.” In Predestination & Free Will Four Views of Divine Sovereignty & Human Freedom, edited by David Basinger and Randall Basinger, Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1986.
- Nichols, Stephen J. “Process Theology.” The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2015.
- Shelly, Judith Allen. Christianity and Humanism: A Theology for the 21st Century. Smyth & Helwys, 2000.
- Smith, K. “Classical Theism.” In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology, edited by Thomass P. Flint and Michael Rea, 34-53. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
- The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011.
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