Часть первая. О Боге и общем отношении его к миру и человеку

§ 7. The nature of our knowledge of God, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church The Orthodox Church begins its entire teaching about God in the symbol of faith with the word: I believe, and this expresses the following three truths of Revelation: 1. God is incomprehensible to the human mind. God lives unapproachable in the light, whom no one has seen, but man can see below (1 Tim. 6:16). No one knows the message of God, but the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11). 2. Being invisible and incomprehensible to the human mind, God nevertheless deigned to reveal Himself to people: a) in creation or natural revelation: His invisible being from the creation of the world was conceived by the creatures to be visible, and His ever-present power and Divinity (Rom. 1:20), and even more b) in supernatural Revelation, when the Father spoke in many parts and in many ways in ancient times. prophet, in the last days he spoke to us in the Son (Heb. 1:1-2), and when this only begotten Son of God, appearing on earth in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), gave us light and understanding, that we might know the true God (John 5:20), and then preached his teaching through the Apostles, sending down upon them the Spirit of truth, Who tests all things and the depths of God (John 14:17; 1 Cor. 2:10). 3. However, although God was pleased to reveal Himself to people, even now we see the Invisible One only like a mirror in fortune telling and now we understand the Incomprehensible One only in part (1 Cor. 13:12), and now we walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). § 8. The essence and division of the Orthodox teaching about God The essence of all that God has deigned to reveal to us about Himself, the Orthodox Church briefly expresses in the following words of the Athanasiev symbol: “This Catholic faith is: that we may honor one God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in one, below merging the Hypostases, below the being dividing”; or even more briefly - in the words of the Orthodox Confession: “God is one in essence and threefold in persons” (part 1, answer to question 10). Thus, the entire Orthodox teaching about God is divided into two parts: 1) the teaching about God, one in being, and - 2) the teaching about God, threefold in persons. Chapter 1. About God, One in Being § 9. The teaching of the Church about God, one in being, and the content of this teaching The Orthodox Church teaches us about God, as one in essence, the following concept: “God is the eternal Spirit, all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, unchangeable, all-satisfied, all-blessed” (Exp. Christ. Catich. on Part 1). This concept of God directly indicates a) His being (otherwise nature, essence) and b) essential properties, and necessarily presupposes c) His unity in essence. § 10. The concept of the being of God: God is Spirit God is the purest Spirit, not connected with any body, and, therefore, His nature is completely immaterial, not involved in the slightest complexity, simple. This is visible: 1. From those passages of Holy Scripture that deny in God all the properties that necessarily belong to a substance or body: a) every body is limited by space, but God is unlimited and omnipresent - I do not fill heaven and earth with food? the Lord spoke (Jer. 23:24; Ps. 139:7–10); b) every body can be subject to change - with the Father of lights there is no change or change (James 1:17) c) every body, as if composed of parts, is destructible and perishable - God is the imperishable king of ages (1 Tim. 1:17). 2. From those places where, on the contrary, properties are attributed to God that essentially belong only to the spirit, such as: a) self-consciousness and personality - you see, you see, as I am, and there is no God except Me; (Deut. 32:39; demo. Ex. 20:2–3); b) reason - oh, the depth of the wisdom and reason of God! Who understands the mind of the Lord? (Rom. 11:33–34); c) free will - the Lord created everything that He pleased in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the abysses (Ps. 134:6), and in general everything acts according to the advice of His will (Eph. 1:11); d) life and unceasing activity - I live, says the Lord (Jer. 22:24), I live forever (Deut. 32:40); My Father is working hitherto, and I am working (John 5:18), - accordingly, the true God is called the living God, in contrast to all false gods (1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Tim. 6:17). 3. Finally, from those places where God is called the Spirit: The Spirit is God, said the Savior, and whoever worships Him is worthy to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24); The Lord is the Spirit,” repeated the Holy Apostle, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). § 11. The concept of the essential properties of God and their division 1. Essential properties in God (τὰ οὐσιώδη ἰδιώματα) are those that belong to Him by His very essence and distinguish Him from all other creatures. And therefore, these are the essence of properties that are equally appropriate to all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, who are one in essence - from which they are also called the general properties of God (ἰδιώματα κοινὰ), in contrast to the special or personal properties (τὰ προσωπικὰ ἰδιώματα), which belong to each of the Divine Persons separately and distinguish them from each other (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 13). 2. God, in His essence, is Spirit, and in each spirit, in addition to the actual spiritual nature (substance), we, in particular, distinguish two main forces or abilities: mind and will. In relation to this, the essential properties of God can be divided into three classes: 1. On the properties of the being of God in general, i.e. those that belong equally to the very nature (substance) of God - spiritual, and to both of its powers - mind and will, and distinguish God, as spirit in general, from all other beings. 2. On the properties of the mind of God, i.e. those that belong only to the mind of God, and finally - 3. On the properties of the will of God, i.e. belonging only to God's will alone. § 12. Properties of the being of God in general God, as a Spirit, differs from all other beings in general in that they are limited both in being and in strength, therefore more or less perfect, and He is an unlimited Spirit, or limitless in all respects, otherwise - all-perfect. In particular, all other beings: a) are limited in the beginning of their existence and continuation, they received their existence from God and are in constant dependence on Him and partly on each other, but God did not receive His existence from anyone and does not depend on anyone in anything - He is original and independent; b) limited in the image or form of their existence: for they are inevitably subject to the conditions of space and time, and, therefore, subject to change, and God is above all conditions of space - immeasurable and omnipresent, above all conditions of time - eternal and unchangeable; c) finally, they are limited in their strength in their quantity and quality, but for God there are no limits, and in this regard, He is omnipotent and omnipotent. Thus, the main properties belonging to God essentially in general are: 1. Infinity. By calling God infinite (ἀόριστος), we mean that He is not only free from any limitation and lack, but at the same time possesses all possible perfections and, moreover, to the highest degree, or without any degree and measure (ὑπερτελής). Holy Scripture depicts this property of God when - a) Calls God perfect and alien to all defects: God is light, and in Him there is not a single darkness (1 John 1:5). Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). b) Calls him great, and endlessly great: great is the Lord and highly praised, and His greatness has no end (Ps. 144:3); great is our Lord, and great is His strength, and His understanding is without number (Ps. 146:5); Behold, the Mighty, the Great, and we are not slain: the number of His years is endless (Job 36:26). c) Calls him not only strong, but also the only strong (1 Tim. 6:15), not only good, but also the only good (Mark 10:18), not only holy, but also the only saint (1 Samuel 2:2), not only wise, but also the only wise (1 Tim. 1:17), not only immortal, but also the only immortal (1 Tim. 6:16), thus representing that the perfections of all other creatures seem to disappear before the infinite greatness of God. d) Calls him glorious, even the king and God of glory, the Lord of power, who is the king of glory (Ps. 23:10); The God of glory roars, the Lord is upon many waters (Ps. 28:3). And greatness and glory in God are nothing other than His very perfections, or the inseparable consequence and manifestation of these perfections. e) Calls him all-sufficient and blessed (1 Tim. 1:11; 6:15), who lacks nothing (Acts 17:24-25), and always has joy before Him and sweetness in His right hand (Ps. 15:11). And such complete contentment and bliss necessarily presuppose in God the fullness of perfections, with the consciousness of which only He can be all-satisfied and blessed. Note We must remember that infinity and all-perfection in God are not, as we have already noted, some particular property of God, but a general one, embracing all others: “God,” says St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “perfect in everything..., perfect in knowledge, perfect in strength, perfect in greatness, perfect in foreknowledge, perfect in goodness, perfect in justice, perfect in philanthropy.” Now let's move on to the particular properties of God's being, which are: 2. Originality (αὐτουσία). God is called original because He does not owe His existence to any other being, but has His existence and everything that He has from Himself. We find a clear teaching about the uniqueness of God in those places of Holy Scripture where it says - a) That before God there was no other God from whom He could have received existence, and that no one gave Him anything. May you know and believe Me, and understand that I am: before Me there was no other God, and after Me there will not be (Isa. 43:10). Who gave to Him first, and will be rewarded to Him? (Isa. 40:14). b) That He is God first, is alpha - the beginning of everything. I am the first, and I am hereafter, except Me there is no God (Is. 44: 6); I am God first, and I am the one to come (Isa. 41:4, narrated 48:12). I am Alpha and Omega, the firstfruits and the end, says the Lord, who is and who is and who is to come, the Almighty (Ap. 1:8). c) That He has life in Himself and is the very source of life. Just as the Father has life in Himself, so will the Son have life in Himself (John 5:26). The sons of mankind will be drunk with the fatness of Thy house, and I will give Thy stream of sweetness to drink; For you are the fountain of life (Ps. 36:9-10). d) Finally, that His very name is Sy – ὀ ὤν, Sy predominantly (κατ’ ἐξοχήν). And Moses spoke to God, Behold, I will go to the children of Israel, and say to them: God our father has sent me to you; and if they ask me, what is His name? why the river to them? And God spoke to Moses, saying: I am He; and he said: Thus said the son of Israel: He sent me to you (Ex. 3:13–14). 3. Independence. By the name of independence in God we mean such a property by which He is determined in His being, in His powers, and in His actions only by Himself, and not by anything external, and is self-satisfied (αὐτάρκης ἀνενδεής), autocratic (αὐτεξούσιος), autocratic (αὐτοκρατής). Holy Scripture portrays the independence of God in separate terms, expressing the following truths: a) God does not need anything from the outside, on the contrary, He Himself gives everything to everyone - He does not live in churches made by hands: He does not accept pleasure from human hands, demanding that He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything (Acts 17:24-25; demolished Isa. 40:28). b) Nothing external can communicate anything to God, either in relation to His being and perfections, or in relation to actions. Who understands the mind of the Lord, and who is His adviser, who teaches Him? Or consult with someone and instruct I? or who will show Him judgment? or the way of understanding who showed Him (Isa. 40:13–14)? Or who gave to Him first, and will be rewarded to Him? For from Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things (Rom. 11:35–36). c) God is the complete ruler over all other beings, who, therefore, no one and nothing can force him to do anything. Mine is the universe and its fulfillment (Ps. 49:12). Lord, Lord, King Almighty, for all this is in Thy power, and there is nothing contrary to Thee, when Thou didst desire to save Israel; for Thou hast created heaven and earth, and all that is astonished in the heavenly places: and the Lord is the Lord of all, and there is none that opposes Thee, the Lord (Esther 4:17), for all things are wrought unto Thee (Ps. 119:91). d) God is truly free from any external compulsion and acts entirely according to the advice of His will (Eph. 1:11). 4. Immeasurability and omnipresence. Immeasurability is attributed to God in the sense that He, as the purest Spirit and, moreover, boundless in all respects, is not subject, in particular, to any limitation by space or place, but fills everything with Himself (ἀπερίγραπτος καὶ τὰ πάντα πληρῶν); and omnipresence means that, filling everything with Himself, He is naturally present in every place and inherent in every being (πάνταχοῦ καὶ πᾶσι παρών). Belief in the omnipresence of God and the teaching about it existed in all periods of Divine Revelation: a) During the patriarchal period. This faith is expressed in the words of Jacob and Laban, when they affirmed the covenant between themselves: behold, no one is with us: see, God is a witness between me and you (Gen. 31: 44; 31:50) and then in Joseph’s answer to the wife of Pentephrius: how can I create this evil word, and sin before God (Gen. 39: 9)? b) During the statutory period. We find a clear teaching about the omnipresence of God in the words of the Lord Himself: heaven is My throne, earth is My footstool: what house will you build for Me? and what is the place of My resting place (Isa. 66:1)? If someone hides himself in the hidden, and I will not see him? I don’t fill heaven and earth with food? (Jer. 23:24). And there is just as much clear confession of the omnipresence of God in David’s appeal to God: where will I go from Thy Spirit? and will I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there ecu: If I go down to hell, there is ecu: If I take my wings early, and dwell in the last seas, and there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me (Ps. 139: 7-10), and in Solomon’s prayer: If heaven and heaven do not prevail over You, unless rather the church this one with whom I created Your name (1 Kings 8:27). c) During the Christian period. The idea of the omnipresence of God is suggested in the Savior’s remark to the Samaritan wife that the worship of the true God cannot be tied to just one specific place, but must be done everywhere (John 4:21–23), and is clearly expressed in the words of the Apostle: God... created all the language of man... seek the Lord, that they may at last grasp Him and find that He is not far from one Who exists for us (Acts 17:26–27), also: there is one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in us all (Eph. 4:6). Note The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church tried, if possible, to explain the very way of the omnipresence of God, in order to prevent or refute various misconceptions. And for this they said that God is omnipresent and fills everything with Himself: a) not by extension or expansion of His nature, such as air, light: for the nature of God is immaterial and completely spiritual; b) omnipresent not only by the actions of His omniscience and omnipotence (τῇ ἐνέργειᾳ), but by His very being (τῇ οὐσίᾳ); c) not in such a way that He is limited and embraced by any place, on the contrary, He is in everything and outside of everything, and therefore Himself embraces everything that exists, without being, however, any place for the world and the creatures living in it. However, while setting out explanations for the omnipresence of God, the shepherds of the ancient Church constantly instilled the idea of ​​​​the incomprehensibility of this property of God. 5. Eternity. When it is said that God is eternal (ἀΐδιος), this means that He has neither a beginning nor an end to His existence, and is generally free from all conditions of time. In Holy Scripture this quality is - a) God Himself repeatedly assimilates to Himself: I live forever (Deut. 32:40); I am the first, and I am forever (Isa. 48:12, 41:4; 44:6); I am Alpha and Omega, the firstfruits and the end (Ap. 1:8 and 17) before Me there was no other God and after Me there will not be (Is. 43:10); I am the One (Ex. 3:14). b) The prophets, for example David, attributed to Him: in the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the heavens. They will perish, but You remain: and all the robe they wear, and like the garment I wear, they will be changed. You are the same ecu, and Your years will not fail (Ps. 102:26–28); before even the mountains did not exist and the earth and the universe were created, and from century to century You are ecu (Ps. 89:3); a thousand years are before your eyes, O Lord, like yesterday (Ps. 89:5). c) New Testament writers also attribute it, of which St. Paul calls God the king of ages, incorruptible (1 Tim. 1:17) and the only one who has immortality (1 Tim. 6:16), and Apostle. Peter, repeating the words of the Psalmist that with God a thousand years are like one day, adds that one day before the Lord is like a thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8). Note The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church explain to us how to understand the eternity of God. This is not some kind of beginningless and endless time, as is usually imagined, composed of countless parts, successively following one after another, and so on. necessarily consisting of the past, present and future, on the contrary, this is one constant, unchanging, abiding present, “God has always been, is and will be, or better said, always is,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, - for the words: was and will be, mean the divisions of our time and are characteristic of a transitory nature: but He is always. And He calls Himself by this name when talking with Moses on the mountain (Exodus 3:14), because He concentrates in Himself the entire being, which has not begun and will not cease.” 6. Immutability. Immutability in God is such a property by which He always remains the same (ἀναλλοίωντος, ἀμετάβλητος) both in His being, and in His powers and perfections, and in His determinations and actions. Depicting this property of God, Holy Scripture - a) Eliminates from God all changeability noticeable in man: God does not waver as man, but as the son of man changes (Numbers 23:19); Many thoughts are in the heart of a man: but the counsel of the Lord endures forever (Prov. 19:21). b) Eliminates all changeability noticeable in external nature: in the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the heavens. They will perish, but You remain: and all the robe they wear, and like the garment I wear, they will be changed. You are the same ecu, and Your years will not fail (Ps. 101: 26–28). Heaven and earth will pass away: but My words will not pass away (Mark 13:31). c) Testifies that in God there is no shadow of change: every gift is good, and every gift is perfect from above, coming from the Father of lights; there is no change or change in God (James 1:17). d) Finally, he introduces God Himself as saying: I am the Lord your God, and I do not change (Mal. 3:6). Note The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, attributing to God complete immutability in all respects, in particular, to explain the immutability of His will and determinations in relation to free creatures, distinguished in God, on the basis of Holy Scripture, a double will: the first (θέλημα πρῶτον), and the second (δεύτερον), otherwise the previous (προηγούμενον) and the subsequent (ἑπόμενον), or, as they later began to express it, unconditional and conditional. By the name of the first will we mean one by which God desires something without any external conditions, for example, he wants all mankind to be saved and into the mind of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4); and under the name of the latter - one by which He desires something in relation to free creatures, under some obligatory condition for them, for example, He sent His Only Begotten Son to people, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16, Mark 16:16). Thus, the will of God in relation to free creatures, as well as to everyone in general, remains unchanged, and the freedom of creatures is in no way constrained by this will and its definitions. 7. Omnipotence. Omnipotence is attributed to God in the sense that He has unlimited power to produce everything and rule over everything - from which it is called indifferently both omnipotent or omnipotent (παντοδύναμος), and Almighty (παντοκράτωρ). In St. There are countless places in books depicting this property of God. They testify: a) About the omnipotence of God in general. We know that you can do everything, but nothing is impossible for you (Job 42:2); Abba Father, all things are possible for You (Mark 14:36); With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26); with God every word fails (Luke 1:37). In particular, they depict the omnipotence of God - b) In creation. And God said: let there be light: and there was light (Gen. 1: 3); He spoke, and it was: He commanded, and it was created (Ps. 32:9; demolished 148:5); Our God has created in heaven and on earth whatever He pleases (Ps. 114:11, 134:6). c) In the industry of creatures and dominion over them. Everyone is looking to You, to give them food at a good time. When I give to You, they will gather them: I will open Your hand, and they will be filled with all kinds of goodness. I will turn away Your face, and they will be indignant: take away their spirit, and they will disappear, and return to their dust: Having followed Your Spirit, they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:27-30). To you, O Lord, is majesty, and strength, and glory, and victory, and confession, and strength, for You have dominion over all in heaven and on earth (1 Chronicles 29:11). And even more often they testify to the omnipotence of God: d) In performing miracles. Who is the great God who is our God? You ecu God work wonders (Ps. 76:14–15). Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who alone works wonders (Ps. 71:18). e) In the spread and preservation of the Christian faith and the Church. I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). God has chosen the strong world, that it may put to shame: and God has chosen the weak world, that it may put to shame the strong: And God has chosen the lowly world, and the lowly thing, and may bring to naught that which is not, that it is (1 Cor. 1:27-28). It is fitting for him to reign; Dondezhe will put all enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25). The mind of God can be considered from two sides: in itself and in relation to the actions of God. In the first case, we get the concept of one property of this mind - omniscience; in the latter about something else - the highest wisdom. 1. Omniscience. Confessing God to be an omniscient being (τὰ πάντα εἱδώς), we understand not only that He knows everything, but at the same time that He knows everything in the most perfect way. Holy Scripture testifies very clearly that - a) God knows everything and in the most perfect way. Boliy is the God of our heart, and the whole message (1 John 3:20) is the God of understanding, the Lord (1 Kings 2:3), and His understanding is without number (Ps. 146:5); All are naked and declared before His eyes (Heb. 4:13); Lord, You weigh everything..., the mind of all (Esther 4:17). In particular, the same Revealed Word teaches that - b) God knows Himself. No one knows the Son but the Father; no one knows the Father but the Son (Matthew 11:27). Who is the message from man who is in man, even the spirit of man living in him? Likewise, no one knows God’s message, but the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11). c) God knows everything possible. He calls those things which are not as though they are (Rom. 4:17) and knows all things before their being (Dan. 13:42). d) God knows everything that really exists. For He Himself watches over all things under heaven, He knows everything that is on earth, everything that has been created (Job 28:24), and there is no creation that is not revealed before Him (Heb. 4:13). He knows everything: aa) in the physical world: he counts many stars, and names them all (Ps. 146:4), knows all the birds of the air (Ps. 49:11); His eyes watch over the whole earth (2 Chronicles 16:9); Hell is naked before Him, and there is no covering for destruction (Job 26:6); bb) in the moral world: before the eyes of God are the ways of a man: but everyone watches his course (Prov. 5:21). He is a spectator of human deeds, but hide nothing from Him from those who do: Below there will be a place to hide for those who do lawlessness (Job 34: 21, 22). In every place the eyes of the Lord behold the evil and the good (Prov. 15:3). The Lord searches all hearts, and understands every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9). You alone weigh the hearts of the sons of men (1 Chronicles 6:30). e) God knows everything that happened. For from all eternity all His works have been understood by God (Acts 15:18), and one day the day will come when the Lord will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), when He will bring into light the secrets of darkness, and will declare the counsels of the heart (1 Cor. 4:5), and will reward everyone according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6). f) God knows everything that is real. Hell and destruction are evident before the Lord: why not the hearts of men? (Prov. 15:11). He himself oversees all things under heaven, being aware of everything on earth, everything that has been created (Job 28:24). g) God knows the whole future. I am God, and I am not yet: Proclaim the last before He was (Isa. 46:9, 10). And precisely aa) the future is not only necessary, but also accidental, free: before I created you in the womb, I knew you (Jer. 1:5); Lord... You understood my thoughts from afar: You have explored my path and already mine, and You have foreseen all My paths (Ps. 139:2, 3); bb) future conditional, i.e. something that could have happened under certain conditions, but did not happen due to failure to fulfill the conditions. Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaido: for even though in Tire and Sidon there was strength in you, of old you repented in sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21). 2. The highest wisdom. The highest wisdom of God (σοφία) consists in the most perfect knowledge of the best goals and the best means, and together - in the most perfect art of applying the latter to the former; therefore, there is nothing other than the same omniscience of God, only considered in relation to Divine actions, or - there is the very mind of God, considered from the active side. Holy Scripture ascribes this property to God with all clarity when - a) Presents Him as generally wise, who has wisdom and strength, advice and understanding (Job 12:13), the only wise one (Rom. 14:26; 1 Tim. 1:17; Jude 25) and the source of wisdom for everyone: if anyone is deprived of wisdom from you, let him ask from Him who gives to all without partiality, and not the one who reproaches, and it will be given to him (James 1:5). In particular - b) Holy The writers of the Old Testament point primarily to the world as the mirror of the wisdom of God. For Thy works are great, O Lord: I have done all things with wisdom,” David cries (Ps. 103:24). God founded the earth with wisdom, but prepared the heavens with understanding - the wise son of David repeats in his parables (Prov. 3:19). The Lord, who created the earth in His strength, arranged the universe in His wisdom, and spread out the heavens with His understanding, we read in the book of the prophecies of Jeremiah (Jer. 10: 12). c) In the writings of the New Testament, the economy of our redemption is depicted primarily as a work of the ineffable wisdom of God. We preach Christ crucified, says St. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, “There is a temptation for the Jews, and foolishness for the Greeks: but to those who are called Jew and Greek, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1: 23, 24); We speak the wisdom of God in the hidden mystery, which God first ordained for our glory (1 Cor. 2:7). And finally, in another of his epistle, after discussing the wonderful plan of the same great economy of God, he exclaims: oh, the depth of the wealth and wisdom and mind of God! for His judgment has not been tried, and His judgment has not been examined (Rom. 11:33). § 14. Properties of the will of God The will of God can be viewed from two sides: in itself and in relation to creatures. In the first case, it appears to us: a) by its nature as supremely free, and b) by its free activity as all-holy. In the latter, it is: a) first of all, all-good, since goodness is the first and most important reason for all God’s actions in relation to all creatures, rational and unreasonable; b) then, in particular, in relation to some rational creatures, true and true, since it reveals itself to them as a moral law for their will and as promises, or moral incentives for the fulfillment of this law; c) finally, justice - since it monitors the moral actions of these creatures and rewards them according to their deserts. Thus, the main properties of the will of God, or more precisely, the main properties of God according to the will are: 1. The highest freedom. God is called supremely free (ἐλεύθερος, αὐτεξούσιος) because He determines Himself to act completely independently of any necessity or compulsion, both external and internal, but solely on the basis of the ideas (ideas) of His most perfect mind. He chooses what he wants and carries out what he chooses as he wants. Holy Scripture ascribes to God the highest freedom: a) In general in all His actions, affirming that He acts entirely according to the advice of His will (Eph. 1:11), and in particular - b) In the creation of the world. Our God has created in heaven and on earth whatever He pleases (Ps. 113:11). c) In industry about him. According to his will he creates in the power of heaven, and in the settlement of the earth: and there is nothing that will resist His hand, and he says to Him: what has He created (Dan. 4:32). The Most High possesses the kingdom of men, and to Him He will give it (Dan. 4:14, 22, 29). Are not two birds valued by a single assar? and not one of them will fall to the earth, without your Father: and unto you are the chief powers of all things counted (Matthew 10: 29, 30). d) In the redemption of man. For the heavenly Father first named us as sons Jesus Christ into Him, according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:5); and Christ the Savior gave Himself according to our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever (Gal. 1:4, 5). e) In our rebirth and sanctification. Having desired, give birth to us by the word of truth, so that we may be a firstfruits by His creation (James 1:18); and to each of us the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit: to one the word of wisdom is given by the Spirit, to another the word of understanding, about the same Spirit... But all this works one and the same Spirit, dividing power to each as he wills (1 Cor. 12: 7, 8, 11). 2. Perfect holiness. By calling God holy (ἅγιος), we confess that He is completely pure from all sin, cannot even sin, and in all His actions is completely faithful to the moral law, and therefore hates evil and loves only goodness in all His creatures. Holy Scripture indeed confirms that God is a) Completely clean from all sin. God is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness in Him (Deut. 32:4); God is light, and in Him there is not a single darkness (1 John 1:5); He is pure (1 John 3:3). b) Completely faithful to the moral law. Accordingly, Holy Scripture: aa) very often calls God holy in general - Holy is the Lord our God (Ps. 98:9; John 17:11); bb) in particular it is expressed that His word is holy (Ps. 104:42), His law is holy (Rom. 7:12), His arm is holy (Ps. 97:1), His way is holy (Ps. 76:14); c) testifies that the Angels in heaven, surrounding His throne, constantly cry to each other - holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isa. 6: 3, taken down. Apostle 4:8); d) commands that we should sanctify His name on earth, imitating His perfect holiness - according to the saint who called you, you yourself will be holy in all your life. It is written beforehand: Be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). c) He hates evil in creatures and loves only good. - The abomination of the Lord is the depravity of the wicked: but he delights in blamelessness in his ways (Prov. 11:20): the abomination of the Lord is the depravity of the wicked: but he loves those who persecute righteousness (Prov. 15:9). You have hated all those who do iniquity (Ps. 5:6). 3. Infinite goodness. Goodness in God is such a property by which He is always ready to communicate and actually communicates to His creatures as many good things as each of them can accept according to their nature and condition. This goodness (ἀγαθότης), according to the difference in the conditions of the creatures on which it acts, is called differently: it is called grace (χάρις), when it bestows benefits on those who do not deserve them (Rom. 11:5; Eph. 2:5), mercy (ἔλεος, οἰκτιρμός), when he comes to the aid of the distressed and needy (Luke 1:72, 78; 2 Cor. 1:3), long-suffering (μακροθυμία), when he bears with sinners and, waiting for their conversion, hesitates to punish them (Rom. 2:4; 3:26), mercy (χρηστότης), when it reduces the punishment for sins (Rom. 11:22), etc. There are countless places in Holy Scripture in which the goodness of God is depicted: a) In general. God is called aa) not only good, but also the only good - confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever (Ps. 118:1); no one is good except one God (Mark 10:18); bb) not only generous and merciful, but also the Father of generosity - the Lord is generous and merciful, long-suffering and abounding in mercy (Ps. 102:8); Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all joy (2 Cor. 1:3); c) not only love, but also the God of love - the God of love is and abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16, taken from v. 8); Have peace: and the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Cor. 13:11). b) In relation to creatures. The Lord is good to everyone, and His compassions are in all His works (Ps. 144:9). I will open His hand, and everyone will be filled with goodness (Ps. 103:28). c) Especially to people. In this regard, it is said aa) that God is our Father - do not call your father on earth: for one is your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 23:9); This is why you pray: Our Father, who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9); bb) that He listens to all our prayers like a father - even if you are evil, you know how to give good things to your children: how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 6:11). Finally, c) as the most striking evidence of the infinite goodness of God to us, the work of our redemption completed by Him is presented - God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). O seven, the love of God has appeared in us, as God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we may live by Him. For this there is love, not as we loved God, but as He loved us, and sent His Son to cleanse us for our sins (1 John 4:9, 10). 4. The most perfect truth and fidelity. We confess God to be true and faithful (ἀληθινός, πιστός), because whatever He reveals to creatures, He always reveals truthfully and authentically, and, in particular, whatever promises and threats He utters to them, He always fulfills what is said or will certainly fulfill. God is true in all His revelations to creatures. Holy Scripture affirms this when it says: a) The Lord God is true (Jer. 10:10; John 3:33), God of truth (Ps. 30:6), and God who is not false (Titus 1:2). It is impossible to lie to God (Heb. 6:18). b) His Word is truth (John 17:17); the words of the Lord, pure words, kindled silver, tempted the earth, purified by the sevenfold (Ps. 11:7) true and faithful words (Ap. 21: 5; 22:5). God is faithful in all his promises and threats. In this regard, Holy Scripture expresses: a) about God - not like a man God hesitates, but like a son of man he changes: That verb says, will he not create? He speaks, and will he not abide (Num. 23:19)? Let us keep our confession of hope unwavering: for He who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:23). Even if we do not believe, He remains faithful; He cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13); He who called you is faithful, and He will do the same (1 Thessalonians 5:24, demolished Deut. 7:9). b) About the very promises of God and threats - for the great promises of God are in this, and in this is amen (2 Cor. 1:20). Amen, I say to you, that this generation shall not pass away, Until all this will be: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Mark 13:30, 31; Luke 21:32, 33). 5. Endless justice. Under the name of justice, or truth (δικαιοσύνη), here we mean a property in God by which He rewards all moral beings, and each according to his deserts, and namely, he rewards the good and punishes the evil. The general idea about God's justice is expressed: a) in the Psalmist - God the judge is righteous and strong (Ps. 7:12), the Lord is righteous and loves righteousness (Ps. 10: 7); b) in the words of the Savior - come and receive the Son of man in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then He will reward everyone according to his deeds (Matthew 16:27); c) from the Apostle Paul - Who will reward anyone according to his deeds: ... for God has no sight on the face (Rom. 2:6, 11). That God, in particular, rewards or will reward the righteous for everything good is evidenced by: a) Psalmist, those who love Your name will boast in You. For You have blessed the righteous, O Lord (Ps. 5:12, 13). b) Apostle Paul – he fought the good fight, died his end, and kept the faith. Otherwise the crown of righteousness will be kept for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will reward me in the day, not only to me, but also to all those who have loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:7, 8). Every person who does good will receive it from the Lord, whether he is a slave or whether he is free. (Eph. 6:8). Finally, that God punishes or will punish sinners for all their atrocities, in confirmation of this, Holy Scripture a) presents, on the one hand, multiple experiences of God’s punishments that took place before, such as the expulsion of our fallen ancestors from paradise, the fate of Cain, the global flood, the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, and on the other hand, the future terrible judgment, where people will give a strict account even for every an idle word (Matthew 12:36), and the wicked will be condemned into eternal fire (Matthew 25:41). In addition, Holy Scripture b) testifies that the curse of the Lord is in the houses of the wicked (Prov. 3:33), and the Lord will reward them for their iniquity, and the Lord God will destroy them through their wickedness (Ps. 93:23); c) calls God a consuming fire - our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29), and d) ascribes to Him wrath and vengeance in a human form - the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1: 18). Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord (Rom. 12:19). The God of vengeance The Lord, the God of vengeance does not hesitate to eat (Ps. 93:1). § 15. The truth of the unity of God in essence From the very concept of God as an infinite Being, possessing all the highest perfections, it necessarily follows that He is one; for there cannot be two or many limitless and equally perfect beings, according to the ideas of common reason. And the word of God, indeed, attributing to God the infinite perfections that we have already discussed, calls Him one. 1. The truth of the unity of God was very often repeated in the Old Testament: We meet it - a) In the sayings of God Himself to the Israelites: you see, for I am, and there is no God except Me (Deut. 32:39), I am the first, and I am hereafter, except Me there is no God (Is. 44:6). b) In the words of Moses to the same people of Judah: that you may understand that the Lord is your God, this God is, and He is not (Deut. 4:35). And again: hear to Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord (Deut. 6:4). c) In the words of the Psalmist: who is God except the Lord? or who is God, except our God? (Ps. 17:32). For You are great and work wonders, You are one God (Ps. 85:10). 2. In the New Testament the truth of the unity of God is presented with the same clarity and separation. – a) The Savior Himself, to the question of a certain lawyer: which is the first of all commandments, answered: for the first of all commandments: hear, to Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord (Mark 12:28–29). And in prayer to His heavenly Father he said: Behold, this is the eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God (John 17:3). b) St. Apostle Paul, on the occasion of the question of eating sacrifices to idols, wrote to his Corinthian disciples, among other things, the following: about eating sacrifices to idols, we know that there is nothing in the world for an idol, and that there is only one God. And indeed the essence of the verbs is gods, either in heaven or on earth: as there are many gods, and many lords: But to us there is one God the Father, of whom all things are worthless, and we are with him: and there is one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him (1 Cor. 8:4-6). c) The same Apostle in another of his epistle, proving the idea that a person is justified by faith without the works of the ritual Jewish law, says: Or is the God of the Jews only, and not of the tongues? her, and languages. For there is only one God, who will justify circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision by faith (Rom. 3:29–30). You might be interested in: