Divine Simplicity

On the Simplicity of God

Welcome to the first edition of this weekly theology newsletter! This series is dedicated to exploring the deeper theological truths revealed in Scripture—truths that may not be immediately apparent but are foundational to our faith. For the first several weeks, we’ll be studying the doctrines of God, beginning with the doctrine of His simplicity.

What does the simplicity of God mean? In short, it means that God is not made up of parts. All of His attributes—His love, patience, kindness, and so on—are not separate from each other or from His essence. Instead, they are entirely unified in His being.

To illustrate, think about how we, as humans, consist of parts. We have arms, legs, and minds, each distinct and separate. But for God, it’s different: God is entirely one in essence. As Scripture says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

The word used for "one" here is the Hebrew word אֶחָד (echad), which can mean “one and the same.” This usage implies that what we perceive as different aspects of God are, in reality, different expressions of a single, indivisible reality.

These distinctions are what we refer to as “philosophical distinctions.” While there are many types, two distinctions are considered orthodox in Christian theology: the virtual distinction and the formal distinction.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, a renowned Catholic theologian, explains virtual distinctions in relation to God in Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 13, Article 12:

"God, however, as considered in Himself, is altogether one and simple, yet our intellect knows Him by different conceptions because it cannot see Him as He is in Himself."

In other words, the attributes of God are distinct only in our minds; there is no real separation between them in God’s essence. Think of a person’s name: while we use a name to identify someone, the name itself is not physically attached to them nor is it something tangible—it exists purely as a concept in our minds.

The next distinction is the formal distinction, described by John Duns Scotus in Ordinatio, Book 1, Distinction 8, Part 1, Question 3:

"I say that a formal distinction is one that is intermediate between a real and a conceptual distinction. It is less than a real distinction because it does not divide the thing into two entities, but it is more than a conceptual distinction because it has a foundation in the thing itself."

Here, Scotus bridges the gap between a virtual distinction and a real distinction by offering a middle ground. Regardless of which distinction you lean toward, what matters is that we avoid dividing God's essence into parts.

Why is this so important? Why can God not consist of parts? It begins with understanding what it means for something to be composed of parts. A being made up of parts depends on something else to bring those parts together. If God were composed in this way, He would rely on something prior to Himself, which contradicts His role as the First Cause. Since God is the First Cause, nothing exists before Him that could assemble His “parts.”

The next reason is based on the doctrine of God’s immutability, or God’s unchangingness. If God consisted of parts, in theory these parts could be rearranged, or changed, meaning that God has now changed. But if God is not made up of different parts, this means that He can be the same God yesterday, today, and forever.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17)

The final and most important reason lies in how Scripture reveals God’s qualities. When Scripture describes aspects of God, it presents them as identical with His very being, not as if they are merely components of Him. Consider Jesus’ words here:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Jesus declares that He is the way, the truth, and the life—not that He has these qualities. This oneness reflects divine simplicity, where God's attributes are unified without any division or separation.

So, what does the simplicity of God mean for us? It means that God is both Unchanging and Complete Love. Unchanging in His promises and complete in that His entire being is love. You can trust that God will never fail in His promises, no matter how much your faith may waver. Since God is wholly and entirely love, His commitment to you will not falter, and His loving promises to you will never fail.

Think to yourself, what are some things that God has promised that have not met fruition yet. Why is it impossible to God to fail on His promise? Remind yourself that God cannot fail it’s simply not in His nature. He cannot be anything other than faithful and true.

Thus when doubt creeps in, remind it of who your God is, how your God has no variation or shadow of change, but rather is unchanging and entirely faithful to His loving promise.