Topical Bible: God: Incomprehensible

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The concept of God's incomprehensibility is a profound theological assertion that underscores the limitations of human understanding in fully grasping the nature and essence of God. This doctrine emphasizes that while God can be known truly, He cannot be known exhaustively. The finite human mind is incapable of fully comprehending the infinite nature of God, who transcends all creation.

Biblical Foundations

The Bible frequently attests to the incomprehensibility of God. In Isaiah 55:8-9 , the Lord declares, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." This passage highlights the vast chasm between human understanding and divine wisdom.

Similarly, in Romans 11:33 , the Apostle Paul exclaims, "O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!" Here, Paul marvels at the unfathomable nature of God's wisdom and judgments, acknowledging that they are beyond human scrutiny.

Theological Implications

The incomprehensibility of God does not imply that God is completely unknowable. Rather, it suggests that while God reveals Himself to humanity, particularly through Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ, there remains an aspect of His being that is beyond human comprehension. This is evident in Job 11:7 , where it is asked, "Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?"

This doctrine serves to humble believers, reminding them of their limitations and the greatness of God. It encourages a posture of reverence and awe, as seen in Psalm 145:3 : "Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable."

Revelation and Mystery

While God's essence is incomprehensible, He has chosen to reveal Himself in ways that are accessible to human understanding. Through creation, Scripture, and the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God provides glimpses of His character and will. John 1:18 states, "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known." This revelation is sufficient for faith and practice, yet it retains an element of mystery that invites continual exploration and wonder.

Practical Considerations

The recognition of God's incomprehensibility has practical implications for worship, theology, and daily living. It calls believers to trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty, even when circumstances are perplexing or challenging. Proverbs 3:5 advises, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."

In worship, acknowledging God's incomprehensibility fosters a sense of awe and reverence. It encourages believers to approach God with humility, recognizing that He is infinitely greater than human understanding can encompass.

In theology, this doctrine serves as a reminder of the limitations of human reason and the need for divine revelation. It cautions against the temptation to reduce God to human categories or to presume complete understanding of His ways.

Ultimately, the incomprehensibility of God invites believers into a deeper relationship with Him, characterized by trust, worship, and a continual pursuit of knowing Him more fully, even as they acknowledge the mystery that surrounds His divine nature.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 20:21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
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Deuteronomy 4:11
And you came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire to the middle of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
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Deuteronomy 5:22
These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly in the mount out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them to me.
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1 Kings 8:12
Then spoke Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
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Job 11:7-9
Can you by searching find out God? can you find out the Almighty to perfection?
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Job 15:8
Have you heard the secret of God? and do you restrain wisdom to yourself?
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Job 37:1-24
At this also my heart trembles, and is moved out of his place.
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Psalm 18:11
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
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Psalm 97:2
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
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Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end.
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Isaiah 40:12-31
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
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Isaiah 55:8,9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, said the LORD.
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1 Corinthians 2:16
For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
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Library

God Incomprehensible.
... CHARACTER, ATTRIBUTES AND PROVIDENCE OF GOD. 126. " God Incomprehensible.
126. LM Kippis. God Incomprehensible. 1 Great God! ...
/.../adams/hymns for christian devotion/126 god incomprehensible.htm

God Incomprehensible.
... CHARACTER, ATTRIBUTES AND PROVIDENCE OF GOD. 121. " God Incomprehensible.
121. 10s. M. Mme. Guion. God Incomprehensible. 1 Almighty ...
/.../adams/hymns for christian devotion/121 god incomprehensible.htm

God Incomprehensible and Sovereign.
... of the stanza. Hymn 2:170. God incomprehensible and sovereign. 1 Can creatures
to perfection find [1] Th' eternal uncreated mind? ...
/.../watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 0 201388889 god incomprehensible and.htm

Elizabethtown. CM God Incomprehensible.
... 77 Elizabethtown. CM God Incomprehensible. God Incomprehensible. (844) Thy
way, O God! is in the sea, Thy paths I cannot trace; Nor ...
/.../lorenz/the otterbein hymnal/77 elizabethtown c m god incomprehensible.htm

God Incomprehensible and Sovereign.
... Hymns, Book II HYMN 170 God incomprehensible and sovereign. LM God
incomprehensible and sovereign. [Can creatures to perfection find. ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/hymn 170 god incomprehensible and.htm

God, Although Incomprehensible, is ever to be Sought. The Traces ...
... Book XV. Chapter 2."God, Although Incomprehensible, is Ever to Be Sought. The
Traces of the Trinity are Not Vainly Sought in the Creature. ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 2 god although incomprehensible is.htm

The Absolute God Entirely Incomprehensible by Man.
... Homily XIX. Chapter X."The Absolute God Entirely Incomprehensible by Man.
"For instance, then, what did you say in the beginning? ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter x the absolute god entirely.htm

That the Deity is Incomprehensible, and that we Ought Not
... No one hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of
the Father, He hath ... The Deity, therefore, is ineffable and incomprehensible. ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter i that the deity is.htm

Concerning the Nature of Deity: that it is Incomprehensible.
... God then is infinite and incomprehensible and all that is comprehensible
about Him is His infinity and incomprehensibility. But ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter iv concerning the nature of.htm

The Otterbein Hymnal
... The Trinity Adored. 76 All Saints. LM Praise to the Trinity. 77 Elizabethtown. CM
God Incomprehensible. 78 Elizabethtown. CM Eternity of God. 79 Elizabethtown. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lorenz/the otterbein hymnal/