Common Misconceptions About God's Character and Nature in Scripture
A common misconception about God's character is that God is corporeal or has a physical body. Early Christian writers, such as Tertullian and Athanasius, addressed this idea, emphasizing that God is incorporeal and simple [10, 12]. Athanasius argued that to consider God as having a body is a blasphemy, as it suggests a limitation or composition within the divine essence. Instead, when Scripture uses titles for God, it signifies God's essence itself, even though fully comprehending that essence is impossible for humans [12].
Another misunderstanding involves the nature of God's interaction with humanity, particularly regarding suffering and sin. Some argue that the doctrine of original sin makes God the author of sin, because if human nature is sinful, and God is the author of human nature, then God must be the author of sin [9]. However, this argument is considered fallacious; while God is the author of human nature, the sinfulness of that nature is a consequence of transgression, not an inherent design by God [9]. The Bible takes God's existence for granted and does not present arguments for it [1].
The concept of the Trinity, while central to Christian theology, is often misunderstood. The term "Trinity" itself is not found in Scripture but was developed to express the doctrine of God's unity subsisting in three distinct Persons [3]. Theophilus (A.D. 168-183) and Tertullian (A.D. 220) were among the first to use terms like trias and trinitas to describe this doctrine [3]. The core propositions of the Trinity are that God is one, and there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4); the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct divine Persons; and these three Persons are one God [3]. This doctrine is crucial for understanding the nature of Christ, who is both truly God and truly man, yet one person [8, 11]. The human nature of Christ remained intact after the incarnation, and the divine nature remained divine, united in a personal or hypostatic union without confusion of natures [6, 7, 11].
Furthermore, some mistakenly believe that God can be profited by humans or that humans are worthy of God's favor by their own merit [4]. Scripture, however, teaches that humans cannot profit God (Job 22:2) and are inherently unworthy of God's favor (Job 7:17) [4]. While humans are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27), they are also prone to hypocrisy, which God knows and detects, having no pleasure in it [5]. Those who "profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him" are described as abominable and disobedient [2].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
- Titus “They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. -- Titus 1:16”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Trinity — A word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum int”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Man — Made for God -- Pr 16:4; Re 4:11. God's purpose in creation completed by making -- Ge 2:5,7. Cannot profit God -- Job 22:2; Ps 16:2. Unworthy of God's favour -- Job 7:17; Ps 8:4. Created By God. -- Ge 1:27; Isa 45:12. By Christ. -- Joh 1:3; Col 1:16. By the Holy Spirit. -- Job 33:4. After consultation, by the Trinity. -- Ge 1:26. On the sixth day. -- Ge 1:31. Upon the earth. -- De 4:32; Job 20:4. From the dust. -- Ge 2:7; Job 33:6. In the image of God. -- Ge 1:26,27; 1Co 11:7. After the likeness of God. -- Ge 1:26; Jas 3:9. Male and female. -- Ge 1:27; 5:2. A l”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hypocrites — God knows and detects -- Isa 29:15,16. Christ knew and detected -- Mt 22:18. God has no pleasure in -- Isa 9:17. Shall not come before God -- Job 13:16. Described as Wilfully blind. -- Mt 23:17,19,26. Vile. -- Isa 32:6. Self-righteous. -- Isa 65:5; Lu 18:11. Covetous. -- Eze 33:31; 2Pe 2:3. Ostentatious. -- Mt 5:2,5,16; 23:5. Censorious. -- Mt 7:3-5; Lu 13:14,15. Regarding tradition more than the word of God. -- Mt 15:1-3. Exact in minor, but neglecting important duties. -- Mt 23:23,24. Having but a form of godliness. -- 2Ti 3:5. Seeking only outward pur”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 79: The Scriptures teach that the human nature of Christ remained in its integrity after the incarnation; and that the divine nature remained divine. The Bible never requires us to receive as true anything which the constitution of our nature given to us by God himself, forces us to believe to be false or impossible. The Union is a Personal Union. Thc union of the two natures in Christ is a personal or hypostatic union. By this is meant, in the first place, that it is not a mere indwelling of the divine nature analogous to the indwelling of t”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 79: fact of its wide and long continued prevalence may be taken as a proof that it does not involve any palpable contradiction. Human nature, therefore, although endowed with intelligence and will, may be, and in fact is, in the person of Christ impersonal. That it is so is the plain doctrine of Scripture, for the Son of God, a divine person, assumed a perfect human nature, and, nevertheless, remains one person. The facts, therefore, revealed in Scripture concerning Christ constrain us to believe, (1.) That in his person two natures, the divi”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 78: had taught concerning the universal dominion assigned to man. Men are declared to be his brethren, because He and they are of one nature. As they are partakers of flesh and blood, He also took part in the same, in order that He might die, and by death redeem his people from all the evils of sin. Nothing can be plainer than that the Scriptures do teach that Christ is truly God, that He is truly man, and that He is one person. They assert of Him whatever may be said of God, and everything that can be said of a sinless man. They enter into n”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: that the spiritual death in which they are born is part of the judicial penalty of his transgression. If we reject this solution of the fact, we cannot deny the fact itself, and, being a fact, it must be consistent with the character of God. The Doctrine represents God as the Author of Sin. 3. A third objection often and confidently urged is, that the Church doctrine on this subject makes God the author of sin. God is the author of our nature, If our nature be sinful, God must be the author of sin. The obvious fallacy of this syllogism is”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. I.--ON GOD. 1. I KNOW that some will attempt to say that, even according to the declarations of our own Scriptures, God is a body, because in the writings of Moses they find it said, that "our G (part 4): although, in comparison with our bodily nature, it is esteemed to be far superior, yet, in its efforts to examine and behold incorporeal things, scarcely holds the place of a spark or lamp. But among all intelligent, that is, incorporeal beings, what is so superior to all others--so unspeakably and incalculably superior--as G”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 50: because he is God, not God because he is man, and neither God nor man because he is both at once. Christ, therefore, as God and man, possessing natures which are united, but not confused, we conclude that he is our Lord and the true Son of God, even according to his humanity, though not by means of his humanity. For we must put far from us the heresy of Nestorius, who, presuming to dissect rather than distinguish between the two natures, devised a double Christ. But we see the Scripture loudly protesting against this, when the name”
- CCEL (Patristic) “Athanasius of Alexandria, Select Works and Letters, section 203: the essence of God; but let them reflect, that in thus considering they utter two blasphemies; for they make God corporeal, and they falsely say that the Lord is not Son of the very Father, but of what is about Him. But if God be simple, as He is, it follows that in saying ‘God’ and naming ‘Father,’ we name nothing as if about Him, but signify his essence itself. For though to comprehend what the essence of God is be impossible, yet if we only understand that God is, and if Scripture indicates Him by means of these titles, we, wi”