Divine simplicity
Historic orthodoxy
God is not made up of parts; his attributes are not pieces of him but are each the one undivided God.
Also called: simplicity of God
What it means
Divine simplicity means God is not composed of parts. We are made of body and soul, of qualities we may gain or lose. God is not. He does not "have" love, goodness, and power as separate components assembled into a whole. He is love, he is good, he is almighty, and all of these are the one God, considered from different angles by our limited minds.
This matters because anything made of parts depends on those parts and on whatever put them together. God depends on nothing. Simplicity also means God's attributes never compete. His justice and his mercy are not two forces in tension inside him; they are one perfect life, which is why they meet at the cross rather than cancel each other.
The confessions say God is "without body, parts, or passions." Simplicity is also why the three persons of the Trinity are not three parts of God. Each person is the whole, undivided God.
In Scripture
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
God is love; love is not a part he has but who he is.
God is spirit, not a being assembled from material parts.
God names himself simply I AM, the one whose being is his own.
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
Where it comes up
Confessions: WCF 2.1; LBCF 1689 2.1
Related terms
Classical theismHistoric orthodoxy
The historic Christian teaching that God is infinite, eternal, unchanging, and perfect in himself, not dependent on or improved by his creation.
ImmutabilityHistoric orthodoxy
God does not change in his being, character, knowledge, or purposes.
ImpassibilityHistoric orthodoxy
God is not subject to emotional change, suffering, or being overcome by creatures; his love and wrath are perfect and steady, not swings of feeling.
TrinityHistoric orthodoxy
There is one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully and equally God.