On Controversy

About a year ago, my husband and I decided that should the right pharmacist job become available, I should probably take it. Not long after that, the right job opened up. I enrolled my last homeschool student in Christian school, and my family started adjusting to our new normal.

When this occurred, I was entering my 11th year of blogging. That’s a lot of content. In my case, it’s also a lot of public foolishness. I made my personal blog settings private until I had time to think about what content could stay and what needed to go. I also decided to take a break from posting here for a "couple of months." A year later, my blog is still not back up, and this is my first post.

Since one of my freelance jobs had been helping with social media and marketing for Cruciform Press, I went from constant immersion in all things social media to not looking at social media for days at a time. Controversies flared up and died out before I even knew about them.

And then, just as I was starting to contemplate blogging again, the Trinity controversy unfolded. Though this is one of the bigger debates I’ve seen in the Christian blogosphere in the past decade, it’s similar in many ways to many other disagreements I’ve seen.

Our motives are often mixed. When I blogged, I always knew some of my reasons for blogging weren’t very noble. And my reasons for going dark weren’t entirely holy, either. Stirring up controversy leads to blog hits and fame. Criticizing the wrong people might end up costing you links and endorsements. And like Paul, I’m not a good judge of myself (1 Corinthians 4:3–4), let alone everyone else. Some people are keeping quiet because they don’t have anything substantial to add to the noise. Some people are trying to preserve their platform. I have no clue who is who, so it does me no good to speculate.

People are more than their social media personas. It’s no good being well versed in theology if you’re going to be spiteful and mean about it (1 Corinthians 13:2). On the other hand, the most sincere person in the world can be sincerely wrong and lead weaker people astray. That said, our social media posts are a small snapshot of our lives. Just because someone posts a lot about a particular subject, doesn't mean that's all they think and care about. The Bible says we are to grow in love and knowledge (Ephesians 4:15). Since we have no idea what another’s motives are, and since “tone” on social media is usually subjective, we should endeavor to believe the best and focus on the ideas.

Bad theology often leads to bad practice. Notice I said often. Everybody is walking around with some bad theological ideas. We are fallible humans living in a world marred by sin. Things that would seem to be a minor issue to most of us might cause someone else to really get off in the theological weeds. Just because somebody’s a great person doesn’t mean his or her sloppy theology won’t cause someone else to go down a dangerous trail.

It’s easy to become numb to criticism. I’ve seen this happen numerous times. People who are “social-media famous” get picked at a lot. Most of these attacks are so silly they should only be ignored. Then, when a real issue is raised, it’s too easy for those being criticized to dismiss it as more of the same. We all need to do a better job picking our battles.

I still believe that social media has done far more good for me than bad. It’s led to some wonderful, real-life friendships. It’s challenged my thinking for the better on many subjects. It’s helped me keep in touch with family and friends who live far away. And yes, it’s often distracted me when I had more important things to do. But so has HGTV and the bird feeders in my back yard. Pulling back from social media and not blogging for a year didn’t magically improve my self discipline. I just found other stuff to do. We need to figure out how to do Internet debates better. But we also need to do good everywhere we can—whether that be in our virtual lives or our real ones.

Why God's Omniscience and Omnipotence Are Communicable Attributes

God's attributes are traditionally divided into two groups, at least in the theological circles I'm familiar with. He has communicable attributes, those he shares with us, and incommunicable attributes, those that belong to God alone. This system of categorizing God attributes isn’t perfect. None of God’s attributes are shared completely with us, even the ones we call communicable. And since we are made in God’s image, even his incommunicable attributes have slight human parallels. But this system, imperfect as it is, is the most common way of classifying the divine attributes, and it’s still a useful way of looking at them.

God’s incommunicable attributes are those like his aseity (or self-existence), his eternality, his immutability (or unchangeability), and his omnipresence. For the most part, the reasons these are incommunicable is self-explanatory. God’s self-existence, for instance, is nothing like our dependent existence, and in his eternality, he transcends time, while we are bound by it.

God’s omnipresence is incommunicable, too. But if all omnipresence meant was that God is "all-present"—or located in every place, omnipresence would actually be a communicable attribute. God would have unlimited location; he would be located in every place. And we would be located, too, but just in one space at a time.

But omnipresence doesn't just mean God exists everywhere. It means he is not contained in space. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” King Solomon prayed. “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built” (1 Kings 8:27). The universe can’t hold God, not so much because it’s not big enough to hold him, but because “big enough” doesn’t apply to him. He is not spatial. In eternity past, without creation and without space (which was created by God when he created the world), God was everything he is now, omnipresence included. The universe can’t contain God because he is pure spirit. He has no physical dimensions.

Charles Spurgeon explained these two truths about the omnipresence of God—one, that he cannot be contained in space, and two, that his whole being exists everywhere—like this: “[God’s] circumference is nowhere, but his center is everywhere.”¹ God relates to space like he relates to time. He acts in every moment, yet is beyond time, and he is present in every space, yet is beyond space. God transcends space just as he transcends time, so omnipresence, like his eternality, it incommunicable.

God’s communicable attributes are characteristics he shares with us as creatures made in his image. Since the fall of humankind, God’s image in us is distorted, and our ability to mirror his attributes is diminished, but it’s not completely gone. What’s more, when we believe, the Holy Spirit begins progressively restoring God’s image in us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10), and as we grow more like him, we also become more capable of reflecting his communicable attributes.

For the most part, which of God’s attributes are communicable is self-explanatory, too. He is loving and we love. Yes, he loves with infinite, independent love and we love with finite, dependent love, but God loves, and in some small way, we image his love. God is holy, too, and he commands us to be holy. He is infinitely and independently holy and we can only be holy as we depend on him to make us holy, but still, when he makes us holy, we truly reflect his holiness. God's love and his holiness, then, and all the related attributes like righteousness, grace, mercy, etc., are communicable attributes.

It’s with God’s omniscience and omnipotence that classifying the attributes can get a little tricky. It may seem that omniscience should be an incommunicable attribute—after all, it starts with the omni prefix, and we certainly can’t be omni anything. But don’t be fooled by the omni in omniscience. Omni just means unlimited, and all God’s attributes, even the communicable ones, are unlimited. God’s omniscience is simply his unlimited knowledge. And it is a communicable attribute because God has also given us the ability to know. God has knowledge and so do we.

Omnipotence is another of God’s omni attributes that is communicable. Human beings have power—not, infinite power, of course, but finite power that reflects God’s infinite power in some ways. God uses his power to accomplish his purposes, and we use our physical and mental powers to achieve our purposes. Our power is finite, so we can’t do everything we want, but we do carry out plans with our power. God’s power fuels his dominion over the universe and our power fuels our God-mandated dominion over the world as his representatives. We rule God’s creation using the power he is sharing with us from his never-ending supply of power.

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1] Spurgeon, Charles, “God’s Nearness to Us,” Christian Classics Ethereal Library, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons33.xxxvi.html. Spurgeon was paraphrasing a quote from Blaise Pascal: “Nature is an infinite sphere in which the center is everywhere, the circumference is nowhere.”

He who sits in the heavens

Due to the time constraints, this is a repost from nearly 4 years ago. But given the state of the world, I need to be reminded of this again...


Worry is one of my besetting sins. It can cover a wide range of subjects - immediate family concerns, the election in less than 2 weeks, or what's really happening in Tehran. I begin to worry because I don't like unknowns, and I don't like feeling out of control. To compensate, I often try to keep tabs on all the possible variables that could affect the outcome, deluding flattering myself into thinking that I can at least be mentally prepared for what could occur. But this is cold comfort. There are too many factors beyond my scope, and as I consider what is outside of my control, the needle on the worry meter goes up.

I have a less-than-robust background in the absolute sovereignty of God, so I could use that as an excuse. But even wholeheartedly embracing that doctrine, my thoughts of God are often "too human"¹, as if He who sits in the heavens "laughs nervously and wrings His hands in confusion."² 

If I dig deeper, there's a showdown taking a place - a face-off between the Bible's claims of God's supremacy versus my fallible thoughts and feelings. Who do I listen to? My worries? Or do I take my soul by the scruff of the neck, so to speak, turn off the news or whatever is feeding my anxiety, and turn back to the Scriptures?  Feelings go up and down. Circumstances change for good or bad. But neither feelings or circumstances are the arbiter of truth. God's Word is, and here's what it says about His authority over all things:

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” Psalm 2: 4-6

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chron. 29:11-13

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Ephesians 1:11

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalm 115:1-3

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting...Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore. Psalm 93:1-2,5

From A.W. Pink:

The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly and positively affirmed in many scriptures... Before Him, presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.³

God's supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in Scripture. Inanimate matter, irrational creatures, all perform their Master's bidding.⁴

God's supremacy is also demonstrated in His perfect rule over the wills of men... His own eternal "counsels" are accomplished to their minutest details. ⁵

I don't know about you, but this gives me great comfort. This answers my fear of the unknown because there are no unknowns to an omniscient God. He does not react to future events because He has already ordained what will take place by His decrees. We have a foundation that will never shift under any circumstance because we rest on the unchanging character of God Himself.

Let every man or, in this case, woman be a liar. The Lord reigns.

Here then is a resting place for the heart. Our lives are neither the product of blind fate nor the result of capricious chance, but every detail of them was ordained from all eternity and is now ordered by the living and reigning God. ⁶

1. The Attributes of God, Chapter 5 The Supremacy of God, A.W. Pink, Baker, 1975, pg. 28.
2. Thanks to Zack for his open theist "version" of Psalm 2:4.
3. The Attributes of God, Chapter 5 The Supremacy of God, A.W. Pink, Baker, 1975, pg. 29.
4. Ibid. pg. 30.
5. Ibid. pg. 30-31.
6. Ibid. pg. 31.